Mycotoxins are hidden from plain sight but may be at the root of many peoples’ health condition(s).

These toxins are released from mold. Not all mold release mycotoxins and this is why testing for mold AND mycotoxins is important (more about this in a later article.

Mycotoxins were at the root of my wife’s autoimmune condition (Hashimoto’s Disease).

We could not see these immunosuppressants. We could not smell them. However, they were doing damage to Natasha, and even our two dogs.

Why You Can’t See Mycotoxins

Mycotoxins are soooo tiny they can pass through drywall. If something is that small, it is no wonder you can’t see it.

They are released from mold. Mold can come from water damage in a home, or from a really humid, warm area.

Not all mold is visible, and this was the case for us.

We were living in Laguna Beach, CA. 1 1/2 blocks off of the beach. Loving life! Then, all hell broke loose!

Long story short, we couldn’t see the mold, but we had suspicions. We called a mold inspector and as soon as he cut into the drywall and showed us what was behind, hidden from plain sight, we knew what we had to do…MOVE!

I go into details about that in other articles so I wont dive into that here.

Natasha Developed an AI Condition but I Did Not, Why?

Genetics played a major role in protecting my body while Natasha’s immune system took a nose dive.

There are specific genes that if mutated can make it difficult to detoxify mold. Not only that, but the mold causes an extremely inflammatory process to begin occurring in the body.

What Are These Genes?

There are two genes I test for in patients with suspected mold toxicity: HLA DRB1 and HLA DRB2. When mutated, your body will have a difficult time detoxifying the mycotoxins released by mold, and your immune system can become weakened. A weakened immune system is a recipe for disaster!

What Do You Do?

If you have been exposed, have tested your body for mold (hopefully, you are not in the environment that made you sick), then it is time to begin detoxifying the body and building up the immune system.

Glutathione, NAC, binders, Ozone Therapy, coffee enemas, liver detox protocols, immune boosters were all part of Natasha’s protocol to rid herself of the mycotoxins and support her immune system.

This process took A LONG TIME. We had to learn as we went.

The important takeaway…she is better. We are about to be parents. We will be able to say we have “living proof” that you can heal! How cool is that?

Questions?

If you have questions about mold issues, gene mutations or your health condition, schedule a complimentary consultation and let’s chat.

I am Seeing a Trend

Trends come and go.  Every year there is a new diet that promises to be the best thing since being a caveman/woman.  The holidays are sure to “release” a new weight loss gadget that “guarantees to help you lose 125 lbs while sipping your Starbuck’s pumpkin spice latte”!

I say, GO AWAY you horrible trends…I can see through you!

Although, there is one trend that I see picking up steam…you may have heard of it due to great marketing from companies like 23andme.com and Ancestry.com…genetic testing.

However, I am speaking of a little different genetic testing.  While knowing your ancestral history and chances of having a baby with blues is really cool, I am referring to learning about your genetic mutations.

Your genetic mutations, in my opinion, are going to dictate how you respond to LIFE!

Are you more predisposed to developing an autoimmune condition, such as Celiac Disease?  Should you eat that piece of genetically modified sliced bread?  Is developing a thyroid disease in your future?  Can you detox the junk your body is exposed to every single day?  If you are on birth control, can your body clear the excess hormones being released into your blood stream?

These are all questions you can find answers to by looking at genetic mutations.

What does having a genetic mutation mean?

The layman’s definition of a gene is: a unit of heredity which is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring.

This means that our parents pass down genes that determine who we are.  The color of our hair, how tall we may be, and even our personalities.

Many times, and in all of us, these genes are not perfect.  They can be broken, or mutated.

If I know what those mutated genes are and understand the role the genes play in your body, I can figure out why you may have an autoimmune condition, or why you have ovarian cysts, or why you have low testosterone.

Back to this trend…

More and more patients are reaching out to me to run their genetic markers to get to the root cause of their health condition.

Quick story…I have a patient that I helped many years ago.  Back in those days, I didn’t utilize or understand genetic testing because not many people were discussing it.

I was able to help this patient reach her goals!  She was a hairstylist at the time.  Hairstylists tend to be some of the sickest patients I encounter.  Why you ask?  Think about what you smell when walking into most salons.  Think about what the stylists are putting on their clients’ hair/scalps.  Heavy duty chemicals are routinely used.  Although, more and more salons are beginning to switch to more natural products.  Awesome!!!

Even though I was able to help this patient years ago, she slowly began battling symptoms that were taking their toll on her health as years went by.

She knew I have been running genetic testing on patients and reached out a few months ago requesting to test her mutations.  Specifically, I ran mutations looking at detoxification pathways, how she clears hormones, and her neurotransmitters (how she feels emotionally).

Today, she requested I order the same genetic tests for her daughter and son (albeit, male hormone mutations).  Why?  Because after seeing her mutations, I was able to put together a healing plan addressing what we learned about her genes.

Guess what?  Her hot flashes have gone away.  The “sludge” she had on the layer of her stomach has disappeared and she is seeing results.  Wooohoooo!!!  Genetic testing saves the day, again!

How Do You Test Genetic Mutations?

Super simple!  You collect saliva and send the sample to the lab.  I use a lab called GX Sciences (www.gxsciences.com).  Not all labs are created equal, and for this reason I put my trust in these fellas.

The lab sends your results to me and I began playing detective, combining the genetic results with blood testing, and other specialized lab tests.

Gathering many pieces of the puzzle will help me help you!  The more I see and understand about you, the better game plan I can create to help you reach your goals.

This Trend Will Change Healthcare!

I firmly believe the more we can get to the root cause of people’s health conditions, the healthier they can become. 

More and more people are realizing the medical model’s Band-Aid approach to chronic disease is not working for them.  They are not healing and living life as they did in the past.  It is for this reason more patients are reaching out to me asking for more in-depth testing to get to the bottom of their issues.

Are you still having a difficult time reaching your health goals?  If so, consider running some genetic tests to figure out why.  Getting a sample of saliva is a heck of a lot easier than struggling with health symptoms for 10 or 15 years.  Plus, there is no needle!!!

The old saying “like attracts like” may apply to my patient population, but…I think I am on to something! Hear me out…

I have been working with thyroid patients for 10+ years. In the last 3-4 years, I have been doing a lot more in-depth testing (my “older” patients probably think I did a lot of testing back in the day).

I am finding several common denominators in my patient population

1) Hashimoto’s patients tend to have a history of Epstein Barr Virus. Patients may not know this, and think their thyroid symptoms are due to their thyroid condition. Many times, the symptoms are being driven by the underlying EBV. What are symptoms of EBV you ask? Tiredness, brain fog, weakness, sinus pressure, and the inability to recover (especially, if you are an athlete).

2) Mold Toxicity!!! Most of you know what we have been through with mold in our last couple of homes. Recently, I began working with a World Champion/Olympic athlete that reached out to me because she was diagnosed with EBV. After learning more about her history, we decided to test her body for mold. BAM!!! Mold was one trigger that was weakening her immune system. I am finding this in a lot of chronically sick patients, especially thyroid patients.

3) Lyme Disease…oh boy!!! This morning one of the first emails I opened was from a gal that wants to be a patient. She sent me a laundry list of symptoms and medications she is on. As I read her symptoms, red flags were waving…Lyme Disease, Lyme Disease!Many with chronic health symptoms, and autoimmune conditions, have Lyme Disease as the driving force. Lyme can mimic many autoimmune conditions, but it should not be treated the same way.

4) Genetic mutations! I am slowly collecting genetic data on hundreds of patients. I am seeing ONE common gene that is mutated in every EBV patient. It is NOT MTHFR, which most have, but another one that I have been able to pinpoint in every single EBV case. Go back to #1 above, EBV and Hashimoto’s Disease run hand and hand in a lot of cases. This means, if we can see this mutation in someone BEFOREthey develop EBV or Hashimoto’s, I may be able to save them from years of suffering.

TEST, TEST, and TEST some more. Get more pieces of your puzzle figured out to help you manage your health condition better!

But, Dr. King, testing is expensive! My insurance should cover these tests!

I hear this from time to time. Heck, I have said it myself. Natasha and I have a great PPO insurance plan, but we still have to pay for specialized testing out of pocket. You MUST EXCEPT that insurance will not cover your medical expenses unless you are dying in the hospital, need surgery, or you want to live on medication for the rest of your life.

My rationale for paying out of pocket for in-depth testing is simple: Would I rather rely on a health care system that wants me on medication for life, or would I rather find answers and help my body heal?

Do you want to spend the next 5, 10, or 15-years going BACKto your Kaiser doctor only to be left frustrated with what they test for and how they manage your health condition?

I routinely post videos called ‘Weekly Rounds’ on YouTube and my social media platforms. In these educational videos I take a current patient and review their health history, discuss the lab tests I ordered, and review their lab results. Click the image below and watch the latest episode of ‘Weekly Rounds’ where a patient was misdiagnosed based on limited testing the Kaiser doctors ran.

If I didn’t run extensive testing on this young patient, she would have been given a medication and told to go on her way. Wrong diagnosis = Mis-management!

She would have suffered for YEARS, thinking she had one health condition when in reality the doctors did a horrible job of diagnosing her.

Is this story common? Absolutely!!!

Is this happening to you? Maybe!

If you are concerned that you don’t enough pieces to your health puzzle, schedule a complimentary phone consultation, and let’s begin digging deeper.

Yoga not helping your anxiety? Learn how your genes may play a HUGE role in your emotions!

Many of your sought-out yoga to help decrease stress and anxiety in your life. 

Focusing on breathing, posture, and fluidity during class helps to decrease cortisol, your stress hormone, allowing your body to feel at peace.

Unfortunately, some of you may still be looking for the magical yoga class that melts away all of life’s stressors.  Maybe you are becoming frustrated because no matter how much meditation or ujjayi breathing you perform, your anxiety is still there. 

I work with many patients who struggle with anxiety.  Some of these patients have health conditions that affect their neurotransmitters (feel good hormones) in the GI-tract and brain.  Conditions such as Lyme Disease and hypothyroidism classically cause anxiety.

Medications may not always solve the problem, as medications do not address the underlying cause: infections, inflammation, and hormone dysregulation.

In many patients with anxiety, their doctor has tried addressing the condition that may cause the symptoms, but the result is the same…anxiety persists, which eventually turns into depression.

Does this mean you should you take two yoga classes a day?  Ground yourself more?  Turn off social media?  Quit your job?

No!!!

Why Would the Symptoms Not Improve?

What if I told you that your genes may be causing your anxiety symptoms, and no matter how much you practice yoga, your symptoms may still hang around?

That is right, maybe…your anxiety was passed down to you!!!

Every new patient I work with is asked to run a genetic test to determine if any of their health symptoms are caused by faulty, broken or mutated genes.

Take a look at these two case examples.  Both of these patients contacted me because they were struggling with anxiety and depression.  These patients told me, “Dr. King, my life is great!  I love my job/school; my family life is solid.  But, I can’t control my anxiety.  It seems to come out of the blue!”

Unfortunately, these two patients had been seeing psychiatrists who put them on anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications which began causing MORE symptoms.  Both patients ditched the medications due to the increase in symptoms and sought my help.

Patient #1

34-year old female; occupation – nutritionist; married with one child.  Chief complaint, anxiety and depression that comes out of nowhere.  She was on two different medications (Xanax and Abilify).  History of Hashimoto’s Disease which was incorrectly diagnosed as Hypothyroidism.

What are we looking at in this test result?  Let me explain…

On the left-hand column, you will see the gene (i.e. COMT V158M) and the result (i.e. +/+; red).  Next to the colored column, is a list of vitamins/minerals that help support the genetic mutations, followed by the next column that lists a specific product that combines the vitamins/minerals into one supplement.  Lifestyle recommendations are listed to the right, along with a recommendation for further testing.

Now that you know what you are looking at, let me explain genetic mutations and how they impact your emotions.

The genes that are listed help your body perform physiological functions to help you feel well.  If those genes are mutated (AKA: altered or broken), your body will have a difficult time performing its duties.

Since we are looking at the neurotransmitter (feel good hormones) genes, you can expect to get some answers to solve your anxiety problems IF the genes are mutated.

Let’s start with the first two genes: COMT V158M and COMT H62H (Catechol-O-methylatransferase)

When these genes are “normal”, not mutated, they allow people to rapidly reverse feelings of anxiety or depression.  Patients that have mutations in these genes have a sluggish ability to alter anxiety or depression episodes, and are more prone to prolonged episodes of anxiety, depression, and OCD.

The next gene that is mutated in this patient is called GAD1 (Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase).  When this gene is mutated a person has a difficult time converting glutamic acid (a stimulant neurotransmitter) to GABA (a calming neurotransmitter). 

What does that mean?  If your body is being over stimulated due to high levels of a “stimulant” and you can’t calm down because your “calming” neurotransmitter is low, you will struggle with anxiety, sleep disorders and/or the “glass half empty” syndrome.

Do you think the medications prescribed to this patient addressed these mutated genes?  No, not at all.  Hence, the patient was not feeling better.

What was her treatment?  I had her take a supplement that contained many of the vitamin/minerals that were listed in the results.  We did address her autoimmune condition, as well.  

BAM!!!  She was a happy camper after 2 weeks of being on her genetic support.

Patient #2

22-year old female; occupation – she is in college.  Her chief complains consisted of anxiety, which has led her to feel depressed, along with the inability to focus well at school and when studying.  Her doctor prescribed Ritalin to help her “cope”.

She, too, has a mutation impacting her COMT V158M gene = hard time reversing feelings of anxiety and depression.

She does have two mutations of the MAO gene (A and B).  These two genes degrade, breakdown, the neurotransmitter dopamine.  If the body can’t degrade dopamine, a person will have risk of clinical depression, mood disorders, and aggression.

You will see she does have two mutations of the GAD1 gene, similar to the first patient. 

Medications did not help this patient but addressing her genetic mutations did. 

Where Does This Leave You?

We ALL are faced with triggers that can cause neurotransmitters hormones to be released in our body.  Genetically, healthy individuals should be able to adapt to those hormones being released and still keep feeling well. 

When the genes are mutated, you may still have anxiety/depression, regardless of your rocking yoga practice, because your genes are not doing their job.

What Should You Do?

If you have tried other means to control your anxiety symptoms, but you are still struggling, think about talking to your doctor about genetic testing.  Most traditional medical doctors are not educated on genetic mutations and may not know how to handle them.

One way to find a doctor with experience in this field is to contact GX Sciences.  They are the company that runs the genetic testing we looked at.  Ask them for a list of doctors in your area with training in genetic mutations.

Don’t give up hope if you are still struggling with anxiety, or depression.  Keep searching for answers.  All you may need are a few more pieces to your health puzzle to help you achieve your goal(s).

Could Genetics be Your Answer for Healing?

How many times have you heard people say, “I have XYZ condition and it runs in my family”?

Before studying genetics, I thought that answer was an excuse the patient would give for not maintaining a healthy body.

The more I studied genetics, I thought, “some of these patients may be right!”

Whether We Want Them or Not!

Genes get passed down to each of us from our parents.  That is out of our control.  What is in our control is the environment that we live in, and we can only control this to a certain extent.

What do I mean by environment?

We are all exposed to environmental toxins, which we can’t control.  We breathe in toxins in our air, no matter where we live.  If you live in LA, you breathe in more compared to living out in the country in Kansas. 

However, we can control HOW we live in our environment!

We can control what eat, our stress levels, our exercise routines, our sleep habits, the people we are around…

We can control A LOT…BUT, with genetic mutations this “control” of ours may not be enough.

What Size is Your Bucket?

What do I mean by that?  

This is an analogy I use to describe why we become sick.  All of us have different size buckets that fill up with toxins throughout or life.  Our genetics will dictate the size of that bucket.  

For example, Natasha and I were living in a home with mold.  Natasha became extremely sick, but I did not.  WHY?  Our buckets are different sizes.  Her bucket filled up and start over-flowing = she became sick.  Natasha has more genetic mutations than I do.  I didn’t get as sick as she did because I have still have plenty of room in my bucket to collect more toxins.

Also, she is a slow detoxifier.  How do we know?  We looked at her genetic mutations that impact her body’s ability to detoxify.  If you can’t detoxify, your bucket is filling up, and you can get rid of those toxins on your own = bucket overflows = you become sick!

Watch the Video Below!

Now that I have taught you a little about genetics, the video below will dive a little deeper for you.

I hope you enjoy!

Free Genetic Sample Report Below…

Would you like to receive a sample genetic report?  Feel free to download it below.  Starting on page 11, you will find the definitions of each gene that is tested, and you will learn more about why that gene is important!

5-Tips on Preventing Hormone Imbalance

Are you struggling with PMS, hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog (foggy thinking), depression, chronic fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, and/or decreased libido?

Did you know that those symptoms may be due to a hormone imbalance? 

Hormones are produced and released each day from several different organs.  When the body is in a “stressed” out state, hormones begin to shift from being produced and released properly, to being converted to other hormones, produced in excess, or not produced at all. 

Several organs make and release hormones: ovaries, testes, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, and the adrenal glands…to name a few.

What Can Go Wrong?

Many triggers can throw off your hormones: starting with stress. 

Stress, emotional and physical, will impact your adrenal glands.  Think of your adrenal glands as the gas pedal in your car: if you smash the gas pedal down you know what happens.  When you over stress (smash the gas pedal) the adrenal glands, they will release more cortisol, among other hormones.

High amounts of cortisol make you retain weight, cause brain fog, make your muscles more fatigued, and destroys your gastro-intestinal lining.

Not only that, but high cortisol tends to suppress your appetite, leaving you craving sugary foods.  Have you ever pigged out on sugary foods when you are stressed out?  High levels of sugar can contribute to Candida, which affects hormones as well.

The biggest issues with high cortisol levels is thyroid gland dysfunction.  Specializing in thyroid dysfunction, I have seen hundreds of thyroid patients have decreased levels of thyroid hormones due to adrenal gland dysfunction.

Your thyroid DIRECTLY impacts female and male hormones.  When working with thyroid patients that are struggling with hormone dysfunction, I focus on fixing the problem (the thyroid) before addressing the hormones. 

Go after the problem, not the side effect!

Eating Too Much

High levels of insulin will cause the ovaries to produce more androgen hormones, such as testosterone.  High levels of testosterone will cause PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) in women.  PCOS happens to be one of the leading causes of infertility in women.

As testosterone rises in women, the female hormones get pushed to lower levels and women may start to grow body hair, have more acne and irregular/ fewer periods.

Plus, high levels of testosterone can increase a woman’s risk of cardiovascular disease.

To prevent large spikes of insulin, focus on eating smaller meals throughout the day.

Focus on Your Liver

Your liver plays a crucial role in your hormones.  We discussed how the thyroid directly impacts female/male hormones, and the liver will do the same.  If the liver is not working optimally, your thyroid hormone conversion will be decreased.  Essentially, your metabolism will slow and losing weight may become difficulty, acne begins, the body may feel cold, and hair loss may occur.

Your liver helps to “clear” off exogenous (too many) hormones.  If you were on birth control, the liver had to filter all those hormones.  Many years of filtering, and collecting, those hormones will impact your liver’s ability to do its job: detoxify the blood, converting thyroid hormone, making cholesterol, etc.

If your liver can’t clear (detoxify) the hormones, then more hormones build up in the body, throwing off your normal levels of female and male hormones.

Some patients, especially thyroid patients, have gene mutations that impact the liver’s ability to do its job.  You can test for this by running the genetic test www.23andme.com.  You will need a knowledgeable doctor to explain the genetic results to you.

5-Tips to Help Balance Your Hormones

• Manage your stress levels: This is KEY to stabilizing your hormones. Too much stress and not enough recovery will force your adrenals to work overtime, taking your hormones on a roller coaster ride!

Meditation and yoga are fantastic to help keep the body in balance and manage your stress levels. 

• Stabilize your blood sugar: Keep in mind, when your blood sugar drops, cortisol rises. Cortisol equals weight gain, brain fog, and thyroid dysfunction.

Eating too large of meals will spike your insulin levels.  Insulin triggers the ovaries to make more testosterone, pushing a woman’s estrogen levels down and triggering PCOS to begin.

• Perform a liver flush: There are many ways to perform liver flushing. I teach three of my favorite liver flushes in my online course: thefundamentalsforhealing.com

• Check your genes: Science is always improving and through the use of genetic testing, we now have more pieces to the health puzzle. If you have genetic mutations (specifically, the MTHFR gene), your liver will not function optimally, affecting thyroid and female/male hormones.

• Work on your sleep patterns: Nothing throws off hormones more than lack of sleep or irregular sleep patterns. Sleep is controlled by the adrenal glands and your body’s circadian rhythm (fancy terms for your sleep cycle). 

If you voluntarily throw off your sleep patterns, your body’s hormones will begin to suffer as the adrenal glands are impacted.

Don’t Settle for Less Than You Deserve

If you are struggling with any of the symptoms we have discussed, find a doctor that can help you.  I am a little biased, as I am an Integrative/Functional Medicine doctor, and I have seen thousands of patients thrown through the medical merry-go-round.  I recommend more of an integrative approach vs. seeing a “hormone specialist” that only looks at your hormones.

Remember, there are many pieces to your health puzzle!  Don’t work on the side effects, fix the problem.

Dr. Corey King, D.C., B.C.I.M. utilizes Integrative/Functional Medicine to help his patients heal.  Dr. King has been specializing in autoimmune diseases, thyroid gland dysfunction, diabetes and gastro-intestinal dysfunction for the past 12-years.  You can learn more atwww.askdrking.com, his many social media channels, and his online course,www.thefundamentalsforhealing.com

Happy 2018

How is the new year treating you?  Are you living up to all those New Year’s resolutions?  Achieved any goals, yet?  Did you set goals for this year?  I sure hope so!!!

I know, it has been some time since my last email.  The end of 2017/beginning of 2018 was quite crazy for us (almost a 1-1/2 weeks in the oncology department…UGH) and I needed to take some “me” time and re-energize my mind and body. 

Now, it is time to rock ‘n roll and focus on our goals, while helping you achieve yours!

Social Media Takeover!

My first goal started at the end of 2017, and it was to begin getting “acquainted” with social media.  Well…

I did it, I gave in, and jumped right into the deep end!  Yes, I become one of the people with a Facebook, Instagram and YouTube Channel…might as well throw Pinterest in there while you are at it.

I have completely given in to social media. Never did I think that by joining/creating communities, of like-minded people, would my excitement for improving others’ lives sky-rocket.

Now, I look forward to talking to members/friends on social media about their health problems.   Maybe, I have finally given in to technology and how we interact using it.  But sometimes, I do miss the days of no cell phones 🙂

Dr. King’s Thyroid Support Group

Some of you may know, but towards the end of last year I started a Thyroid Support Group on Facebook.  Just this week we were sharing some of our goals for 2018!  If you are not a member, you can join (free) and read what myself and others have been sharing these last couple of weeks.

I started the support group as a way to encourage patients to keep searching for answers for their health.  I feel that education brings knowledge, and knowledge brings healing.  If I can teach a patient one thing that helps to improve the quality of their life, then I have succeeded at being a healthcare professional.

I am striving to educate patients a little more regarding their thyroid condition, along with helping them with ideas on eating healthier (recipes get shared…YES!), supplementation, medication, and answering any health questions they may have.

You are more than welcome to join our community!!! CLICK HERE!!!

4-Week New Recipe Challenge

Would you like to participate in our recipe challenge?  The goal is to challenge ourselves to cook, and post, one new recipe for the next four weeks.  We are just getting started, so make sure to join in.

My recipe for tonight is one specifically prepared for GALLBLADDER patients.  Whether you still have yours, you have gallstones, or even gallbladder “flare-ups”…you may want to take a look at this recipe.  SUPER SIMPLE to prepare…because, I did it! LOL  Trust me, I don’t like complicated recipes.

Instagram

Instagram is certianly fun for posting pictures of food, and in my case…food, hiking, traveling, contests and videos!

Yep…we have some good fun on our IG page.

What to expect from following Ask Dr. King?

• Food posts…with recipes!
• Videos
• Contest announcements
• Inspirational photos/quotes

Make sure to follow by CLICKING HERE!

YouTube Channel

I know…ANOTHER ONE!!!  AGGGGHHHHH!!!

This channel was created towards the end of last year as well.  But check this out…I can essentially teach seminars, AGAIN.  Bonus: now, you can rewind (no fast forward…LOL) and/or pause to take notes! 

Plus, I can share a lot easier, and longer, on YouTube.  AND…the cool part, is now people from all over the world watch and learn, along with being able to ask questions.

Come join in on some of the social media fun!  You never know what you may learn, or what you may WIN!!!  Talk to you soon!

Let’s make 2018 an AMAZING YEAR!!!

Adrenal Gland Recovery Tips!

Are you struggling with adrenal gland dysfunction?  Download some free tips to help heal your adrenals below!

My Doctor Says My Lab Tests are Normal,

but I feel Horrible!

Unfortunately, this is an all too common theme.  Patients, who have been struggling with health symptoms visit their doctors looking for answers, only to be left frustrated and still searching for help.

The Scenario…

A patient walks into the doctor’s office and waits 30-45 minutes, past their appointment time, to see the doctor.  Dr. “X” comes in and spends 5-10 minutes listening to the patients’ symptoms, barely making eye contact, AND proceeds to tell the patient “your lab tests look normal”.

Dr. X, hurriedly tells the patient, “try to get more rest, eat healthier and exercise…let’s see you again in 3-6 months”!

Does that sound familiar?

For some patients, they have gone through this hypothetical scenario one too many times, and now they are losing hope they can ever heal.

After helping thousands of patients over my 10+ years as an Integrative/Functional Medicine Doctor, I can tell you this story has been told me hundreds of times.  I can usually finish the patient’s sentence…which catches them off guard, but at the same time makes them feel comfortable knowing that I understand their situation.

Groundhog Day!

While I was not a fan of the movie, the Bill Murray hit rings true with many chronic health patients.  Patients that have struggled with a chronic health condition, like an autoimmune thyroid condition (since I specialize in thyroid gland disorders, I will use these patients as an example), are sick and tired of being, sick and tired!  All they want are answers and the proper guidance.

Laboratory Ranges Are Incorrect!

Stating that laboratory ranges are incorrect is rather a bold statement!  Hang tight, soon, you will be asking why no one has shared this information with you before.

Think for a moment about the patients who get their blood work drawn and tested.  Are they usually the healthiest of people?  Not usually!  Most of the time, these patients are getting blood work drawn because something is WRONG! 

Imagine you are back in school for a moment and the teacher is discussing ‘grading on a curve’!  Grading on a curve means the teacher is going to throw out the extreme best score and the extreme worse scores and come up with an average range of scores to grade on.

Lab tests work similar and this is where patients get caught in the middle, literally!

With all the data from the unhealthy patients’ lab results, a “range” is extrapolated and used to compare your results to.  If you fall within this range, things are “good”.  If you go outside the extremes (remember the grading on a curve analogy from earlier) the doctors will tell you, “Mrs/Mr. Smith your test result is higher/lower than it should be. 

This is only told to a patient IF their test result is outside the extremes.  If you are not outside of those parameters, you will be told “your blood tests look normal”!

Remember, your results are now being compared to the unhealthy population!  Do YOU want to be compared to unhealthy people or HEALTHY people? 

As soon as I ask that, most of you are probably thinking, “compare me to healthy people, not those dang sick people!”  I agree, and so do a lot of other doctors in the alternative health world.

Enter in the Functional Ranges!

I want my body FUNCTIONING at peak performance!  What about you?  You do as well?  Excellent!!!  So, we agree on that…let’s keep going.

If we take 1,000 healthy people’s blood results, we can then come up with a healthy or “functional” range! 

Now, do you want to compare your results to those unhealthy patients’ ranges or to the healthy patients’ ranges? If you are like most of my patients, you answered, “healthy patient ranges”!

Cool, we agree on that as well. 

As long as your lab results are within the functional ranges, your life is great!  But, let’s say you are in a tough occupation that makes you work swing shifts.  Your sleep patterns are constantly changing, and on top of those changes your marriage is a little rocky because you are not home enough with the family.  You have two stressors, one physical and one emotional, all affecting your body’s ability to function properly.

Let’s say this continues for 6-9 months. Now, your energy is dropping, you have put on some weight, divorce is lingering and your company is laying people off.  MORE STRESS!

Headaches begin to occur, you feel you can’t sleep enough hours in the day to help improve your energy, and to make matters worse your joints are now aching.

What do you do?  You visit your doctor, the doctor runs some tests, but your results come back NORMAL!  You and the doctor chalk your symptoms up to stress.  The doctor gives you a prescription for some NSAIDS and recommends to come back in 6 months.

6 months down the road…

The job hasn’t improved, your sleep is worse, along with the headaches and your relationship with your family is severely strained.

Now, you are having heartburn, bloating, and getting light-headed during the day.  You visit your doctor again, the doctor runs some blood work, and says “Mrs/Mr. Smith, look at your cholesterol!  Your blood pressure is elevated and your thyroid marker, TSH, is really high!  I am going to prescribe a statin to lower your cholesterol, high blood pressure medication for your elevated BP, an antacid for the heartburn and Synthroid for your thyroid.”

6 months ago, your labs were normal and the doctor told you stress was causing your symptoms.  Now, you are on 5 medications and feeling horrible.  Could this have been prevented? 

I guarantee if you were looking at your original blood test results with the functional, more optimal, range there would have been warning signs indicating that the body was NOT functioning properly and some lifestyle changes could have been made.

Now, because almost a year has gone by, you are on medications, but the medications have some unwanted side effects AND your original symptoms have not improved, only your blood pressure has gone down due to the medication.

Look at the picture below, this sums up the ranges we discussed.  In the green, you have the healthy ranges.  This is where you want to be!

If you start going outside of the green area, you are now functionally high/low.  This is where doctors like myself “operate” in!  Once you are here, you can have symptoms, but your doctors are not picking up on the issue because you are not in the red or yellow, the extremes!

However, if I can see that your results are functionally high/low, I can begin helping your body heal BEFORE you have MAJOR issues!  Keep in mind, traditional doctors are taught to prescribe medications or perform a surgery, extreme measure = extreme ranges!

Make sense? 

Now you are probably asking, how can you compare your blood results to the functional ranges!  Easy peasy…call me! 

That is right, pick up that phone, call (866) DrKing-1.  Tell my staff member, Ms. Norris, that you want to schedule a complimentary consultation for us to discuss your health condition. 

If I feel that we should begin digging into your health condition, I will recommend the next step for you!

Let’s save you some heartache, frustration, time and money…by figuring out your health issues, NOW!

I look forward to speaking with you soon!

P.S. – One of my favorite books titled, Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests Are Normal.

Why THYROID Medications Do NOT Work!

Weekly, if not daily, patients reach out to me to voice their frustrations.  One of the most aggravating frustrations I hear is, “Dr. King, my thyroid medication is not working!”

All too often, patients follow up that statement with a laundry list of symptoms that have continued to occur while on the medications.

Why, if a patient has hypothyroid, and the doctor puts the patient on hypothyroid medication (ie. Synthroid or Levothyroxine), does the patient not feel better?  Do you have any guesses?

After 10+ years of working with thyroid patients, I see a few reasons why patients are not improving, even though they are on their medication…

Autoimmune Disease Will Not Improve With Medication

Short term results do show that when a patient gets on thyroid support (ie. Synthroid, Armour, Nature Thyroid), a majority of them feel better, for a short amount of time.  Over time, symptoms begin to return, with many patients having side effects from the medication.

As soon as I hear stories like the one above, I automatically assume the patient has an autoimmune condition, until I prove it otherwise.

“Dr. King, why would you ASSUME an autoimmune condition?”

Great question and statistics prove I am right, 90% of the time.  This is because 90% of hypothyroid patients suffer from an autoimmune condition, called Hashimoto’s Disease.  You read that correctly, 90% suffer from a disease that the thyroid medication is not designed to help.

Thyroid medication is designed to give you hormones; T4, T3 or a combination of both.  Some are synthetic, some are glandulars, some may be bio-identical…but, all are given to support your body with hormone.

Now, giving the body hormones when it’s depleted is fine with me.  However, you MUST figure out what is driving the autoimmune condition.  Without getting the autoimmune condition under control, the medication will deliver hormones but your thyroid gland is STILL under attack!  The medications will NOT stop the autoimmune condition from attacking its target…YOUR THYROID!

Your best bet, combine the medications with an approach designed to manage the autoimmune condition.

The Doctors are Giving You the Wrong Medication!

Wait a minute, the wrong medication?  Yep!  You bet!  I see it all the time.

If you will, pull out your last blood test the doctor ran on you and lets see what thyroid markers they looked at.  Chances are, for a majority of you, the doctors only ran TSH and T4.  Sometimes, you may get lucky and get a T3 thrown in there.

For this story, I am going to stick with the TSH/T4 markers, since those are the commonly looked at thyroid markers patients send to me.

What is T4?

T4 is the inactive form of thyroid hormone.  Your thyroid releases T4 in abundance, about 93% of the hormone that is released from your thyroid is T4, versus T3, which only accounts for 6% of the hormone released (1% is considered unusable).

However, T4 is not enough to supply you with energy, run your metabolism and make you feel well.  Your body must convert your T4 to T3, the active form of thyroid hormone.

You want T3 levels to be high enough for your body to use.  If not, good bye energy, metabolism, hair, sex drive, sleep, etc.

If the doctor only checks your T4 and gives you a medication that is T4 based (ie. Synthroid/Levothyroxine), your body may be screaming for T3 and you, and your doctor, will never know because the T3 levels were not checked.

How often does this happen?  A TON!

It even happened to my father when the doctors destroyed his thyroid gland.  The VA doctor (watch out for the VA, I have many horror stories to share) wanted him on Synthroid, but I wanted him on a T3 support.  After almost 10 years of my father being on a natural T3 support (glandular), he is still kicking behind and feeling great.

Make Sure All More Than Thyroid Hormones Are Checked!!!

Are Your Other Organs Functioning Properly?

Maybe there are underlying issues that make it “seem” as if your thyroid is the problem, when in reality your thyroid has been affected by other organs not working properly.  In this instance, I am referring to the adrenal glands.

Your adrenal glands have a direct feedback loop to your hypothalamus and pituitary glands, located in the brain.  I have seen many instances where the adrenal glands were the #1 culprit affecting the thyroid.  This is called Secondary Hypothyroidism due to Primary Adrenal Gland Dysfunction.

Your adrenal glands are your stress glands; chemical, physical and emotional stressors affect them.  Over time, these stressors can overstimulate the regions of the brain that release TSH.  If your TSH appears high on a blood test, and you have classic “thyroid symptoms” (due to adrenal dysfunction), your doctor will want to put you on thyroid medication.

BUT…the thyroid is the innocent bystander in this scenario.  Why do the doctors not look at the adrenal glands?  I don’t have an answer for that one.

Symptoms of adrenal gland dysfunction include the following:

• Difficulty falling/staying asleep
• Craving salt
• Slow starter in the morning
• Afternoon fatigue
• Afternoon headaches
• Weak nails
• Perspire easily
• Wake up tired even after 6 or more hours of sleep
• Gain weight easily/difficulty losing it

The above symptoms are very similar to thyroid symptoms, wouldn’t you agree?

When a thyroid patient shares they are not improving as they would have hoped, I always look at the adrenal glands.

Conversion Issues?

Your liver and gastro-intestinal lining play a HUGE part in thyroid hormone conversion, and utilization.

Your liver is your body’s filter; filtering out toxins as it cleanses the blood, clearing off exogenous hormones that the body is exposed to, produces cholesterol and clotting factors, and processes most nutrients to help with absorption.

If the liver is not working optimally, one’s health may start to break down.

The liver also helps to convert 60% of T4 to T3 (the active thyroid hormone).  That is a large amount of thyroid hormone being converted!  Can you see how important a healthy liver is for proper thyroid function?

Your gastro-intestinal tract not only absorbs key vitamins and minerals, but it helps to convert 20% of thyroid hormone.

80% of thyroid hormone conversion is dependent upon a healthy functioning liver and gastro-intestinal lining.

Evaluating the entire body for dysfunction is important for your overall health, but even more important to understand why the thyroid medication may not be working.  If any of the scenarios above are occurring, symptoms may still remain after years of taking thyroid medications.

Make sure your doctor is taking into consideration what I discussed.  If they are not, print this article out and bring it with you on your next appointment!

If your doctor still doesn’t listen, give my staff a call and schedule a complimentary phone consultation and let’s talk about your situation: (866) DrKing-1.

Unsure If Your Thyroid Symptoms Are TRUE Thyroid Symptoms?  Download One of my Health Questionnaires and See If You Have More Than Thyroid Symptoms (Category XIV and XV are the Thyroid Categories).

Do You Suffer Pain, Caused by the Medical Merry-Go-Round?

Close your eyes for just a moment and imagine this…imagine breaking 35 bones in your body, ranging from collarbones, to your hips, to arms, legs, feet, and your hands! 

Do you think that breaking that many bones would cause some pain?  I hope you said, YES! 

Now, you are probably thinking, “who would break 35 bones in their body, besides Evil Knievel?”

Well…that person would be, yours truly!  I have broken 35 major bones, and had 11 surgeries to fix some of injuries.  Let me tell you, pain is not fun!

However, my pain was only temporary (except for some residual ankle pain from a surgery gone bad), while many patients’ pain is chronic and seems never ending.

Some patients, live in a continuous state of pain, WITHOUT breaking bones.  A lot of times, this gets labeled as Fibromyalgia if you are struggling with muscle pain, or early arthritis if you are having joint pains.

Fibromyalgia, which I dislike saying as I am not a fan of the label, is mainly an adrenal gland disorder, with a deep-rooted connection to autoimmune disease. 

NOT LYRICA

Most fibromyalgia patients that I have worked with were prescribed Lyrica at some point in time.  Check this link out: https://www.lyrica.com/fibromyalgia

Look at some the side effects of the medication, including suicidal thoughts or behavior.  Lyrica was originally developed for treatment of seizures, NOT muscle pain.  But, if a medication can calm the brain down and prevent it from seizing, it can also make your body numb to the pain it is having.

If the medication “numbs” the pain, does that mean the true cause of the pain has been fixed?  I hope you said, NO! 

Our Medical Model

Why, then, are so many patients on this medication, for years?  Why are the causes not being looked for?

Let’s ignore the fact there is a pill you can take if you have muscle pain.  Imagine, those pills never existed.  If medication for Fibromyalgia, let’s just call it muscle pain from here on out, didn’t exist, what would you do?

Think of it this way…if your car was dripping oil onto your drive way, to the point where oil was pooling under your vehicle, what would you do?  Hopefully, you would take the vehicle to a mechanic to FIX the problem. 

If the mechanic slapped some duct tape on the oil pan, to stop the leak, would you be happy?  Probably, not.  More than likely, you would end up returning the vehicle and demanding for the leak to be FIXED.

Why then, do so many patients settle for “slapping” some medication onto a symptom? 

We Have A “Duct Tape” Crisis in Our Country!!!

Muscle pain, without injury or over-use, is typically caused by inflammatory hormones.  The big culprit, cortisol!  Cortisol is released from the adrenal glands in states of stress (chemical, physical, and emotional). 

Let me ask you a question, have you ever heard of peoples’ pain getting worse under stress?  You have?  Great!  I just described what causes debilitating muscle pain, barring a major injury.

Stress?  Yes!  But, that stress can be caused by many triggers: bacterial infections, blood sugar fluctuations, reactions to toxins, viruses, food sensitivities…and the list can go on.

Would it be beneficial to begin looking for some of these triggers that drive the adrenal glands to release too much cortisol, therefore causing more pain in the muscles?  You bet it would!

Do most doctors do that?  Some, but not a majority of them.  How do I know?  Because, this story has been told to me by hundreds of patients in the past 10+ years.

If you are having unexplained muscle pain, you must start looking to see what could be making your adrenal glands work over time.

Early Arthritis

Hearing this has always boggled my mind.  Let’s take, Susan, a stay at home mom of two beautiful children, who has an amazing husband, Steve, and they are living an incredible life: great job for Steve, beautiful home for the family, wonderful friends and relatives…but, Susan has recently been diagnosed with early arthritis.

A few months back, Susan noticed she was having some knee and ankle pain, bilaterally (on both sides).  She ignored the symptoms for a couple of weeks until she couldn’t live with the pain anymore. 

Against her better judgement, she began taking some Tylenol/Advil/Motrin (take your pick), and noticed the pain went away.  GREAT!  But…the pain kept coming back. 

Eventually, she becomes concerned and visits her family doctor, Dr. A(rthritis).  As Dr. A asks Susan about her past history, he learns that Susan was NEVER an athlete.  She didn’t play sports growing up and has never had an injury to those body parts.

Even though she was not an athlete, and never suffered trauma to her knees/ankles, Dr. A tells her she has early arthritis and to take some pain pills and try to avoid any type of impact exercise.

Susan leaves Dr. A’s office still feeling lost.  She didn’t get an answer, and was told to do what she was already doing. 

What does Susan do?  She listens to the doctor and keeps taking the pain pills.

What Do You Think?

What would you begin to analyze about Susan in order to determine why she was having pain?  Would you think to run some blood work looking to see if her body was inflamed?  You would?  Awesome!!!  Great idea.

Let’s say you took the time to run blood work.  The blood work comes back with very high levels of ferritin, CRP, and homocysteine (those are all inflammatory markers).  So, it appears that Susan has lots of inflammation.

Did you know that the leading cause of joint destruction is inflammation?  Yep, inflammation DESTROYS!  In some cases, the inflammation destroys areas of the body, one at a time, or it goes after multiple areas at the same time.  The knee and ankle for example. 

Dr. A told her she was having early arthritis and to take pain pills.  You, the smart doctor you are, discovered her body is very inflamed.  And…you know that inflammation causes pain. 

So, smart doctor, you decide to dig deeper to figure out what is causing the inflammation.  Great idea by the way!

Medical Merry-Go-Round

What I just described is how patients get labeled with a health condition, but the cause is never truly uncovered, therefore never addressed.

In this case, Susan would keep doing what Dr. A told her to do, and would never know what is truly causing her pain.  Her body is inflamed, but why? 

If you can figure out why, then you can put an end to Susan’s joint pain (the “early arthritis”) and you can begin to help heal the joints as the inflammation is decreasing.

How awesome is that???

Hang Tight, This Was a Long Blog

While these are not the ONLY reasons for muscle/joint, they are the BIG culprits in most patients. 

If you are struggling with chronic pain, reach out to me, let me run some blood tests to begin uncovering the CAUSE of the situation. 

Remember, you wouldn’t settle for slapping some duct tape onto the oil pan to fix the leaking oil.  Don’t settle for medications for a chronic health problem!

Below you can download the 67-blood markers I run on every single patient, and compare these markers to what your doctors have been running!