The concept of “biochemical individuality” was first proposed by Roger Williams in 1956 to explain differences in disease susceptibility, nutrient needs, and drug responsiveness among otherwise healthy people. It is only in the wake of the ongoing genomic revolution, however, that predictive genomic or genetic testing has become available to allow us to assess true biochemical individuality. For the first time, physicians can find out with increasing precision those who are more likely to develop specific diseases, who will respond favorably (or react adversely) to a particular drug or supplement therapy, and finally, which nutrients are optimal for a specific person’s health and well-being.

Who can benefit from genomic or genetic testing?

Three groups of people can and they are:

1. Challenging or refractory cases- for patients with chronic degenerative diseases characterized by multiple causes

2. Familial association testing- for patients with a family history of chronic degenerative diseases who want to know if they are at risk for the same diseases.

3. Predictive Genomics- for health conscious, asymptomatic, proactive patients who want more accurate screening.

Posted in Protocols

Nutritional testing is an important part of a complete health care program. Medical research published in numerous per-reviewed journals has scientifically documented the vital role that essential nutrients play in achieving and maintaining good health, and in preventing or treating many serious diseases. Some diseases that have been scientifically linked to nutrient imbalances include arthritis, Parkinson’s, alcoholism/substance abuse, behavioral disorders, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic fatigue, macular degeneration, diabetes, immune disorders, multiple sclerosis, stroke and osteoporosis.

TEN REASONS NUTRITIONAL TESTING IS IMPORTANT FOR YOUR HEALTH

1. Nutrient deficiencies are common, in fact 90% of people are deficient and 50% of those are already taking supplements.

2. Vitamin deficiencies contribute to common degenerative diseases like heart disease, stroke, cancer and Alzheimer’s.

3. Many prescription medications can cause nutrient depletions.

4. Having a strong antioxidant defense system protects you against heart disease, cancer and other chronic conditions.

5. There can be too much of a “good thing” – too many antioxidants can be harmful. The only way to know what you need is to be tested.

6. Simply taking a multivitamin may not be enough to meet your nutritional needs.

7. You might be over supplementing with unnecessary multivitamins, minerals or antioxidants. Too much can be harmful.

8. Aging can be caused by a lack of nutrients.

9. Having healthy cells promotes strong immune function and optimal health for a lifetime.

10. Your doctor thinks it is medically necessary for a complete health care program.

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We have extensive experience with the many benefits of using intravenous (IV) drips to quickly and efficiently deliver nutrients directly to where they are needed: the cells. IV therapies bypass the digestive system and its potential barriers to the absorption of nutrients. The results are felt more immediately and patients outcomes are greatly improved in a shorter amount of time.

As an example, 67% of the general population is estimated to be magnesium deficient, a fact that gives magnesium a starring role in IV nutritional therapy. Because deficiency of magnesium results in spasms, magnesium is especially useful to treat asthma (spasm of bronchioles), high blood pressure (spasm or constriction of blood vessels), menstrual cramps (spasm of the uterus), and migraines (vascular spasm). Heart failure and arrhythmia are conditions associated with decreased intracellular magnesium levels and as such, are also benefited by this essential mineral. For mostly unknown reasons, people who are deficient in magnesium often cannot correct their deficiency by taking magnesium orally until the magnesium levels are first replenished by IV administration.

IV Therapies help our patients on the road to wellness and are an essential part of our anti-aging protocols.

What is Chelation Therapy?

The world “chelation” is derived from the Greek word “chelos” which translates as “claw” and refers to the ability of EDTA (Ethylenediamine Tetraacetic acid) to grab onto heavy metals and toxic chemicals for transportation out of the body.

In the 1950’s, the use of EDTA for lead toxicity in clinical trials had surprisingly effective results. To this day, the FDA still recommends EDTA as the ideal treatment for lead toxicity and hypercalcemia (excess calcium). It was a coincidental finding in the 1950’s when it was observed that persons who had lead toxicity and blockages in their arteries often not only experienced marked improvement in their symptoms of lead poisoning, but also in their circulation.

Virtually everyone in our post-industrial society carries some toxic metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic and aluminum. The important causative roles these toxins have in human health have become better understood in recent years. Chelation therapy can remove most of the toxic build up and help to restore essential arterial blood flow. Patients experience more energy, improved neurological function and overall enhanced cardiovascular health.

At our clinic, we have advanced techniques for heavy metal testing. Our IV Chelation Therapy can help rid your body of these harmful metals and significantly improve your overall health and vitality.

The Myers Cocktail and other IV Therapies

The Myers Cocktail, named after the late Maryland physician John Myers, M.D., and popularized by Alan Gaby, M.D., combines magnesium, calcium, Vitamin C and B Vitamins safely and inexpensively; effectively treating a variety of chronic conditions including asthma attacks, migraines, seasonal allergies, depression and fibromyalgia.

One of the most popular IV therapies, the Myers Cocktail is also used as a pick me up after a period of stress or fatigue.

Our version of the Myers Cocktail is a unique blend of vitamins and minerals and its rejuvenating effective make this a popular and successful IV therapy.

Please call for a complimentary consultation with Dr. Lopez at 415-566-1000 to see if the Myers’ Cocktail or other IV therapies would be beneficial for you.

Posted in Protocols

Although we are living longer, as we reach our forties many of us begin to have chronic aches and pains, neurological problems or some type of degenerative condition. We seem to accept this as a normal part of aging. Actually a lot of these “normal” aging phenomena are related to malfunctioning of our detoxification system or the fact that it is being overloaded with too many toxins. Because we are exposed to so many new chemicals, our bodies have not yet developed mechanisms to metabolize and eliminate them.

Toxicity drags down your system and as toxic levels build from our multiple daily chemical exposures, they add to your “body burden” and increase your total load. Here are some articles on toxicity and some simple actions you can take to help lighten your load and minimize environmental factors that affect you.

Once you start to lessen your body burden, a healthy diet and quality nutritional supplements will help supply your system with the nutrients you need to optimize the functioning of your body’s own detoxification system.

Detoxification is an essential part of our program.

Posted in Protocols

When your hormones are in balance, you feel great — lots of energy, you sleep like a baby, your sex drive is strong, you look wonderful, and your immune and digestive systems function beautifully.
This is your body’s normal state. And with proper support you should feel that way from your 20’s through your 70’s — and even beyond.
Most of us put enormous demands on our body — so much more stress than it was designed to handle — and don’t give it adequate support.
As a result, for many, Menopause symptoms can be unbearable and interrupt your quality of life.
Dramatic results can be obtained with proper hormonal balance using bioidentical hormones and nutritional supplements.
What are the typical symptoms of hormonal imbalance?
Dysmenorrhea (cramps), PMS, infertlity/endometriosis, irregular menstrual periods, fibrocystic breasts, premenopausal symptoms, weight gain, mood swings, reduced libido, vaginal thinning, dryness, painful intercourse, hot flashes, night sweats, depression, poor concentration, memory lapses, insomina, disturbed sleep, arteriosclerosis and osteoporosis.
We help you take control of your health at any age.

Posted in Protocols

As Baby Boomers come of age, we hear more and more about one of the many subjects our parents often avoided talking about: female “change of life”, or Menopause. Nowadays, the symptoms women experience during this natural adjustment in hormonal balance are well documented and treatment is widely available.

Male Menopause — or Andropause — however, is just as common an experience for men as its counterpart is for women. Just as women deals with a shift in their hormones, men as they grow older, inevitably experience a gradual shift in their hormonal balance.

Usually, men do not like to talk about this fact. A man’s masculine identity is often linked to an awareness of the necessity of male hormones. Any suggestion that hormonal levels are imbalanced, or are low, can be a threat to his sense of self worth.

Denial can run deep. And while symptoms of Male menopause mount–including depression, fatigue, loss of libido, increasing irritability and more–a basic medical condition goes untreated.

However, by properly treating the underlying causes and not just the symptoms; You can feel like a 30 year old again!

EARLY WARNING SIGNS OF ANDROPAUSE:

MALE HORMONAL IMBALANCE

The symptoms of Andropause are varied. Some symptoms occur very gradually. Others seem to just hit one day, like a ton of bricks. There are infinite combinations of symptoms and severity. Every Man is different and his particular symptoms and severity is unique.

It is perhaps a good idea to talk with your partner about these warning signs.

Depression, low or negative mood

Decreased stamina

Irritability

Fatigue

Decrease or loss of sexual enjoyment

Erectile dysfunction

Anxiety and nervousness

Inability to concentrate/memory loss

Stiffness in muscles and joints

Feeling fat, gaining weight

Decreased effectiveness of exercise

Decreased urine flow

Increased abdominal fat

Sleep disturbances

Increased amount of time to recover from injuries or illness

Loss of interest and self-confidence

Feeling time is running out

In aggregate, these symptoms can be and often are diagnosed as indications of other medical problems.

Depression, for instance, may be the result of an imbalance in chemical receptors in the brain. Doctors often treat the symptoms for depression and prescribe an antidepressant. Often, the underlying cause, an hormonal imbalance is often overlooked.

Similarly the symptoms of Erectile Dysfunction. A tablet of Viagra can be used for the physical symptom but does not treat the underlying cause.

Testing is Key

Posted in Protocols

We subscribe to the Autism Research Institute’s biomedical approach to treating autism spectrum disorders.
We believe that autism encompasses a spectrum of disorders with multiple provoking stressors and multiple possible susceptibilities. Our approach is based on paying careful attention to the unique symptoms, history, examinations and data of each child. We offer a process of choosing various options for biomedical intervention.

Autism and related problems reflect dysfunction of the neural, metabolic, immune and/or digestive system in individuals genetically predisposed to such problems as sub-optimal nutrition, food intolerances, microbial overgrowth, metabolic abnormalities, immune dysregulation and reduced ability to eliminate toxins. People with autism spectrum disorders have difficulty processing sensory, perceptual, cognitive, biochemical and immunologic messages and have faulty mechanisms for regulating, organizing, expressing, processing and detoxifying various inputs.

We believe that a combination of environmental factors may interact with genetic predispositions that are due to variations in human genotype. Timing of the appropriate treatment is important because certain insults appear to occur at vulnerable times in human development when the brain’s neuronal network connectivity is being established.

Appropriate treatment involves identifying and alleviating the problems causing symptoms in a particular individual, rather than attempting to suppress symptoms through the use of [psychoactive drugs. Our focus is on biomedical balance in the individual emphasizing two questions: Does he or she have a special unmet need that would advance healing if it were met. Does he or she have a special need to avoid or get rid of toxins, allergens or metabolic by-products?

The answers to these questions come by a careful sequential process in which the patient is recognized as the expert who, by his or her history, physical examinations, lab results and response to therapy, helps practitioners choose the best options for each diagnostic and therapeutic step. With our patients and their parents, we conduct collaborative conversations with an abiding respect for the intelligence and intuition of parents and their children. We involve families as full participants in the search for answers and recognize that the child is often listening, even when he or she appears inattentive.

We reject one-size-fits-all strategies while including the broad range of diagnostic and treatment modalities that are appropriate to each patient. We look for ways to support nature’s strong impulse toward healing.

We also value relational, occupational, physical, speech, educational, and other external therapies, many of which become far more efficacious once underlying biomedical conditions are addressed. While our focus is on biomedical interventions, we look for opportunities to collaborate with our educational, behavioral, physical and speech therapy colleagues.

W draw information and inspiration from the fact that autistic children are treatable and curable by systematic means that address the need to restore dysregulated biochemical and immunological processes to the virtuous pathways from which they descend. We believe that autism is also preventable by paying greater attention to environmental issues and parental health.

We endorse Dr. Rimland’s position of trying to disregard our egos and remembering that most of the important elements in our understanding of the treatment options for autistic individuals have come from listening to parents.

Posted in Protocols

The results of a sensible diet and lifestyle include an ideal body weight (body composition). Therefore, weight loss programs that just involve fad diets and diet pills do not actually help people achieve their goals. Inappropriate body compositions (more body fat and less muscle mass) can be due to a host of different factors including hormonal imbalance, food allergies and nutritional deficiencies among others. In our practice, we try to get to the root cause/causes of the problem to help people achieve their health goals.

Posted in Protocols

Environmental Medicine explores the role of dietary and environmental allergens in health and illness. Factors such as dust, molds, chemicals, and certain foods may cause allergic reactions that can dramatically influence diseases ranging from asthma and hay fever to headaches and depression. Virtually any chronic physical or mental illness may be improved by the care of a physician competent in this field.

Posted in Protocols

Toxic Food Syndrome

95% out of 100 people are poisoning themselves and don’t even know it!

Are you one of them?

The symptoms vary from individual to individual, but all have one thing in common: when a person stops eating the foods that are causing toxic reactions in their particular system, their symptoms disappear. These symptoms vary from indigestion to earaches to joint pain, to extremes of what might be considered mental illness.

Call now to find out if you’ll benefit from food allergy testing!

Posted in Protocols