Functional Medicine

Organic Acids Test OATs yeast/oxalates

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PAIN
I DIDN’T SETTLE
YOU SHOULDN’T EITHER

Earlier this summer I started to experience a lot of joint pain.

Since I removed sugar and all grains several years ago, all my joint pain and edema had disappeared.  I was more than happy.

But for some unknown reason the strong pain returned.

So I decided to investigate….and knowing me I headed for functional testing….

The OATS TEST.

What is the test?   Organic Acids Test.

The Organic Acids Test (OAT) offers a comprehensive metabolic snapshot of overall health with 75 markers.  It provides an accurate evaluation of intestinal yeast and bacteria.

Abnormally high levels of these microorganisms can cause or worsen behavior disorders, hyperactivity, movement disorders, fatigue and immune function (for me it was joint pain).

Organic acids are most commonly analyzed in urine because they are not extensively reabsorbed in the kidney tubules after glomerular filtration.

One of the most important uses of the organic acids test is as an indicator of dysbiosis, an abnormal overgrowth of yeast and bacteria in the intestinal tract. It’s the best way to find out about yeast overgrowths.

The Organic Acids Test also includes markers for vitamin and mineral levels, oxidative stress, neurotransmitter levels, and also include markers for oxalates, which are highly correlated with many chronic illnesses.

So I captured my urine, sent it in the kit, and waited for the results.

Guess what?

Yeast, yeast and more yeast….and with yeast often comes a sensitivity to oxalates.  Some dysbiotic/opportunistic large intestinal bacteria were also found.

Yeast + Oxalates, they go hand in hand.

Oxalates or Oxalic acid is an organic compound found in many plants.

In plants, it’s usually bound to minerals, forming oxalate. The terms “oxalic acid” and “oxalate” are used interchangeably in nutrition science.

Your body can produce oxalate on its own or obtain it from food. Vitamin C can also be converted into oxalate when it’s metabolized.

Once consumed, oxalate can bind to minerals to form compounds, including calcium oxalate and iron oxalate. This mostly occurs in the colon, but can also take place in the kidneys and other parts of the urinary tract (read kidney stones and UTIs).

For most people, these compounds are then eliminated in the stool or urine.

But not for me.  My body was holding onto the oxalic acid and driving my joint pain.

After shifting my diet, being vigilant about my hydration levels and electrolyte health, and most importantly eradicating the yeast and bacterial overgrown ~ I am pain free!

I really appreciate this test and it is a game changer for understanding what is really driving pain and digestive issues.

I didn’t settle for this pain, or just manage it.

I figured out the problem and solved it.  The OATs test also helps with depression, fatigue, sleep issues….the list goes on.

Wanna solve your pain issues?

I’m here, reach out, let’s figure it out together, with or without functional testing.

What Do You Mean by Pain? I’m Confused

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WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY PAIN?  I’M CONFUSED.
Good question for sure.

Pain is a term that gets thrown around quite a bit.

I like the IASP’s  (International Association for the Study of Pain) definition as a starting point ~

Pain: An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.

So an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience where there can be actual tissue damage OR potential damage.

Okay, so is anxiety pain?  What about depression? Is that pain too?  YES!

The tissue damage in these cases could be happening from some toxin, produced by a pathogen, that is driving the emotional experience.

It could also be that you perceive something is harming you.  Or both!

There are a lot of scientific studies out (as early as 1954) that confirm what we have felt in our bodies for years ~ the reality of the Brain – Gut Axis.  The vagus nerve is involved, and/or there is direct communication between bacteria and the brain.  Wow.

So the diversity and health of the microbiome affects our emotional state.

What if your beloved dies unexpectedly or in a protracted illness.  Is that pain?  YES!

What if you are in the tangles of an active addiction.  Is that pain?  YES!

What about generational injury or insult?  Is that pain?  YES!

What about chronic heartburn….or chronic diarrhea.  Is that really pain?  Isn’t it just uncomfortable?  YES THAT IS PAIN.

Eczema?  Is that pain?  YES!  And almost always a result of a dysregulated gut.

Okay, so I know that plantar fasciitis is pain.  That makes common sense since it’s physical pain.  YES!

So pain, from a functional viewpoint, includes not just tissue damage, but mental/emotional and spiritual experiences too.  YES!

You don’t have to live in pain.

You don’t have to settle for managing your anxiety, depression, grief, the ravages of addiction, inherited paradigms, dysregulated digestion or foot pain.

The list goes on and on. I’m sure you have a list of your own.

As an expert in using natural drug-free methods to get you out of pain and keep you there, I utilize my ever growing toolbox to help you unlock your healing potential. 

I focus on the inter-relationship between your physical self, your mental/emotional self and your spiritual self.

Is your foot pain a sensitivity to oxalates and the resulting systemic inflammation?  Over exercising because you have always managed your anxiety that way….and/or is your pelvis affecting your gate?  Perhaps it’s your shoes or the way you sit when you watch tv….it’s probably all of the above.

A mix of classical homeopathy for the anxiety symptoms and acute pain, a specialized food plan plus a few select supplements for the oxalate challenge, and finally some manual therapy, Rolfing, to address the neuromuscular tension.

That’s a functional medicine approach.  I focus on identifying and addressing the root cause of dis-ease. Each symptom or differential diagnosis may be one of many contributing to your illness.

It can take time to heal, and it can be uncomfortable getting out of pain.  Sounds weird right, but the fact is that healing often requires clearing and release, being a bit out of balance, before reaching a state of health.

Everyone’s adventure is different, and it takes as long as it takes.  Healing is a journey, not a destination, but together we can get you out of pain and focused on living the life you were meant to live.

I’m excited to get started.

Feeling Toxic? Considering a Detox? Wait! Read this First

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HEALTHY ENOUGH TO DETOX?

DO YOU EVEN NEED TO DETOX?

So, how you feeling today?  Did you make smart food choices over the recent holidays?

A few too many Christmas cookies? Too much Eggnog? Did you actually eat that Fruitcake? Consume all that Hanukkah Gelt?

How did those conversations around the dinner table about the current political landscape go?

Did you even have family to visit?  Where you alone?  Was December not even holiday time in your culture?

Did you over spend?

Feeling sluggish and “toxic”?  Profoundly uncomfortable?  Just want the discomfort to stop?

Thinking about doing a detox or cleanse?

Wait!  Don’t do it.  Step away from the juicer.  Put that Master Cleanse kit away. Don’t rush into some elimination diet!

Ridding the body of “toxins” – enduring a “detox diet” or drinking nothing but juice for several days to “cleanse” – has become a popular trend in the health/dieting world.

A Google search for “detox” retrieves 70 million hits, and the designer-juice industry now tops $5 billion annually, growing 4-8% a year, with much of the appeal based on juice’s supposed cleansing benefits.

But how effective are these detox programs in cleansing the body of harmful substances?  The “detox” fad needs a reality check.

So what is the history of detoxing the body and it’s connection to illness anyway?

HUMOROUS HISTORY

“The concept of toxins as the origin of disease can be found in the Egyptian medical texts and was inherited by the Greeks.

The Hippocratic physicians believed that the body ‘cooked’ the ingested food in the stomach, much like a cook would prepare food in a pot.

They called this process ‘coction.’  Different kinds of food were identified by their ‘humors:’ bitter, sweet, bland, sour, salty, acrid, and sharp or pungent.  As they were cooked they lost their individual properties and were mixed into a bland concoction that was sent to the members of the body for nutrition.

If ‘humors’ were incompletely cooked in the stomach they would have to be ‘cooked’ or ‘cocted’ in the tissues of the body. This would cause sickness, particularly inflammation, which was a sign of cooking occurring in the wrong parts of the body.

The conventional name for metabolic impurities in English, when the North American colonies were established, was ‘humors in the blood,’ or just humors.

The words humor and canker lingered in the American vernacular until the middle of the nineteenth century, but they were replaced by the terms ‘impure blood’ and ‘bad blood.’

The former word came from German, but the latter almost certainly was a contribution of the American Indians, who didn’t have a word for impure.

In the twentieth century the term ‘toxins in the blood’ came to substitute for ‘bad blood’ because environmental toxins became widespread.

Since the liver is the organ that ‘cleanses the blood’ this condition was also called ‘toxic liver.’

These terms are extremely widespread at the present time and probably as many products for ‘detoxification’ are sold today as were sold for ‘bad blood’ a hundred years ago. ~Mathew Wood.

BAD BLOOD?

Our bodies have a highly effective system for removing toxins.
Detoxification is an ongoing function carried out by the numerous emunctories of our very complex body.

Our cleansing tissues and organs that excrete toxins from the body include the liver and gallbladder (bile excretion), the kidneys (urination), the lungs (carbon dioxide), the colon (defecation), and the skin (perspiration).

Our sovereign organ for detoxification is the liver.

The liver is the chief organ responsible for breaking down both endogenous and exogenous toxins every second of our lives. It works in concert with the kidneys and colon as well as the lungs and skin to ensure that toxins leave the body as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The liver filters blood, removing chemicals, excess hormones, viruses and bacteria.

Additionally, the liver is called upon to metabolize drugs and chemicals and to break down alcohol. It also plays a key role in the digestion of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, and acts as a storehouse for vitamins, minerals and sugars.

IS CLEANSING THE LIVER GONNA MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER?

Maybe but we live in challenging times.  Wars rage across the globe, climate change no longer deniable, the social landscape demonstrating profound injustices and condoned hate.

It’s toxic out there…lots of bad blood. No wonder we feel a need to detox.  Our hearts, our souls, our minds, our bodies are continually processing our environment. Our environment that has become increasingly toxic, not just the soil, but in the ways we relate to the earth and to each other.

I believe we are all connected, deeply connected.  We can’t be optimal until our world is optimal. Healing involves much more than a green drink or some supplements to cleanse the liver.

Healing involves community and vulnerability. It involves connection. It requires that we sit with the discomfort, not try to fix or change it.  We need to get to know and understand our discomfort.

If we could have healed (not just fix) on our own, we all would have.

That’s where Functional Wellness Minneapolis comes in. I’m here to offer you expert support and a sustainable healing plan.

You want to feel better, to be as vital as possible.

Skip the cleanse or detox and reach out.  We can get you healthy without some extreme fad.

Side stepping the discomfort has never been the answer.

Together we can address what is really making you uncomfortable.

Bodywork + Nutrition + Homeopathy = Deep Sustained Health

Let’s get healthy together.  The world needs us healthy now more than ever!

GI MAP: THE BEST PICTURE OF YOUR MICROBIOME

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My clients (that means YOU) come to me because they are in pain, discomfort,  feeling stuck and are suffering.

Your body just doesn’t feel right, you are experiencing anxiety and your fears are ruling your lives.

You feel stuck and have lost hope.

You are nearing the end of your ability to manage the pain, discomfort (insert your challenges here) and you need help to find the deeper answers, to have someone connect what appear to be disparate symptoms.

After 25 years of paying attention to people, and listening deeply to your suffering and frustration, I am beginning to lean more and more in the direction of the gut as the key player in health.  I know, I know, you see that all the time, health begins in the gut….even that ole white guy said it in 400 bce  “All Disease Begins in The Gut.” – Hippocrates

There are countless articles about it,  the idea trickling up to Oxford Academic Journal of Neurology or down to Dr Ox.  It’s not a new concept.  It is getting a great deal of academic study.  But let’s face it,  we in the “alternative” medicinal fields have seen it for a long time.  The gut is a complex and truly fascinating place.

You are a truly complex, precious and fascinating being.  There is no one-size fits all approach to health.

In light of your uniqueness, I want to spend a bit of time today sharing what I’ve been up to in my practice and to hopefully assist you to get out of pain and stop managing your symptoms.  With my help (and others), you can live the life you know you were meant to live!
YOUR MICROBIOME

GI MAP TESTING

Optimizing Your Gut

Fall Flu Prevention Happening Now. Homeopathy works!

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Functional Wellness Minneapolis is offering our Fall Flu Prevention Clinic again this year.

For the last five years we have helped hundreds of folks stay well throughout the “Flu Season.”

Here’s how it works:

Schedule a 15 minute session. Get a six month supply of the Influenzinum homeopathic remedy.  

Get detailed instructions on how and when to administer.  

Access to me throughout the flu season.

Yup, you get access to me via phone or email with any questions you may have.  Plus, if you do in fact get unwell with the flu, I am here for you.  There are tons of homeopathic remedies for flu symptoms and I have been trained to individualize the prescription for your symptoms.

Together we keep you healthy and enjoying the winter months!

MINERALS – The Spark Plug of Life

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Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (hTMA) 

Introduction to HTMA

The hTMA is a screening test that measures levels of minerals and toxic metals present in a sample of hair.

Minerals are the spark plugs of life and play many important health-related roles within the human body. They provide a window into our cellular health, and hair makes an excellent biopsy material.  This test reveals a clear record of mineral metabolism and metabolic activity (about 3 months).

Hair, like all other body tissues, contains minerals that are deposited as the hair grows. Although the hair is dead, the minerals remain as the hair continues to grow.

Minerals and toxic metals are locked inside the hair during the growth state as the body uses it for the storage and elimination of minerals. 

Creating a blueprint of one’s individual biochemistry, hair analysis can assist in identifying mineral patterns which may be associated with our body’s ability to handle stress, blood sugar and carbohydrate imbalances; metabolic rates; biochemical energy and production and glandular imbalances.

Using a science of micro mass spectrophotometry and correct sampling, hair analysis is a highly accurate way to test tissue mineral levels. Hair grows from the inside to the outside of the cell, so it accurately reflects the intracellular mineral content of our bodies. Over 95% of the minerals in the body are intracellular, so hair is an extremely valuable diagnostic tool. Minerals circulating in the blood are under a very different homeostatic control than minerals in the tissue.

Blood pH is more tightly regulated and will work hard to stay regulated at the expense of the tissue. This is why the tissue readings can give us more information. And then with that information, we can see many different homeostatic balances in the body and work to balance them.

The essence of biochemical therapy, or we could say nutritional therapy, is to identify each person’s nutrient overload and deficiencies and provide a game plan that helps normalize the body’s systems. We really have to know for sure our body’s mineral levels to help us know what to eat and how to supplement correctly.

This method of testing has been used for at least 100 years worldwide to screen for the level of 20 minerals and toxic metals in a sample of hair.

It is a non-invasive, relatively inexpensive method of testing and is very accurate.  Hair mineral analysis testing is an excellent method for assessing, monitoring and guiding the correction and improvement of one’s body chemistry.

Hair provides a window into the entire workings of the body, giving us accurate insights into how to balance health through a nutritional protocol.  Hair is an excellent way to see imbalances in metabolic health and bring correction to them before deeper health pathologies set in.

WHY SHOULD YOU GET A HTMA TEST?

  • To determine your current metabolic type (oxidation rate) so you can fine tune your macro nutrient ratios and create an eating plan specific to your unique health.
  • To get a clear plan for supplements specific to your current health so you can stop wasting money on supplements you don’t need and that aren’t working.
  • Find out if you have current metal exposure.
  • To understand why you have fatigue and determine your current vitality.
  • Find out whether you have adrenal or thyroid insufficiency.
  • Find out whether your body is dealing with some level of blood sugar imbalance.

There is so much information this test provides.  It is an excellent addition to all the other evaluative tools I use.

For this newsletter I want to talk a bit about oxidation rate and the autonomic nervous system.

The major take away is this ~  HTMA testing helps us efficiently prioritize your next steps:

  • Are you in the most effective nervous system for digestion and elimination?
  • Is there balance between anabolic systems (building yourself up) or catabolic systems (tearing yourself down)?
  • Are you actually able to absorb nutrients?  What should YOU be eating based on your metabolic rate?
  • How is your body able to handle stress?

Let’s maximize your health so you can do all the things you want to do!  No limits.

OXIDATION RATE and AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM

HTMA interpretation relies on metabolic blueprint. Oxidation rate is another way to talk about the metabolic rate.  Oxidation rate provides insight into fuel needs of the body.  It is primarily controlled by the neurological and endocrine systems.  Oxidation is the bridge between neuro/endocrine control and mineral response shown on HTMA.

Honestly our food supply is deficient in minerals. It is nearly impossible to replenish mineral reserves through food alone. Food plays a large role in pulling us in, or pushing us out of oxidation patterns.  The goal of the dietary plan is to help modulate the oxidation type.

A key part of vitality is the health of our Autonomic Nervous System.  

Common causes of imbalance include:

  • Inherited chemical imbalances
  • Insufficient diet
  • Stimulants (caffeine, stress)
  • Negative thinking
  • Traumas (physical/emotional)
  • Toxic metals/chemicals

Only REST will rebalance this system!  

The autonomic nervous system regulates many functions in the body and consists of the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic branches.

The Sympathetic branch activates the brain muscles and the thyroid and adrenal glands, which enable the body to respond to stress. We primarily use our sympathetic nervous system during the day, and it is associated with spending energy.

The Sympathetic nervous system is also called the “fight-or-flight-or-freeze” system that could reach the brain and the muscles and is the speed-up system. It causes expenditure of energy and is catabolic, which means “a breaking down of body tissues.” We can say that one is in more “sympathetic state” when one is physically and mentally active.

The Sympathetic branch of the nervous system is balanced by the Parasympathetic branch, which is more associated with the nurturing and repairing of body tissues. The parasympathetic branch also enhances digestion and elimination of toxins.

The Parasympathetic system is conserving, nurturing, nourishing and restful. It activates the digestive organs. It is anabolic and regenerates the body. Healing really requires that an individual spend plenty of time in the “parasympathetic state” in order to allow for proper digestion and elimination of toxins and to rebuild the organs and glands, or really, the entire body.

We are more “parasympathetic” when we rest, relax or sleep. So the body balances these two systems and the minerals associated with them. Animals are actually quite good at this. My dog, Marzipan, models this so well.  She runs fast chasing critters all day, but is equally comfortable spending the afternoon sleeping in the sun (on my bed!).

Humans, however, have difficulty balancing the autonomic system. We live in a world that dysregulates our autonomic system through systems of oppression and domination. Many people are required to fight all the time, for actual or perceived survival. Others are in a “give-up mode” where they no can longer muster the fight and are often de-pressed, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Most people today have either overactive sympathetic nervous system function or they have exhausted the system and end up in an unhealthy parasympathetic state. The body is in a state of exhaustion. Healing looks different for everyone, but an essential ingredient is a safe place to heal and regenerate, alone and in community.  Remember, we are connected even if we can’t tell.

It’s imperative for health to maintain a proper balance between the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system, so you can function actively as well as heal and regenerate the body.

Here are some common causes of imbalance. They can include inherited chemical imbalances. Eating foods that we are allergic to or sensitive to drives imbalance. Having pathogens also contributes to stress.   The use of stimulants such as caffeine, drugs, energy drinks or even stressful lives driven by adrenaline or over-exercising deplete us.   A lack of exercise keeps the body unable to eliminate toxins.

Negative thoughts and narratives about our world affect us deeply.  Think placebo here.  Our thought patterns and belief systems informed by inherited and/or generational trauma can “run” us without our awareness.  Addiction and spiritual dis-ease, an inability to receive based on our understanding of our worth and value, sitting in resentments and fear, all these factors affect our vitality.

Our digestive systems only function when we are in a healthy parasympathetic state.  Only then can we restore healthy digestion so we can metabolize our nutrient dense foods!  We are what we absorb, not what we eat.

Annual Homeopathic Flu Prevention Clinic

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HOMEOPATHIC FLU CLINIC

WORRIED ABOUT GETTING THE FLU?

You don’t want to get sick, but you don’t want to get a Flu vaccination and

risk the side-effects.  You want a way to prevent the flu.

Is there another option?

YES ~ Influenzium 2017-2018 is a homeopathic flu remedy that is updated each year based on the flu strains predicted by the World Health Organization (WHO).  It is created to stimulate your body’s own defense system and strengthen your immune system against the current flu viruses naturally.

  • Call to reserve your 15 minute appoint with the homeopath in minneapolis
  • Includes 6 doses of the remedy
  • Instructions on how to take successfully
  • Access to me via phone or email for any follow-up questions during the season

Functional Testing: The Best Way to Know For Sure!

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Humans are incredibly complex creatures. For many clients, a foundational approach to restoring good nutrition and overall wellness works wonders. For others, deeper underlying dysfunctions need to be addressed, to allow the body to heal.

I am trained to restore wellness using the tools and knowledge of advanced laboratory testing to determine deeper issues, and targeted specialized supplementation to promote healing. I do not diagnose or treat disease.

Specifically, I focus on:

  • Adrenal health
  • Digestion
  • Food sensitivities
  • Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA)

I combine evidence-based knowledge with cutting-edge nutrition and supplementation techniques to address the underlying causes of disease and common health complaints. Here is a list of the diagnostic panels I currently utilize.

PREMIUM DIAGNOSTIC PANELS:

Adrenal Test DUTCH:Urine test to capture hormonal levels and cortisol/cortisone circadium rhythm.

Gastrointestinal Health Stool Panel:
Screens for parasites, fungal overgrowth, bacterial infections, intestinal inflammation, digestive function, dysbiosis and a deficiency of beneficial gut bacterial.

MRT: A state-of- the-art Food Sensitivity test that identifies 150 common inflammatory foods and chemicals. Identifying and removing inflammatory foods is the first step of gut healing.

HTMA:A hair tissue mineral analysis is a screening test that uses hair as a tissue mineral biopsy. This method of testing has been used for at least 100 years worldwide to screen for the level of 20 minerals and toxic metals in a sample of hair. Hair mineral analysis testing is an excellent method for assessing, monitoring and guiding the correction and improvement of one’s body chemistry.

What is Functional Wellness?

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This is at the foundation of my practice ~

THE CORE PRINCIPLES THAT DEFINE FUNCTIONAL WELLNESS:

BIO – INDIVIDUALITY:
Functional Wellness views us all as biochemically unique. This approach supports the unique expression of health and vitality for each individual. My personalized approach treats the individual, not the disease. There is no “one size fits all” approach to health and wellness.

AWARENESS OF CURRENT HABITS/PATTERNS:
We work together to identify your current lifestyle barriers to wellness. The power of this therapeutic partnership is based on the fact that you, the patient, are an active participant in the development of the therapeutic plan.  You make the sustained lifestyle changes that improve your health and wellness.

FUNCTIONAL WELLNESS IS SCIENCE BASED:
What we put in our bodies, what we do with our bodies and what happens within us is connected in a complicated network of relationships.  We work to understand those relationships so we can see the dynamic functioning of the body.

BODY’S ABILITY TO HEAL ITSELF:
Your body is intelligent and capable of profound self-regulation.  This ability is expressed through a dynamic balance of all your body systems. We are an intricate biodynamic system that contains incredible feedback mechanisms. Together we focus on maximizing that ability by enhancing your vitality.

WELLNESS IS A LIFE LONG JOURNEY:
Health and wellness is not just the absence of disease, it is a state of vitality.  Functional Wellness looks to find the root causes or mechanisms involved in any loss of function (heartburn, chronic body pain, migraines, digestive issues, hormonal imbalance, grief to name a few). It utilizes an “upstream” approach to consider the complex web of interrelations in your life, including the internal and external factors that affect total function or vitality. This unique approach makes that journey easier to travel.

I’m Sandra Jones and I have helped thousands of people to become pain-free with my drug-free approach called Functional Wellness. As a Certified Rolfer, Classical Homeopath and Certified Functional Nutritionist, I offer you an individualized wellness plan to get you out of pain and back to living the life you know is possible.

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