Treatments & Conditions

Andropause affects about half of men older than age 50 and is caused by lower levels of testosterone. Recent studies show that after age 30, testosterone levels generally decrease by one to two percent per year - although this decline can vary widely.

Sudden, drastic declines in testosterone levels are usually caused by hypogonadism. Classified as either primary or secondary, hypogonadism should be ruled out in patients experiencing symptoms of andropause.

Symptoms of andropause can vary from one man to the next. Symptoms of male Andropause may include lethargy or decreased energy, decreased libido or interest in sex, erectile dysfunction with loss of erections, muscle weakness and aches, inability to sleep, hot flashes, night sweats, depression, infertility and thinning of bones or bone loss.

These symptoms come on long before the male loses his sex drive or becomes impotent. There is no evidence that testosterone replacement therapy in males causes prostate cancer or prostate enlargement. In fact, some Urologist-Oncologists say that testosterone may decrease the incidence of prostatic hypertrophy and prostate cancer. CHI uses topical testosterone replacement as an essential part of its Hormone Replacement Theory (HRT) program for both men and women based on the patient's total and free testosterone levels and their levels of sex binding globulins.

Symptoms vary from person to person and fluctuate in severity, or may come and go. Most symptoms are invisible, which makes it difficult for others to understand the vast array of debilitating symptoms with which we contend.

The most common are:

• an incapacitating fatigue
• problems with concentration and short-term memory
• flu-like symptoms such as pain in the joints and muscle
• extreme tightness in the shoulders and neck
• hyper-acidity/acid reflux
• brown colored mucus in the back of the throat
• blisters in the mouth/tongue/throat
• either white or "blood blisters"
• un-refreshing sleep
• sore throat
• white coated tongue
• dark circles under the eyes
• an aversion to being touched or jumping
• "crawling" skin
• chronic sinus problems and headaches including migraines
• chronic dental problems

Visual disturbances may include blurring, sensitivity to light and eye pain.

Psychological problems may include:

• depression
• irritability
• anxiety
• panic attacks
• recurring obsessive thoughts
• personality changes and mood swings (irrational rage or crying for no reason - fear of talking to people, any kind of confrontation, isolation)
• paranoia

 More of the physical symptoms may include:

• chills and night sweats
• shortness of breath
• dizziness and balance problems
• sensitivity to heat and/or cold
• alcohol intolerance
• gluten and/or casein intolerance
• irregular heartbeat
• irritable bowel
• constipation and/or diarrhea
• painful gas and abdominal bloating
• low-grade fever or low body temperature
• numbness, tingling and/or burning sensations in the face or extremities
• dryness of the mouth and eyes
• difficulty swallowing
• projectile vomiting

Also:

• menstrual problems including PMS and endometriosis
• recurrent yeast infections
• recurrent ear infections
• rashes and dry, flaking skin
• eczema
• dermatitis
• acne
• skin discoloration and/or blotchiness
• dandruff
• jock and rectal itching
• chronic athlete's foot
• chronic toenail and fingernail fungus
• ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
• allergies and sensitivities to noise/sound, foods, odors, chemicals
• anemia
• weight changes without changes in diet
• light-headedness
• feeling in a fog
• fainting
• muscle twitching and muscle weakness
• restless leg syndrome
• low sex drive and/or numbness in the genital area

These are only the symptoms most commonly reported and documented.

Central nervous system dysfunction is common, resulting in headache, chronic fatigue, poor short term memory, hyperactivity, and increased appetite leading to food cravings and overeating. Respiratory complaints include adult onset “asthma”, shortness of breath, and fibrotic lung disease. Heart palpitations and dysrhythmias herald severe cardiac dysfunction. Abdominal bloating, constipation, and multiple food intolerances signal gastrointestinal involvement. Often Raynaud’s-type vascular constriction resulting in cold hands and feet, easy bruising, or phlebitis signal chemically- induced peripheral vascular disease. Arthritis and myalgias indicate musculoskeletal involvement. Recurrent, sterile urinary tract inflammation, auto-immune endocrine involvement, and peripheral nerve weakness, paresthesias, and sensory deficits are also found. In fact, the hallmark of chemical sensitivity is that patients present with multisystem disease. This is because, once the chemicals enter the body, they enter the bloodstream and circulate to all parts of the body, even the brain.

The diagnosis of chemical sensitivity is achieved by taking a thorough patient history including occupational, home, and environmental exposures, diet, medications, and personal care items. The timing of symptoms to exposure, reproducibility of the symptoms, spreading, and switching must all be investigated. Serum levels of suspected chemicals confirm the diagnosis. If serum levels are negative and suspicion is high, a fat biopsy must be performed and often cinches the diagnosis. Additionally, chemical challenge tests can demonstrate the cause-and-effect relationship between a chemical exposure and symptoms. A brain SPECT scan calibrated for chemical sensitivity can demonstrate classic patterns of cerebral bloodflow and brain neuron function aberrations.

Evaluation of end-organ disease is accomplished through pulmonary function tests, chest x-rays, liver function tests, thyroid function tests with antibodies, adrenal evaluation with antibodies, urinalysis, blood chemistry, endoscopy, cystoscopy, etc. depending on the symptoms involved.

In the 1920’s, it was discovered that a type of antibody called “Reagin” or IgE was involved in many allergic reactions, especially those to inhalants. So conventional medicine defined allergy as an IgE-mediated response.

IgE-mediated allergies are easily detected by standard blood or skin tests. The reactions happen rapidly, usually within a few minutes of exposure to inhaled substances or eating a food. Small amounts of the offending substance trigger the reactions, which commonly occur in the respiratory tract, digestive system, or skin. IgE-mediated food reactions are often “fixed.” This means that after months or years of avoiding a problem food, eating any amount of it will still cause symptoms.

Many adverse reactions to foods do not involve IgE antibodies. They are often called food “sensitivities” or “intolerances.” The absence of IgE does not make them any less real; other immune mechanisms, such as IgG antibodies, immune complexes, or cell mediated reactions are involved instead.

Over seventy medical conditions are thought to be associated with food allergies. These conditions can be respiratory (hayfever, asthma, bronchitis, recurring ear infections, sinus conditions, rhinitis, laryngitis, allergic sore throat, hoarseness); digestive (gastroenteritis, irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, diarrhea, constipation, colic, malabsorption); cerebral (headaches, dizziness, sleep disorders, learning disorders, tension-fatigue syndrome, foggy thinking, irritability, depression); skin-related (dermatitis, eczema, angioedema, hives, rashes); or related to other body systems (arthritis, myalgia, urinary irritation, conjunctivitis, edema, hypoglycemia, diabetes, overweight, underweight, premenstrual syndrome, fatigue).

This list is not exhaustive. Virtually any symptom can be associated with food allergy or intolerance. By identifying and eliminating or treating food allergies, many of our seemingly insolvable chronic health problems can be improved or eradicated.

• Biochemical individuality describes the importance of individual variations in metabolic function that derive from genetic and environmental differences among individuals.
• Patient-centered medicine emphasizes "patient care" rather than "disease care," following Sir William Osler’s admonition that "It is more important to know what patient has the disease than to know what disease the patient has."
• Dynamic balance of internal and external factors.
• Web-like interconnections of physiological factors – an abundance of research now supports the view that the human body functions as an orchestrated network of interconnected systems, rather than individual systems functioning autonomously and without effect on each other. For example, we now know that immunological dysfunctions can promote cardiovascular disease, that dietary imbalances can cause hormonal disturbances, and that environmental exposures can precipitate neurologic syndromes such as Parkinson’s disease.
• Health as a positive vitality – not merely the absence of disease.
• Promotion of organ reserve as the means to enhance health span.

Functional medicine is anchored by an examination of the core clinical imbalances that underlie various disease conditions. Those imbalances arise as environmental inputs such as diet, nutrients (including air and water), exercise, and trauma are processed by one’s body, mind, and spirit through a unique set of genetic predispositions, attitudes, and beliefs. The fundamental physiological processes include communication, both outside and inside the cell; bioenergetics, or the transformation of food into energy; replication, repair, and maintenance of structural integrity, from the cellular to the whole body level; elimination of waste; protection and defense; and transport and circulation. The core clinical imbalances that arise from malfunctions within this complex system include:

• Hormonal and neurotransmitter imbalances
   
• Oxidation-reduction imbalances and mitochondropathy
   
• Detoxification and biotransformational imbalances
   
• Immune imbalances
   
• Inflammatory imbalances
   
• Digestive, absorptive, and microbiological imbalances
   
• Structural imbalances from cellular membrane function to the musculoskeletal system

Imbalances such as these are the precursors to the signs and symptoms by which we detect and label (diagnose) organ system disease. Improving balance – in the patient’s environmental inputs and in the body’s fundamental physiological processes – is the precursor to restoring health and it involves much more than treating the symptoms. Functional medicine is dedicated to improving the management of complex, chronic disease by intervening at multiple levels to address these core clinical imbalances and to restore each patient’s functionality and health. Functional medicine is not a unique and separate body of knowledge. It is grounded in scientific principles and information widely available in medicine today, combining research from various disciplines into highly detailed yet clinically relevant models of disease pathogenesis and effective clinical management.

Functional medicine emphasizes a definable and teachable process of integrating multiple knowledge bases within a pragmatic intellectual matrix that focuses on functionality at many levels, rather than a single treatment for a single diagnosis. Functional medicine uses the patient’s story as a key tool for integrating diagnosis, signs and symptoms, and evidence of clinical imbalances into a comprehensive approach to improve both the patient’s environmental inputs and his or her physiological function. It is a clinician’s discipline, and it directly addresses the need to transform the practice of primary care.

Due to individual lifestyles (lack of physical activity, wrong diet, smoking, excessive drinking, short of sleep, stress) as well as diseases
and infections, environmental influences and accidents, only few people reach the 100 year milestone. By optimizing your hormone level we are able to decelerate, stop or even reverse the aging process of your body. Age-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, dysfunctions of the cardiovascular system, dementia and osteoporosis can be prevented or alleviated therapeutically.

we analyze your way of living (physical activity, nutritional practices, stress exposure and sleep quality) and together we will select lab work depending on symptoms or issues you wish to target. On the basis of these examinations and labwork appropriate treatment concepts and optional therapies are recommended to enhance your quality of life.

Most people associate organic with food that is free from pesticides and herbicides, grown in healthy, nutrient rich soils. Another strong argument for buying organic food lies in a relatively new connection between pesticide use and the antioxidant content of food.

In agriculture, crops are naturally stressed by insects and, as a result, produce polyphenolic compounds, or naturally potent antioxidants. Crops that are treated with pesticides and herbicides however, don't require these polyphenolics, so produce far less of them. These potent antioxidants provide better nutrition, especially when the ubiquitous chemicals routinely used in agriculture are absent.

There are some obvious benefits of not ingesting pesticides, herbicides, and additives, but it is worth remembering that organic foods are more nutritious, and richer in vitamin and mineral content. Vitamin C and magnesium levels are 20-30% higher, while organic spinach, potatoes, cabbage, and lettuce are significantly higher. Similarly, organic livestock that range on grass show higher levels of important omega 3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA.

Taking in appropriate amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, remains a highly controversial issue for those in the medical profession. What makes it more confusing for the average consumer is that those with no medical qualifications, or experience in the field of nutrition, peddle new fangled diets and weight loss regimes at an alarming rate. There is however, some seminal research suggesting that the hunter-gatherer diet and the nourishing diets of traditional societies have the most to offer nutritionally. These diets show virtually no heart disease, diabetes, osteo-arthritis, obesity and cancer.

The mainstay of most traditional diets are natural grass fed meats, eggs and dairy, vegetables, fruits, and seeds and nuts. Factory produced, highly processed foods did not exist, and do not, in societies that still eat this way. As mentioned earlier, more and more research is linking disease and behavioral problems with a number of food additives and processing methods, including, aspartame, MSG, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Even regular vegetable oils are compromised by chemical extraction methods, losing much of their vitamin E content; and oxidize as soon as they come in to contact with air, light and heat.

When a western diet is adopted by people with traditional, healthy diets, degenerative diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems and cancer become more prevalent. Although traditional diets differ from place to place, the one thing they have in common is that they do not consume processed carbohydrates, or fat derived from vegetable oils.

Grass fed meat has been shown to provide up to 25 times more ??? than grain fed beef. It also contains high levels of vitamin E, which lowers the risk of heart disease and improves skin. The brain also benefits from omega 3 fatty acids, with research linking it to reduced levels of depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder and Alzheimer’s disease. Grass-fed meat also significantly lowers your risk of cancer, due to its content of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

Eggs are considered one of nature’s most perfect foods. They are rich in lutein, (which protects arterial walls against thickening), as well as the fat soluble vitamins A and D. They contain sulphur rich proteins which are essential for the strength of cell membranes. They are also a very concentrated source of choline, a B vitamin that helps to keep cholesterol moving about in the blood stream. Subjects who participated in The Los Angeles Atherosclerosis Study were found to have better looking arteries with the more eggs they consumed.

There is a wealth of research now about the positive effects of blueberries. They contain a natural dye called anthocyanin, which not only provides their color, but protects brain cells. They are also full of antioxidants which are known to calm inflammation. A Californian eye specialist discovered that patients who ate blueberries demonstrated a significant improvement in their vision. As a result, researchers have been investigating a means of reducing the incidence of macular degeneration. Blueberries contain a good proportion of dietary fiber, which is known to help prevent heart disease; and they are also being researched and used in the prevention and treatment of cancer. A team of University of Illinois researchers noted that the anthocyanins present in blueberries inhibit the initiation and promotion of cancer. Ellagic acid, a powerful antioxidant is also thought to make a person 3 times less likely to develop cancer than those who don’t eat them.

There are two distinct types of pain: acute and chronic pain. Acute pain is a normal sensation triggered by the central nervous system that alerts the individual to a possible injury and the need to take care of one’s self. Chronic pain is very different; chronic pain is a persistent pain, a signal from the central nervous system that continuously fires for weeks, months, even years.

With chronic pain there may have been an initial injury such as a sprained back, serious infection, or there may be an ongoing cause of pain such as arthritis or cancer. Typically, many of the conditions that cause chronic pain occur in older adults. However, some people suffer from chronic pain in the absence of any past injury or evidence of body damage.

Common chronic pain complaints include:

• Low back pain
• Cancer pain
• Arthritis pain
• Neurogenic pain — pain from damage to the peripheral nerves or the central nervous system itself
• Psychogenic pain — pain unrelated to past disease, injury or damage inside or outside the nervous system
• Headache
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Topical and transdermal creams and gels can be formulated to provide high local concentrations at the site of application (e.g., NSAIDs for joint pain), for trigger point application (e.g., combinations of medications for neuropathic pain), or in a base that will allow systemic absorption. Side effects associated with oral administration can often be avoided when medications are used topically. Studies suggest that there are no great restrictions on the type of drug that can be incorporated into a properly compounded transdermal gel.  When medications are administered transdermally, they are not absorbed through the gastrointestinal system and do not undergo first-pass hepatic metabolism.

We work together with patient and practitioner to solve problems by customizing medications that meet the specific needs of each individual. Please contact our compounding pharmacist to discuss the dosage form, strength, and medication or combination that is most appropriate for your patient.

"Compounding can make medicating animals easier if the pharmacist prepares flavored chews that animals accept readily. For example, tranquilizing a feral cat with a liver-flavored chew eliminates the possibility of over- or underdosing. If a chew contains 10mg acepromazine and the dose fails to gain a response, a second flavored chew can be given to the animal. Furthermore, the amount of medication incorporated into the chews, capsules, [topical or transdermal], or liquid preparations can be formulated to the specific request of the veterinarian, thereby eliminating the need to cut-up tablets and divide the contents of commercially prepared capsules... As manufacturers decide that certain products are no longer economically rewarding to market, the list of commercially prepared veterinary medication becomes smaller.

The classic symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection include burning and itching of the vaginal tissue and vulvar area (tissue outside the vagina). Some women notice a vaginal discharge often described as a thin, white, or watery or a thicker discharge resembling cottage cheese. A woman may also experience redness and swelling of the vulvar tissue, painful urination, or pain during intercourse. Not all these symptoms are present in every woman with a vaginal yeast infection. In addition, many symptoms are similar to those of vaginal infections caused by bacteria or trichomonas. Since the symptoms of vaginitis can be similar regardless of the cause, it is important that a doctor’s examination and laboratory testing of the discharge are used to confirm the diagnosis of Candida when the initial infection occurs so the correct therapy can begin. Once the patient is able to recognize the symptoms of a typical yeast infection, future infections can be treated using nonprescription vaginal antifungal medication, such as clotrimazole or miconazole.

Although vaginal candidiasis is not considered to be a sexually transmitted disease, it can occasionally be transmitted to a partner through intercourse. If symptoms develop in a sexual partner, a doctor should be contacted to decide on the most effective treatment.

To prevent excess moisture in the genital area that can provide an ideal environment for fungal growth, cotton crotch underwear and loose-fitting clothes are preferred. Wet bathing suits and workout clothing should be removed as soon as possible and washed prior to next use. Avoiding the use of feminine hygiene products, vaginal deodorants, and douches is recommended, since they can cause recurrent irritation of the vaginal tissue.