Is Iodine Deficiency an Issue?

by Glen Depke

We really don't hear much about iodine anymore, so does this mean that iodine deficiency is

not an issue for you?

I will share my opinion that iodine deficiency is typically not a Westernized cultural issue. Underdeveloped countries can find iodine deficiency as a norm compared to developed countries. 

With that said, this can still be an issue for you and ultimately should not be ignored.

First off, let's take a look at iodine. Iodine itself is a poisonous gas but in the iodide form (negatively charged ions), this is micro mineral is actually essential to optimal health. For simplicity in this article, I will refer to the name iodine for ease of recognition.

One of the first subjects to bring up for clarity is iodine and the thyroid. It was believed for years that the biggest challenge for those suffering with hypothyroidism are actually deficient in iodine. Working with clients diagnosed with hypothyroid has shown me that the thyroid challenges are typically not an iodine deficiency but rather an adrenal. liver and gut issue. Another major factor with hypothyroidism is autoimmunity.

With that said, I am typically not adding iodine supplementation for most that are challenged with hypothyroidism. To take this one step further, for anyone challenged with Hashimoto's, which is an autoimmune condition creating low thyroid function, adding iodine may provide an increase in energy but also worsen the autoimmune condition itself. Not a good idea!

Beyond the discussion with your thyroid, iodine is essential to many other areas of your body. Here is a list of factors that depend on iodine:

• Cell growth
• Detoxification
• Immune function
• Metabolism and energy production
• Nervous system and brain function
• Skin 
• Hair
• Nails

There are also many functions of your body that depend on iodine, such as:

• Absorbing carbohydrates
• Conversion of beta carotene to vitamin A
• Production of thyroid hormones

For infants that are iodine deficient prior to or immediately after birth, this could lead to an increased risk of ALS, MS and/or Parkinson's disease later in life. Other symptoms expressed by an iodine deficiency would be:

• Inability to sweat
• Dry skin
• Poor teeth health
• Weak, dry, brittle nails
• Dry hair
• Fibrocystic breast disease
• Build up of arsenic or radiation in your body
• Breast, endometrial or ovarian cancer
• Overgrowth of detrimental bacteria or fungi
• Fatigue

So what's a person to do if they are suspecting iodine deficiency? Eat iodized salt, right? 

Absolutely not! The typical salt that is pushed on us, while containing iodine can actually create nutritional deficiencies. This is due to the fact that table salt as we know it is sodium chloride - an unnatural chemical form of salt that your body recognizes as something completely foreign. Your table salt is actually 97.5% sodium chloride and 2.5% chemicals such as moisture absorbents, and iodine. Dried at over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, the excessive heat alters the natural chemical structure of the salt causing the potential for a myriad of health problems in your body. I have to say that it is a joke that I saw an article written by a registered dietitian at the Mayo clinic say, "Sea salt and table salt have the same basic nutritional value." This is utterly ridiculous since natural salt such as a natural sea salt, Celtic salt or Himalayan salt that are unadulterated actually contain some 80 different minerals as compared to the "chemically cleaned" table salt we use so often.

Here are some nutritional choices that can increase your iodine levels:

• Sea vegetables such as Kelp, Arame, Hiziki, Kombu, and Wakame
• Cranberries
• Organic yogurt (preferably raw if available)
• Organic navy beans
• Organic strawberries
• Himalayan salt 
• Potatoes

My recommendation for an iodine supplement if needed is an ionized liquid form of potassium iodide. This is available through practitioners from a company called Marco Pharma. The

Seaweed Salad

recommended RDA for iodine is 150 mcg per day with the optimal level is closer to 225 mcg per day. Very often you can achieve the optimal levels by consciously consuming foods high in iodine. Personally, I enjoy seaweed salads as well as dried seaweed and use this as a regular snack. Heck, even our boxer Ruben loves them.

Understand that pharmaceutical diuretics actually deplete your body's storage of iodine. If you are on these drugs, I would recommend discussing the possibility of testing this with your doctor. Another substance that can actually interfere with iodine is isothiocyanates found in the cabbage family vegetables. 

The last question to answer is testing for iodine deficiencies. There are a few types of tests with varying levels of accuracy.

The Iodine Spot Test

The iodine spot test is based on a urine sample from your first trip to the bathroom after waking up in the morning.  You send the sample to a lab and they measure the level of iodine in the urine.  It’s the same price as the next test (approximately $70), but it’s not as accurate. Some docs recommend using the spot test to establish a baseline before taking the iodine-loading test.

The Iodine-Loading Test

This is the test Dr. Brownstein recommends in his book.  Like the spot test, it’s based on iodine levels in the urine, but with the iodine-loading test, an iodine supplement (50mg) is ingested before collecting the sample. All urine is collected over the next 24 hours.  Since the body holds onto iodine when it’s in an iodine-deficient state, the level of iodine excreted through the urine over the next 24-hour period is a reliable indicator of the degree of iodine deficiency.

Iodine Serum Test

Since serum iodide is rapidly cleared by the kidneys with a daily clearance rate of 43.5 liters, I would not recommend serum testing as a preferred method.

Thank you for the opportunity to share some info on a forgotten but essential subject.

High Cholesterol???

by Glen Depke

Time and time again, clients walk into my office with a main concern of high cholesterol. I understand this because most conventional medical doctors put the fear of death into patients that have high cholesterol. When our clients visit Depke Wellness with cholesterol issues, we use their lipid panel to understand function of their body and their current state of healing crisis.

It is important to understand the cholesterol is produced in your body based on a need. While cholesterol plays many essential roles in your body, I have a top three that I always refer to.

1. Cholesterol is an essential precursor to hormone production. When your body is under physical, mental/emotional and/or chemical stress, hormone production is high, thus cholesterol generally rises.
2. Cholesterol is a major component of the cell membrane of EVERY cell in your body. As your body is turning over new cells, cholesterol is essential.
3. Cholesterol is a part of every myelin sheath in your nervous system. Your autonomic nervous system is the master regulator of your body and obviously extremely important.

Understand that when your cholesterol is high, your body has predetermined a need for more cholesterol to assist in your healing crisis. In the opinion of Depke Wellness, the cholesterol is not the issue, the issue is the underlying challenges that require the healing crisis. 

This could be:

• Poor fundamentals of health
• Lack of regular deep breathing
• Dehydration (We recommend one quart of water for every 50 LBS. of body weight daily)
• Poor nutrition
• Food intolerance (gluten or cross reactive foods)
• Poor sleep
• Lack of physical movement
• Poor bowel movements (less than 2 per day)
• Lack of sun exposure
• Poor stress response
• Adrenal insufficiency
• Oxidative stress
• Free radical activity
• Gut/brain challenges
• Chronic inflammation
• Poor immunity
• Infection

Notice that I never mentioned consuming food with cholesterol as an issue. This is simply a cholesterol myth. Here are some common cholesterol myths.

• Eggs are evil - Dietary cholesterol is not nearly as dangerous as once thought. You will absorb approximately 15% of your dietary cholesterol and your liver will regulate cholesterol production accordingly.
• Americans have the highest cholesterol - According to statistics presented by WHO in 2005, we are actually in the middle of the road as far as ranking with other countries throughout our world. Likely, we have gone up since 2005 but we are still not the highest.
• Kids can't have high cholesterol - Most feel that high cholesterol is a middle age issue but these days, kids as young as 8 years old are having imbalances in their lipid profiles. Remember though, the problem is still not the cholesterol.
• Cholesterol is a bad thing - As addressed above, you can understand the cholesterol is actually essential to your health and well-being.
• Low cholesterol is a sign of good health - Forget this one, just as many people die of heart attacks with cholesterol below 200 as over 200.
• High LDL means you are heading for a heart attack - Nearly 75% of those hospitalized for a heart attack actually fall within the recommended ranges for LDL.
• All LDL is created equal - The particle size of your LDL is actually what you want to look at. Larger LDL particles do little or no harm, while the little oxidized particles causing inflammation are a huge issue.

I could go on with cholesterol myths but I trust that you get the picture.

So what are you truly looking at for the best reference based on your conventional lipid profile testing?

Number one, look at your HDL level and ration of HDL and LDL. I am not concerned about your total cholesterol. I am first looking at your HDL, which I am recommending to be at 55 or above. Once you have this number, your LDL should not be more than double your HDL. I have had clients that have had significant high HDL, such as 95 and a LDL of 175. Add these together with also adding in the VLDL, this person may have a cholesterol level of 295 and I would be telling them this this is optimal.

There is one more factor to pull into this and that is the ration of HDL to triglycerides. I would suggest dividing your triglyceride total by your HDL total. If your triglycerides are 95 and your HDL is 55, your ration is 1.73. If your triglycerides are 187 and your HDL is 40, your ration is 4.68. Ultimately, you would like this ratio to be 2 or less. Once again though, if the ratio is high, you want to address the underlying health challenges, not the cholesterol or triglycerides specifically. Once you balance your body physically, mentally, emotionally, chemically and vibrationally, these levels typically take care of themselves.

Also as mentioned above, if you can actually complete a particle test for cholesterol, you are looking at the small particles as the issue and not the larger particles.

One of the biggest challenges with conventional thought is the fact that cholesterol is looked at as the bad guy when this truly does not fix the problem. An even bigger challenge is the most people are put on cholesterol lowering medications without truly addressing the underlying problems. This isn't even taking into account the sometimes horrific side effects produced by these meds. I have seen clients on the meds that suffer with severe muscle aches and pains that are unbearable as well as clients find that their liver enzymes shoot up while on these meds. Another issue is that the cholesterol lowering meds also affect the production of CoQ10 in your liver. CoQ10 is a coenzyme that plays a huge role in cellular energy. The CoQ10 is actually essential for the mitochondria of each cell, which is the engine that drives every cell in your body. These are especially important for your muscles and your heart. Funny that the medication that you may be taking to help you from having cardiovascular issues can deplete something that is essential for your heart muscle.

So in the end, make sure you pay attention to the ration of HDL:LDL and the ration of HDL:triglycerides. If you find these to be off, address your underlying health conditions with a qualified natural health practitioner. Both myself and Lynda at Depke Wellness are always here for you. (949)954-6226

If you have any comments or questions, please leave these below for us to address personally.

Child Brain and Developmental Disorders

by Glen Depke

Gut/Brain Connection

It is estimated that 1 of 8 children in the United States has a brain development disorder. While many think of this as Autism or severe ADD, this can often be recognized as fidgeting, poor social skills, tics or lesser know symptoms. Thankfully, this can often be prevented and even reversed with proper natural health practices.

The current medical model for addressing this is to medicate to reduce symptoms through the use of amphetamines, sedatives, anti psychotics, beta blockers and/or behavioral therapy. A special not that most of the drugs listed are also addictive. The next step to conventional therapy is to hope the child grows out of it. Sounds like a less than optimal approach to me.

So what natural methods can be used to address these disorders. First of all, have toys everywhere. Specific toys that engage your child and their imagination and thought. Engaging the brain plays a significant role in developing the brain. Introduce physical activity that requires the use of balance. Get your child involved in a musical instrument or in learning a new language. These are all ways of engaging brain function.

Absolutely address the function of the gastrointestinal tract. Remember that when the gut is suffering, so is the brain. Understand that approximately 90% of the brain output goes right down the vagus nerve and into the nervous system tissue in the gut. With this in mind, when there is a brain issue, this very well could be a gut issue and likewise. To address the gut:

• Eliminate gluten 
• Address any potential cross reactive intolerance
• Use a high quality gut restorative supplement (We use Repairvite with our clients)
• Daily and regular use of a probiotic (We use the DW Prebiotic/Probiotic Formula)
• Enzyme use with cooked foods (We use the DW Prime Digestive Support)
• Check for pathogens in the gut such as parasistes, protozoa, amoeba, H-pylori and the list goes on (We use a 4 day stool collection at our office)
• Test the blood/brain barrier function (We use a GABA challenge in my practice)

With a healthy gut you can increase the absorption and assimilation of healthy nutrition. Eating a balanced diet with carbohydrates, adequate protein and lots of good fats such as avocado, olives, olive oil, fish oils. Even a step further is to understand the need for the DHA component of your omega 3's. While everyone typically gets the need for omega 3's for brain health, very few understand that the DHA component of the omega 3 fatty acid is the actual brain food. For children, and adults for that matter, I will suggest a supplement called Brain-E that is a 14:1 ratio of DHA to EPA. Now that's food for you brain! 

It is also important to improve blood flow to the brain. Increasing gut function and improving the diet is only so helpful without proper blood flow to the brain. Remember, your blood moves oxygen and nutrition to your brain for proper function. Generally speaking, those with brain and developmental disorders are also stuck in poor peripheral circulation. This means less blood flow to the brain and in the end, less oxygen and proper nutrition. We often use a liquid supplement called Nitric Balance to assist with blood flow with great success.

Remember as mentioned above, brain and developmental delay does not always mean full blown Autism or ADD. Some times you'll recognize early symptoms such as poor digestion, poor bladder tone, poor stool control and/or floating stool. There may also be challenges with sleeping and constant sugar cravings due to hypoglycemia. Also look for signs such as poor coordination. I remember the "clumsy" kids when I was younger. Poor coordination equals poor brain development.

If we want to take this a step further for our kids, it starts with preconception the parents. A pregnant mom that abuses alcohol, living with hypothyroid and undiagnosed autoimmunity as an example, is asking for poor brain development in their child. Parents, yes both Moms and Dads, need to get control of their own health and wellness prior to conception. As a parent, do you have adrenal issues, gut challenges, gluten intolerance, cross reactive intolerance and/or a poor diet. Well if you do, address this now and give your children a fighting chance.

Of course if you are past this and already have a child with brain or developmental disorders, the first step is to not only follow the directions earlier in the article for your child, but for yourself also. Don't think you can teach your child to not eat gluten, while you "pig out" on a plate of pasta and a loaf of garlic bread. Understand that children learn much more from watching than they do from listening to what is told to them. Be the example for your child and allow them to emulate you. That's what they are doing anyway.

Also understand the the brain is in constant development from the time of conception to the age of approximately 18 to 20 years old. Don't think that since you child is 10 years old there is nothing you can do. There absolutely is! Please though, address this as early as possible, which is the whole reason for this article. In essence the older the child becomes the more difficult it is to see progress and the more permanent the disabilities may become.

Also recognize what is important to eliminate due to the fact that these actions actually stimulate the lymbic brain, which is detrimental for these children. The activities that stimulate the lymbic system are passive activities such as watching television or computer games. Move into the frontal cortex of the brain by stimulating via movement as mention earlier in the article.

Also recognize stress levels for your children. Often I hear adults say, what do kids have to be stressed about. Easy for us to say, when we were kids the world was a different place. There is so much more stress and expectations for children in these days that is completely overwhelming. Recognize that too much video game engagement by kids may actually counteract the stress-induced activation of the HPA axis. This axis allows the body to fall into a deeper state of relaxation after a stressful event. There are also some helpful vascular creams to assist in reducing the stress/adrenal response.

Many times assistance with neurotransmitter supplementation would also be helpful but you would really want to work with a natural health practitioner trained in this area, so I do not make these recommendations via the Internet.

For those adults that find themselves living with brain disorders, the same recommendations above apply to you also. Regardless of age, it is never too late to work on your brain.

If you have any comments or questions, please leave these below for me to address personally.

Detox w/o Drainage...Scary!

by Glen Depke

Most everybody has heard about detoxification but very few are familiar with drainage. The interesting fact though, is that drainage is actually more important than the detoxification. You'll "get" this today.

If you have been following Depke Wellness for some time, you already know that I am not a fan of moving into detoxification too quickly. I have listed some bullet points to refresh your memory to why detoxification too quickly is an issue:

• Most individuals with chronic health issues are simply too weak to go through an aggressive detoxification program
• Many that are in a detox program are doing so with a less than optimally functioning blood/brain barrier
• This poor blood/brain barrier function will lead to detoxification symptoms such as headaches, body aches, fatigues and so much more
• Almost 100% of health challenged individuals have adrenal challenges and your adrenal glands play a role in every level of detoxification
• Due to the fact that our world is so toxic, most push detoxification too quickly
• Some people are actually too lean to detoxify in a healthy way

Before we move on, first understand that your systems of detoxification and elimination include the:

• Liver
• Kidneys
• Colon
• Lymphatic system
• Skin
• Lungs

We'll first discuss the liver, understanding that your liver is going to actually address approximately 80% of detoxification in your body through a phase I and phase II detoxification.

Phase I liver detoxification is often referred to as biotransformation. Within this biotransformation, enzymes change the biochemical structure of toxins, drugs, etc., which are fat soluble into water-soluble metabolites. This process  is governed by at least 50 different enzymes and this primary enzyme system is known as the cytochrome P450 (CP450) system. Simply put, toxins are converted to water soluble metabolites. These metabolites are usually less active, but they can be even more toxic than the original toxin. It is important that these metabolites are processed and excreted. If not, they will accumulate in the tissues of the body rather than in the bloodstream. These can be deposited in the fatty tissue, connective tissue and/or nervous system tissue. As a side note, storing toxins in connective tissue and/or nervous system tissue can be a very painful experience but generally only and issue for those that are very lean.

I remember years ago when I was working along side Dr Mercola, we had a young woman (maybe late 20's or early 30's) come into the clinic that moved as if she was in her 80's, and I mean an unhealthy 80's. You could actually see that pain on her face with every step and when she hit the chair in my office, she burst into tears. What you do not know is that she was very health conscious, very lean and fit. Just prior to coming into the clinic, she had all her silver amalgams removed improperly and this released a significant amount of toxins (mercury) into her body. Because she was so lean, there was not much fat tissue as a storage for these toxins, therefor connective tissue and nervous system tissue were the point of storage. I cannot begin to tell you how upset and distraught this woman was.

During phase II liver detoxification or also known as the conjugation pathways. Through different metabolic pathways, amino acids, sulfur, vitamins, minerals, and other natural substances bind or conjugate to the metabolites from the Phase I enzyme process so that they can be eliminated. If the nutrients needed to conjugate the toxins are in low supply, the toxins re-circulate as new toxins that are sometimes more toxic than the original toxin. You can tell that your phase II conjugation is sluggish if perfumes or scents start to create symptoms for you. 

Also understand that hormones, natural waste products, medications, and fat-soluble vitamins are also broken down through the liver detoxification process.

Now as far as your kidneys are concerned they receive 20% of the blood pumped to the heart. As the blood flows to the kidneys they remove wastes and then return the processed, purified blood back to the body. Waste material and water leave the blood and enter the urinary system. Toxins then end up in the urine.

Within your lymphatic system, the lymph fluid picks up nutrients, hormones, waste products, bacteria, and cellular debris. Then your lymph nodes act as a toxin filter and the lymph fluid is circulated by physical activity (especially rebounding), deep breathing, massage and dry skin brushing.

Here's some more tidbits on detoxification:

• Respiration: breathing (gas exchange), coughing, sneezing, clearing mucous
• Skin: sweating, sebaceous gland secretion, tears, Epsom salt or sea salt baths, dry skin brushing
• GI System: liver function, gallbladder, bowel and intestinal tract function
• Kidneys: acid/alkaline balancing, urination, hydration with filtered water
• Circulatory and lymph systems: blood flow, lymph circulation, and immune function

Now we can look deeper at the difference between detoxification and drainage. The term detoxification is usually referred to as the “release of toxins from their binding site” (the cell). Understand that the process of detox is not complete unless the toxins are actually eliminated from the body. 

The process of taking the toxin from the cell to its final elimination is called drainage. If adequate drainage does not occur with detox, it can lead to a phenomenon known as the toxic ping-pong effect. This toxic ping-pong effect is no game though. The toxic ping-pong effect occurs when toxins, instead of being eliminated, are simply relocated to a new binding site. This occurs when detoxification is undertaken without appropriate drainage therapy and the body cannot handle the extra stress from stirred-up toxins.

Failure to eliminate the toxins can lead to systemic toxicity.

Remember that we mentioned earlier that during phase I liver detoxification the toxins are actually more toxic then they were in the beginning. 

With your new understandings, is drainage important? You bet it is and so important that if you are detoxifying without proper drainage, you're doing nothing but asking for trouble.

Here at Depke Wellness we regularly walk our clients through a 30 day program that focuses on detoxification along with you guessed it, DRAINAGE. We also encourage other lifestyle factors to assist both the detoxification and drainage process.

If you have any comments or questions in regard to this article, feel free to post this below for me to address personally.





 



 



 


 

My Health Journey

by Glen Depke, Traditional Naturopath

So many people feel that health is easy for me because I have always been healthy. 

Unhealthy Puffy Glen

Now that's funny!

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago where I lived until I was 44 years old. Trust me when I say that the Chicago area is not one of the highest levels of nutritional integrity that you'll see in the U.S.. Even better is the fact that prior to me beginning my journey in health and wellness I used to own 5 different fast food restaurants. Yes, I was a part of poisoning our society. Shocking but true.

Let's back up a bit.

Growing up, I learned just as most did in the Midwest. When you get sick, you either grab an

Healthy Glen 15 Years Later

over the counter med in your medicine chest or if things get tough, you go to your doctor and get some prescription meds to fix you up. I can remember getting a cold or flu and reaching into the medicine chest to grab a Contact,Tylenol, Advil and anything else I can find and wash this down with of course...NyQuil. Of course I would also rub Vick's vapor rub on my chest and under my nose and head to bed with some Sucrets. I have to share, I am cracking up at myself writing this right now but this is so shockingly true.

Now I can honestly say I cannot even remember the last time I have taken any kind of med, whether this would be prescription or over the counter. Heck, it has been well over a decade since I have taken an aspirin for a headache.

Of course I did all the "normal" healthy things. You know, vaccinations, 9 silver amalgam (mercury) fillings, flu shots and everything else in conventional medicine to remain healthy. You get the picture right?

There was another issue when I was younger. 

When I was 17 years old, I had my first grand-mal seizure. Yes, I would pass out, flip around like a fish out of water and afterward, I would feel like I just got run over by a Mack truck. My seizures did not end there. These continued into my twenties and I was eventually diagnosed as Epileptic and put one anti seizure meds for the rest of my life. (Not!) Heck, I was even having seizures when on the prescription meds.

When I was 20 years old, this was the beginning of myself and a high school buddy opening our fast food restaurants in the suburbs of Chicago. So with owning fast food restaurants, you can imagine my diet. Chili cheese dogs, pizza puffs, french fries, soda, coffee, and of course an unlimited amount of chocolate shakes. Heck, most of what I ate actually came out of a deep fryer. To top it off, my beverages of choice were soda, coffee and alcohol. Water, are you kidding me? It did not even exist in my world back than. 

Scary, isn't is?

I did not even mention yet that sugar was my basic food group. I loved sugar and ate a lot of it! I can still remember eating donuts (multiple) every morning for breakfast, followed by a pot of coffee. How I made it out of my twenties is still amazing to me.

Well, something happened!

That something was a couple of articles that really hit home for me. The first was a short article on sugar consumption in a muscle magazine that I read when I was in my mid twenties. This article was talking about the average consumption of sugar and how disruptive this was to the body. When I was reading the article there were two points that stood out. The first was my surprise to hear that sugar was so bad for you. Yes, believe it or not, I was ignorant to that fact. The second point that hit me was the realization of how much sugar I actually ate. I would have been the king of sugar consumption according to that article.

As I began showing an interest in health, I came across another article basically telling me that the prescription meds I was on for the seizures could cause long term neurological damage. I thought, "wasn't I on these because I had a neurological issue?"

Well, that was the beginning of the rest of my life. I needed to get off these meds and find a way to stop the seizures naturally.

I systematically began to change everything. I remember stopping drinking regular soda and switched to diet. Yes, I like so many thought this was healthier. Eventually of course, I stopped the diet soda and dare I say it, started drinking water. 

I could not get enough books on nutrition and supplements and began to turn my nutritional integrity around and yes, I stopped eating donuts and coffee for breakfast every morning.

My nutritional journey has been extensive and I did not change everything overnight. I would make small changes but made them continuously. This enabled me to build on my small successes and stay motivated.

There had to be a huge shift in my mental/emotional approach to life. I used to be a complete type A, high strung and even violently reactive personality. This had to change if I was going to be healthy. Through years of deep mental/emotional work I was actually able to change my personality. When I think of how I used to react decades ago, it is tough to think of that as me.

And yes, the silver amalgam (mercury) fillings in my mouth. They definitely had to go. Through my readings and research, it was easy to understand that mercury was building up in my body via these fillings and mercury is a known neurotoxin. I felt that if I was going to overcome the seizure disorder, the fillings had to go. This lead me to working with a holistic dentist for eventual removal of all 9 of my fillings. Of course this was done with every precaution available to lessen that chance of further exposure to this know neurotoxin.

I eventually had to work through detoxification of the mercury, balance my adrenal function,

Old Inflamed Glen

address some pathogens in my gut and begin working on proper digestion. As time went on I also focused on releasing inflammation in my body, improving brain function, circulation and so much more. Exercise became a regular part of my life and adjusted my work schedule to create an environment in which I could find health and balance.

I worked with other experts in the field to work on my structural body, my soft tissue imbalances and every other avenue possible.

So now you know, I was actually very unhealthy long before I became healthy and honestly,

Anti Inflamed Glen

due to my past, I still have some work to do. At least I know that I can continue to become healthier and metabolically younger as time goes on. It is important to recognize that decades of poor health practices do not just go away and it is important to be patient in your journey to health and happiness.

Oh, and by the way, I did eventually overcome the seizure disorder. I have not had a seizure in well over 15 years, I have been of the anti seizure meds for even longer and I am not concerned about have another seizure the rest of my life. Actually, when I look back now, I can say that those seizures were a gift. Without that health issue, I would have likely continued my poor health practices and a shutter to think of what my life would be like right now if nothing would have changed. Tell me I am not fortunate.

This journey for me is what feeds the passion and compassion I have in the natural health field. This is also what allows me to "get" where my clients come from. I actually came from a similar if not more challenging poor health space as most people that I work with today.

...and I am so happy to help!

If you have any questions or comments in regard to this article, leave a post below for me to answer personally.

 

 

Detox 360 Program

Welcome to the Detox 360 program. I am expecting significant benefits for all during this program and am very excited for you!

Even though you will have weekly webinars and a comprehensive workbook to follow, this blog space is provided to provide the opportunity for you to ask questions, share successes and failures, share recipe ideas and so much more. 

This blog be completely interactive as a group. Personally, I will provide special attention on this blog to reply to your questions and concerns. My associate Lynda Buitrago will also be participating in this blog for you benefit. 

I will share that the blog participation plays a significant role in the success with the Depke Wellness programs, and I expect the same with the Detox 360 program.

Congratulations on your participation!

Undiagnosed Neurological Dysfunction

by Glen Depke

Neurological dysfunction is becoming a significant issue in our culture. The challenge is that most of these challenges can be addressed with lifestyle changes. Another issue is that most do not understand the red flags for neurological dysfunction. 

This subject really hits home for me since I was diagnosed as an epileptic earlier in my life and both my maternal grandmother and mother have had severe dementia. The good news on my diagnosed epilepsy is the fact that this is no longer an issue for me, due to the fact that I addressed all the underlying factors that lead to this neurological dysfunction. Actually, this is the very reason for my passion in assisting others in finding their personal health and happiness.

Let's first look at some typical symptoms of neurological dysfunction that may be recognized long before you would ever be diagnosed with a neurological disease.

• Burning feeling
• Fainting or change in level of consciousness or lethargy
• Involuntary muscle contractions
• Muscle weakness
• Numbness
• Pain from an origin that does not usually cause pain or that follows the course of a specific nerve
• Paralysis or inability to move a body part
• Pins-and-needles (prickling) sensation
• Sensitivity
• Tingling
• Difficulty chewing
• Digestive problems
• Loss of bladder or bowel control
• Nausea with or without vomiting
• Change in level of consciousness or alertness, such as passing out or unresponsiveness
• Difficulty swallowing
• Dizziness or vertigo
• Garbled or slurred speech or inability to speak
• Loss of muscle coordination
• Respiratory or breathing problems, such as shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, labored breathing, wheezing, not breathing, choking
• Seizures
• Sudden paralysis or inability to move a body part 

We can also look at a list of the most common diagnosed neurological disease. Note that there are more than 600 known diagnose neurological challenges. These are the most common.

• Alzheimer's
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Autism
• Cerebral Palsy
• Dementia
• Dyslexia
• Epilepsy
• Huntington's
• Migraine
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Parkinson's
• Stroke
• Traumatic Brain Injury

With this knowledge, it is now important to look at the common lifestyle challenges that create these issues for you. It is imperative that you address this now, rather than waiting until you find yourself with some serious issues.

Common causes of neurological dysfunction.

• Prolonged exposure to toxins such as lead, mercury, and other metals
• Gluten intolerance
• Cross reactive intolerance
• Adrenal insufficiency
• Excitotoxins
• Infection
• Nutritional deficiencies, especially of thiamine, niacin, and vitamins E, B1, B6 or B12
• Gastro-intestinal disorders
• Slipped vertebral disks or other spine conditions
• Compression, crushing or severing of nerves
• Detachment of nerves from the spinal cord
• Medication side effects
• Past head trauma  
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
• Lyme disease (inflammatory bacterial disease spread by ticks)
• Other bacterial and viral infections of the brain or meninges (membranes lining the brain and spinal cord)
• Systemic lupus erythematosus (disorder in which the body attacks its own healthy cells and tissues)
• Varicella-zoster virus infection (virus that causes chickenpox and shingles)
• Alcohol abuse
• Diabetes (chronic disease that affects your body’s ability to use sugar for energy)
• Hormonal disorders such as hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)
• Vascular disorders
• Encephalitis (inflammation and swelling of the brain due to a viral infection or other causes)

Let's look at the first ten on this list and discuss what you can do about these leading causes of neurological disorders. 

Prolonged exposure to toxins such as lead, mercury, and other metals
Many people are living with heavy metal toxicity. In my opinion, a urine porphyrin test is the best way to assess your likelihood of metal toxicity. Mercury tends to be the most common as well as the most damaging as this metal is a known neurotoxin. Metal detoxification would be recommend but only after you have any potential silver amalgam fillings removed prior to detoxification. As a special note, you want your silver amalgams removed by a holistic or biological dentist that is trained in proper removal. If these are not removed properly, this could lead to further mercury damage. I would also recommend that you test your blood/brain barrier function prior to detoxification with a GABA challenge.
 

Gluten intolerance
For those with a gluten intolerance that continue to consume gluten, this creates gut inflammation and other gut challenges that also lead to challenges with neurological function. I would suggest assessing your likelihood of gluten intolerance here, and if this is likely a challenge for you, it is of utmost importance to remove gluten from your diet. The link above also contains a foods list for gluten products. Learn more about gluten here.
 
Cross reactive intolerance 
A gluten intolerance that is not addressed over time can lead to gluten cross reactive intolerance. To understand the role that cross reactive food plays in regard to neurological dysfunction, I would recommend a Cyrex Labs gluten cross reactive food testing.
 
Adrenal insufficiency
While your adrenals play a role in the whole of your body, there are some specific areas of adrenal function that play a significant role in neurological dysfunction. This would tie into detoxification, blood/brain barrier function, inflammation, and neural connectivity. Learn more about your adrenal function here.
 
Excitotoxins 
Excitotoxins have been shown to create neurological dysfunction and break down your blood/brain barrier. The most common excitotoxins are MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable proteins and aspartate (NutraSweet.) It will be imperative for you to remove these from your diet.
 
Infection
Infection is a challenge for so many of my clients. The most common infections that I see on a consistent basis are gut related. A comprehensive stool test would play a significant role in understanding the pathogen issue for you. For other function in your body, I find the use of Applied Kiniseology to be a very valuable tool. 
 
Nutritional deficiencies, especially of thiamine, niacin, and vitamins E, B1, B6 or B12
Typically these deficiencies are tied into poor digestion. I would review gluten, cross reaction and infection above. I would also share that for proper digestion, the use of the Depke Wellness 1,2,3 of Digestion would be a key for you. This is the combination of a Prebiotic/Probiotic Formula, Prime Digestive Support and Prime Stomach Acid Support.
 
Gastro-Intestinal Disorders
See nutritional deficiencies above.
 
Slipped vertebral disks or other spine conditions
This is best addressed with a quality chiropractor. Personally I see a chiropractor that utilizes a form of treatment known as KST. You can find a KST chiropractor in your area of for those in Orange County visit this link.
 
Compression, crushing or severing of nerves
See the paragraph above and I would also recommend the use of DRX. For more information on DRX visit this link.
 
Medication side effects
This one is simple, yet can be so difficult for so many. Take care of your body and find your balance so you can eventually get off the medications that are creating neurological side effects for you. This is the whole concept of natural health.
 
Past head trauma
If you have had past head trauma, you may be dealing with long term brain inflammation and brain damage. Thankfully there are protocols to assist your body in releasing brain inflammation and supplements that can assist the brain in healing. A common recommendation for me is the use of VeinLite to improve circulation to the brain, Oxypower to assist in oxygen uptake in the brain and BrainE, which very simply is brain food (high in DHA.)

Addressing these areas listed above will go a long way in allowing your to forego neurological dysfunction.

If you have any comments or questions in regard to this article, leave a post below for me to address personally.