Diabetes Quackery
From my book in progress:
“488, Diabetes Quackery and What To Do About It”
Written by David Sanders, DC - A quack chiropractor

I am a chiropractor, and proud of it. For years, medical doctors called us “QUACKS!”, and yet our profession is still around over 120 years later. Are there some quack chiropractors? Yes. Are there some quack medical doctors? Yes. You hear about these charlatans in the news all too often. Is the prejudice that medical doctors have against chiropractors warranted? In some cases, yes, but for the most part not at all. By the way, medical doctors also called the osteopaths quacks until they shamed them completely out of their holistic approach and made them look “just like Mike”. But I won’t go down that rabbit trail. In every profession there are quacks, and it really boils down to human nature. In all of us, you the reader included, there is a dark nature that wants to come out. Without our conscience telling us the difference between right and wrong, we would have one hell of a society, if any society at all. I won’t get into a debate about where that conscience came from (I could easily), but just know that it is there holding us in check. When we ignore it, we step off into that darker part of our human nature that is willing to cut corners, put ourselves first, put others down in order to make ourselves look better, or cheat others to get ahead. Both the medical and the chiropractic profession contain quacks willing to deceive others to line their own pocketbooks. In fact, there are “quacks” in every profession.

This is not about gratuitous medical bashing. This is so much bigger than that. My goal with the following points about modern medicine is for you the reader to benefit by opening your eyes to the possibilities unique to your condition of Type 2 Diabetes so that those of you who want an answer to the question, “Why do I have diabetes”, will find it. 

At this point, we should define our terms and a quick history of the word “Quack” is in order. Quack is short for Quacksalver. From the Online Etymology Dictionary, it literally means a "hawker of salve". From Middle Dutch quacken "to brag, boast," literally "to croak" + "salve", salven "to rub with ointment". RationalWiki says: “Quacksalvers would appear in town markets offering cure-alls in bottles to anyone gullible enough to part with their money.”, and Wikipedia says: “In the Middle Ages the term quack meant "shouting". The quacksalvers sold their wares on the market shouting in a loud voice.

Early on, “medicines” were sold by anyone who wanted to sell them. The Smithsonian says: “Patent medicines are named after the “letters patent” granted by the English crown. The first “letters patent” given to an inventor of a secret remedy was issued during the late 17th century. The patent granted the medicine maker a monopoly over his particular formula. Think for a moment, who sells patented medicines today? Is it... chiropractors? What do chiropractors sell today? Since I am a chiropractor, I am in a good position to tell you. Mainly, we sell relief from pain and discomfort in the form of a spinal adjustment. And, I can tell you that it is very effective. For the most part, I can make 80% of the patients that walk in my door very happy. Of the other 20%, I can make most of them happy they came even if they didn’t get 100% better, and about 3-5% I can’t help at all because their condition is too severe or has been around too long. In fact, if a chiropractor is just pretty good at adjusting, has a reasonable fee, and a good bedside manor, he or she will likely have a thriving practice that will earn their family a good living. No, chiropractors don’t sell patented medicines. But, who does?

Second, how were patent medicines sold? Mainly through good marketing. In fact, these “hawkers of salve” were pioneers in the art of marketing, and many of their campaign tactics are still used today. The Smithsonian says: “Patent medicines were aggressively marketed. Manufacturers developed distinctive trademarks and packaging for their products and created memorable advertising campaigns.” Does this ring any bells with you? What is the market square of today? It’s TV. And Who sells patented drugs in a very loud voice in that market square? The Smithsonian also stated: “Patent medicine makers were pioneers in the use of such advertising techniques as solicitation through the mail, the provision of free samples and promotional trinkets, national newspaper campaigns, outdoor signage, and testimonials.” It only takes a few minutes of TV watching to know who is paying for your program. What about the ads you see in your favorite magazine, are they for potions, lotions, and concoctions made by chiropractors? At whose office can you get free samples of new drugs? At your chiropractor? I think not. The truth is, you know who these “hawkers of salve” are and it’s not your local chiropractor.

Third, was it your local chiro who said leeches and bloodletting were good practices. Bloodletting killed our first president. “Yes, but that was many years ago, modern medicine has come a long way”. Yes, it has, but modern medicine said Thalidomide was OK, and Fen Phen was good for weight loss, and look at the devastating effects from those patented drugs. They said that the pain relieving drugs Celebrex and Bextra were OK, then Bextra was taken off the market because it increased heart attacks and strokes. Celebrex was allowed to stay on the market with a big fat warning. How many of your drugs have big fat warnings? Do we really pay attention to these warnings? Also, these examples are not cherry-picked in a vacuum. There are many drugs proclaimed to be safe by the FDA only to be taken off the market or given a big fat warning label. An article published in JAMA on May 9, 2017 stated: “Among 222 novel therapeutics approved by the FDA from 2001 through 2010, 32% were affected by a post-market safety event.”. That’s not a problem unless you are the “safety event”.

Fourth, in the early years of patent medicines, what was in them? What were they actually selling? In some cases, not much of anything, and in many cases they were selling mostly alcohol as well as dangerous and addictive drugs. Many of these drugs contained opium. Hey, who sells opium today? Is it chiropractors? Is the opioid epidemic coming from chiropractors. No, chiropractic is by nature a drugless profession. Click on Image below to see what was in it:

Finally, we should mention the Chiropractic vs American Medical Association (AMA) lawsuit you never heard of: Wilk, et al   vs. the AMA, et al. Why have you never heard of it? Well, because chiropractic advertising and lobbying efforts are minuscule in comparison to the AMA backed by the pharmaceutical industry. Since others have done an excellent job of getting this information out online, I will just include a couple of quotes from the judges summary:

“On August 27, 1987, Judge Susan Getzendanner, United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division, found the American Medical Association, The American College of Surgeons, and The American College of Radiology, guilty of having conspired to destroy the profession of chiropractic in the United States. In a 101-page opinion, Judge Getzendanner ruled that the American Medical Association and its co-conspirators had violated the Sherman Antitrust Laws of the United States. Judge Getzendanner ruled that they had done this by organizing a national boycott of doctors of chiropractic by medical physicians and hospitals using an ethics ban on inter-professional cooperation.”

“Evidence at the trial showed that the defendants took active steps, often covert, to undermine chiropractic educational institutions, conceal evidence of the usefulness of chiropractic care, undercut insurance programs for patients of chiropractors, subvert government inquiries into the efficacy of chiropractic, engage in a massive disinformation campaign to discredit and destabilize the chiropractic profession and engage in numerous other activities to maintain a medical physician monopoly over health care in this country.”

This decision was appealed three separate times to the Supreme court by the AMA, but the Supreme Court refused to hear the case.

Why do you shine a light on the skeletons in the medical closet? Are you an angry chiropractor? Well...yes, I am. That’s not why I’m throwing dirt on them. The truth is, I have practiced for 22 years with Medical prejudice. It’s still happening every day. I’m used to it, and I expect it. No, the reason I say all of the dirt above is so that you, the consumer, can open your mind and actually hear what I have to say about the current state of medical Type 2 diabetes treatment. You need to hear this, because things must to change for the better. Are there skeletons in the chiropractic closet? Of course there are! There are many things in chiropractic’s past and even some quacks in the present that I am not proud of, but this isn’t one of them. If you are a medical doctor reading this, it’s not meant to offend you, but to open your eyes to the truth so that you can relay that to your patients. Stop acting like you are the only solution in town and your crap doesn’t stink. And, perhaps give your Type 2 diabetic patients hope that there is a way for them to defeat their condition without the use of drugs. It starts with serious clinical investigation that leads not only to what is wrong, but also why. It continues with an individual plan tailored to address that patient’s unique why. Perhaps you could offer them an alternative to the standard drug therapy model. If you really are the man or woman of science you claim to be, then look at the facts and be willing to follow them wherever they lead. It’s time for you to realize that some of us quack chiropractors might just have some good ideas. For the right patient, offering them an alternative might just show them how much you care.

Quackery done in the name of current medical science is painfully slow to change. Many of the doctors that practice the drug therapy model of Type 2 Diabetes treatment are unaware there’s a better way. Some are aware, but unwilling to change because changing treatment protocols and learning new ones is often a difficult task. The status quo is much easier, after all, “We’ve always done it that way”. Some know there is a better way but refuse to tell the truth about it because it would mean the loss of billions of dollars and their greed has gotten the better of them. Some doctors know there is a better way, a road less traveled, but they don’t believe you, the patient, can do it because of food’s powerful addiction. For the most part, I believe that most medical doctors do not know they are harming their patients, and on the contrary believe they are helping their patients when they give them drugs for their Type 2 diabetes. For the most part, they are doing them a disservice and here’s why:

For a large majority of Type 2 Diabetics in America, high blood sugar is something your body is doing for you and not to you. “Wait a minute, what?!” Yes, your body is leaving sugar high in your blood as a protective mechanism for your cells and your cardiovascular system. In simple terms your body is protecting your most critical tissues from your crappy diet. Can you back that up with peer reviewed medical references doctor? Yes, I can, but more on that later. For now, enter your medical doctor who says:  “Oh, John has high blood sugar. I've got to get that blood sugar down because it could harm him.  I'll start him on Metformin.”  This is the beginning of the end, because John's problem is not high blood sugar it is nutrient induced overload. In other words, his crappy diet is producing the symptom of high blood sugar. If you are a Type 2 Diabetes patient, here's a good question to ask yourself at this point: “Do I have high blood sugar because currently my body has a shortage of Metformin?” Think about that for a minute or two. Sugar is high in your blood, right? Is that because your body is lacking Metformin? Some of you need to read that question again and again until it really sinks in, and you can answer it. I know this sounds ludicrous, but we have been given drugs for our symptoms for so long that we have come to depend on them and not question their actual need. For most Americans, sugar is high in their blood because your body refuses to process it. “Why, why does my body refuse to process sugar?” Because processing all of that sugar would mean certain death to more of your cells and more damage to your cardiovascular system. Your body is attempting to protect you from nutrient induced overload (your crappy diet). Your body (in its wisdom) is saying: “Sorry sugar, you can’t come into my cells, and instead I’m going to leave you high in the blood”. You doctor (in his/her wisdom) is saying: “Ah...he has high blood sugar, I’ll give him this drug proven to bring that down”. Who’s smarter, your body, or your doctor? Is it dangerous for you to have high blood sugar, yes, absolutely. Is it unreasonable then for your doctor to want to give you some medication to bring that down? No, it’s not unreasonable if your doctor doesn’t have all of the facts. If your doctor doesn’t know that the treatment they are giving you might actually cause more harm than good. What is unreasonable, is that they don’t know it could harm you. Who cares if Metformin is proven to lower blood glucose if it forces sugar into cells that are rejecting it for a reason. If this is true, why don’t they know? The short answer, is that their paradigm is wrong. It’s an outside in way of thinking instead of inside out. The doctor is asking “What can I do to get this guy’s blood sugar down”. We need to start asking why. "Why is my body rejecting sugar and leaving it high in my blood? Could my body (in its wisdom) have good reason for doing so?" This is the key to reversing Type 2 Diabetes. You have to do some serious investigation into why, why your body is rejecting sugar and leaving it high in your blood. The answer to this is sometimes as simple as you are eating too much. Most of the time though, the sheer complexity of the answer to “Why is my body rejecting sugar and leaving it high in my blood?”, is one of the main reasons that most doctors don’t deal in why, but simply deal in what. “What is wrong? My shoulder hurts when I raise my arm like this. Well, don’t raise your arm like that, and by the way, here’s a pill for when you do. What is wrong? My blood sugar is high. Here’s a pill guaranteed to lower your blood sugar.” It’s an answer to what, but not why. Think about the time you are with your doctor. How long do you think that is? In a recent survey of physicians, 5% said they spend less than 9 minutes with patients. Over 60 percent said they spend between 13 and 24 minutes with patients. Most doctors lament that fact that the largest majority of their time is spent on electronic health records (the computer) documenting patient care for the insurance companies so they can get paid. By the way, it’s probably less than they used to get paid for the same service, so they have to see more patients. These days you need bulletproof records to withstand the scrutiny of insurance eyes looking for any excuse to deny the doctor’s claim. With an average time of 18 minutes and 10 of it spent on an electronic health Record (EHR), does your doctor have time to get to why in 8 minutes? The truth is, your doctor does not have time for why, but only for what is wrong and here’s a pill to fix it. Is that his fault? No, it is just the nature of things.
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At this point, many are saying: “My diet is really not that bad!” Really? Write down every single thing that you eat over the next week and then sit down and do an evaluation of that list. Do you really believe that your diet is really not that bad? I have asked thousands of patients “how’s your diet?”. Not one single time in my 22 year career has a patient ever said “Oh doc, I just eat like crap”.  Most of my patients are shocked when we give them a tailored food plan. Most say: “I thought I was eating right for myself, but now I know, I really wasn’t”. If at this point, you would say: “yeah, but I’m not willing to change my way of eating to get rid of my diabetes!” Then you should stop reading, because this book was not written for you. In fact, here in the introduction would be a great time to stop and take an evaluation of your life to see if you have what it takes to beat diabetes. Here are the questions you need to answer for yourself.

Are you willing to change the way that you eat? “Well, tell me what I’m going to have to eat, and I’ll tell you if I’m willing”. No, it doesn’t work that way. You have to make up your mind first. You have to be fully determined to make any necessary changes, or you won’t make it, and you will fail. No one wants to fail. If you are going to succeed in this diabetes dumping venture, you have to decide if your health is your number one priority and nothing else can stand in the way. When asked this question in my initial diabetes consultation, most of my patients give the same knee jerk response: “OH Yes! I am willing to change the way that I eat”. However, when we get down to it, most patients would rather keep their diabetes than change the way that they eat. Food has a powerful grip on us…

...sorry, that is all for now, but there is more to come in the upcoming book:

488
Diabetes Quackery and What To Do About It

​I understand this statement might be true, and it's okay to be skeptical, but please take some time to at least learn the facts about chiropractic before you say no. Why is there such a gap between those who “believe” in chiropractic and those who don’t? And, what is there to actually “believe” in or not “believe” in? On a plane coming home from a seminar in chicago I jotted the following down when I was asking this question to myself. It seems appropriate here:

​Everyone loves massage, but have you ever wondered why we have an old time garage theme in our practice? The short answer is that most people take better care of their car than they do their own body. We are out to change that one client at a time. If you think of your spine as the drive train on your car, without it, the body doesn’t move. If your muscles and joints are malfunctioning (knots, inflammation, spasms, and trigger points) then your body doesn’t run properly. Imagine that your hips are like ball joints, your knees are like shocks, and your feet are like tires. Well, by now you get the point. If all of these knots, inflammation, spasms, and trigger points were removed on a regular basis, your body parts would function more efficiently. Imagine the energy your drive train is wasting while trying to work against these malfunctioning parts. You don’t think twice about maintaining your car in good shape because it has to get you from point A to point B in style. Right! You grease it, oil it, and fuel it, but have you done a service check on your body lately? I know you are thinking OK Already! If we put a little of that effort into our body it would run a little better. You might have some energy left at the end of the day for yourself and your loved ones. And, life might even be a little sweeter too. The point is, that massage can get rid of those malfunctioning parts so your body can run like a well-oiled machine. So the more we give our body all the love we give our cars, the better it runs. Massage is a wonderful way to move you along the road to better health. And most of all, this world would be a better place if there were more of the right kind of loving touch in it. Isn’t it time for your service check?

Yours in Health,

Classic Massage Studio

Hump back, kyphosis, chicken neck, turtle neck or whatever you want to call it, poor posture is a serious epidemic in the United States . These conditions all start with Forward Head Posture and a loss of the normal neck curve. The Mayo Clinic said, "Forward Head Posture leads to long term muscle strain, disc herniations, arthritis and pinched nerves". (Mayo Clinic Health Letter, Vol. 18, #3, March of 2000)

Normal Neck Curve and Posture

Forward Head PostureThis posture can cause other serious health concerns. Listen to the title of this 2004 article in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society: "Posture Predicts Mortality in Older Community-Dwelling Men and Women: A Prospective Study". In plain English, "Poor Posture Can Predict Your Early Death". Three Key Points in this study are:

1. Forward head posture and a humpback are not caused by osteoporosis as many people mistakenly believe. It is a learned posture occurring over time. This is important because chiropractic and specific exercises has been shown to change this condition over time.​
2. This posture causes increased aging and is associated with a 2 ½ times increase in deaths due to atherosclerosis (Hardening of the Arteries). This is because nerve roots in the upper back and lower neck which are restricted by this posture, go directly to the heart and lungs. NERVE INTERFERENCE = UNHEALTHY FUNCTION
3. Interventions (like chiropractic) specifically targeted at improving this posture will reduce mortality rates (early deaths).

It doesn't take a doctor to look around and realize this condition starts early in life. Look at your kids or grandkids from the side and notice if their ear is even with or in front of their shoulder.  It should be even,
but most are not. Think about how much time we spend with our heads forward and our shoulders slumped forward - while at the computer, in the car, on the phone, at work, knitting or crocheting, working puzzles, playing games (computer or gaming system), watching TV. You get the picture! This constant bombardment is too much for our bodies to handle and over time we get forward head posture.

One of the most important chemicals in the body, oxygen provides fuel for every cell. It is necessary for eliminating waste products and toxins. This means that sufficient oxygen is essential for maintaining purity in the blood. The number one culprit for restricting air-flow is poor posture. Try this simple exercise right now. Sit up straight with good posture then take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Now slump down in your chair and force your neck out forward as far as you can. Now in this posture, try the same deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.

This condition is a real problem, and it is epidemic in the U.S. This is a concern for you and your loved ones, so ask me about exam and treatment options for this condition. I have put together a specific packet of information available at our office for free just for asking.

​Imagine going to an auto show in hopes of finding the best vehicle for your family.  Perhaps you hear everyone raving about a particular Dodge.  And although it wasn’t in your initial consideration set, after hearing about all the great features, and the word-of-mouth reviews, you decide to sway your vote.  But, just as you’re about to sign on the dotted line, you find out that Dodge is the one sponsoring the show.  Suddenly the deck seems stacked in their favor, regardless of whether it was really the right choice for you. 
            This is exactly what is happening in the medical industry.  For a field that claims to be completely unbiased, it seems to be anything but.  Only it’s not Dodge sponsoring the show.  It’s “Big Pharma.” And it’s not a car we’re referring to.  It’s your health. It turns out, money talks, especially in a place where politics often rears its ugly head.  And you may be the one paying the price for it all. 
            It’s not that doctors are malicious. Or lazy.  Or uncaring.  Rather, the state of our currently flawed healthcare system has created obstacles that are nearly impossible to overcome. It’s ultimately controlled by an industry (aka Big Pharma) that needs to keep it that way in order to maximize their profit margins. 
            Picture it: A bright-eyed student enters medical school, ready to learn everything they need to know in order to fix the broken and heal the sick.  But all of their studies revolve around identifying symptoms, making a diagnosis, and then managing the disorder with medicine.  Then, as medicine evolves, they attend continuing education to learn the latest and greatest.  Unfortunately, though, most events are sponsored by Pharmaceutical companies, with the goal of shedding their product in only the best light.  Thus, these physicians are really only getting one side of the story. 
            Now, back at the office, they’re forced to answer to the insurance companies.  By being forced to justify every dollar billed in the name of testing, the ones requesting the most blood work, etc. are often flagged in the name of saving the insurance company more money.  This means they stand the chance of getting black-balled during the re-evaluation of in-network providers at the end of the year.  And if this happens, your physician could find himself suddenly outside of his practice looking in at patients he can no longer treat. 
            So, now they’re left with an overload of people to see, and a group of highly-biased “bosses” to answer to.   You, on the other hand, are left with a 5-minute visit that leaves no real time to dig in and find out what’s really going on.  Instead, you get a prescription to ease the visible symptoms.  And suddenly, you’ve stepped into a viscous cycle, and are really no closer to healing yourself. 
            Now, if there were a rock in your shoe, would you take aspirin to dull the pain, or just take the rock out of your shoe.  Yes, it really is as simple as it sounds. 
            Enter Functional Medicine.  The reason it’s taking the health and wellness industry by storm is because people have realized they’re not getting any better, and are demanding something different.  Our goal is to get back to basics.  To find the root cause of the problem, and find the most natural and healthy ways to heal it.  We’ll do the testing necessary to get the answers, and spend the time it takes to understand your history in its full capacity.  We’re not swayed by the directive of Big Pharma, but rather by the passion for helping people live their healthiest lives, and truly heal themselves from within.
            Ultimately, it’s imperative that consumers understand the full picture so that they can make an educated decision when it comes to their health.  After all, your body is the one and only house you really have to live in.  Therefore, you owe it to yourself to treat it right.  

The United States makes up only 5% of the worlds population, yet consumes more than 75% of the worlds pharmaceuticals.  So, the question becomes of the chicken and the egg.  Are we getting more medicine because we’re getting sicker? Or are we getting sicker as a result of consuming more medicine? 
In recent years, Functional Health care has surged with people seeking out a more natural alternative.  And these practitioners are bucking against the system that has fought long and hard to the tune of billions, in order to keep the industry one that continues to pay them back in dividends. As it turns out, at the pills we’ve been popping may not be everything they were cracked up to be.  In fact, you may be paying an unhealthy price for what amounts to a very profitable science experiment conducted by Big Pharma and your insurance provider.  Here are four reasons to consider what’s really underneath the label of that little orange bottle.
 

1. It’s All They Know: Allopathic medical school train their doctors to recognize symptoms, make diagnosis, and then prescribe the best medication to minimize the effects of said syndrome.  A standard diagnosis will get you a standard protocol, with first, second, and third line medications that continue to keep your ailing body satisfied as your condition progresses.  However, if you had a rock stuck in your shoe, would you take Tylenol to dull the pain, or would you take the rock out of your shoe? 

 

1. Biased Teachings:  It’s no secret that the healthcare field continues to evolve, requiring practitioners to take continuing education courses.  Unfortunately, most of these seminars are put on or largely sponsored by drug companies, who wield their sponsorship dollars to spin their products in only the best light.  Ultimately, they’re only telling one side of the story, and it’s a very biased one at that, preventing physicians from getting all the information necessary to make fully-informed decisions on behalf of their patient’s health. 

 

1. Insurance Companies Tightening the Purse Strings:  In an effort to keep a tight profit margin, insurance companies keep tabs on doctors that order too many tests, and request too many procedures.  In fact, there’s an unspoken rule that doctors making too many demands run the risk of being banned as an in-network provider at year-end review.  That costs them precious patients that most aren’t willing to lose.  So, you suffer with a doctor who is too afraid to dive very deeply into uncovering the root of your problem, and instead make a general diagnosis and scribble out a script instead. 

 

1. Low Procedure Reimbursement: It seems the almighty insurance companies refused to stop there.  They now make doctors jump through so many hoops to get reimbursed for pennies on the dollar, forcing many to cram as many patients in as possible to make up their lost profit margins.  What you end up with is a 5-minute visit, which isn’t possibly enough time to get a full history, do any necessary research, and deliver a comprehensive diagnosis.  Simply put, you get the short end of the stick. 

 
 
Let’s face it.  Pharmaceuticals are a multi-billion-dollar industry.  And, in order to keep their bottom line growing, it’s imperative they keep you somewhere on the spectrum between healthy and dead.  This ensures you keep coming back for more, and business keeps booming for them.  Now, more than ever, in the face of a flawed system, it’s critical to take your health into your hands, instead of blinding swallowing any pill you’re prescribed.  Your body, after all, is the only house you really have to live in.
Perhaps that’s one of the fundamental reasons that Functional Healthcare has started sweeping the nation.  Although there are many misconceptions as to what it is, and how it works, there are three things you should understand when it comes to how they are changing the healthcare game for the good.
 

1. No Political Ties: Perhaps most importantly is the fact that they are, in no way tied to the two behemoths of Big Pharma and insurance.  They are a threat to Big Pharma for trying to wean you away from prescription drugs, and insurance typically won’t accept them, as they go directly against the path of least expense incurred.  So, while you may end up paying more, you can rest assured there are no ulterior motives, no political dollars being thrown around, and less chance your physician has been brainwashed with biased views. 

 

1. The Testing You Need: If you’ve ever been to a doctor’s office with bothersome symptoms only to be brushed off after a quick once-over, you end up leaving frustrated because all you got out of it was an overpriced office visit and no results.  Because there is no retribution on the part of the insurance companies, Functional Health specialists are free to really dive deep and get the full scope of the problem.  As some report, after just a few visits, they’ve ended up with more testing than they’ve had in their entire lives.  AND with that comes a much more comprehensive view of everything going on. 

 

1. They Take the Extra Steps:  Whereas allopathic doctors often leap right from diagnosis to prescription medication, functional practitioners take the path less traveled.  That means that that diagnosis is only the tip of the iceberg.  From there comes an analysis into the what, when, why, and how.  See, they don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach and seek out the answers to your specific case.  Therefore, be prepared to provide a full case history, as far back as you can remember.  It might not even hurt to bring your family tree to boot! 

 
 
Dr. David Sanders is a Functional Health Practitioner, and owner of Classic Functional Health.  He derived a passion for the industry after some devastating family diagnosis left him searching for answers that he just wasn’t getting the traditional way.  An avid student of Endocrinology, he stays on the cutting edge of any new developments and how he can apply this knowledge to his patients.  His primary focus is in treating Type II Diabetics, and showing them not only how to manage their diagnosis, but reverse it completely.  For more information, you can reach him at classicchiro1@att.et or check out his website at ClassicFunctionalHealth.com.
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​The term “Cholesterol” is somewhat of a loaded word.  It’s one that most everyone has heard of, but few really understand.  And if it’s not you, it’s likely that someone you know has been on the panic-inducing end of a phone call from the doctor’s office, saying their bloodwork came back, and their numbers are too high.  It makes sense, when you consider high cholesterol is a primary associate of heart disease and stroke, among other things.  Once the news is broken, many immediately start taking a statin and are told to modify their diet in an effort to get their numbers to plummet. 
            However, knowledge is power, and once you understand what you’re dealing with, you’ll see that this word has gotten a bad rap for no good reason.  What you should understand is that this substance is actually a helpful and vital component to your health.  Its function is present in every cell of your body and helps you digest fat and produce cell membranes, vitamin D, and hormones.
            Therefore, when your cholesterol spikes, it does so in response to issues in your body.  They increase in an effort to repair damaged cells and create healthier ones to replace them.  So, your numbers are a direct reflection of the amount of damage that has been done, and your cholesterol is trying desperately to protect, not harm, you.  Unfortunately, lowering those numbers artificially through drugs still doesn’t address the root cause of the damage, and puts you at risk of dropping too low. 
Yes, contrary to popular belief, there IS such a thing as going too low.  And the associated risks are alarming.  In fact, your total number should never fall below 150, because if it does, you exponentially multiply your odds of:
 

• Impaired memory (which leads to dementia)
• Becoming depressed
• Violent behavior and increased aggression
• Cancer and Parkinson’s disease
• Likelihood of committing suicide

 
By staying away from the ends of the spectrum, and keeping your numbers nestled somewhere in the middle, you increase not only your odds of survival, but in living a vibrant, complication-free life, at least where it concerns your friend, cholesterol.  Follow us at Classic Functional Health to learn more about how to keep your numbers in check.