Holistic Solutions for Common Symptoms

by Mark Pitstick MA, DC

Note: If you already know the following information scroll down to the article title in maroon below the seven asterisks.  However, I strongly recommend reading this introduction until you really ‘own’ it.  In addition, post The Great News where you’ll see it every day.  

Over the last 15 years, and especially during 2019 – 2024, data from a series of experiments at the University of Arizona have definitively demonstrated scientifically that life continues after physical death.  This research was conducted by Gary E. Schwartz PhD, former professor at Harvard and Yale, and pioneer in the fields of behavioral medicine and energy healing.  

Dr. Schwartz is assisted in this work by a team of electrical engineers, software developers, research assistants, evidential mediums, and postmaterial luminaries at the Laboratory for Advances in Consciousness and Health.  (To learn more about the SoulPhone Project and lab, visit LACH.Arizona.edu.  To learn about postmaterial luminaries, see article #31 at SoulProof.com) 

The Demo SoulSwitch is a binary (Yes / No) SoulSwitch device that postmaterial persons (the so-called ‘deceased’) can use to answer questions, verify their identity, and begin providing information to help many people and our planet.  This device should be ready for beta testing by the summer of 2024.  After sessions with project volunteers and larger donors, we will share data that scientifically demonstrates life continues after bodily death.  However, this ‘reveal’ will initially occur as an ‘incremental trickle’ versus a ‘sudden splash’.   Over time and under optimal conditions, we will gradually amplify how widely this news is shared. 

Likewise, demonstrations of this technology will occur in a stepwise fashion.  We anticipate, but cannot guarantee, that full announcements and demonstrations will occur by spring 2025.  These decisions were made in April 2024 after many strategic planning discussions with core project team members.  The many factors involved are much more complex than you might imagine. 

See articles #1, 60, and 115 for an overview of the scientific, clinical, and experiential evidence that indicates – with 99.9% certainty – that consciousness survives bodily death.  This collective evidence also shows – with very high degrees of certainty – The Great News that you and everyone else:

1. continue to live after your earthly body dies. 
2. can interact with ‘departed’ loved ones now and after you pass on. 
3. are integral, infinite, eternal, and beloved parts of Source Energy now and always. 
4. receive guidance and support from angels, guides, master teachers, etc. 
5. are sacredly interconnected with all people, animals, and nature. 
6. have special purposes for having this earthly experience now. 
7. may manifest in other simultaneous time / space realities now and after bodily death. 
8. have everything you need to enjoy an optimal earthly experience – no matter what your past or current circumstances. 
9. can find meaning, as well as opportunities for growth and service, amidst your toughest changes and challenges. 
10. co-create how heavenly your life feels – whether living on earth or elsewhere – by your predominant thoughts, words and actions. 
11. can likely use SoulPhone technology in the future to communicate with postmaterial loved ones and access wisdom from luminaries who can help us heal our world.  

Statements #1, 2, and 11 are based on definitive scientific research.  The other statements are based on: (a) clinical research: near-death experiences, past life memories and regressions, perinatal experiences, life between lives sessions, shared crossings, terminal lucidity cases, and deathbed visions; and (b) evidencefrom firsthand experiences: after-death communications, out-of-body experiences, spiritually transformative experiences, electronic voice projection / instrumental transcommunication, and other ways of knowing.

This is, obviously, a new and exciting era for humanity.  When understood and internalized – even just a bit – The Great News can help you make the shift:         

• FROM thinking, believing, and acting as if your time on earth is unfair, meaningless, cruel, and ends with cessation of consciousness or the possibility of endless suffering. 
• TO thinking, believing, and acting as if this earthly experience is a totally meaningful, safe, and magnificent adventure amidst forever.

Conscious language can help you adopt a greater reality perspective and live based on the second bulleted worldview.  And that, in turn, can help you create the greatest life YOU have envisioned, fulfill your purposes for being on earth, serve others, and enjoy a magnificent journey.  In the pursuit of using more conscious / accurate terms, l:   

1. Will use the term ‘YOU’ to describe the totality of your energy / being. Your real self may manifest in different spacetime ways simultaneously since only approximately 50% of your consciousness is needed to have an earthly experience. The term ‘YOU’ recognizes both of these possibilities. 
2. Won’t use the terms ‘die, departed, deceased, or dead’ without single quotation marks since those have strongly entrenched and erroneous meanings indicating an end of life. 
3. Will use the terms ‘bodily death’ and ‘death of the earthly form’ to remind you that only the earth-suit dies. The rest – all the intelligence, love, personality, memories, preferences, sense of humor, and much more – continues living in other parts of the field of all possibilities. 
4. Will use the terms changed worlds, passed on, transitioned and others that aptly describe a continuation of consciousness after bodily death. 
5. Will primarily refer to those who have passed on as postmaterial persons. That term recognizes the points in #3. I also will use soul, consciousness, essence, and awareness. 
6. Will primarily refer to ‘physical humans living on earth’ as material persons. Why? Because those terms within single quotation marks may apply to postmaterial persons.  That is, they can have physicality, visit earth, and are still human in meaningful ways.
   
7. Will use the terms lower versus higher energies, emotions, and ways of being. These descriptors are not critical, judgmental, or subjective; rather, they are based on objective measures by, for example, David Hawkins PhD, MD author of Power Versus Force. He and other researchers found that higher-energy emotions of peace, joy, and love calibrate at 600, 540, and 500 respectively.  Conversely, lower-energy emotions of anger, fear, and guilt calibrate at 150, 100, and 30.  To be clear, energy / consciousness is who and what you really are, not just how you are feeling.  Your predominant energies create the quality of your life and the nature of your earthly or other time-space experience. 
8. Will use single quotations marks with words such as ‘lose and fail’.  The Great News and collective afterlife evidence can expand your worldview about what seem to be losses and failures.  We can’t accurately judge the big picture of life – what is lost or how we failed – with our limited human senses.   

Note: To recognize and respect different genders and sexual identifications, I will alternate using ‘he’ or ‘she’ and related pronouns.  Depending on a person’s orientation, one, both, or neither of those may apply.

The free articles and radio shows mentioned are available at SoulProof.com.  To learn more about the collective afterlife evidence and The Great News, read Soul Proof, The Afterlife Evidence, Greater Reality Living (co-authored with Dr. Schwartz) and The Big Picture of Life (for ages 10 – 16 written with Schwartz and Katta Mapes MA, MEd).  To experience expanded states of consciousness to optimally heal and transform your life, use audio sessions under Shop at SoulProof.com. 

What does all this have to do with Holistic Solutions for Common Symptoms?  It’s very difficult to know and show who you really are and share your greatest gifts when you are chronically and/or severely depressed, fatigued, in pain, or otherwise suffering.  And, conversely, it’s very difficult to be happy and balanced without knowing about the big picture of life.

*       *       *       *       *       *       *

Holistic Solutions for Common Symptoms

In this article, the following health problems are addressed in alphabetical order:

ADD / ADHD

Bone Strength 

Cholesterol     

Diabetes        

Flu: Natural Prevention and Treatment       

GERD / Indigestion    

Heart Health 

Immune Enhancement         

Joint Disorders          

‘Mental’ Symptoms  

Muscle Spasm           

Post-Pregnancy Nutritional Deficiencies      

Seasonal Affective Disorder  

Sexual Functioning    

Sinus  

Smoking Cessation    

Thyroid Balance        

Tremors and Neuromuscular Disorders       

Weight Loss   

(Note: recommended chapters for further information, for example, Awareness or Activity, refer to those in my Radiant Wellness book.)  

I’ve assembled self-care and natural care recommendations for common health problems.

Disclaimer: This information is not designed to replace medical care and does not claim to diagnose or treat any disease. These strategies may assist your body to regain more normal functioning and heal itself. My recommendations are not supported by large medical studies, especially those funded by the pharmaceutical or disease care industry.

Whole food nutritional supplements are listed for each set of symptoms. Suggestions for supplements are based on my experience of helping many thousands of people during the last thirty-three years in holistic private practice.

The whole food and herbal supplements are from Standard Process / MediHerb and cannot currently be shipped outside the 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. If you live elsewhere, you can visit StandardProcess.com to learn more about the quality and
combination of nutrients and hopefully find them in your country.

As discussed in the Natural Care chapter, I strongly recommend that you have a team of health care practitioners for children, and if symptoms for an adult are severe and chronic. However, the programs I’ve outlined may help symptoms with moderate severity and shorter duration.

The numbers after each product – for example, Catalyn 6 – denote the dosage per day. Unless noted otherwise, supplements are best taken with two or three meals. Calcium products are best taken at dinner and bedtime to increase utilization. Supplement doses are for average size adults; adjust accordingly for a much larger or smaller adult. Children should take ¼ to ¼ of the dosage.

Because they come from concentrated whole foods, these products are extremely safe. However, holistic programs often lower high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, abnormal hormone levels, clotting times, and other important factors. Your medical doctors should know that you are starting a holistic program so
they can decrease your medications as your body regains normal functioning and wellness.

Many people are eventually able to stop taking medications altogether, even after many years of taking drugs. However, you should not do that without medical supervision.

All of the products listed in the appendices are available for purchase at my office. To order, write to this address or email us at: center@radiant101.com
Dr. Mark Pitstick
Radiant Wellness Chiropractic Center
234 N. Plaza Blvd. Chillicothe, OH 45601

The easiest way to order Standard Process and MediHerb products is through the Patient Direct program. Contact my office to get the code to allow this transaction.
Note: My office staff cannot take orders or answer any questions by phone since they are busy assisting the doctors.

Products that can be ordered from my office include:
• Standard Process whole food supplements
• MediHerb supplements
• 21 Day Purification Program
• Chlorella, Cilantro, and Homeopathics to detox chemicals and heavy metals
• Protein powders from Standard Process and Garden of Life
• Green powders from the same two companies
• Joyful Body, an essential oil combination for pain, inflammation, and spasm
• Sinus Relief, Super Neti, and Respiratory Relief – colloidal silver containing products for sinus and lung conditions
• Nebulizer for delivering a fine mist of Respiratory Relief into the lungs

Some products, for example, the massage unit from Homedics and sinus rinse kit from Neil-Med, can be purchased at most pharmacies. We do not sell those.

There are two stages of supplementation:
1. Therapeutic: you need to take more products at a higher dosage until imbalanced, weak, and stressed organs regain normal functioning.

2. Wellness: after you are much healthier, you need fewer products and lower doses to stay well.

Even if they are not listed in a particular appendix, three wellness supplements are always highly recommended since they provide necessary nutrients for the entire body: Catalyn 6, Cod Liver Oil 3, Trace Minerals B12 (3)

Note: except for severe and chronic cases that require more supervision, I work with a limited number of people to oversee their holistic healing program. This can be done in person, by phone, or with Zoom. If you want this service for yourself or a loved one, contact me at center@radiant101.com.

ADD / ADHD

A twelve-year old boy was recently brought to our office for holistic health care. Chris suffered with symptoms that included behavioral outbursts, poor grades, and difficulty focusing. Joe, a thirty-two year old, also wanted help with his impulsivity, irritability, and forgetfulness. Despite the difference in their ages, they had two things in common: they were both diagnosed as having ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and were given two prescription drugs.

Their medical doctors hadn’t asked about exercise, diet, stress levels, supplements, or sleep habits. They just prescribed two drugs. Is that 21st century health care?

Medications used to treat this syndrome can be dangerous and don’t address the cause of the problem. Common side effects include nervousness, trouble sleeping, loss of appetite, weight loss, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, or headache. Symptoms of psychosis, heart attack, stroke and even death have been linked with these drugs.

ADD / ADHD is a syndrome—a group of symptoms that consistently occur together—not a disease. Those symptoms are the body’s way of communicating that one or more factors are out of balance. When the imbalances are addressed, the symptoms go away. The causes of this syndrome can include:

1. The mother was deficient in nutrients or had food allergies during pregnancy

2. Premature birth, being a twin, or born oversized

3. Neck trauma such as being born with the umbilical cord around the neck

4. Food allergies, most commonly to dairy, wheat, sugar, and corn

5. Genetics since 80% of ADD cases are boys

6. Wasn’t breastfed but was given artificial formulas

7. Antibiotics given that created abnormal flora balance in intestines

8. Low blood sugar due to too many carbs and not enough protein and good fats

9. Vaccinations, especially when baby has side-effects soon after the shots

10. Poor self-image due to put downs by frustrated parents and teachers

11. Diet of processed, poor quality, and chemical-sprayed food or junk food. Excess sugar, especially artificial sweeteners, are another cause.

12. Excess stimulation from video games, TV, etc.

In years past, coalminers took a canary in a cage with them. When the canary became sick, they knew the air quality was poor and it was time to get out of the mine. Similarly, youngsters who develop symptoms such as those associated with ADD are often sensitive. Their brains are trying to communicate that something is wrong, thus the symptoms.

In the U.S., the topsoil used to be at least three feet deep and contained all of the minerals that are needed. Now it’s usually only six inches deep and even that is depleted of key nutrients so our food can’t contain them. Throw in a bunch of pharmaceutical drugs—a pill for every ill—and excess chemicals and heavy metals and the stage is set for brain-related symptoms to occur often.

Your child might be quite bright but can’t show it due to ADD symptoms. It’s been said that Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, and Winston Churchill all would have been diagnosed with this syndrome had they lived in this era.

The solutions for this syndrome involve addressing the causes above:
• Avoid dairy, wheat, corn, and sugar for 90 days

• Eat 3 healthy meals per day with sufficient protein and limit carbs/sugar

• Avoid processed junk food, especially those with food coloring and chemicals

• Minimize over-stimulating TV and video games

• Chiropractic adjustments if needed to remove pressure from spinal cord

• Exercise and activities to channel extra energy

• Get a nutritional assessment to determine if excess chemicals and heavy metals are affecting the brain and / or hormonal system and how to best minimize them.

• Most importantly, reverse specific nutritional deficiencies by taking the following whole food supplements from Standard Process: Cod Liver Oil (3 per day), Cataplex B (6), Catalyn (6), Trace Minerals B12 (3), Organically Bound Minerals (3), Tuna Omega Oil (3),

If you or a loved one has ADD / ADHD symptoms, there is hope. Improvements are usually noticeable after just a few weeks. Nearly all cases respond very well when parents oversee the healing program for just ninety days. Adults also usually respond quite well—but not as quickly as children—when they follow the healing program consistently over time. After improvement, dietary restrictions can usually be relaxed and fewer supplements are needed.

By the way, with the help of his parents, Chris followed our program and began improving within weeks. Several months later, he is off his prescription drugs and is getting better grades. His teachers can’t believe he’s the same boy because he’s doing so well. Joe was on the program for 3 months before noticing significant improvement, but he’s very happy with his results. That’s 21st century health care, addressing the roots of the problem versus giving dangerous drugs.

Bone Strength

In the U.S., about 45% of post-menopausal women have decreased bone density. The rate for men is increasing, especially for those taking prescription drugs for GERD. Bone density tests are described with a T-score for three groups:
• T-score from 0 to -1.0: low normal bone density (slight concern warranted)

• T-score from -1.0 to -2.5: osteopenia (increased risk for bone fractures)

• T-score below -2.5: osteoporosis (should be very concerned)

Medications given for GERD can cause spontaneous fractures in men as young as fifty years old. Proton pump inhibitors given for indigestion prevent the release of stomach acid, thereby decreasing normal breakdown of minerals and increasing incidence of hip fractures. Lower stomach acid levels may also allow harmful bacteria to enter the intestines and cause colitis.

Drugs given for osteopenia and osteoporosis can interfere with bone remodeling and may increase density but not strength. Over time, this interference with normal bone physiology can lead to bone death and spontaneous fractures in middle-age adults.

Recommended natural healing methods to increase bone strength include:

• No Smoking: Smoking draws calcium from the bones

• Limit Alcohol: no more than one or two servings per day

• Avoid Drugs: certain medications deplete the body of calcium, especially when taken for many years. These include steroids, thyroid drugs, antacids, and GERD medications.

• Exercise: weight-bearing exercise is needed to increase bone density. Walking, aerobic machines, and resistance training (with yoga, bands or weights) stimulate new bone formation. Do for 30- 45 minutes, 4-5 times per week.

• Diet: More vegetables, raw nuts and seeds that contain calcium and other minerals: sesame seeds, kelp, agar, almonds, carrots, spinach, okra, tomatoes, garlic, parsnips, applies, broccoli, eggs, beans, string beans, citrus fruits and potatoes, salmon, molasses, and certified raw or organic milk, yogurt and cheeses. Avoid soda pop and excessive red meat. Minimize coffee, fatty foods, white sugar, white flour.

• Therapeutic supplements: for 3 months, take Calcifood 6, Cod Liver Oil 6, Zypan 3 – 6, Cal-Ma Plus 3. Then, for one year: Calcifood 4, Cod Liver Oil 3, Zypan 3. Cal-Ma Plus 1 per day with 1 week on, 1 week off.

Cholesterol
Respected integrative medical doctors such Julian Whitaker M.D., Mark Hyman M.D., Al Sears M.D., and Joseph Mercola, D.O. agree with chiropractic physicians like me and Bruce West D.C. They agree that the cholesterol scare overstated and propagated by Big Pharma that controls much of the medical research. The disease care industry also profits obscenely when people unnecessarily use drugs to lower cholesterol levels.

Read articles by these doctors to understand that cholesterol- lowering drugs may be dangerous and are over-prescribed. (Rare cases with a genetic defect called familial hypercholesterolemia are an exception.) Contrary to what you may have been led to believe, there is no proven correlation between cholesterol levels and heart disease and mortality rates. That is, people who have heart attacks are just as likely to low, normal, or higher cholesterol levels.

This is a very serious topic for you and your loved ones. Statin drugs have been shown to increase the risk of heart failure, diabetes, cancer and liver damage. Side-effects of these drugs include fatigue, muscle weakness, muscle pain, decreased memory, suicidal behavior, sexual dysfunction, digestive problems, neuropathy, depression and more.

Healthy lifestyle habits for those who want to control their total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglyceride levels safely and effectively include:

• 21 Day Standard Process Purification Program: this can significantly lower high levels in just 21 days

• Don’t smoke; minimize alcohol if you use at all

• Exercise at least four times per week with interval training methods

• Follow the Real Food Way of Eating

• Avoid foods containing white sugar and white flour; read labels

• Minimize grains and fruits and use only those from healthy sources

• Eat plenty of eggs and meat from organic, grass-fed sources and wild caught fish. Also, regularly eat raw nuts and seeds (hemp, sesame, chia, sunflower) & avocados

• Use healthy oils: olive, coconut, and fish

• Avoid unhealthy oils: trans-fat and vegetable oils, especially reused

• Reduce stress by relaxing, enjoying leisure time, and a good night’s sleep

• Take whole food supplements as listed below for optimal body functioning
In general, recommended supplements include:

– A-F Betafood (6), Linum B6 (6), Cholaplex (6), Black Current Seed Oil
(4) for high total cholesterol level

– Super-EFF (4), Immuplex (6), Cataplex B (6), Magnesium Lactate (3) for low HDL levels

– Linum B6 (3), Diaplex (9), Cataplex B (9) for high LDL levels

– Linum B6 or TOO (6), Diaplex (9), Cataplex B (9) for hi triglycerides and pancreas support

– Cataplex F (6), Thytrophin PMG (4) for hi triglycerides and thyroid support

– Cholacol 3, Cholaplex (9), Cholacol II (9) for hi triglycerides and liver support

As always, you should consult with your health care team, especially if following the above program doesn’t help normalize your lab values in 90 days.

Diabetes

Natural healing methods can often help type II diabetes (DM II). Many people have controlled this health problem via healthy diet, improved lifestyle habits, and wholefood supplements that help the pancreas and liver function more normally. DM I cases are more difficult to normalize but, in most cases, blood sugar levels become more stable and overall health improves.

In most cases after several months of natural care, DM II patients are able to wean off their prescription drugs with their medical doctor’s supervision.

Jack’s blood sugar was chronically around 400 despite being on three medications for diabetes. An evaluation of his diet showed that he ate too many carbohydrates and sugar. We taught him the healing diet and recommended four whole food supplements. Within two months, his blood sugar was normalizing to the low 100’s in
the morning. After four months, he was able to get off all of his medications and, several years later, has no problem at all. Six years later, his blood sugar is normal without any medications.

This is what is often possible when the root problems are addressed.

Orthodox medical approaches consider there to be no cure for DM II. Their drug treatment is designed to control the symptoms, not get to the cause of the imbalance. However, drugs for DM II have a long list of potential side effects: muscle pain or weakness; numb or cold feeling in your arms and legs; trouble breathing; feeling dizzy, light- headed, tired, or very weak; stomach pain, nausea with vomiting; or slow or uneven heart rate. There are many more possible side-effects that can ultimately be fatal.

That’s why it’s wise to address the underlying causes of the problem versus taking potentially dangerous drugs that only manage, not cure.

Natural healing methods for DM II include:
1. Get chiropractic adjustments for normal nerve supply from the brain to the pancreas, liver, and other organs

2. Mildly exercise – for example, walking – 30 minutes five days a week

3. Lose weight if necessary

4. Use the Real Food Way of Eating (see Diet chapter). You may need to follow the Healing Phase for six months and may need to limit your fruit to low glycemic varieties even during the Maintenance Phase.

5. Especially eliminate sugar, pop, and high fructose containing products

6. Take whole food supplements: (take one of each before each meal and at bedtime): Diaplex 4; Cataplex GTF 4; Cataplex B 4; Pancreatrophin PMG 4

7. Also take the three maintenance supplements: Catalyn 6, Cod Liver Oil 3, and Trace Minerals B12 (3)

8. Monitor your blood sugar more closely since the above program often sharply lowers glucose levels. Keep a record of your levels and show your medical doctors so they can lower your medications accordingly.

For additional information, read these articles by Julian Whitaker M.D. and Joseph Mercola D.O.
http://www.drwhitaker.com/4-natural-type-2-diabetes-treatments/ http://www.mercola.com/diabetes.aspx

Flu: Natural Prevention and Treatment

The days are shorter and the sun is lower in the sky. As a result, you receive less sunlight necessary for vitamin D production that is so important for a strong immune system. Throw in a few sugary holidays, weather changes and strange viruses from those receiving flu shots and the stage is set for getting the flu.

Are flu shots the answer? You can decide for yourself based on a recent flu vaccine manufacturer’s product information. To summarize:

1. No proof exists that flu shots decrease the frequency or severity of the flu

2. The vaccines contain harmful products such as mercury and formaldehyde

3. Serious potential side-effects such as convulsions, paralysis and much more can occur after getting the shot

What can you do about it naturally? Plenty! Here are 3 natural ways to boost your immunity naturally, inexpensively and safely…

• Practice optimal self-care as outlined in Radiant Wellness
• Eat only minimal sugar especially during stressful times and weather changes

• Use wellness supplements: Catalyn 6, Cod Liver Oil 3, Trace Minerals B12

• Get extra vitamin D during winter months in cold climates: Cataplex D 3 and a total of six Cod Liver Oil per day.

• Obtain extra sunlight during winter months by sitting by a window on a sunny day with your skin exposed. Also walk outside to get some sun exposure. Using blue light therapy is also helpful.

• Practice commonsense precautions when around someone with the flu

• Get a nutrition-based healing evaluation to ensure that your body and various organ systems are strong, balanced

If you do start to experience flu symptoms, start the Immune Enhancement Program (Appendix H) as soon as possible. This approach has helped many people recover after just one day of a flu instead of suffering for a week or more. Many of our long-term
chiropractic and nutrition patients notice that everyone else in their office or family gets sick, but they don’t. So you aren’t a helpless victim. You do have control over your health.

GERD / Chronic Indigestion

Natural healing methods can often help common symptoms. Chronic indigestion is also referred to as acid reflux, heartburn, acid indigestion and gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). In this condition, partially digested food and liquid from the stomach backs up into the esophagus. This can cause great discomfort and eventually damage the stomach / esophageal tissue with an increased risk of cancer.

Backing up of stomach contents can be due to: overeating, overweight, excess stress, too much alcohol, inadequate chewing, too many spicy foods, excess sugar, smoking, overuse of antacids, carbonated beverages, estrogen replacement therapy (ERT), and hydrochloric acid deficiency. Some prescription drugs lower the gastric juice acidity and prevents the stomach from properly digesting food. Check Drugs.com to see if any of your medications have this side effect.

Other underlying causes include lying down or bending over soon after eating, fatty and fried foods, swallowing too much air when chewing, poor food combinations, aspirin and NSAID (prescription or OTC anti-inflammatory) usage, gall bladder problems or removal, nutritional deficiencies, tight-fitting clothing, pregnancy, and food allergies / intolerances.

Rarely, a true hiatal hernia exists in which the upper stomach protrudes through the diaphragm. This may respond to visceral adjustments and exercises to strengthen the diaphragm muscle. Severe and chronic cases may require surgery.

Symptoms can range from mild and occasional to severe and frequent. They may include: regurgitation, angina-like pain, difficulty swallowing, belching, gas, bloating, shortness of breath, sore throat, nausea, chronic cough, and a sense of fullness.

Standard medical treatment includes antacids, acid neutralizers, and acid suppressors such as Rolaids, Tums, Zantac, Prilosec, Prevacid, and Nexium. All of these weaken the stomach acid and, while perhaps providing temporary relief, often worsen the underlying condition.

Natural healing methods include:
1. Chiropractic spinal adjustments for normal nerve supply from brain to stomach. Visceral adjustments can ensure normal position of the stomach.

2. Addressing the above causes

3. Nutritional supplements: Gastrex (3 – 6) and Okra Pepsin E3 (3 – 6) taken 30 minutes before each meal; Zypan 3 – 6, Multizyme 3 – 6, Pituitrophin PMG 3

Heart Health

Frank, a 62-year-old chiropractic patient, came to our office for several years and did some of the right things for his health. He ate a fairly healthy diet and managed his stress after retiring from a very demanding job. A serious athlete when younger, he exercised three times per week and also sweated a lot when working outside. However, there were three factors that weren’t healthy for his heart:

1. He took a cholesterol-lowering drug that his medical doctor prescribed even though his levels weren’t high. (Many integrative medical doctors consider a total of less than 260 to be normal.) One of the known side-effects can include cardiomyopathy or weakening of the heart muscle. Another is muscle pain and spasm. This was Frank’s number one symptom; I showed him the side- effects of that drug in Drugs.com but he fully trusted his medical doctor.

2. He took medication that his medical doctor prescribed for high blood pressure even though it wasn’t elevated. After age 60—unless there is diabetes or kidney disease—a blood pressure below 150/90 is considered normal by many medical doctors. His was 130 / 90 before the drugs were prescribed. So, he was taking a second drug that he didn’t need but that had more potential side effects.

3. He didn’t take whole food supplements to feed his heart with key nutrients that are needed for the heart to work well over time. The heart is a muscular pump that beats over 115,000 times per day. It uses minerals and other nutrients to function properly but can’t work right if those are deficient.

I talked to Frank many times about getting evaluated with Nutrition Response Testing (NRT) and see if his heart muscle had the necessary nutrients to function normally. He always replied that his medical doctor said his heart was “just fine.” Besides his occasional back pain that was relieved by spinal adjustments, his only symptoms were muscle spasms in his calves and upper back after exertion.

Did you ever get a “Charlie horse” or muscle cramp in your calf or foot and feel like you would die? Well, when you get a muscle spasm of your heart muscle, you can die. That’s what happened to Frank. He was feeling fine but keeled over with a heart attack and died. I guess his medical doctor was wrong about his heart being “just fine.”

And no wonder. The average medical student receives less than 4 hours of nutritional training. We have spent many hundreds of hours attending post-graduate seminars and studying the subject. Medical doctors provide wonderful care for emergencies such as broken bones, ruptured appendices, and twisted bowels. But for many common problems, including heart disease, their “treatment” is useless at best and deadly at worst.

Some medical doctors are waking up to this fact. David Katz, MD, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, says there is no drug, and there never will be any drug, that can reduce the burden of chronic heart disease. How effective is medical treatment? For people over 65 years of age who were in the hospital for heart failure, 67% were readmitted and 36% died within one year. For those with a heart attack, those numbers are 50% and 25%. I don’t like those odds and neither should you… but you need to take responsibility to prevent and, if necessary, naturally treat heart disease.

Fortunately, just six factors are needed to prevent most heart problems:

1. whole food diet and pure water as described in our Healing Diet handout

2. moderate exercise such as brisk walking and light exercise 3 times a week

3. quit chewing or smoking tobacco

4. regularly relax and use breathing exercises to avoid excess stress

5. proper nerve supply from the brain to the heart itself via chiropractic adjustments

6. heart-healthy, whole-food nutritional supplements when needed

Bruce West, DC, and his team of integrative health care providers have helped over 30,000 heart patients return to health using natural methods, especially nutrition. He cites a January 2015 Medscape article citing heart doctors who are coming out of the closet and admitting that, in most cases, drugs, heart surgeries, stents, angioplasty and other dangerous and costly procedures don’t work. To learn more, visit HealthAlert.com

Does your heart muscle need extra nutrients? You might if you sweat a lot or have in the past. It’s also more likely if you are or have been on blood pressure or GERD drugs, or others that cause mineral loss. Finally, anyone after age 40 should take extra ‘cardio-tonic’ nutrients because the heart has pumped nearly two billion times. I recommend getting a personalized nutritional evaluation if you have any heart problems. See below for a great preventive heart nutritional program.

I can’t bring Frank back. I wish I had gotten through to him and he was still alive. I’m sure his wife, children, and grandchildren feel the same way. But, hopefully, others will learn from his untimely death so they can enjoy more quality and quantity of life. And that will impart more meaning to his life and death.

Preventive and Wellness Nutritional Supplements for the Heart:
General: Cardio-Plus 6; Cataplex B 3; Min-Tran 4; Cod Liver Oil 3,
Calcium Lactate 6 – 10; Cyruta Plus 3 – 6

Other: Magnesium Lactate 2 – 4 (if muscle cramps); Hawthorne 2 – 3 and HerbaVital 2 – 3 (if fatigue); Cataplex E2 3 – 6 (if chest pain)

Immunity Enhancement Program

The following natural treatments—at the first sign of a scratchy throat, runny nose, cough or sneeze—can greatly reduce the severity and length of the symptoms.

1. Extra rest: sleep in, go to bed early, and cancel nonessential activities.

2. Talk to yourself: tell your body that you hear its message and you will get more balanced so it doesn’t have to go through a full cleansing crisis.

3. Pure water and food: drink 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of water per day. No junk food, sugar, wheat, fried or processed foods, or dairy products.

4. Sinus rinse eliminates excess mucous, kills microorganisms, and aids clearer breathing. The salt water that does not burn or sting. Use 2 – 4 times daily

5. Thymus thump technique stimulates blood cells that fight infection. Firmly tap over the upper sternum for one minute, four times per day.

6. Avoid antibiotics and other drugs as much as possible to allow normal functioning of the body and prevent super-resistant microorganisms.

7. Natural remedies:
a. Congaplex, two every hour until improved; then 6/day for 1 week (1/4 to ½ of all doses for children)

b. Immuplex: 1 per hour until improved, then 3/day for 1 week

c. Cod Liver Oil: 6/day until improved, then 3/day for 1 week

d. Sinus Relief spray (if sinus involvement; contains colloidal silver) every hour until improved, then 4 times per day for 1 week

e. Respiratory Relief (if lung involvement; contains colloidal silver): 3-5 cc in nebulizer 4 times per day until cough improves, then 2/day for 1 week.

8. Immu-Tea: drink 2 to 3 servings of per day. Mix 2 cups of filtered water, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 2-inch length of grated ginger root. Bring to boil and cover for 5 minutes over low heat. Sprinkle cayenne pepper as tolerated, about ¼ teaspoon. Add juice of 1 lemon and 1 TB. honey.

Discuss these natural strategies with your health care providers while you and your loved ones are healthy so you are prepared when an illness begins.

Joint Disorders

Common joint problems can often be prevented and helped with safe, affordable, natural and effective approaches:
1. Weight Loss: since extra weight stresses the hip and knee joints, use the 21 Day Purification Program and the Real Food Way of Eating.

2. Drink Water: ½ of your body weight in ounces per day of pure filtered water

3. Joyful Body (or Glory Be, CBD for more severe and chronic pain) are essential oil combinations formulated by Andy Lee, RN, LAc, CCA. For topical use only; rub firmly onto painful joints 2 – 4 times per day. These plant oils help relieve pain, spasm and inflammation. For topical use only. Shake and firmly rub one spray onto painful joint 2 – 4 times per day.

4. Traction: Lay on your back and relax completely. Have someone gently traction your knee and / or hip joints by grabbing above the ankle and pulling. Then, shake the leg up and down several times, then back and forth while tractioning. For the shoulders, traction by grabbing on the elbow side of the wrist joint. Do once per day.

5. Ice: place a damp washcloth over joint(s). Place a large bag of ice and cover with a folded towel. Leave on for 20 minutes. Repeat 2 – 6 per day depending on severity of pain.

6. Muscle/Trigger Point Massage

7. Resistance Training: for the involved area; ask an assistant at your local gym for guidance. A stationary bike is excellent for the hips and knees. Use low tension; start with 5 minutes and build up to 20”, three times per week

8. Ergonomics: for example, observe good waking posture; use padding when kneeling on a hard surface; alternate sleep positions on both sides and your back

9. Whole Food Supplements: Glucosamine Synergy 3, Calcifood 3, Cod Liver Oil 3, Zypan 3, Calcium Lactate 6

10. Stretching: (see Activity chapter)

Note: in addition to the home care methods outlined above, you should receive chiropractic adjustments or physical therapy to ensure normal joint alignment and range of motion. You may also need one or more therapies such as laser therapy, taping, bracing, and ultrasound.

‘Mental’ Symptoms

I am no stranger to these so-called ‘mental’ symptoms. One of my first childhood memories is trying to help my mom because she cried and was depressed so much. Other family members suffer with these symptoms and take medications with side-effects such as tremors and impaired mental function for them. Others have used excess alcohol, nicotine, coffee, and sugar to self-medicate and feel better temporarily.

I have a moderate predisposition to depression and have worked hard—especially during times of great stress—to stay balanced and happy. As a youth, I felt depressed and antisocial at family gatherings until I connected my massive sugar intake with the mood changes.

When my first love broke up with me at age 21, it felt as though I were falling into a deep, dark hole with no hope of escape. I briefly thought about running my car into a bridge embankment to escape the pain but, fortunately, didn’t act on that impulse.

Over the years, I’ve developed powerful self-care strategies that serve me well. These natural methods can also help you and your loved regain your health and life.

There’s a silver lining to every cloud. Seeing my family members suffer motivated me to search for sensible solutions to these common symptoms. As both a clinical psychologist and a holistically oriented chiropractic physician, I’ve worked with many patients who suffered with these. In my experience, almost all cases of ‘mental’ symptoms can be successfully treated with Safe, Affordable, Natural and Effective (SANE) methods IF patients follow a holistic program over time.

The Problem
Incidence of depression in the U.S. is approximately 10% with a 5% worldwide rate. Approximately 3000 people commit suicide each day because of depression. News reports regularly tell about a celebrity, athlete or famous person who “has it all” but still suffers with ‘mental’ symptoms. According to Julian Whitaker M.D., of the school shooters whose medical records have been made available, all suffered with depression and other mental symptoms and were on psychiatric drugs. The financial and personal costs are beyond measure.

Eighteen-year-old John suffered with severe depression, anxiety and insomnia for several months. He had several plans to kill himself if his symptoms didn’t improve soon. Luckily, his family saw his struggles and sought health care guidance. Their medical doctor recommended an anti-depressant drug and sleeping pills. I recommended a nutrition-based method to detect what stressors and deficiencies were causing his symptoms. Fortunately, his family chose door #2.

John had been exposed to lots of chemicals as a child. He also had a chronically poor diet and mineral deficiency after losing eighty pounds in a short period of time. Both factors were affecting his brain function and his symptoms were red flags to communicate that something was wrong. I gave him whole food nutritional supplements to help remove the chemicals and provide key nutrients needed for normal brain function. He felt 50% within a few days, 75% better in a week and 95% better in two months. He resumed work, school and a normal life without taking potentially harmful drugs for the rest of his life.

I’ve been shocked to see how many young people suffer from ‘mental’ symptoms. It’s an epidemic that needs to be addressed by caring health care professionals who aren’t inordinately influenced by the disease care industry that requires high profits to please shareholders.

‘Mental’ symptoms affect all age groups.

While in theology school, I worked at a suicide prevention and counseling center. The toughest cases were elderly women who were severely depressed, anxious, and suicidal after decades of an empty or abusive relationship. They had no resources, no hope, and were in too deep of a hole to recover. I’m sure that some of them did kill themselves or died from cancer or some disease in which the body attacks itself.

Years ago, I worked with Bonnie, a middle-aged woman who was very depressed and anxious. Her father died a year before and she had dealt with the grief. However, her church taught that those who didn’t believe a certain way would suffer in hell forever. Her father hadn’t been “saved” before he died and, she believed, would fry for eternity. Bonnie blamed herself for not getting through to him and felt partially responsible for what she thought would be his endless fiery torment.

The Causes
In my experience, the most common causes of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms are:

1. Nutritional deficiencies, especially after: one or more pregnancies, excess sugar and alcohol intake, severe stress, and a chronically poor diet. People of non-Caucasian ancestry seem to be especially vulnerable to the ravages of poor diet. I believe this is because – until very recently – those races enjoyed active lifestyles, adequate sunshine, and a real food diet.

Fifty years ago, most doctors didn’t understand that pregnancy creates nutritional deficiencies and, sadly, the situation hasn’t changed much since then. Most mothers are told to continue taking their pre-natal vitamins, as though those few synthetic nutrients will do the job.

Post-pregnancy nutritional deficiencies can cause depression shortly after birth or a few to many years later. While giving their history, many middle-aged women have told me, “My symptoms started shortly after my second child was born and I’ve never been the same since.” They often have a potpourri of chronic symptoms that few doctors can solve. So, they are given “happy pills” or have their reproductive organs cut out, but—in the long run—that just worsens the situation.

2. Food allergies and offending foods: GMO, chemical-laced non- organic foods, processed junk food. Wheat, sugar, soy, corn, and dairy products from factory-raised cows are usually the worst offenders.

3. Overgrowth/imbalance of microorganisms in the body (viruses, bacteria, yeast or parasites)

4. Excess electromagnetic fields (EMF) from ‘dirty electricity’ sources

5. Excess chemicals due to the 2000 chemicals we’re exposed to daily

6. Toxic or heavy metals from body care products, home cleaners, and many other sources

7. Skin trauma—scars from surgery, cuts, animal bites, body piercings, tattoos or IV sites—that interfere with normal sympathetic nerve transmissions

8. Excess waste products and toxins in the body, especially eliminative organs—the liver, colon, skin, lymphatic system, lungs and kidneys

9. Chronic insomnia and fatigue

10. Misaligned spinal and cranial bones that put slight pressure on the spinal cord and brain.

11. Boredom/creative discontent due to not following ones purpose/ missions.

12. Side-effects of prescription. Antidepressant drugs, for example, can have major side-effects including increased suicidal or homicidal behavior. That’s why the FDA requires a ‘black box warning’ on anti-depressant drugs. Psychiatry, the least scientifically based branch of medicine, still uses primitive, hazardous therapies such as electro-convulsive shock therapy to treat depression so beware.

13. Prolonged and excessive stress that imbalances the adrenal glands, brain and immune system.

14. Chronically poor relationships that are unfulfilling, negative or abusive.

15. Negative influences from fear-based religious denominations
16. Lack of exercise and all the negative results of being out of shape

17. General poor health due to poor self-care such as smoking, excess alcohol, drugs, inadequate rest, too much time on the computer/ video games/TV, etc.

18. Medical emergencies: tumors, severe diseases, and other conditions can cause ‘mental’ symptoms and may require orthodox medical care. Medical treatment is miraculous and indicated when emergency or crisis conditions are involved. However, for many common symptoms, the disease care approach can cause worse problems and doesn’t address the underlying causes.

19. Emotional Crises: symptoms can occur after the death of a loved one, loss of job, disability, financial loss, chronic stress, empty nest syndrome, etc.—especially if a person is not balanced. These create short or long-term stress, but natural healing approaches can usually help.

20. Lack of Sunshine: in cold northern climes during the winter, lack of sunshine can lead to lower vitamin D levels and less activity outdoors. In areas predominated by cloudy and gloomy skies, that may also contribute to more depression.

Keep in mind that a person can be affected by more than one cause at the same time. That’s why holistic health care considers all the underlying causes and treats the whole person. It also explains why many health-care specialists—who primarily focus on one bodily system—often don’t understand the core causes and resort to treating the symptoms with drugs.

When seeing these different potential causes, some people feel overwhelmed at the prospect of making so many changes. That’s why you need a coach, a health care professional who can evaluate which ones are affecting you. You don’t need to change everything but you do need to address the major causes.

Here are a few real-life cases of patients who regained their health and their lives again when the root causes were addressed…

Larry experienced depression, anxiety, brain fog and severe headaches for many years. His history revealed several falls and auto accidents in which he had hit his head. I found significant misalignment of the upper neck vertebrae and skull bones. These were exerting slight, but impactful pressure on his spinal cord and brain. After a few weeks of specific and gentle adjustments, Larry started feeling better. After a few months, his symptoms were gone.

Kathy had been a chiropractic patient for many years and had just given birth to her second child. I could tell something wasn’t right as soon as she walked into my treatment room. “I just wanted to say good-bye,” she said. “I’m going to drive my car in some direction until I run out of gas and then I’ll start walking through fields and woods until I die.” Fortunately, I knew how to help. She didn’t need a spinal adjustment that day; she needed replacement of vital nutrients that had been lost during her second pregnancy. With a personalized program of whole-food supplements, she quickly regained her normal cheery disposition. Years later, we shake our heads at how close she came to making a poor decision from an imbalanced state of mind.

June had several causes that combined to cause symptoms of depression and anxiety. She smoked too much and her diet was poor. Her marriage wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t meeting her needs. She was bored and had too much time on her hands. We tuned her up with nutrition-based healing and chiropractic care. She quit smoking and began exercising. With her renewed energy, she started working part-time and spent more time with family and friends. She communicated her needs for a better relationship with her husband and, to her surprise, he responded positively. After addressing these causes, her ‘mental illness’… well, I guess it just flew out the window, because she doesn’t have those symptoms anymore.

Holistic Solutions include:

1. Nutrition-based healing methods as discussed in Natural Care chapter. They can usually address the # 1 – 8 causes listed above. Suggested supplements are at the end of this appendix.

2. Spinal and cranial adjustments (Natural Care chapter)

3. Release stuck emotions. (Awareness chapter)

4. Have happy, loving relationships. (Awareness chapter)

5. Exercise (Activity chapter)

6. Identify and follow your heart-felt missions (Awareness chapter)

7. Get into the swing of life. Excess isolation can cause depression and anxiety so – even if you don’t feel like it – interact with others at community events, church, a safe neighborhood bar, yoga and meditation center, etc.

8. Enjoy the Real Food Way of Eating. (Diet chapter)

9. Avoid chemicals and heavy metals as much as possible. (Inner Cleanse chapter)

10. Counseling from a licensed therapist and / or minister (Awareness chapter)

11. Have an integrative medical doctor on your health team. (Natural Care chapter)
12. Be your self. (Awareness chapter)

13. Centering practices (Awareness chapter)

14. Adequate sunshine: See Appendix M: Seasonal Affective Disorder

15. Visualize what you want. (Awareness chapter)

16. Use Ying Yang Balance, an essential oil combination to assist calming and clarity created by Andy Lee, RN, LAc, CCA. For topical use only. Lightly rub a 2 x 2 inch area onto each forearm 1 – 2 times per day.

17. Develop a personal relationship with Creator. (Transcendence chapter)

Summary
Again, remember that there can be multiple causes of ‘mental’ symptoms so work with your health care team to identify all of the causes and design your healing program accordingly.

And, again, please don’t feel overwhelmed by all the causes and solutions. Enlist the help of supportive family and friends. Choose one cause and address it to increase your energy and clarity. Then use that boost as a springboard to tackle another cause. Your body and mind will thank you for just small improvements and reward you with more peace, joy and vitality. You can do it. The world needs your fullest gifts and you deserve to feel happy, healthy and energetic.

Suggested Nutritional Supplements
Catalyn 6, Cod Liver Oil 3, Trace Minerals B12 (3), Cataplex B 3, Cataplex G 3, Mintran 6 (or more as needed for anxiety and insomnia), Tuna Omega Oil 3

Consult a nutrition-based practitioner if this general program and other recommendations haven’t helped within 90 days.

Muscle Spasm

Many people suffer with chronic muscle spasm and tension. Over time, these can form trigger points that become hard, knotty, and very painful. They can range in size from a pea to a ping pong ball and are most commonly found on the hips, shoulders, and upper traps. Also known as myofascial bundles, this fibrotic scar-like tissue can cause radiation of pain into the head, arms, and legs. They can cause muscles to go into spasm after minor activities such as twisting or bending.

Trigger points mimic other conditions and often are not properly diagnosed or treated. The good news? With appropriate treatment and diligent self-care over time, this condition usually significantly or completely improves.

Causes of trigger points include: past physical trauma (auto accidents, falls, sports or work injuries, etc.); excess stress; chronic misalignment of spinal and skeletal bones; poor waking and sleep postures such as sleeping too much on the same side of your body; abnormal ergonomics, that is, bodily stresses due to improper lifting, desk height, computer monitor positioning, etc.

Home treatment should initially be done daily for severe cases, every other day for moderate ones. After your pain improves, continue treating the areas three times per week for two months to completely resolve the trigger points so they don’t become chronic or intermittent. Use the following home treatment methods:
1. Ice for 20 minutes: twice per day with six times per day if severe pain.

2. Massage unit: we use the Homedics© brand available at most pharmacies for about $45. The contact points vibrate 30,000 times per minute to reset and relax chronic areas of spasm. Alternate light to firm pressure directly over the trigger points in several different directions. The patient should relax and breathe through this treatment since it can hurt a lot. Use daily for two weeks, then 3 times per week for 2 months to fully heal.

3. Joyful Body (or Glory Be, CBD for more severe and chronic pain) are essential oil combinations formulated by Andy Lee, RN, LAc, CCA. These plant oils help relieve pain, spasm and inflammation. For topical use only. Shake and firmly rub one spray onto involved muscles 2 – 4 times per day.

4. Stretching: twice per day in a pain free range (see Renewal chapter)

5. Nutrition: Calcium Lactate 8, Cod Liver Oil 3, Magnesium Lactate 2
Note: In addition to your homework program, you need corrective chiropractic adjustments to ensure normal alignment and range of motion of your skeletal and spinal bones. Severe cases of muscle spasm may also require muscle stimulation, low level laser-light treatment, or deep massage therapy.

Post-Pregnancy Nutritional Deficiencies

Karla was a thirty-eight-year-old mother who had recently given birth to her second child. She had been a chiropractic patient for many years so, when she came into the office, I could tell that something wasn’t right with her. When I inquired, she broke down crying and admitted that she had been extremely depressed, nervous and exhausted. She couldn’t focus mentally, didn’t sleep well and was planning to kill herself. Her medical doctor recommended anti-depressants, but those made her feel worse due to several side effects.

I explained to Karla that symptoms caused by post-pregnancy nutritional deficiencies were common, especially for mothers after one or more pregnancies—whether they went full term or not. The developing baby pulls many nutrients from the mother’s body.

Breastfeeding, although highly recommended, takes additional nutrients from the mother. Finally, recovering from caesarean section surgery is additional stress to the body. If the lost nutrients are not replaced, and they seldom are, the mother’s physical and mental health can go downhill from there.

After childbirth, women may be advised to continue taking a pre-natal vitamin, but those are synthetic (made from chemicals, not whole foods), fractionated (contain just a few vitamins and minerals instead of the broad spectrum of nutrients as found in nature), high dose (instead of lower doses found in real food) and poorly absorbed (not usable or even recognizable by the body.) Most supplements bought in stores or pharmacies are like this.

Fortunately, we caught Karla’s problem before she made a poor decision from her (nutritionally) imbalanced state of mind. Within a few weeks of taking a personalized program of whole food supplements, she was back to her normal self. She now enjoys her family, her job, and life in general—just like she used to.

While working with many thousands of patients during the last 40 years in hospitals, mental health centers and holistic private practice, I’ve interviewed many women who reported that their health spiraled steadily downward after one or more pregnancies. “Ever since my second baby,” they say, “I’ve never been the same.”

These symptoms are due, in part, to chronic post-pregnancy nutritional deficiencies. Mothers may not have experienced post- partum depression, but they still had a lack of key nutrients. Over time, their symptoms piled up—depression, anxiety, fatigue, weight gain, insomnia, brain fog, poor hair and nails—and their physicians didn’t know where to start. So, they were prescribed medications from each specialist who doesn’t see the big picture.

Please share this information with mothers of all ages since some older women become physical and emotional wrecks due to decades of nutritional deficiencies. The perimenopausal stage (before, during and after menopause) can become a nightmare if there are preexisting nutritional deficiencies and hormonal imbalances.

Menopause can be much smoother than most women experience. As the ovaries shut down their hormone production, the adrenal glands and the rest of the endocrine ideally pick up the slack. However, many women have weak or imbalanced pituitary, thyroid and/or adrenals. So, when menopause arrives, it can be like a roller- coaster from hell instead of an occasional bump in the road.

I’ve helped many women reverse symptoms of night sweats, hot flashes, mood swings, insomnia, fatigue, overweight, poor nails and hair, and weak bones. These are the most common symptoms that occur during this age range but it doesn’t have to be this way. Tuning up the hormonal system and providing optimal nutrients gives these women their lives back and makes the husbands happy too.

By the way, the more pregnancies—including miscarriages—a woman has, the more likely she is to suffer afterward with physical and “mental” ailments. These symptoms may occur soon after the pregnancy ends or may take years to show up.

Medical doctors who don’t understand the impact of post- pregnancy nutritional imbalances may think these women are “head cases” and prescribe an anti-depressant. The side-effects of these mind-numbing drugs include fatigue, weight gain and a long list of others including increased homicidal and suicidal behavior. The ensuing downhill slide affects everyone: the mother, the children, the husband, and the marital relationship. Very common but, fortunately, easily treated.

The 4 ways to know if you might suffer with these nutritional deficiencies include:
1. You have been pregnant one or more times

2. You suffered depression, anxiety, or other symptoms shortly after delivery

3. After delivery, especially two or more times, you slowly went downhill with a growing list of physical and “mental” symptoms

4. You are having significant symptoms as you approach or go through menopause or around time of your menstrual cycle

Holistic Solutions
1. Fine-tune your body with the approaches discussed in Radiant Wellness

2. Get a nutrition-based healing evaluation if your symptoms are chronic or severe

3. For less severe cases, use the following supplements for 90 days: Catalyn 6, Cod Liver Oil 3, Trace Minerals B12 (3), Calcium Lactate 6, ForTil B12 (3), Symplex F6

SAD: Seasonal Affective Disorder

Winters in northern areas can cause a number of symptoms due to vitamin D deficiency. The term seasonal affective disorder (SAD) describes a combination of mood swings (depression and fatigue) and sleep disorders (not sleeping well or sleeping too much.) Other symptoms linked with too little vitamin D include frequent colds / flus, joint pain, and muscle cramps. If you suffer with any of these symptoms, you may benefit from the natural remedies below.

1. More sunshine: your body produces vitamin D when it gets sunshine. During winter months, you can expose your skin to sunlight three ways:
a. Sit in front of a window while wearing a bathing suit so lots of skin is showing that can soak up the rays

b. Take a walk or other outdoor exercise with as much skin exposed as possible; roll up your sleeves and let the sun shine on your face

c. Go south, even for just a long weekend, to a warm sunny area. You’ll feel better looking forward to the trip, during, and afterwards.

2. More vitamin D: most vitamin D supplements contain only one type (D3) of a processed form that is of little use to the body. I recommend two products to give your body dozens of forms of D from naturally processed food sources: Cod Liver Oil 3 – 6 and Cataplex D 2 – 4.

3. Fake sunshine: I recommend the Apollo or Phillips brand of GoLite blue light therapy. They cost about $120, but mine has lasted ten years so far. I shine it on me while I’m working on my computer. I do not recommend tanning beds based on warnings from dermatologists and personal experience with skin cancer exactly where my skin touched the tanning bed.

4. Anticipation: remember that it will get warmer and sunnier again someday. Look forward to those days and, when they arrive, really enjoy them.

5. Whole body tune-up: cold, rainy/icy, and gloomy weather create thermal stress on your body. If any organ or system—your hormonal system, for example—isn’t strong, the weather might be the last straw that triggers a serious imbalance. Symptoms are your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Chiropractic, acupuncture, and nutrition-based care can help.

6. Wellness nutritional products: in addition to the Cod Liver Oil and Cataplex D, take Catalyn 6, and Trace Minerals B12 (3)

Sexual Functioning

Sexual dysfunction symptoms are quite common after age 40 but it doesn’t have to be that way. For men, symptoms can include reduced or lack of: sexual desire, achieving an erection, maintaining an erection, and orgasm. For women, the list includes reduced or lack of: interest, lubrication, enjoyment, and orgasm.

It’s difficult to address all the factors involved in this short appendix, but here are my basic recommendations:
1. Realize there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Communicate with your spouse or partner about any problems in your relationship, get counseling if necessary, and change for the better.

2. Get sufficient rest and relaxation on the day of lovemaking. Sexual arousal works best when you’re relaxed, rested, and happy.

3. Be more creative during foreplay: a glass of wine, a backrub with oil, different positions, sharing fantasies, etc. Pornography is not a good idea for many reasons as discussed in article #30 at SoulProof.com

4. Look, smell, and be attractive and energetic as possible with exercise, diet, and other strategies discussed in Radiant Wellness. Decreased sexual interest and functioning can occur if one or both partners let themselves go downhill physically.

5. Check Drugs.com to find whether any of your prescription drugs could cause decreased sexual interest or performance. Tell your medical doctor that you want to be on no medications or, if absolutely necessary, as few as possible.

6. Get a medical check-up to make sure there are no severe health problems that are contributing to your lack of optimal sexual performance.

7. Use natural healing methods –unless there is a true medical crisis
– such as chiropractic, acupuncture, and nutrition to improve cardiac, prostate, hormonal, and other systems. These can improve sexual functioning, general vitality, and relieve pain that can diminish a healthy sex life.

8. Tune up your body and brain with a nutritional healing program. Your body will focus on survival—not sexual enjoyment – if one or more of your organs (heart, brain, hormonal) are weak, stressed, and imbalanced.

9. Whole food supplements: Symplex F 6 (for women) or Symplex M 6 (for men), Tribulus 2, Fortil B12 (3), Catalyn 6, Cod Liver Oil 3.

As always, seek more supervised care if the above program doesn’t significantly help within 90 days.

Even with the above program, some older men need Viagra or another medication to have full sexual functioning. If so, you may experience optimal effects by taking the pill on an empty stomach and taking a nap before lovemaking. Consult your medical doctor’s advice whenever there is a prescription drug involved.

Sinus Symptoms

Safe, affordable and natural remedies can often help sinus congestion, drainage, pressure, headaches, and recurrent infections. Recommendations include:

1. Avoid smoking and other sinus irritants—second hand cigarette smoke, fumes, dust, heavy pollen, grass particles, and chemical sprays—as much as possible.

2. Minimize or avoid junk food, dairy products and sweets.

3. Drink a lot of water: your body weight in pounds divided by 2 in ounces per day.

4. Optimize eliminative routes as explained in Inner Cleanse chapter so your sinuses aren’t overloaded with waste removal.

5. Sinus massage technique for sinus headaches while lying on your back. Briskly massage the sinuses above and below the eyes. Next, apply firm pressure and tap with your fingertips over these areas, especially the most tender spots.

6. A saltwater nasal rinse technique helps kill microorganisms and mobilize secretions. I recommend the Neil-Med brand. For the frontal sinuses above the eyes, tilt your head back during the rinse. Use once or twice per day until your symptoms improve, then wean down to once per week maintenance. Use at the first sign of a sinus infection or after exposure to irritants under #1.

7. Detoxify to remove excess toxins from your sinuses, liver, kidneys, bowels, and lymphatic system. The Standard Process 21 Day Cleanse assists removal of chemicals, heavy metals and excess wastes.

8. Receive corrective chiropractic care for optimal nerve supply to the sinuses and TMJ function. Massage relaxes muscles to aid lymphatic drainage of head and neck.

9. For chronic sinus symptoms, obtain a nutrition-based healing evaluation (see Natural Care chapter) to address the underlying causes.

10. Whole food supplements that often help include:

a. Allerplex: 4 – 6 per day

b. Antronex: 6 – 9 per day

c. Sinus Relief: one spray up each nostril every 30 or 60 minutes if you have yellow or green mucous when you blow your nose; decrease frequency, then halt use as sinus infection improves.

d. Congestion Relief: 1 spray each nostril as needed for congestion; decrease frequency, then halt use as sinus infection improves.

e. SuperNeti liquid undiluted, one dropper each nostril while supine 2 – 4 times per day; decrease frequency, then halt use as sinus infection improves.

Smoking Cessation

You can enjoy a healthy and vibrant life free from addiction to tobacco. The following program has helped many people overcome this destructive habit.

1. Do you really want to quit? If not, visit people in nursing homes who suffer with emphysema. Also consider that people exposed to second hand smoke are much more likely to develop lung problems. So stopping helps you and your loved ones.

2. Know that nicotine is as addictive as heroin. That’s why it’s not easy to break the habit. The first week after quitting is usually the toughest so be prepared.

3. Set a date to quit; birthdays or special dates add additional power. Get extra rest, eat well, and be good to yourself during this time of withdrawal.

4. Tell friends, family and co-workers you are quitting and ask for their help.

5. Drink 8 or more glasses of water per day to flush your system of toxins.

6. Remove all cigarettes, matches, and ashtrays from your home.

7. If family member(s) smoke, keep their packs wrapped in a piece of paper. If the urge to smoke becomes too great, you must first write down the date, time, why you want a cigarette, and why you want to quit smoking. Going through these steps will usually delay the impulse to smoke and help you resist the urge.

8. Have action steps ready when the urge to smoke grows: take walks, call a nonsmoker friend, pray, chew gum, relax, take deep breaths or scream into a pillow.

9. Stopping all at once is best. If that seems too difficult, wean down by 3 cigarettes per day every two weeks, then quit completely when you’re only smoking 3 per day.

10. If past attempts to become a nonsmoker haven’t been successful, consider acupuncture or hypnosis to assist you.

11. Take these supplements to help successfully quitting: Mintran 6 – 20 per day to help anxiety, Catalyn 6, Cod Liver Oil 3, ForTil B12 (3), Tuna Omega Oil 3, Cataplex B (4)

12. Be reassured that most people who successfully break the tobacco habit do so after several “failures.” If you start smoking again, don’t feel guilty or berate yourself. Set a new date and try again until you succeed.

Thyroid Balance

Balancing thyroid function is very important and requires skillful supervision. Please consult a nutrition-based healing practitioner (see Natural Care chapter) if you suspect thyroid imbalance.

Hypothyroid symptoms may include dry skin, brittle nails, thinning hair, depression, fatigue, weakness, being too cold, pear-shaped body with weight and fat gained in buttocks and hips. Hyperthyroid symptoms may include: insomnia, weight loss, weakness, fatigue, rapid heart rate, feeling too hot, and nervousness.

Avoid Thyroid Poisons & Aggravating Factors:
• Chlorine and Fluorine: use whole house water filtration system

• Pesticides: avoid exposure to household pesticide sprays

• Estrogen: is highly thyroid inhibiting; whenever possible avoid hormone replacement drugs and estrogenic herbs such as black cohosh, licorice, soy, pennyroyal, and sage.

• High Dose Synthetic Vitamins: for example, beta carotene inhibits thyroid function

• Radiation and Mercury; from x-rays, CT scans, dental amalgam fillings

• PABA: a synthetic B vitamin, also present in sun tan lotions

• Thyroid hormones that can shrink the thyroid, suppress the pituitary, induce osteoporosis, and increase cancer rates

• Unsaturated Oils: avoid liquid oils except olive and flax oils

• Soy Products: soybeans, tofu, soy protein, soy milk, tempeh, etc.

• Vegetarian Diets: protein deficiency inhibits thyroid function

• Liver Damaging Substances: alcohol, medical drugs, cigarettes, processed foods.

General Supplements: Symplex F (M for males) 3 per day; Organically Bound Minerals 3; Calcium Lactate 6; Cod Liver Oil 3; Thytrophin PMG 3; Thyroid Complex 2

For hypothyroid: Prolamine Iodine 2; avoid raw cruciferous vegetables – especially juiced (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage)

For hyperthyroid: Mintran 6 or more until symptoms improve; 8 oz. cabbage juice daily
Tremors and Neuro-Muscular Disorders

Three months ago, Ralph started treatment at our office for severe tremors of his hands and feet. His medical diagnosis was Parkinson’s Disease, but Ralph wanted a second, natural health care-based opinion.

He noticed that when he bent his head backwards, his shaking ceased. He had suffered two severe neck injuries, as a child and ten years ago. As a result, the normal curve in his neck—that houses the spinal cord as it leaves the brain—was curved the wrong way. So, for fifty years, he’s had pressure or distortion on his spinal cord. Over time, that disrupted the normal nerve connection between his brain and muscles.

In addition, his muscular and nervous systems are very deficient in key nutrients needed for properly functioning. After just three months of Nutrition Response Testing and specific chiropractic care, his shaking is nearly gone and he feels much better.

Over the years, we’ve helped a number of patients with these neuromuscular disorders—Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), and essential tremors. These cases were diagnosed by neurologists at highly respected medical centers such as Mayo Clinic.

(I should emphasize that our success rate is good if patients come to us while their symptoms are mild or moderate. Severe and chronic cases who have been wheelchair bound are too far gone, in my experience, to recover by any means.)

What in the world is going on? Why do so many people suffer with these symptoms?

I wouldn’t have a clue except I’m a longtime student of what keeps people from being well and how we can help them. My first clue is my knowledge of the spine and how long-term pressure on the spinal cord can cause a neuromuscular disorder and other bizarre syndromes. The second clue occurred after my friend and alternative medicine specialist Jacquelyn Chan D.O., recommended reading Detoxify or Die by Sherry Rogers M.D.

Dr. Rogers discussed that neuromuscular disorders—those involving the nervous system and muscles—almost always have core causes of excess heavy metals and chemicals in the body. The brain ‘short circuits’ because of these toxins and can’t control the muscles normally, thus the variety of tremors, weakness, and other muscle problems.

The key is to catch these cases early before they are too far advanced to help. I’ve been able to help a number of these with natural methods. Here’s a testimonial from one of our success stories:

“My mobility had changed completely. I couldn’t keep my balance while walking and fell down a lot with no warning. My speech changed for the worse and my handwriting was horrible. My hands and feet shook and I couldn’t stop it. It seemed like something was wrong with the connection between my brain and muscles.

I was seen by many medical specialists in Columbus and at the Cleveland Clinic. They said I had MSA – Multiple System Atrophy. They don’t know what causes it and there is no cure for it. It usually gets steadily worse with loss of movement, being bedridden, and then death.

Three years later, I was much worse and was losing hope. Then someone told me about advanced nutritional and chiropractic treatment that could help. After just a few months, I am almost totally normal! I haven’t fallen down for months and my tremors are almost completely gone. Their treatment has given me my life back!”

In each of these ailments, we find excess chemicals and heavy metals affecting the brain. Sometimes, the nervous and immune systems have been stressed by—according to their medical specialists—antibiotics or flu shots. And we have to remove pressure from the spinal cord due to misaligned vertebrae.

Chemicals and heavy metals are everywhere—in the food, air, water, body care products, home furnishings, etc. . . . everywhere. Until big businesses put health concerns before profit, these toxins will abound. In the 1970s a popular phrase was: “Better living through chemistry.” Forty years later, we’re seeing the negative impacts on our health.

Some chemicals and heavy metals are purposely added to products, for example, aluminum in antiperspirant deodorants or mercury in vaccinations, dental fillings and processed foods. These are present in small amounts but, over time, can accumulate to excess amounts and contribute to physical and “mental” symptoms.

Certain individuals are more sensitive to these substances and are like a canary in a coalmine—a first line alert of coming danger to others. For more information, see article #37 at SoulProof.com.

The good news is that both chemicals and heavy metals can be minimized by lifestyle habits. And they can be removed with proper detox programs and taking personalized nutritional supplements that help the body remove these toxins. You definitely should get a personalized evaluation if you suffer with this condition. Until then, a good general program is listed below.

Don’t wait until you or a loved one has received a diagnosis. Be proactive and regularly remove these toxins so you don’t have to fight back from an illness. Make sure the bones of your spine are in alignment and not exerting slight but profound pressure on your spinal cord and nerves. As Benjamin Franklin noted many years ago, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Medical and natural health care may both be needed for tough cases. Those doctors should communicate and work together so patients get well with the most effective and safe approaches.

Recommendations:
• 21 Day Standard Process Purification Program to help remove chemicals and heavy metals: Chlorella 6 and Cilantro 1 ½ droppers full (sip throughout the day after mixing in 16 ounces of water. Activate bottle in hot water for 30 minutes before using.)

• supplements for muscles and nervous system: Calcium Lactate 8, Magnesium Lactate 2, Cod Liver Oil 4, Tuna Omega Oil 4, Inositol 6, Cataplex B 6, Cataplex G 6

Weight Loss

In my experience, the best way to reach and maintain your ideal weight is to regularly use healthy lifestyle habits: exercise, real food way of eating, whole food supplements, and holistic health care. My recommendations include:

1. Wait until you are slightly hungry to eat again and avoid overeating.

2. When you start to feel hungry, drink a big glass of water. That will fill you up for a while before you really need a meal or snack.

3. Enjoy the real food way of eating and whole food supplements so you’re not frequently snacking to find nutrients unavailable in junk and processed foods.

4. For the most part, avoid bedtime snacks except for a green drink, veggies, or bedtime tea.

5. Eat a wide variety of raw, sautéed, steamed, juiced, and powdered vegetables every day.

6. On your mirror and refrigerator, post pictures of how you want to look. Visualize yourself being trim and looking your very best.

7. Remember how important proper weight is for feeling great, reversing current health problems, and preventing future ones.

8. Weigh yourself weekly and measure monthly to monitor your progress and motivate yourself.

9. Have self-pride! You have an amazing body; let it show!

10. Follow the Real Food Way of Eating as outlined in Diet chapter.

11. Regularly exercise as discussed in the Activity chapter.

12. Balance your endocrine system, liver, and pancreas with a nutrition-based healing approach.

Metabolism is how your body makes and uses energy that is used for everything from cellular processes to exercising. Knowing how to efficiently metabolize calories translates into a leaner, healthier body.

A higher metabolism is a vital key to enjoying optimal weight.
It contributes to having more energy, greater lean muscle, and less fat. This creates a positive cycle of being more active which, in turn, builds more muscle, burns more fat, and raises your metabolism even more.

Trim, energetic people have a race horse metabolism. They enjoy activity and can eat more food without gaining weight. Overweight people with lower activity levels, on the other hand, tend to have a slower or turtle metabolism. They have less energy and gain weight even though they may eat fewer calories.

Natural strategies for increasing your metabolic rate include:
1. Build lean body mass. Your metabolic rate slows as you age but increasing your amount of muscle counteracts the slowdown. More muscle mass increases the metabolic rate, burns calories more quickly, and burns body fat. Resistance training at least twice a week is essential for building more muscle and boosting your metabolism.

2. Activity. (see Activity chapter)

3. Eat more! Skipping meals or eating a low-calorie diet makes your body think it’s starving. To conserve energy, it lowers your metabolism. Eating three small meals with nutritious snacks in between if need signals that plenty of fuel is available so your body burn more calories.

4. Minimize or avoid sugar. As discussed, excess sugar intake is a sure road to gaining body fat and declining health.

5. Drink tea. Green and white tea stimulate metabolism longer than coffee and have other health benefits. This strategy is especially helpful for those who used to smoke cigarettes to lose weight.

6. Drink more water. Divide your body weight by two or three. That’s how many ounces of water you should drink daily.

7. Relax. Extra stress increases cortisol, a hormone that decreases metabolism and increases weight gain especially at the waist.

8. Eat real food. You’ll feel comfortably full after a moderately sized meal of fresh, healthy foods. Conversely, salt, sugar, and other chemicals in processed foods can make you overeat.

9. Sleep more. People who don’t sleep at least seven to eight hours a night are more prone to weight gain. Also, lean muscle is re- generated in the last few hours of sleep.

10. Eat sufficient protein. Getting adequate protein each day helps build lean muscle mass, prevents hyperinsulinism, and aids fat burning. One rule of thumb for grams per day of protein is your body weight in pounds divided by 3.

11. Get a nutritional health evaluation to ensure that your thyroid and other metabolism related organs are functioning properly.

12. Take whole food supplements to provide genuine replacement parts so your body can be the lean self-monitoring and self-healing miracle it was designed to be. Taking supplements also prevents your body from wanting to graze for nutrients that aren’t available in junk, processed, and overcooked foods. Recommendations include: Catalyn 6, Trace Minerals B12 (3), Cod Liver Oil 3, Calcium Lactate 6, ForTil B12 (3)

Consistently follow these principles over time and you will likely lose pounds until you reach your ideal weight. The only exceptions might be those who suffer from significant genetic tendencies to overweight, and low metabolism due to irreversible health problems. In that case, definitely do #11.

*       *       *       *     *       *      *

Thank you for sharing this article with others who can use it.

Let it shine,
Mark

Mark Pitstick, MA, DC
Director of the SoulPhone Foundation
Founder of Greater Reality Living Groups
Research assistant for the SoulPhone Project
SoulPhone.org    SoulProof.com    GreaterRealityLiving.com

University-based scientific research has now definitively demonstrated that life continues after bodily death.   The SoulPhone Project will very likely allow widespread communication with post-material (“deceased”) loved ones and luminaries who want to help us heal our world.  How might this great news change the way you live and treat yourself and others?

Mark Pitstick, MA, DC is an author, master’s level clinical psychologist, holistic chiropractic physician, frequent media guest, and webinar / workshop facilitator.  He has also helped others in pastoral counseling and suicide prevention / education settings.  Mark directs The Soul Phone Foundation, founded Greater Reality Living Groups, and assists research on the SoulPhone Project.

Dr. Pitstick’s goal is to help you know and show– no matter what is happening to or around you – that this earthly experience is a totally safe, meaningful, and magnificent adventure amidst eternity.  Visit SoulProof.com for free articles, newsletters, and radio interviews with top consciousness experts.  Other resources include his very reasonably priced books, audio-products, and documentary.

Note: Because of his many outreaches, Dr. Pitstick can no longer answer complex and/or multiple questions.  However, he has created many resources to answer your biggest questions and provide holistic solutions for your toughest challenges . . .  

FREE Articles, Radio Shows, and E-Newsletters

– Articles for Transformation and Healing (top tab Articles at SoulProof.com) address the most common questions, concerns, and challenges about life, death, and afterlife.

– Radio Shows (top tab Radio Shows at SoulProof.com) share his answers and those of top experts to life’s biggest questions: “Who am I? Why am I here?  What happens after I die?  Is there a God?  Why is there so much suffering?  Why do children die?” and others.

– E-Newsletters (sign up on any page at SoulProof.com)

Audio-Products, Books, and Documentary

– Transformational Audio Products  (see Shop at SoulProof.com) provide quality sessions at home for a fraction of the cost of an office visit.  These CDs and digital audios use deep relaxation, visualization, breathwork, and/or other techniques to: access your inner wisdom, visit with “departed” loved ones, release old wounds and lower energy emotions, evaluate your pre-birth planning, have past life regressions, and other goals.

– Books and Documentary (Shop at SoulProof.com) provide information and strategies to help you more deeply realize and demonstrate that:

• you are a forever being of energy / consciousness
• the many wonderful benefits of realizing this
• how to reflect this great news in every aspect of your life — even when confronted with big challenges and changes

Webinars and Workshops: to learn about these, subscribe to newsletters at SoulProof.com and SoulPhone.org (Classes & Interviews at SoulProof.com)

Greater Reality Living Groups: these local and online groups share information from Dr. Pitstick, Dr. Gary Schwartz, and other experts on consciousness and holistic wellness topics.  (Visit Greater Reality Living at SoulProof.com)

Coaching / Counseling Session: meet with Dr. Pitstick by Zoom to gain answers to your toughest questions and holistic solutions to your biggest challenges.  (Shop at SoulProof.com)

Disclaimer: This information is not designed to replace medical or psychological care.  Dr. Pitstick’s remarks are based on his personal and professional training and experience during forty-eight years of helping many thousands of people.  Collective clinical, scientific, and experiential evidence supports some, but not all, of what he shares.  Mark’s views may change over time, and he does not claim to have all the answers or the only answers.  Dr. Pitstick encourages you to consider this information and decide for yourself what makes the most sense.  Note: the articles and other resources at his SoulProof.com site are NOT purely based on scientific research as is the SoulPhone Project.