Swollen Fingers

I’m sure this is a very easy diagnosis for some of you…. your thoughts are gratefully received

Over the last week or so I’ve noticed some of my fingers swell up* (particularly over the knuckle), as well as hard bone like growths appear which make the finger look ‘wonky’ or bent. There is also some itchy heat to accompany this.

*This has also happened before several years ago.

To add to the mix – my hands are constantly cold and this is the only time they are not… are they connected?

My thoughts are is that it may be some sort of allergy – has anyone experienced this before? Or know some one who has?

#1, we observe, we do not diagnose! As for what you have going on:

 

1.       There are two types of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, vascular and neurological. It may be that you have Vascular TOS.  I would find a CHEK 3 to get assessed by and then a program from. Vascular TOS can happen from the cervical nerve rootlets, between the ant and middle scalenes, the first rib, clavicle and pec minor. When the brachiocephalic system gets impinged, swelling, loss of radial pulse, cold hands, numbness, etc are the symptoms.

2.       In TCM, this is a sign of a dysfunction of the heart system or blood deficiency. I would try some moxa treatments on some KD points.

Joshua Rubin

www.eastwesthealing.com

 

Fungal/Parasite Infection?

I have just started coaching a new client, who has presented with some symptoms which I would like some advice on. Having evaluated his HAQ, and on speaking with him, he has mentioned the following,
Rectal itching, as well as itching/redness around the upper lip and nostrils.
Poor short term memory
Fatique
Decreased sex drive.

The client is a male in his early 30’s,active and outwardly physically fit, but are these symptoms are pointing me in the direction of a fungal/parasite infection which needs addressed?
Having not having dealt directly with a case before, apart from following the HLC principle with my client, can anyone pass on first hand experience of practical measures or tests that I can get my client to take.

Here is what I would do in this order:

 

1.       Make sure you he has all his HLC foundational principles in order. I feel most forget these and don’t understand why they are called FOUNDATIONAL HCL principles.

2.       I would start with the 4R gut healing program. Within the first phase (remove), I would run a test (401H from biohealth and/or GI 2 from diagnos-techs) for parasites, fungus, bacteria, SIga, 4 food intolerances, pH, etc. This will allow you to know what is going on in order to REMOVE them, if needed.

3.       After 3 months, begin with the second phase = replace, 3 months later = reinocculate, 3 months later = repair.

4.       I would find out as well, if the above plateaus or does not work, what is going on with his adrenals (I would test this with the gut, as they are connected through the HTAGGT axis) and amino acids.

5.       Remember, we just don’t get parasites, etc, we create the environment for them.

 

Joshua Rubin

www.eastwesthealing.com

Client with Cellulite

I really don’t know where to go with her next. We have been working together for about 1 year. Her main concern when she came to see me was weight around her hips and rear, and what she described as abundant cellulite. She was working out about 5x per week doing vigorous cardio as well as weights. I talked to her about adjusting her exercise routine and she started following her metabolic type program (Fast/Sympathetic). I also did an adrenal stress profile #205, a liver profile #101 and Mucosal Lining test #304. Her results showed that she has high urinary lipid peroxides (7.91), her urinary bile acid sulfates are a high normal (8.50). Her Adrenal Stress Profile indicates stage II adrenal stress with high morning cortisol (usually indicating an infection). What is confusing me is that her 304 test only shows
Aerobic Bacteria IGA abnormal – everything else is in the normal range. I was expecting abnormal dietary proteins as well as clearer signs of bacteria or infection. Would the next step be a pathogen test 401H? and possibly the MRT LEAP test?

Cellulite in that area is a sign of:

1.       Increased toxins in the body that still have not been let go off. Fat stores toxins

2.       Women get this more from yo yo dieting, etc, which increases the amount of the lipolytic (fat storing) enzymes

3.       This is typically a sign of a hormone imbalance, esp if the cellulite is in that area. This is a sign of high androgens (from dieting, sugar, stress, etc) and estrogen dominance.

Joshua Rubin

www.eastwesthealing.com

 

Eating Health and the Gut

My husband and I have been eating pretty healthy for a good while now (very little processed foods and complex carbs, balance of the good carbs, fat and protein from natural foods etc.). Even with healthy eating I imagine that most of us have done a good amount of damage to our organs and colon throughout our lifetime. So here is my question… even if you begin to eat healthy is it enough to help correct the problem by eating alone? In your opinion, would a type of cleansing be advised to allow your body a better chance at regaining the function that was intended or do you think the body will naturally correct and cleanse itself. If I’m going to do all this work on my abs I would prefer my body to be cooperating with it the best it can   Thanks for any and all help

ANSWER:

This is a great question and something I educate my clients and students about all the time. With all the C.R.A.P (Caffiene, Refinded/Processed foods, Alcohol/Aspartame, and Pasteurized milk) foods that are out there, most are trying to live the “this for that” approach. That means, eating like CRAP and trying to take herbs, supplements, see their chiropractor and acupuncturist, instead of focusing on their nutrition and lifestyle. When you see the above, in my clinical opinion you are treating the symptom and not the etiology. Not to say they don’t have a place on the healing totem pole, but I feel it is going about it all backwards. We must go within to heal (biochemistry, thoughts, etc) to heal. But as a society, we focus on external means in order to gain ground/healing (expensive cars, houses, supplements, etc). As you can see, this is not working.

Being healthy is misinterpreted these days. People think it is over indulging in expensive supplements, over exercising, eating chicken and broccoli and drinking protein shakes.  My definition of health is taking responsibility for oneself in ALL areas of life. My question for you is what is eating health mean to you? All I can do is provide my definition of eating healthy. This might not align with you, but this is what I teach my clients when they work with me. There are many others, but this is a good generalized route to follow in the beginning.

1. If it is white—–do not eat it! The four white devils are white flour, white sugar, white salt (see #9) and pasteurization and homogenization milk products. If you must use a dairy product and cannot acquire raw dairy, choose Certified Organic as your second choice. Additionally, those who are lactose sensitive should use full-fat cream, which is very low in lactose and high in fat. Additionally, you can enjoy a high quality yogurt, in which lactose is predigested.
2. Avoid any food made from any of the white devils!
3. If you can’t pronounce a word on a label—–do not eat it, your liver won’t like it!
4. If it wasn’t here 10,000 years ago, don’t eat it!
5. Fruit juice is sugar water! Don’t drink it. Small quantities of freshly squeezed juice may be ok as an occasional treat.
6. The longer the shelf life, the more harmful it is likely to be to your body!

·         If irradiated, don’t eat it!

·         If pasteurized, it’s not good for you. Ultra-pasteurized is very bad for you!

·         Unless packaged in glass, the longer it’s been in the package, the more toxic it will be! Plastics can leak what is called xenoestrogens, which are harmful to the body. They can increase estrogen levels in females and put there hormonal systems into a state of disarray.

 

1. Aside from good water, if you are eating a food that is clear——disease grows near! For example, clear apple juice, clear honey and clear hydrogenated oils are all garbage foods to be avoided.
2. Choose products and meets in this order:
   • Certified Organic Produce and Free Range Meats            
   • Organic Produce and Organic Meat
   • Locally Farmed Produce and Locally Farmed Free Ranged Meat
   • Commercial Produce and Commercial Hormone Free Meat
   • Commercial Meat
3. Always season foods and water with 100% unprocessed sea salt. The best is Celtic, followed by sea salt from New Zealand because there is less heavy metal toxicity there.
4. Drink ½ your body weight in pounds in ounces of water daily.

·         For example, a 200 pound man needs to drink 100 oz.

·         Nothing substitutes for water, not tea, not juice, not beer….nothing!

·         Always choose top selling brands such as Evian, Fiji, Trinity and Volvic because they sell the fastest and therefore have the least exposure to plastic bottles.

·         Buy water in glass if possible.

·         The most health-giving waters have a hardness factor of 170 mg/L or greater and a Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) of 300 or greater.

·         Adding a pinch of sea salt to water is recommended to replace electrolytes. Additionally, it will harden otherwise good, but soft waters and will significantly increase the TDS.

1. Follow the 80/20 Rule. If you live right 80% of the time, you can absorb the other 20%.
2. Always eat right for your metabolic type.
3. Get to bed by 10 p.m. and sleep until 6 a.m. minimum.

·         The body (physical) repairs itself from 10pm – 2pm

·         The mind (spiritual and emotional) repairs itself from 2pm – 6am

 

From years of living an unhealthy lifestyle, most turn around and start trying to diet or eat health. The first thing to remember is that it takes time to unwind all those years of dysfunction. So the first two lessons are patience and that eating and living is a lifestyle, not a diet.  After time of eating like this one might experience detox reactions from eating living food, some weight gain, some weight loss, increased mood and energy and vitality. One you establish a foundation of this lifestyle, there are some other areas that need to be researched and journeyed into: thoughts, hydration, eating (quality and quantity), movement (right type and amount), and sleep. These are all the foundation to who you are and without them, life will not seem to be fluid. It will seem as if life is controlling you and that you are not controlling it.

 

When your foundation is established, there are other areas as well that can be looked into: labs for the gut, hormones, adrenal glands, amino acids, etc, acupuncture, soft tissue work, energy work, NUCCA work and on and on. But here is a great place to start in your case, with the 4R Gut Healing Program. If we eat all these great foods and take all these high end supplements, but have a gut dysfunction (low SIgA, parasites, fungus, bacteria, Dysbiosis, etc), then what we eat will not  have its benefits.

 

 

The 4R Gut Healing Program is an easy 4-6 month protocol that anyone can follow in order to heal their gut. Along with this, following the holistic foundational nutrition and lifestyle principles will facilitate healing and prevent inflammation/gut discomfort from reoccurring.

1) Remove: This phase entails removing all conventional foods, boxed/canned foods, foods with ingredients that you cannot pronounce, gluten, dairy, flour, salt and anything that has a shelf life. As well, we recommend scanning your house and office for any potential stresses that might inhibit your progress. Example: alarm clock right next to your head while sleeping, using conventional hygiene products and/or deodorant, etc.). The main purpose of this phase is to reduce inflammation. If you are going to add in any cleansing (liver, kidney, colon, colonic, etc), this is the phase to do it in. I am not one for cleansing too much, as it can actually create more dysfunction. The right cleanse has to be used with the right person. Phase 1 is ongoing and can be ongoing forever!

2) Replace: Continuing with the Phase 1, Phase 2 includes adding in pancreatic, digestive and liver enzymes. There are a lot of supplements out there, but you want to find some that are organic or nutraceutical grade. A great one that we recommend is Bio-Gest by Thorne Research Group. Please call if you want to learn how to purchase this. The main purpose of this phase is to re-establish digestion, once inflammation has been reduced.  Phase 2 is typically 1-2 months long.
3) Reinoculate: Continuing with Phase 1 and 2, Phase 3 includes re-establishing good bacteria in the gut. This can be done by using a nutraceutical grade probiotic with FOS (prebiotic) in it. This phase not only reinocculates that gut with good bacteria, but it also protects it against pathogens. Phase 3 is typically about 1-2 months long.

4) Repair: Once you have finished the above three phases, you can begin Phase 4. This includes taking 4-6K mg of cod liver oil daily for 1-2 months and taking GI revive (from Designs For Health). This phase includes repairing the gut with l-glutamine, aloe, licorice root, vitamins and cod liver oil. The purpose is to bring everything together in order for the gut to work properly.

Happy Healing!
Josh Rubin

www.eastwesthealing.com

 

 

Client with Back Pain at Night

My client gets woken up every night from 3-6am with middle back pain. She has been to many specialists, has had every test, MRI, etc. They have found nothing! The only thing that makes it feel better is sleeping on her back, but does not relieve it 100%. Any answers?

There are a couple of things that could be going on. It all depends on what philosophy you want to use.

 

1.       In TCM, the LU and LI are being regenerated with qi during those times. It they are deficient (too yin) or excess (too yang), this can cause issues within the body. AS well,  the KD/BL is at the opposite time (pm) of the LU/LI. So if the KD/BL is pulling too much energy away from the LU/LI, they will become deficient.

2.       In TCM, chronic stabbing pain can be a sign of stagnation. Gua Sha is a technique that is great to use on the midback to eliminate this.

3.       I have had clients with thoracic spine vertebrae subluxations and disc issues having these same symptoms.

4.       I would check for trigger points in the diaphragm and rectus ab as well, which refer to those areas.

5.       The pancreas and stomach receives innervations from T5-T10 and reflexes around the mid back area. (RA has the same innervation).

6.       You can use cleansing, NMT, PT manipulations, HLC principles, moxa, gua sha, acupuncture, polarity therapy, etc for this. Pick your tool!

Joshua Rubin

www.eastwesthealing.com