Dr. Blum, who has devoted his life to studying the relationship between genetics and addiction, is credited with co-discovering the so-called “alcoholic gene” in 1990.  That was the year he authored with Dr. Ernst Noble, former director of the NIH's National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and researcher from UCLA, a study published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association, which found correlations between the Dopamine D2 Receptor Taq 1 A1 allele (a gene) and alcoholism

Dopamine is sometimes called “the reward chemical,” the “pleasure molecule,” and the “anti-stress” molecule. It is the primary neurotransmitter found in the brain that is responsible for happiness and other emotions.  It is essential for the normal functioning of the central nervous system. Dopamine provides feelings of enjoyment and reinforcement that motivate a person proactively to “feel good.”

Several years after discovering the “alcoholic gene,” additional studies led Dr. Blum and others to conclude that it was a misnomer and there is, in fact, no such thing as a “single” alcoholic gene.  Dr. Blum came to believe that the genetic anomaly previously found in alcoholics is also present in drug addicts and other people with compulsive or impulsive disorders, including overeating and obesity, attention-deficit disorder, pathological gambling and many more.  He has since clarified that this gene is more accurately defined as the “reward gene.” To date there are over 2,866 published peer reviewed articles claiming that the Dopamine D2 receptor gene is associated with addiction and reward dependence behaviors.

In 1995, Dr. Blum defined the condition that occurs when genes do not work together as a cohesive unit as a “Reward Deficiency Syndrome.”  He hopes that this condition will one day be recognized officially as a disease.  His evidence indicates that over 1/3 of the U.S. population has some form of Reward Deficiency Syndrome, and that genetic factors account for between 40 and 60 percent of a person's vulnerability to addiction, including the effects of environment on gene expression and function.

In a healthy person, Dopamine and other neurotransmitters  “cascade” like water cascading from one pool to another in a waterfall.  One neurotransmitter flows into an area of the brain and triggers release of another neurotransmitter.  The flow begins with Serotonin.  When it is released in the hypothalamus area of the brain, Enkephalins are released and initiate the transmission of GABA, which acts like a traffic cop.  GABA is important as it fine tunes the release of Dopamine.  GABA allows just enough dopamine to be released to provide reward, comfort, and pleasure from ordinary activities and a degree of calming to fight off unwanted stress. People who suffer from Reward Deficiency Syndrome cannot cope with the accompanying angst, agitation and emotional pain.  Their brains are unable to produce enough Dopamine, Serotonin, Norepinephrine, and Endorphins.

When levels of these "feel good" chemicals are low or blocked from the brain's receptors by genetic or environmental influences; stress, pain, discomfort and agitation are the result.  To provide temporary relief  people with low dopamine levels self-medicate with substances that will produce a short-lived Dopamine response including  alcohol, illicit drugs, prescription drugs, junk foods, sugars, carbohydrates, caffeine, nicotine or other stimulants. These substances produce negative behaviors such as poor sleeping patterns that further depress their own endogenous Dopamine levels.  Exposure to prolonged periods of stress and alcohol or other substances can also lead to a corruption of the "cascade.”

Some people with low Dopamine levels do not self-medicate with alcohol and drugs, but become clinically depressed and anxious.

These behaviors bring with them the possibility of more long-term consequences.

Both genetics and environment greatly affect what Dr. Blum calls the “brain’s reward cascade.”  Therefore, it is often quite difficult to determine what is the root cause of Reward Deficiency Syndrome. However, if Reward Deficiency Syndrome has its origins in your genetic makeup, according to Dr. Blum’s research people have the power to change their genes' expression. That is, they have the ability to respond to whatever life circumstances they may be in right now and change them to something better through healthier choices -- be it healthier nutrition (nutrigenomics) or healthier thoughts, emotions, and lifestyle choices (epigenetics). Either way, the choice and the power are theirs.

Dr. Blum has long believed, and many studies have proven, that in order to overcome genetic predisposition to addiction, certain amino acids and other nutraceuticals must be used to bolster the brain’s ability to increase or decrease certain neurotransmitters or enzymes that control the brain’s reward cascade.

Dr. Blum and Dr. Waite advocate a non-specific “healthy diet” and non-specific regular exercise to accompany a regimen of taking SynaptaGenX (formerly known as Synaptose), the nutrigenomic neuroadaptogen they developed based on Dr. Blum's many years of research to increase the endogenous production of Dopamine and reduce negative Reward Deficiency Syndrome behaviors.  The scientific evidence they have thus far accumulated, they say,  demonstrates that SynaptaGenX changes the plasticity of the brain synapses while balancing the endogenous neurotransmitters, positively affecting the Brain Reward Cascade. After touring the Malibu Beach Recovery Center™, Dr. Blum decided that the low-glycemic Malibu Beach Recovery Diet™ and the Exercise program based on yoga breath work were the perfect companions to Synaptose.

A comprehensive study published in the January 2012 issue of the Journal of Applied Technology shows more evidence of a correlation between parabens and incidences of breast cancer.

Titled "Measurement of paraben concentrations in human breast tissue at serial locations across the breast from axilla to sternum," the team of researchers, led by Dr. Philippa Darbre from the University of Reading in the UK, found that virtually all -- 99 percent -- of the tissue samples collected from women participating in the study contained at least one paraben, and 60 percent of the samples contained no less than five parabens.

Parabens are chemicals used as a preservative in a number of cosmetics and personal care products including deodorant, shampoo, makeup, lotions and oral care products, as well as in processed food items and some pharmaceutical products.

Underarm deodorants often contain parabens and have been thought to contribute to an increased risk of high paraben levels in the body that have been linked to breast cancer. But according to Darbre's team, even women who did not use underarm deodorant were found to have parabens present in breast tissue.

The estrogen-mimicking properties of most parabens are believed to be a factor responsible for the rising cases of breast cancer. The prevalence of the number of types of paraben toxins found in the human body, however, make it difficult for researchers to conclude which of the preservatives are most likely the causal agents, but many speculate that parabens commonly found in underarm antiperspirants and deodorants can easily move into breast tissue and may result in tumors.

Dr. William Albrecht, PhD first described the 'mineral system' of the body, which is the way the minerals in the body relate to one another.  He designed the “mineral wheel “to indicate some of the interactions that exist between minerals.  Since then, much more work has been done to identify mineral relationships.

By analyzing the mineral ratios and relationships, information can be derived about organ and gland function, mental and emotional tendencies, how the body is responding to stress and how to support the body nutritionally.   Many disease 'trends' can also be identified, making hair analysis an excellent and cost effective preventive and predictive tool.

Test kits for Tissue Mineral Analysis are now available at Media Wellness Center.  Cost for existing patients is just $60 which includes us collecting the sample for you and a full report.

How do we know if our daily intake of food is supplying us with adequate amounts of key nutrients?

Intake is one thing, then we also need to ensure digestion, absorbtion and assimilation.

Ayurvedic Medicine, a 5 thousand year old system of healing, finds that many if not all diseases and conditions start with a "derangement" in the gut, i.e. some imbalance in the gastrointestinal tract.

Periodic rest from dietary stresses- animal protein, dairy, fats and oils, refined carbohydrates- can help restore proper function of the GI tract.  Sometimes this is enough to repair damage or "derangement" in the gut.  Other times we need prolonged avoidance of these stresses.  Research is showing that a high plant based diet with much less of anything else is the best insurance policy against all chronic degenerative conditions and cancer.  Explore the Foundations of Health pages and the role of Inflammation pages on Dr Pat's Support Pages for guidance.

Those who have long term damage would do well to add quality prebiotics and/or probiotics to repair and restore the appropriate balance of intestinal flora (the little guys in our intestines that do the work of breaking down our food).  We can guide you towards products that are indicated given your level of need.  For a dietary consult in person or over the phone call 610-566-2525 and ask to schedule with Dr Patricia Salvitti, Chiropractor or Joel Edman, Phd Nutritionist.

To get a handle on whether our typical diet is adequately supplying us with the key nutrients we need, whether we are trying to lose weight or gain weight, the NutriMirror website is an awesome free tool.  My sister worked for this company out in California and recently brought it to my attention.

Chronic low grade inflammation can be triggered by dietary stress, emotional and mental stress, environmental allergens, toxic overload and infection.

1. Inflammation is the body's natural response to injury, infection or a foreign invader may cause an acute or chronic reaction. It is necessary for healing, but when it becomes chronic and gets out of control, problems begin. The buzz word these days in Medical Science is Inflammation. We now know that inflammation is the trigger that not only causes the expression of undesirable gene traits, it is also a catalyst for chronic degenerative diseases and cancer and contributes to the acceleration of the aging process. Many times it is difficult to pinpoint the causes of chronic low-grade inflammation, which seems to put otherwise healthy people at risk for various diseases. Dr Peter Libby, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, says: "I think we have an epidemic of unhealthy lifestyles, and the way in which the lifestyle is wreaking havoc is through inflammation." Understanding the common causes of inflammation is your key to creating a truly healthy lifestyle and diet.
2. Dietary Stress is probably the most common and the easiest to control cause of chronic inflammation.  Your unique genetic makeup often determines your risk and susceptibility to food sensitivities and insulin resistance.
3. Chronic emotional and mental stress can set up for food sensitivities by increasing gut permeability, allowing undigested food to enter the blood stream and trigger an inflammatory response.
4. Chronic emotional and mental stress can increase free radicals in the body, which also lead to increased inflammation.  Adopting coping mechanisms for stress that we incorporate into our daily life can go a long way towards protecting us from the ravages of emotional and mental stress.  One of the most effective I have come across is the Release Technique.
5. Our reaction to environmental allergens is often a sign that the body is being stressed in other ways.  When we adopt a clean diet and lower that stress load, our reaction to airborne allergens decreases.  It's worth following an elimination diet for a short while to see the difference for yourself.  Too minimize being triggered by airborne allergens use the ENT created Grossan Hydro Pulse® Pulsatile Nasal & Sinus Irrigation System">HydroPulse, which allows you to gently rinse away the allergens before your reaction is too severe.
6. Obviously, we avoid exposure to toxins that we are aware of.  Too many times people are unaware of how they are contributing to toxic overload.  Two of the most common ways are with household cleaning products and cosmetics.  By consciously addressing these two issues, we can greatly reduce our toxic exposure on a daily basis.  Look for trusted, environmentally conscious companies for safe, effective cleaning products.  For skin care, you can throw away all your other skin care products, if you use Celluvation consistently.  This new, revolutionary, all natural, skin repair technology, recently seen on CBS, can reverse years of skin damage, while hydrating and stimulating collagen production. Best of all, it is so natural you could eat it!
7. Low grade viral or bacterial infection can go unrecognized, contributing over time to constant inflammation in the body.  Eating a high plant based, nutrient dense diet can protect us from being at risk for low grade infection.  A common, underrecognized source of low grade infection is in our mouths.  Infection left after root canals can contribute as well as decay under bridges or crowns and periodontal disease.  Find a dentist who will address your concerns and be diligent about dental hygiene.  The diet described above will minimize your risk of common periodontal conditions.

   "Wear and Tear" Arthritis or Osteoarthritis are terms used to describe the degeneration of joints that happens as a result of overuse or age.   Many understand that this can be the result of occupations or sports that require repetitive motions.  What you may not know is the following:

1. There was often an initial injury that started the degenerative process.  When joints are sprained the ligamentous tissue in the joint capsule swells limiting normal motion.  Without adequate motion in the joint nerves that would decrease pain and swelling are not activated and nerves that increase pain are activated more.  This creates a vicious cycle and makes it hard for the body to self-correct and heal.  Intervention with adjustments, low level laser and acupuncture can break the cycle and facilitate healing.  With the Bioflex Laser/Light system we now have the means to actually stimulate the body to repair the damage caused by arthritis.
2. Poor biomechanic due to genetic foot variations can set us up for injuries and/or wear and tear arthritis.  More recent research has led to an innovative approach to minimizing the impact of these genetic variations.  To find out if you may be at risk read about Posture Dynamics. (the answer is not expensive orthotics)
3. You can have a great deal of degenerative change and little pain, and conversely, you can have a little degenerative change a lot of pain.  The level of pain has to do with the amount of inflammation in the body.  This is why your arthritis may bother you more on some days than on others.  It's important to understand the role of inflammation and how to minimize inflammation with superior nutrition.
4. Vitamin D deficiency is an underlying cause of arthritis and other chronic degenerative diseases that is being grossly underrecognized.  Make sure your levels of vitamin D are tested accurately and that you understand what is necessary to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D.  For further information refer to the Vitamin D Counsel.
5. The pain associated with arthritis is often relieved by bodywork such as PNT (Pain Neutralization Technique) and Trager massage, both of which are available at the Media Wellness Center.
6. There are safe, effective, natural anti-inflammatory substances and products that can substitute for prescription and non-prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, eliminating the very real danger of side effects.  These include products like Kaprex (a natural Cox2 inhibitor that matched Celebrex and Vioxx in studies, with none of the side effects), Curamin (which contains standardized tumeric and boswellia, both shown to be effective against inflammation), and fish oil (omega 3 oils are inflammation mediators).  All of these are available from meta-ehealth.
7. Himalayan Crystal Salt Sole taken daily can support the body in minimizing inflammation.  Granulated Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt can also be made into a paste with hot apple cider vinegar and applied directly on an inflamed joint and the pain will decrease substantially.

Please feel free to leave your comments or questions on this blog.

As we grow older a number of factors prevent us from healing as well as we did when we were younger:

HGH (human growth factor) the most powerful rejuvenating substance in the body decreases after puberty.  We can maintain higher levels with anaerobic exercise, adequate sleep and lower blood sugar levels (watch those starchy carbs).

Poor digestion can prevent adequate digestion of key nutrients needed for healing.  Eating a largely plant based diet can restore digestive capabilities. 

We have great needs for phyto-chemicals from plant based food.  Research is now showing that for NORMAL functioning we need approximately 8 pounds of vegetables a week.  Our needs are even greater when we are recovering from illness or injury.  Explore the Dr Pat's Support Pages for information on nutrition.

Muscles and Connective Tissue receive less of a blood supply and less nerve signals as we age, both of which slow down healing.  The biggest cause of this- USE IT OR LOSE IT.  Keep moving.  I read recently that we should never invest in comfortable seating, instead we're better off if we have uncomfortable furniture which forces us to get up frequently.  The advice was to never sit more than 45 minutes at a time.  This includes when we are on long car trips.

 CHRONIC PAIN

While a nutrient dense plant-based diet, exercise and coping mechanisms for emotional and mental stress can slow down the aging process, CHRONIC PAIN can make us feel older than we are, and can potentially accelerate the aging process.

Even Medical Doctors are recognizing the limitations of medicine when treating chronic pain.

"Pain is the most common complaint that leads patients to seek medical care. Chronic pain is not uncommon. Approximately 35% of Americans have some element of chronic pain, and approximately 50 million Americans are disabled partially or totally due to chronic pain. It can lead to depression, fatigue and reduced activity as well as over use of drugs and alcohol. 

Chronic pain is managed best with a multidisciplinary approach, requiring good integration."

Manish K Singh, MD, Assistant Professor, Pain Management, Department of Neurology, Drexel College of Medicine, Hahnemann University Hospital

What contributes to CHRONIC PAIN?

1.  Injuries that don't seem to heal as well as when we were younger

2.  Wear and tear osteoarthritis

3.  Chronic low grade inflammation triggered by dietary stress, emotional and mental stress, enviornmental allergens, toxic overload and infection

4.  # 3 is compounded by lack of resources (key nutrients in sufficient amounts) and local congestion that may prevent resources from getting through to where they are needed.

5.  Autoimmune conditions-  Probably the most important one to understand

In blogs to follow this one I will cover these causes of CHRONIC PAIN and what we can do to be proactive in minimizing its effects on our health and wellbeing.

Welcome to my blog.

I have been thinking for a while about how best to start this, and given that it has taken so long for me to give birth to this project, it has been an extended “while”.

What can I offer that isn’t already out there? Probably nothing new.  I do see from personal and clinical experience that I can help you sort through the information that is out there and see how it applies to you.  Sometimes a little clarity can go a long way towards solving health care issues and putting you on the road to greater health and well-being.  In that vein I thought it best to start with this “food for thought”.

Are you accepting poor health as your destiny because you lack the appropriate knowledge?

Destiny refers to a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. It is a concept based on the belief that there is a fixed natural order to the universe.

Though most people would not think of the word destiny when it comes to the acceptance of their poor health, what they are doing is a modern day version of believing in destiny.  How many millions of people have suffered in the past and present from preventable diseases, thinking it was their destiny or fate to do so?  Our version is to say:  I have heart disease, diabetes, auto-immune, cancer, etc because it’s in my family.  With rare genetic disorders there is an element of truth to our belief about our condition.  Most of the time, like the person suffering needlessly from their disease or condition, the ability to regain and maintain or health is within our power.

I have observed two major blocks to having this happen: 
1.  We look around and say, other people can eat what they want, drink what they want, live the lifestyle they want and they don’t have the problems I have. 
2.  Rarely does the medical profession (who we have trusted to be authorities) guide us through the appropriate steps necessary for a vibrantly healthy life.  If anything they are as misguided as us and not open to anything that does not fit their fixed paradigm.

We have just launched our new updated user friendly website.  Please take the time to explore all the links under Dr Pat’s Support Pages to build a firm foundation and revisit this blog for further information and to ask questions and leave comments.

I had a young woman ask me recently for advise on a “realistic” healthy diet for her busy lifestyle.  My response was:  it should be “reality-based” within the laws of nature if we hope to achieve the outcome we are looking for.  Thirty years of practice have shown me that my patients who see our relationship as a partnership and take responsibility for their part, gain the most.  It can be no other way.

Yours in Health