The Basics of Allergies

Allergies can be triggered by a number of causes. The two primary ones are environmental and food. It is important to realize that no matter what kind of allergies you have, it usually means there is something wrong going on in the body. It’s easy to blame the trigger but the organ or body dysfunction underneath it is what should be addressed for true healing over time. 

How does it start?

Allergic reactions occur when a person’s immune system overreacts to normally harmless substances in the environment. Allergies are a form of hypersensitivity; when the immune system is overwhelmed, allergies occur. Most allergies result in an inflammatory response, which can range from uncomfortable to dangerous.

How We Help

It's a good time to come and see us when you have symptoms of allergies which include runny noses, sinusitis, nasal and chest congestion, itchy, watery eyes, plugged ears, itchy skin, rashes, coughing, sneezing, upper respiratory congestion, and infection.

We will uncover the root cause of the allergic reaction and find the best course of action for your unique needs.

The Basics of Depression & Anxiety

Maybe you can’t get out of bed or you have a debilitating sadness. A dark cloud follows you around. You are grieving still, and it’s been a year or more since your loved one passed. You are crying at the drop of a hat. You’ve had thoughts of suicide. You’ve attempted suicide. You wish you could just end this feeling.

Anxiety. Your heart races. Your mouth goes dry. You have numb tongue. Your mind goes blank. You freeze in place. Feelings of impending doom. Excessive worries and fears that you know are irrational, but you just can’t shake. You're hyper-aware of everything going on around you. You feel like everyone is looking at you. You are afraid to leave the house. You are worried that you may have forgotten to turn off the stove, so you go back to check it three times. Your self-esteem has hit rock bottom.

How does it start?

Signs of anxiety and depression start in the gut. The gut is referred to as the “second brain”, where 95% of the body’s serotonin and other neurotransmitters are made. One of the causes of anxiety and depression is a neurotransmitter imbalance. An unhealthy gut environment results in a decrease in the number of neurotransmitters being supplied to the brain.

The brain relies on good fats, amino acids, trace minerals, and B-vitamins to function optimally, which means that proper amounts of good quality foods need to enter the gut, absorb, and metabolize.

Symptoms of depression and anxiety can be brought on by organ dysfunction, such as an overworking or underworking thyroid or adrenal gland.

Immune challenges such as parasites can cause anxiety as well as depression, as they steal your nutrients from the food you are eating, and excrete toxins in you.

How We Help

We target specifically what nutrients are lacking in the body and feed the body real, quality food. We assist the body to heal the root cause of the problem. Therefore depression and anxiety improve without the use of side effect causing drugs.

The Basics of Diabetes & Blood Sugar Problems

The term blood sugar refers to the amount of glucose (sugar) circulating in your bloodstream. The sugar in your bloodstream comes primarily from the consumption of sugar and other carbohydrates like grain products – bread, pasta, and rice.

Several types of blood sugar problems can occur with how the body directs sugar in the body. Some of these abnormalities are called pre-diabetes, diabetes, and hypoglycemia.

How does it start?

In a normally functioning body, the digestive hormone insulin directs the glucose in the bloodstream. The pancreas excretes insulin in response to the consumption of carbohydrates. By consuming excessive amounts of carbohydrates over time, the pancreas can become unable to continue to output enough insulin, or the body’s tissues become resistant to insulin, and insulin becomes ineffective. Over time this can develop into diabetes.

Hypoglycemia is a state where blood sugar is too low. It often happens when too much sugar and carbohydrates are eaten all at once. This spikes the amount of sugar in the blood up quickly. Later, the blood sugar goes down too far. At this point, you feel tired, cranky, and have pain. You crave more sugar, caffeine, or tobacco if depending on your habits. Over time hypoglycemia often turns into diabetes.

How We Help

At the first sign of blood sugar issues (shakiness between meals, brain fog, confusion, excessive sweating, frequent urination, fatigue, and abdominal weight gain), you should come to the NHCAA for holistic diabetes treatment.

Blood sugar problems are conditions created by poor nutritional choices and must be treated through the appropriate nutrition for your body. NHCAA practitioners are skilled at guiding you to the correct dietary changes and supplements for healthy blood sugar levels.

Nutritionist for Children

As a parent, one of the things you always have attention on is your kid’s health and well-being. Fevers, congestion, runny nose, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation are scary when they happen to your children. But, they are atypical immune responses at times. Yet, the body has miraculous healing abilities.

Another area where kids cause their parents' stress is with school. ADD, ADHD, hyperactivity, poor focus, fatigue, and depression can make learning a struggle.

Every day more children are diagnosed with Autistic or Asperger’s Syndrome or Spectrum Disorders. The symptoms of these can affect the entire family. 

How does it start?

Many of these problems start in the gut; therefore the GI tract can be compromised at birth. The use of antibiotics, immunizations, formula feeding, and food sensitivities all compound the problem later.

Because so much of immunity originates in the intestines, better GI function prevents many illnesses. Many studies link the health of the brain to the health of the intestines.

Further, if the intestines are not functioning properly, many nutritional deficiencies can develop because the body will be unable to utilize the food eaten.

How We Help

We can support the body as it grows and helps the immune system and nervous system every step of the way. Our child health in Ann Arbor services can make sure that children have adequate vitamins and minerals to keep their body functioning at its best. We can resolve digestive problems, skin rashes, and other common childhood conditions. Our nutritionist for kids can recommend good food choices that will create healthy habits to last a lifetime.

The Basics of Mental & Brain Function

Your brain is the keyboard and computer that you use to process information. If it’s not fed well or overloaded with toxins or yeast then you are not able to grasp information, recall, think, receive or retrieve information. The brain also controls involuntary functions you may have heard of like the fight/flight and rest/repair mechanisms. If the brain is not functioning at 100%, then these functions can be diminished as well.

How does it start?

The brain needs specific nutrients to function well: good fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and above all a healthy digestive tract so that the foods that you eat are assimilated properly. Most brain-related symptoms usually begin with nutritional deficiencies.

Cloudy thinking, lack of focus, or word recall issues could be caused by looking at a computer screen for more than three hours per day. A job that requires lots of study or heavy thinking can really fry the brain. We’ve seen thousands of people who have fried their brain from work and computer use. ADD or ADHD often begins with a poor diet from infancy that includes soy, cereal, and artificial fats and chemicals.

How We Help

If you are experiencing loss of memory, brain fog, or brain fatigue, or you just can’t find words, then it’s time to come in to see what is at the root cause of your symptoms.

The Basics of Fatigue

To better understand fatigue, first, we must understand that it is experienced for a number of reasons which can include poor nutrition or a lack of sleep due to insomnia or waking often, or early arousal. At times, fatigue may be experienced due to anxiety which may contribute to an inability to get to sleep, lying awake in bed with your mind racing.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is characterized by the following signs of exhaustion: increased physical or mental exertion, problems with sleep, problems with memory, brain fog, dizziness, visual disturbances, sensitivity to light, blurry vision, depression or mood problems including irritability or anxiety, persistent muscle or joint pain, allergies, headaches, tender lymph nodes in the neck or armpit region, sore throat, irritable bowels, chills, and night sweats.

How does it start?

Fatigue can begin due to a number of variables, just like the variety in the fatigue symptoms listed above. Fatigue may begin from a traumatic experience, ongoing stress (either physical or mental), poor nutrition or poor sleep. The core causes of fatigue are the dysfunctions of one or more organs.

How We Help

When you notice mild or severe fatigue is a regular or recurring symptom that you experience, or when it begins to interfere with your life, happiness, productivity, and independence.

We use whole food supplements and introduce sustainable changes to your eating habits. As your body detoxifies and repairs, body systems including adrenal and thyroid function, digestion, and improved brain function help you to feel less fatigued. It is one of the easiest symptoms we take care of and the most common symptom people have when they come into our office for chronic fatigue treatment.

The Basics of Hormonal Imbalance

When we think of hormones, we often only think of the common sex hormones estrogen and testosterone. The truth is, that there are many more hormones involved in the endocrine (hormone) system. In fact, most people don’t know that the liver, pancreas, and adrenals all play a pivotal role in hormonal health.

What does it start?

There are a number of ways hormones can get out of balance. The most common cause is the consumption of excessive carbohydrates. This increase digestive hormones which then throws off all the other hormones to a certain degree. The second biggest factor is the toxicity of chemicals and metals. These toxins sit on our cells and block the hormones from working. Let’s not forget about stress. Stress upsets the fragile hormone system.

How We Help

Hormonal imbalance symptoms include hot flashes, fatigue, PMS, menopause, low libido, night sweats, and acne. The main digestive hormone symptom is weight gain.

Everyone’s body is different; therefore, no two people require the same type of nutritional program. Our practitioners uncover the root cause of the hormonal imbalance and find the best hormonal imbalance treatment for your unique needs.

The Basics of Loss of Body Function

Loss of function may begin with what can be considered “minor” health disruptions from headaches or insomnia, to chronic severe health disruptions like thyroid disorders, anxiety, epilepsy or non-epileptic seizures, tremors, structural impairments of the spine including scoliosis, or joint impairments including arthritis.

How does it start?

The loss of body function symptoms listed above may be conditions that you are born with or acquire during your lifetime. Either way, the result is the same. Poor food choices that do not nourish the body and do not help to detoxify the body can contribute to increased difficulty with the above conditions. 

How We Help

When your loss of motor function begins to interfere with your life, happiness, relationships, productivity, and independence. We take a holistic approach to restoring overall health and function.

The Basics of Lyme Disease

Lyme disease refers to about 80 different organisms that live INSIDE your cells. 

The first one that was discovered in the 1980’s is called Borrelia Burgdorferi and it was found in Lyme, Connecticut, hence the name Lyme disease.

How does it start?

All of the other organisms are referred to as co-infections. Some of them are parasites, some are mold, some are viruses, some are bacteria. Even toxins such as mold toxins aka mycotoxins are considered part of Lyme disease. 

Full body symptoms such as fatigue, achy joints, poor sleep, and chronic muscle pain probably indicate Lyme.

How We Help

The trick to cleaning your cells of these toxins and organisms is to first prepare your body. If you don’t prepare your body, you may have success killing Lyme with antibiotics or herbs but then it will come back. To prevent it from coming back, you have to increase “drainage”, increase cellular energy production, eliminate parasites, and remove toxins throughout the body. 

If this confuses you or you don’t understand, don’t worry! We understand it and we know what we are doing!

The Basics of Headaches & Migraines

Headaches can be caused by chemical activity in your brain which affects the vessels of your head that are outside of your skull. Muscle impairment, structural alignment, or nerve strain in the neck may also lead to a headache. Tension headaches, Migraines, Cluster Headaches, and Daily Persistent Headaches are all various types causes by a number of symptoms.

How does it start?

Reasons for headaches include allergies, sinus headaches, carbon monoxide poisoning, dehydration, dental problems, ear problems, grinding teeth at night, inflammation of arteries, food additives & preservatives including MSG, or rebound headaches from overuse of pain medication.

How We Help

We take a holistic approach to restore overall health and we focus on your main symptom. We use Nutrition Response Testing to identify what your body system needs to detoxify and provide nutritional support in order to help your entire body return to optimal function. When your body functions optimally, your pain goes away. We also have chiropractic and applied kinesiology services to help with headaches due to structural impairment, especially those related to TMJ.

The Basics of Pain

Pain is any discomfort experienced in any area of the body. Burning, tingling or shooting pain, dull ache or a hot, burning sensation, especially in the joints, knees, hands and fingers, cramping and sudden stinging pains often accompanied by spasms or twitches, Middle back, low back and neck pain are all common forms of pain.

How does it start?

Pain is a cry for help from the body. It indicates that there is tissue damage occurring. Regardless of whether you have pain in your tooth, back, or any other part of your body; there is underlying inflammation, which is one of the most common causes of pain.

How We Help

We seek to heal the underlying source of pain rather than mask the symptoms of it. It’s important to facilitate the healing cycle all the way through. Using herbs, nutrients, and chiropractic to facilitate the inflammatory process through quickly is important so the rest of the healing cycle can finish.

The Basics of Poor Digestion

Digestion is the process by which your body breaks down the food, absorbs the components of the food, and then eliminates unusable or waste material.

Any breakdown in this system can create problems for the body. Possible poor digestive system symptoms are bloating, constipation, diarrhea, cramping, weight gain, heartburn (or acid reflux), and loss of appetite. Other symptoms less well-known caused by a bad digestive system are arthritis, skin problems, and allergies.

How does it start?

There are many causes of poor digestion. Eating the wrong food for your body is usually the start of digestive symptoms. Many people develop digestive problems from eating foods that they have sensitivities to, as well as eating refined sugar and other processed foods. The chemicalization of our food is a big culprit.

Other potential causes for signs of poor digestion are a history of heavy antibiotic use, exposure to toxins, hormonal imbalance, or infection with parasites or other microbes.

How We Help

The types of foods you eat dramatically affect the functioning and symptoms of the digestive system. The NHCAA practitioners help you to figure out which foods for digestive problems are good for your body and which should be avoided. There are also many nutritional supplements they can recommend to help your body to properly digest food. They also look for particular organ dysfunction. We find organs that need help and supply organ specific nutrients for optimal repair.

Getting Off of Medications

The definition of side effect of a drug is any effect other than the intended effect. Anything that happens as a result of a drug that is undesirable is labeled as a “side effect.”

Side effects of prescription drugs are unavoidable. As a Doctor of Pharmacy, I know medicine and drugs have the ability to help people who need them. However, their good effects are very limited. Helping people eliminate the need for most, if not all, drugs should be the true goal of healthcare.

How we help

The majority of medications target symptoms and do not facilitate healing. When you have a symptom it is a cry for help from your body. This S.O.S. is an indication of underlying organ dysfunction and nutritional deficiencies. We will uncover the root cause of the allergic reaction and find the best course of action for your unique needs.

The Basics of Mystery Illnesses

Have you been seeing Doctor after Doctor with no answers? Many things that happen in the body are written off as unexplained causes or are labeled undiagnosable. When I was 36 I was told by an M.D. that my back pain was just because I was getting older. That was not an acceptable answer for me. Often patients are told they have to “live with it” or that there is nothing that can be done to help.

If you have ever been told stress was the cause of a symptom I recommend looking further for a more complete answer. Stress certainly causes immune system weakness and susceptibility to illness. But, stress is normal. It is the response in the body (heart palpitations, mind racing, fatigue, sleep problems) to the stress that is abnormal.

How does it start?

The majority of health problems begin with nutritional deficiencies and organ dysfunction. Even with a perfect diet it is nearly impossible to get everything the body needs to be well. As the deficiencies progress the symptom becomes more dramatic as the organs get more depleted.

How We Help

Hard-to-solve cases are our specialty. There is something that can be done for Your Mystery Illnesses. With Nutrition Response Testing and some lab work, we can find out what organ needs support and the reason why you don’t feel well. We can add the correct supplements to support your body while it heals. We can recommend foods that are best for you. We can help you solve your unexplainable illness. Diagnosing mystery illnesses is what we do all the time.

The Basics of Skin Problems

Skin problems come from the inside. Even external recurring bites from scabies, chronic poison ivy, or external fungal infections show a weak immune system on the inside. Topical treatments provide temporary relief if you are suffering long-term.

How does it start?

Skin problems start just like any weakened immune system. The factors that cause a weakened immune system are malnourishment, toxins, food sensitivities, and a bad diet. We have seen the difference between healthy people and unhealthy people and how bugs relate. Insects, bugs, fungus, and parasites prefer people with weak immune systems. They have less of a battle while living in their host life.

Get your body strong and healthy on the inside and the strength comes through the skin, too. Psoriasis, eczema, rash, and hives all have a cause on the inside. We have seen the toughest cases of psoriasis go away by eliminating parasites from the body. Hives can be caused by weak adrenals. Rashes could be from a hyperactive or a confused immune system.

How We Help

NHCAA practitioners are skilled at guiding you to the correct dietary changes and supplements for healthy skin. Healthy oils, the proper calcium, a strong and smart immune system, and proper protein consumption go a long way in healing your body and your skin.

The Basics of Thyroid Problems

There are many common symptoms of thyroid problems. Fatigue, trouble with sleep, weight gain, excessive weight loss, anxiety, irritability, depression, and heart racing are common complaints of individuals with thyroid problems. Many people also experience hair loss, dry skin, and cold hands and feet. Memory problems and a foggy brain are also a symptom of thyroid imbalance.

Thyroid problems can also cause decreased immunity leading to more illness. Neck and shoulder pain and tightness can be observed when the thyroid is stressed.

If the thyroid function becomes very poor then the hormones called TSH, T3, and T4 may be abnormal in blood work.

How does it start?

Thyroid problem symptoms start because our diet lacks sufficient minerals to nourish the thyroid gland. Iodine, in particular, is deficient in most people, especially in the mid-west where the soil has low iodine concentration.

Another burden to thyroid function is toxins that compete with iodine in the body. Chlorine, bromine, mercury, aluminum, and many others will accumulate in the tissue and cause thyroid malfunction.

How We Help

We test your body to see what nutrients you could take to help you feel better and improve the function of your organs including the thyroid. We assess each person individually and make recommendations specific to your body’s needs. We have a targeted approach to thyroid healing and improving your health that works.

The Basics of a Weak Immune System

A weak immune system is a dysfunction of the organs that are involved in immunity. Eighty percent of these organs are in the abdomen. If you want to correct a defunct or weak immune system, you have to repair the organs and systems in the abdomen. They are the intestines, the Lymphatics (sewer system), and the friendly bacteria or “microbiota”.

So what are the signs of a weak immune system? If you feel like you are sick all the time, have taken too many antibiotics, are missing days off work, have low energy, and are suffering from chronic infections, your immune system needs help.

What causes a weak immune system?

Some factors weaken the body’s immune system. The most common one is poor food and drinks choices. Other common causes of a weakened immune system include overuse of antibiotics, vaccinations, NSAID pain medications, poor air and water quality, stress, the toxicity of heavy metals or chemicals, surgeries, and radiation.

How We Help

Everyone’s body is different, therefore; no two people require the same type of program. Our team of practitioners uncover the root cause of the imbalance and find the best course of action for each’s unique needs. You may need detoxification, tissue repair, inflammation reduction, or digestion repair to strengthen your immune system.

The Basics of Weight Loss

Myth: Fat causes fat in the body.

Truth: Sugar causes fat in the body.

Eat Good Food. Eating quality fats, vegetables, and proteins, while reducing sugar (cookies, cakes, ice cream), starches, and grains will have you well on your way toward a leaner body. What is a good quality fat? Olive oil, coconut oil, and pastured butter. Organic meat is always better than conventional. Junk food, processed food, and chemicalized food with additives and preservatives clog up your hormone system and prevent weight loss. It’s called junk food for a reason.

Often there is a hormonal component to stubborn, slow weight loss so hormone organs need to be week fed with specific nutrients. Also, the body will not readily let go of fat cells containing heavy metals, so detoxification capabilities may need to be enhanced.

Exercise in the form of 60-second short, intense bursts will burn fat for 24-48 hours.

How does it start?

Food choices. Choosing foods low in nutrient value and high in empty carbohydrates and chemicals begins a downward health spiral. Processed foods take on the character of non-food. A non-food is something that your body doesn’t recognize as food. Sugars, grains, GMOs (genetically modified foods), and processed foods destroy the environment in the gut resulting in damage to the lining of the gut. The gut includes the stomach, small intestine, and large bowel. Damage to the lining of the gut causes decreased absorption of nutrients, which in turn causes organ dysfunction and the inability to lose weight. A nutritional weight loss diet is the antidote.

How We Help

Maybe you have tried Atkins, low carb, South Beach, low calorie, and strenuous exercise but still are not seeing the results. Weight loss is 90% food choices and 10% exercise. We approach the issue of weight loss from two fronts. We make dietary recommendations and recommend supplements that will begin the healing process in the body. We target what nutrients your body is lacking. We figure out why your body is not healing or shedding the weight.

There are many variations of symptoms that you could be suffering from.

The majority of health problems begin with nutritional deficiencies and organ dysfunction. Even with a perfect diet, it is nearly impossible to get everything the body needs to be well. As the deficiencies progress the symptom becomes more dramatic as the organs get more depleted.

At NHCAA, we can find out what organ needs support and treat the underlying conditions causing the symptoms you are experiencing. We help you solve your symptom by treating the underlying cause holistically.