I was having a conversation the other day with a colleague who works in the Naturopathic field. We had discussed simple treatments that have been predictably very effective, but often not well known. I shared that I had had the blessing of learning over the years from several colleagues who have been gracious enough to share their own clinical experience with me. This clinical “trickle-down” effect has had a very substantial positive result for many patients that I consult with on a day to day basis. I thought it would be interesting to outline a few examples of these treatments in terms of their overall effectiveness.
1. Immune system.
One of the best supplements I have come across over the last many years for immune system enhancement is a product by Researched Nutritionals called Transfer Factor Multi-Immune. Dennis Schoen, the owner of Researched Nutritionals introduced the product to me several years ago at a medical meeting. It is a synergistic combination, with an active ingredient called Transfer Factor NK+. “Transfer Factors” are immune modulating peptides found in milk that enhance immune system programming. I have found this product to be extremely helpful over the years. It has been particularly useful for many patients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome due to chronic low level infections. In addition, it has been effective for many patients with chronically low immune competency. Especially young children who often acquire the label, “sick kid syndrome”. That is, they seem to succumb to just about every bug out there. In addition, it predictably works as a straightforward rescue remedy. When you feel the first symptoms of a cold or flu take 4-5 capsules that evening before going to bed. Most often the symptoms will resolve by morning. More severe cases will usually respond to 4-5 capsules, 2-3 times daily, for one to two days. I would be remiss not to include vitamin D3 as an important adjunct as well. I give credit to Dr. Ellie Campbell, DO for introducing me to the importance of Vitamin D3. Many people, it turns out, are chronically low in Vitamin D3. This can be due to immune system dysfunction, chronic inflammation, genetics, and many other causes. That said, supplemental therapy to restore normal blood levels can be quite substantial. For example, while many people might be able to maintain a normal level with a low dose of 2-5000 IU daily. Others, based on lab tests, may need substantially higher doses of 20-30,000 IU on an ongoing basis. Many do well with vitamin D injections, which have 400,000 IU in each injection. While it sounds like a substantial dose, I have seen many patients that have successfully responded to these injections (who have documented low levels of vitamin D3). One of the more resistant cases I have seen in recent years was a patient who had initial low level of vitamin D3, and was taking 50,000 IU orally prior to consulting with me. Interestingly even that dose had not really restored his levels to a normal range. It took five separate injections of 400,000 IU to finally bring his levels to normal range. He has now maintained a therapeutic level without further injections for over a year.
2. Irritable bowel syndrome.
The root causes of this diagnostic label are numerous. It can range from food allergens to altered GI microbiology. A symptomatic treatment I found effective is using enteric coated peppermint oil capsules. One to two capsules a day is often very helpful for the chronic stomach cramps and bloating. While it is important to identify the root causes, this can offer substantial initial relief, and I have hardly seen it fail in any given patient. The only side effect is that occasionally the stools can smell like peppermint. Then again, this may not be a particularly a bad thing.
3. Vitamin B12 shots and IV vitamin therapy for chronic fatigue and low energy.
I learned about these treatments from Alan Gaby, MD who had previously been exposed to that treatment through one of the originals innovators, John Myers, MD, many years ago. It is overall helpful for ongoing chronic fatigue, colds, flues, tissue healing, to name a few . Over the course of years, we have done many such therapies with a very consistent positive response. We will often couple this therapy with vitamin B12 injections. The important part to understand is this is not really therapy designed to treat a deficiency as opposed to reflecting the functional utility biochemically of the nutrient specifically.
– Dr. Guyer
