My practice is built around working with people who want to feel better naturally without over the counter drugs, prescription medications and/or surgery.
I am well known for my unique and natural treatment methods for chronic and debilitating conditions such as chronic and severe low back and leg pain, hip pain, neck pain, fibromyalgia, and neuropathy.
I’ve built an international practice based off of my unique treatment protocols and ability to help difficult and often “hopeless” cases.
I haven’t added new testimonials in a while, but you can go to youtube.com and do a quick search and see about 100 video testimonials of just a few of the patients I have helped.
I’ve been in private practice for over 15 years. About 5 years ago, I realized that there is a huge void in healthcare and began attending natural healthcare seminars and working with patients with what is called “Functional Medicine”.
I have seen natural healthcare save lives! I’ve also seen very ill people get well. This work has become my passion and is now an integral part of what I do with all of my patients.
The way I see it, I really didn’t have a choice. Patients in general have become much more educated and realize that something isn’t right. The demand for quality natural healthcare is through the roof. People are starving for better health and the happiness that it brings.
Simply put, the modern healthcare model is broken. It’s sad when other Drs. and pharmacists tell me that they know that it is broken, but they can’t do anything about it.
Many people find that they are paying through the nose for health insurance and are still unwell.
Drs. are told to spend less time with their patients. Physicians can’t be the caregivers they once were. They have good intentions but the insurance companies often dictate what tests a Dr. can order.
Insurance companies are even making determinations on how long someone can stay in the hospital. X condition gets X number of days. Sound familiar?
Strong Desire for Natural Healthcare
Since I began practicing functional medicine, I have learned that there is a strong desire and thirst for natural healthcare. More than I would have ever imagined. Most of my patients come to me because traditional and invasive procedures they have tried have failed.
Just today, I consulted with a gentleman who had been to 25 Drs. He also traveled out of state and spent 5 weeks at one clinic. Nothing worked.
His wife looked at me and said, “He has tried everything else and we are desperate.” This is one of the common threads with my patients.
It’s no secret that by the time that most people seek out my care, they are in really bad shape with serious health problems. They come to me because nothing else has worked.
The house is on fire and the flames are blazing. Things are out of control and the first fire department they called wasn’t able to put out the fire. After the 2nd, 3rd, the 4th, and sometimes more, the fire is getting worse.
or
Sometimes the fire isn’t getting worse quickly. Instead, the fire is calmed down but has now become a smoldering sawdust fire.
The fire isn’t blazing any longer but the fire isn’t put out either. It is at this point that many people decide to try a “Functional Medicine Dr.” and call me. It’s the nature of the situation.
I find it interesting that the most common phrase uttered out of my patient’s mouths are, “I wish I would have known about you before…”
The gentleman that I was talking about above had an iron infusion last week because his iron count was low (anemia).
My question to him was, “What test was done to figure out why the iron was low”?
He said that no testing was done. His Dr. just did the infusion to bring his iron back up.
What are causes of Low Iron Levels?
I explained that internal bleeding can be a cause of low iron. No testing had been done to rule out any possible internal bleeding.
It is important to try to nail down the cause of low iron. Without knowing the cause, he could have the same situation occur a month or two from now and have to get another iron infusion.
I also explained that vitamin C is an important factor for iron absorption and one of the possible causes of low iron is vitamin C deficiency. He wasn’t told to take any vitamin C.
I asked what his ferritin (iron storage) levels were. He didn’t know because it wasn’t tested either. In fact, he had not heard of the term ferritin.
I asked him if he had dealt with a recent sickness or infection because white blood cells need iron and can lower serum iron levels.
We also talked about how parasitic infections in the gut can cause a depletion of iron. Of course, he hadn’t heard of that either.
We also discussed if he was having any digestive health problems. I explained how conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) can cause diarrhea and constipation.
Both diarrhea and constipation will alter absorption of vitamins and minerals and can contribute to low iron levels.
Metabolic Acidosis can cause poor absorption of iron due to an acidic environment in the body. When the body is in a state of metabolic acidosis, it literally can’t absorb minerals.
I wish that all of my patients came to me with the mindset of prevention and wellness as their goals. However, disease can take decades to develop.
Disease often sneaks up on people without warning (okay, the warning signs are usually there but ignored) until it has progressed into something more serious and possibly life threatening.
Remember, inflammation is the root of all disease. Chronic inflammation breaks down and damages tissues in the body, including tissues in the digestive tract.
It is also chronic inflammation that destroys joints such as knees, hips, shoulders and the spine. So, when patients see me for digestive problems, they also usually have other signs of chronic inflammation throughout their body.
Obesity and Insulin Resistance
One example of such a situation is the following: Carrying a few extra pounds can lead to a condition called insulin resistance.
Over time, insulin resistance can make your triglycerides go high. Also, making you more inflamed and create cardiovascular disease which could lead to dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, digestive disorders, a heart attack or stroke, and cancer, etc…
The facts are that most people don’t feel healthy and are on various medications for different health conditions. Many people don’t want to take harmful and toxic over the counter or prescription medications.
However, they don’t feel like they have the knowledge to try alternatives when their doctor tells them that they don’t have any other options.
I’m talking about liver health, thyroid health, high cholesterol/triglycerides, heart health, gall bladder health, digestive disorders, cardiovascular disease (blood vessel health), autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Hashimoto’s/Grave’s thyroiditis, Lyme’s disease, fibromyalgia, migraines, asthma, COPD, chronic allergies and sinusitis, anemia, digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), Chron’s, Celiac, Diverticulitis, Constipation, Diarrhea, Leaky gut, Food Sensitivities, Parasitic Infections, Chronic Recurrent Bacterial Infections (such as recurrent urinary tract infections (UTI’s), Fungal Infections (such as systemic candida or candidiasis), Chronic Viral Infections (such as a high titer of Epstein Barr Virus leading to excessive chronic fatigue) etc… The list really goes on and on.
After recognizing this demand, I began ordering lab tests for many of my patients. I can order my lab tests for a patient in just about any country.
In providing the very best for my patients, I have created the “Currie Health and Wellness Panel” laboratory analysis.
The expanded “Currie Panel” is the most thorough workup I have ever seen ordered by any doctor to check for general health.
My Currie Panel is a great way for me to look for the cause of illness so that I can put together natural strategies for my patients to become as healthy as possible.
Comprehensive Thyroid Testing
A couple of examples of this is that on the “Currie Panel”, I check 9 tests on the thyroid alone. I even look for thyroid antibodies to see if your immune system is attacking your thyroid gland just like it would a viral or bacterial infection.
I also check homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is a major free radical that creates oxidative damage to tissues which can lead to plaques in the inner lining of the arteries.
Is Homocysteine Linked to Disease
By damaging the inner lining of the arteries, homocysteine has been found linked to over 100 diseases including cancer.
Men and women who have high homocysteine have a higher risk of getting Alzheimer’s Disease. Women who have high homocysteine and cardiovascular disease are more likely to die of a heart attack or stroke than women who don’t have elevated homocysteine. This is a big deal and an example of preventative medicine at its best.
Why wait to have the stroke or heart attack when you can identify clear warning signs and then work to prevent the stroke or heart attack?
Again, due to vascular (blood vessel) damage, Homocysteine is 4x more predictive of a stroke or heart attack than cholesterol. – By the way, cholesterol is not a bad thing.
Of course, if cholesterol goes dangerously high, do everything you can to get it into an acceptable range. Sterols (what your brain needs to stay healthy) are made from cholesterol.
Sex hormones (estrogen and testosterone) are made from cholesterol.
Are you suffering from low libido (low sex drive)? What is your cholesterol level? Are you on a statin drug that is suppressing your cholesterol and in turn lowering your sex drive or desire?
Your body heals and repairs chronically inflamed and damaged tissues through raising cholesterol. Hypothyroidism and autoimmune hypothyroid (Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis) is notorious for causing high cholesterol.
Stay tuned and read my upcoming article called “Is Good Digestive Health Dependent on Cholesterol”.
What is “Functional Medicine”?
It is running lab tests and looking for nutritional deficiencies. Areas of poor health are identified through using laboratory testing.
Some tests that you probably haven’t heard of and ones that aren’t widely used in conventional medicine. After I analyze the laboratory reports, I will lay out a treatment plan in order to help you become as healthy as possible as quickly as possible.
