Complete Blood Count (CBC): Thyroid Profile, Lipid Profile, Liver Profile, Kidney Panel, Minerals and Bone, Fluids and Electrolytes, and fasting blood sugar.

Metabolic Analysis Profile (MAP):   The methylation cycle is key in determining a patient’s ability to detoxify. It also provides concrete evidence about the availability of certain nutrients for sound mental health. The Metabolic Analysis Profile is an excellent test to establish the functional biochemistry of the methylation and Krebs cycle.

Environmental Chemical Overload:  Many mental distresses, such as anxiety and panic attacks, are caused by nerve-damaging toxins in the environment, known as neurotoxins. They sometimes cause people to medicate themselves either professionally or on their own.  We test individuals for chemical overloads that could be causing mental distress that leads to drug/alcohol addiction.

Food Chemical Overload:  Today’s standard diet is becoming more chemical than nutritional.  Monosodium glutamate, Aspartame and literally thousands of other chemicals are poured into our food supply by the billions of tons yearly.  Many people are developing a toxic overload of these chemicals. They can damage the liver and cause many of the mental health distresses diagnosed by psychiatry as everything from bipolar mental illness to attention deficit disorder. These chemicals are implicated in neurotoxicity. Digesting them provides them direct access to the very delicate organs of the neuroendocrine system that are responsible for providing healthy states of mind and homeostasis experienced as peace of mind.

Amino Acid Assays: Today’s conventional /processed diet simply does not have either complete proteins or adequate amounts of protein’s sub units known as amino acids, the fundamental building blocks of the neurochemicals required for mental health.  An amino acid assay can expose deficiencies that need to be corrected for the fundamental requirement of raw materials available for the production of neurotransmitters and hormones.

NutriEval: A comprehensive nutritional evaluation provides assessment of:

• Oxidative Stress
• Organic Acids
• Amino Acids (FMV)
• Essential Fatty Acids
• Toxic and Nutrient Elements
• Malabsorption and Dysbiosis Markers
• Cellular Energy and Mitochondrial Metabolites
• Neurotransmitter Metabolites
• Organic Acids for Cofactor Need
• Creatinine Concentration
• Krebs Cycle
• Neurotransmitter Metabolism
• Amino Acid Analysis
• Essential and Metabolic Fatty Acids Markers (RB Cs)
• Fatty Acid Metabolism
• Toxic Elements
• Oxidative Stress

*This profile also provides assessment of gastrointestinal dysfunction and detoxification impairment.

Toxic overload, stress, legal and illegal drugs use, alcohol, excess caffeine and sugars, illness, processed foods—all tax what little nutrition people are receiving today in their diet and can actually result in malnutrition.  In fact, many people on what would be considered a good diet could be suffering from malnutrition due to the toxic load placed on the body to metabolize their intake.

Many people suffer from malnutrition psychosis that is labeled as other things by psychiatry, without considering one biochemical/functional test to determine the root cause of a condition or drug/alcohol use before prescribing additional toxic drugs.  The NutriEval test provides concrete evidence of what raw vitamins, minerals, etc. are required not only for neurotransmitter and hormone synthesis, but for the fundamental function of all cells. When they are provided the essentials they require, cells can repair and replicate themselves in a healthy way.

Autism Spectrum Analysis:  A combination of the tests presented here and some others when indicated are excellent tools for developing a functional integrative medical approach to alleviating and curing those individuals on the spectrum.  The effects of mercury toxicity in vaccinations are directly linked to many of the symptoms people self-medicate today.

Vitamin D:  Considered by many naturopaths today to be the number one deficient vitamin in the U.S.,  Vitamin D is crucial to healthy neuroendocrine function.

Pyroluria – Many mental health conditions diagnosed as schizophrenic are truly pyroluric cases that can be corrected with targeted nutritional adjustments in vitamin B6 and zinc.

HPA axis Function:  The axis of the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal (HPA) glands is where neurochemical adaptation (addiction) resides.  It is the health and communication between these organs of the neuroendocrine system that must be brought back to balance to heal addictive biochemistry, provide neurochemical rehabilitation and ultimately heal and stabilize the entire neuroendocrine system. This process is key to bringing long-lasting mental health free of cravings, mental distresses and other symptoms that lead one to alcohol/drug abuse.  The HPA axis is your internal pharmacist and when it doesn’t show up for work, you don’t get what you naturally need for the blessings of feeling good inside your own skin and mind.

At Shangri La BioSpa & Resort we test every patient for how their HPA axis is functioning. We check levels of serotonin, GABA, dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, beta-endorphins, enkaphalins and the hormones DHEA and cortisol. We use the results to help us to prepare a sophisticated treatment strategy to bring you and your life in balance.

Heavy Metals:  Heavy metals toxicity—particularly mercury—  is connected to anxiety, autism, ADD/ADHD and many other mental distresses and performance issues as well as cancer.  High copper status is directly connected to “voices”, hallucinations and paranoia.

Liver Function:  A Functional Liver Detoxification Profile (FLDP) assesses the performance of the 6 major detoxification pathways of the liver. If the liver isn’t detoxifying the system efficiently, the brain and all other organs suffer  and this can certainly lead to symptoms and cravings.  Analyzing the functioning of the liver provides us the evidence we need to target key areas of the liver that may be weak, so we can  bring the liver back to health and promote mental/physical wellness in general.

Hormone / Neurotransmitter Assay:  Amino acid assays establish whether there is enough protein in the diet, how amino acids (protein subunits) are being utilized, and if they are being successfully made into neurotransmitters.  Toxic overload, processed food diets, stress, and many other factors  cause the depletion of key “cofactors” such as vitamin, minerals, EFAs and enzymes. Toxic overload can disable the process of actually producing the neurochemistry required for natural mental health even if your protein intake is sufficient.  Neurotransmitter assays identify key nutritional deficiencies that could be causing symptoms that encourage one to seek relief in drugs/alcohol.  

Hormone Panels:  Hormones are very powerful mind and body regulators and any excess or deficiency would indicate a propensity for symptoms that would encourage one toward self-medicating or seeking legal drugs. For example, the hormone cortisol is naturally released by the adrenals to raise blood sugar and provide a chemical stress buffer when needed. Your adrenals may not be producing enough cortisol due to today’s processed, empty carb, chemically poisoned diets and over-stimulating lifestyles.  If this is so, you can experience stress much more profoundly than one who has a healthy set of these very important organs for good mental health.  Increased perception of stress caused by a lack of cortisol can make one hyper-reactive, moody, and stressed to the point of feeling they are going to break. Testing for cortisol and other key hormones for good mental/physical health is fundamental in establishing an evidence-based treatment strategy. The test is very effective in establishing exactly what you require to begin making your own natural feel-goods again.

]]> http://biosanctuary.com/blood-lab-testing/feed 1 http://biosanctuary.com/orthomolecular-biochemical-restoration?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=orthomolecular-biochemical-restoration http://biosanctuary.com/orthomolecular-biochemical-restoration#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 07:46:05 +0000 Genita http://biosanctuary.com/?p=31 Once Body Burden, which is the term for tissue bioaccumulation of toxic products and their waste, begins producing symptoms you can be sure there is actual tissue and functional damage of various organs due to the
oxidative assault they inflict on the body and brain / mind. Usually, what is experienced first is critical biochemical processes (example: chemical conversion of serotonin to melatonin inhibited due to mercury binding to this magnesium dependent step causing insomnia) being disabled to varying degrees which will create mental and physical health symptoms such as increased perception of stress, mental fogginess, joint and muscular pain, mental and physical fatigue, inability to focus, loss of inspiration,
depression, insomnia and anxiety. There is a much longer list, however, these are the most common conditions. If the condition is allowed to progress and no steps are taken to identify the source of exposure and
avoid it while practicing a chemical specific detoxification procedure, it will progress to more serious organ damage and disease risk. Once serious adverse functional and pathological conditions advance to creating symptoms, one must go beyond detoxification as that is only the emergency room in the health recovery process, and take the next step of healing the damage causing the symptoms and this is accomplished with Orthomolecular Biochemical Restoration (OBR).

Orthomolecular in its truest and most accurate definition is the science of creating an environment for cells to thrive in, in order to allow the wisdom of the cell to do the only thing it knows how to do: repair and replicate. Cells do not know how to die; they have no mechanism for death. It is the environment that kills the cell. When creating an ideal environment for your cells to thrive, you must review all energetic and chemical influences because this is what the collective 60-90 trillion cells do, they convert energy to chemistry which is converted back to energy to create animated life. OBR is the process of removing all energetic and chemically toxic and other agents from the system that inhibit healthy biochemical functions that serve cellular repair and replication. What you want to do is detox and then protect yourself from becoming toxic again because the demands of continual body burden detoxification exhausts nutrients that you really want serving cellular repair and replication as this is the process that keeps you healthy and when served well will produce a long, vibrant life. When the cells are deficient in nutrients to repair oxidative stress damage, the cells die and when this condition becomes chronic you are at high risk for a plethora of diseases and the symptoms that warn you of their development.

OBR employs a three-step process which includes individual specific assisted detox based on pre-detox laboratory tests that determines the source of the symptoms and the cause of the damage, which combined provide the scientific basis for a truly Targeted Nutritional Therapy (TNT) and helpful adjuvant therapies; next is repair of the neuroendocrine system from the damage done by the toxic chemicals the individual was exposed to, and then maintenance to preserve the good health you have achieved in the Orthomolecular Biochemical Restoration Program. When signs begin to appear that the repair phase has been completed another cycle of testing requested to confirm the damage and body burden has been resolved successfully. Testing evaluates multiple factors: brain chemistry (some of my patients have actually done before and after PET scans), neuroendocrine function (adrenal, thyroid, parathyroid, sex hormone, and pituitary health), methylation and Krebs cycle function, Organic Acids / GI health, heavy metal toxicity; environmental, food and water toxic exposures, gastrointestinal malfunction, candida, liver function, allergy potential; mold, bacterial and viral infections, infectious disease, and any others that may be indicated. From this data, the client is provided a long term Targeted Nutritional Therapy (TNT) to continue the healing process, adjust any excesses or deficiencies in their baseline biochemistry and protect the individual from the oxidative stress of living in today’s world while also helping the body immediately metabolize and remove many toxic metals and other chemicals such as BPAs, phthalates and fluoride that are almost impossible to entirely avoid.

Our clients are provided very sophisticated treatment that focuses the neuroendocrine system – which is the system that sounds the alarm to the brain that reports it when something is wrong in its system. Aside from pain and GI cases, mental and physical health rely almost solely on the healthy functioning of the neuroendocrine system. To accomplish the healing event sought, we provide all the essential raw materials—nutrient dense organic whole foods, targeted nutritional therapy, clean alkaline mineral water, and sunshine— and an education about how to establish an external environment that will serve homeostasis; one that is agreeable to your needs to live in harmony with your surroundings.  Homeostasis is a biochemical term for health or living in balance chemically, energetically, preceptively. It is experienced as a full, vibrant, fulfilling, and inspired life lived enthusiastically which rests in the inner peace many have not experienced since they were a child due to the discord on all levels of human experience chemical poisoning inflicts on mental and physical health, perception of the world and circumstance, and consciousness experienced.

Orthomolecular Biochemical Restoration literally re-establishes a healthy relationship with the wisdom of your cells and the 3 million years they have been around developing it in communion with nature with a single consciousness to repair and replicate – to thrive! Cells do not know how to die, they have no mechanism for the dying process, it is the environment of the cell that kills them! Create a healthy environment for your cells and they will do the only thing they know how to do, THRIVE! This is the core value in the Orthomolecular Medical Model.

The Truth About Addiction

Many people come to work with us for addictive biochemistry issues and it is no wonder. Body Burden or bioaccumulation of toxic metals and chemicals can quickly burn out the pharmacist within, the neuroendocrine system that creates the ‘feel good’ chemicals that are supposed to balance out the stimuli in our lives, creating a need to self-medicate to achieve a perceived homeostasis and reduction of symptoms produced by toxic assault.

Our Medical Director, Biochemist Genita Petralli H.H.P., N.C., specialized in addictive biochemistry and psychiatric drug tapers for 15 years before opening the BioSanctuary. She is the author of Alcoholism: The Cause & The Cure and Green Body & Mind: Staying Healthy in a Toxic World, and won the 2010 Human Rights Award for her Green Mental Health Care Medical Model which is non-addictive, non-invasive and non-toxic while producing far better patient outcomes than any other model. For the addiction cases, she focuses on nutritional neurochemistry and a fully integrated treatment model that addresses all the physical and mental health damage specific to the substances used to restore healthy brain functioning and physical health.

]]> http://biosanctuary.com/orthomolecular-biochemical-restoration/feed 4 http://biosanctuary.com/chelation-therapy?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=chelation-therapy http://biosanctuary.com/chelation-therapy#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 10:56:37 +0000 Genita http://biosanctuary.com/?p=15 What is Chelation Therapy?

Chelation is the process by which chemicals bind with minerals. This is a common occurrence, and nature uses it frequently. Hemoglobin is the best example: it binds with iron to provide oxygen to the tissues. Plants use chlorophyll in much the same way. Many vitamins have chelating properties, including Vitamin C and A.

The primary Chelation agent used today is EDTA (ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid). This is also commonly used as a food agent. If you read the labels on food packages you will often see it listed. In medicine, EDTA is administered intravenously and is used for a wide variety of problems. The most common condition that Chelation is used for today by mainstream allopathic physicians is arteriosclerosis, or blockage of the blood vessels. However, Green Body & Mind Environmentalists are increasingly aware of the fact that heavy / toxic metal poisoning poses a plethora of serious health risks and for that reason chelation therapy is becoming practiced more and more for the removal of those metals.

How many Chelation treatments will I need?

Typically 20-40 treatments are prescribed, however, I have been specializing in Environmental Detoxification of all toxic assaults with a strong focus on chelation and over the years I have developed a proven formula that is typically successful at bringing the person to non-detectable levels of Mercury, Aluminum, Cadmium (if they stop smoking) and Lead in just 10 sessions. This is a tremendous relief on the client both financially and time wise. We also provide private care sessions so the process can be carried out in the comfort of your own home with a Registered Nurse.

Below are some of the signs and symptoms of Toxic Metal Poisoning:

Problems Mercury can cause
Mercury disrupts and disables to varying degrees fundamental metabolic processes causing a variety of problems. Different people will experience a different progression of symptoms, depending on their individual biochemistry. Following is a list of some of the conditions mercury is directly linked to and have been successfully resolved or dramatically reduced as a result of chelation. If the damage was serious, full resolution of the condition would not be achieved until repair of the damaged tissues and organs is completed – this we call Orthomolecular Biochemical Restoration and you can read more about that at www.biosanctuary.com.

Addison’s Disease Allergies Alzheimer’s
Amylotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Ankylosing Spondylitis Anorexia Nervosa
Anxiety Asperger’s Asthma
Attention Deficit Disorder, ADHD & ADD Autism Autoimmune disease
Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depression) Borderline Personality Disorder Bulimia
Candidiasis Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) Colitis
Crohn’s Disease Depression Endocrine disorders
Environmental Illness Fibromyalgia Food Allergies
Gastritis Hypogonadism Hypothyroidism
Infertility Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Juvenille Arthritis Learning Disabilities Multiple Chemical Sensitivities
Multiple Sclerosis Myasthenia Gravis Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Panic attacks Parkinson’s Disease Psychosis
Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Schizophrenia
Sciatica Sleep disorders Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
Yeast Syndrome

Symptoms Of Mercury Poisoning By System Affected
1. Psychological Disturbances (erethysm)
Irritability, Nervousness, Fits of Anger, Memory Loss, Lack of Attention, Depression, Low Self Confidence, Anxiety, Drowsiness, Shyness/timidity, Decline of Intellect, Insomnia, Low Self Control, Personality Changes, Mood Disorders.
2. Oral Cavity Disorders
Bleeding Gums, White Patches – Mouth, Stomatitis, Bone Loss Around Teeth, Loosening of Teeth, Ulcers of Gums- Palate- Tongue, Excessive Saliva, Burning of Mouth, Foul Breath, Gum Pigmentation, Metalic Taste.
3. Gastrointestinal Effects
Abdominal Cramps, Colitis, Crohn’s disease, Gastrointestinal Problems, Diarrhea.
4. Systemic Effects
Cardiovascular, Irregular Heart Beat, Changes in Blood Pressure, Feeble or Irregular Pulse, Pain or Pressure in Chest, Kidney Damage.
5. Neurologic
Chronic or Frequent Headaches, Dizziness, Ringing or Noises in Ears, Fine Tremors (Hands, Feet, Eye Lids, Tongue), Confused Speech, Sensory Losses, Loss of Coordination, Numbness or Tingling in the Extremities.
6. Respiratory
Persistant Cough, Emphysema, Shallow or Irregular Breathing.
7. Immunological
Allergies, Asthma, Rhinitis, Sinusitis, Swollen Lymph Nodes in Neck. 8. Endocrine Subnormal Temperature, Cold Clammy Hands & Feet, Excessive Perspiration, Muscle Weakness, Fatigue, Hypoxia, Edema, Loss of Appetite, Loss of Weight, Joint Pain.

Some of the Benefits of
Chelation Therapy:

What are other benefits of Chelation Therapy?

Chelation has many other benefits. It removes
a large number of toxic metals, reduces one’s risk of cancer
(by
about 90% according to studies), helps with osteoarthritis
and osteoporosis, diabetes and blood sugar control,
impotence, high blood pressure, heart disease, Alzheimer’s,
gout, kidney and gallbladder stones, lupus, glaucoma,
cataracts, retinopathy and macular degeneration, scleroderma,
gangrene, rheumatoid arthritis, heart arrhythmias,
stroke, skin ulcers, heart valve calcification, emphysema,
Raynaud’s, Parkinson’s, and varicose veins. Any condition
that is affected by decreased circulation can be treated with
Chelation.

How can you measure the progress of Chelation
Therapy?

Progress due to Chelation can be monitored
in many ways. In most cases, the patient tells me that they
have
improved. Angina goes away, they can walk without pain in
their legs, they have more energy and clarity of
thought, and aches and pains have cleared up. We can also
measure progress through the usual methods, such as
cardiac stress tests, ultrasound, angiography, Cardioversion,
and Oculoplethysmography.
Chelation is a non-specific process, meaning that it can remove
some of the good stuff as well as the bad. For that
reason, I suggest that everyone receive a nutritional evaluation
and be on a vitamin/mineral supplement program.
This helps to avoid any nutritional deficiencies from forming,
helps the Chelation work better, and provides benefits
that Chelation cannot. It should also be continued after Chelation,
as it helps to correct the underlying problems that
led to the person’s ill health. Chelation reverses the current
problems, nutrition keeps them from returning.

Is Chelation Therapy safe?

Chelation is extremely safe. I have never had
anyone stop the therapy due to side effects. Some possible
effects are
irritation at the site of infusion, a weak or achy feeling
after a treatment, low blood sugar, muscle spasm, and skin
rash. The side effect that is greatly overrated is kidney
damage. All cases occurred in the 1950′s when very high
doses were given in a short time, which is never done now.
In fact, kidney function typically improves with
Chelation, and even people with severe kidney problems have
been able to receive Chelation successfully. We do
monitor for any problems on a regular basis, but I have never
seen a serious reaction to it. It is important that you
eat before receiving Chelation to avoid a drop in blood sugar,
and you should drink plenty of pure water before,
during, and after a treatment.

Many physicians state that Chelation is useless
and that there is no scientific evidence to show that it works.
In
reality, Chelation has been well researched and its benefits
have been demonstrated over and over again for more
than 50 years. There are currently over 3500 research articles
published on EDTA and Chelation therapy. Those who
say there is no evidence for its benefits are obviously incorrect.
If you would like more detailed information on
Chelation, there are many sources. Popular books include The
Chelation Way, By-Passing By-Pass, and Forty-
Something Forever.

Links/Articles:

http://www.naturalnews.com/024993.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/011764.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/023652.html

http://www.epa.gov/mercury/exposure.htm

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/03/09/mercury-exposure.aspx

]]> http://biosanctuary.com/chelation-therapy/feed 1 http://biosanctuary.com/nutritional-bio-repair-mind-body-energy-healing?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nutritional-bio-repair-mind-body-energy-healing http://biosanctuary.com/nutritional-bio-repair-mind-body-energy-healing#comments Fri, 19 Nov 2010 07:50:39 +0000 Genita http://biosanctuary.com/?p=32 The Green Body and Mind Orthomolecular Neurochemical Rehabilitation (ONR) Program integrates nutritional bio-repair, and mind/body energy healing to correct addictive biochemistry at the cellular level and deliver you to your natural, healthy non-addicted state, free from not only addiction but the symptoms that brought you to it.

ONR is the science of thoroughly detoxifying the cells while providing nutriceutical targeted nutritional therapy and mind/body/energy clinical support for minimal transitional discomfort (withdrawal symptoms) and rebalancing the neuroendocrine system. After detoxification has been accomplished and healing has been initiated, laboratory testing reveals the underlying cause of the original symptoms. It is critical to identify what created the addictive biochemistry experienced in symptoms such as anxiety, cravings, depression, mental/physical fatigue, panic attacks, loss of passion for life, feelings of emptiness, increased perception of stress, attention deficit disorder, etc.

Laboratory testing includes:

• Brain chemistry analysis of major neurotransmitters including serotonin, GABA, beta endorphin, dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine
• Hormones
• Live blood cell analysis
• Neuroendocrine analysis which includes thyroid, adrenal, pituitary, hypothalamus, sex organ, pancreas and parathyroid function
• Other tests such as methylation and Krebs cycles, allergies, heavy metal toxicity, pyroluria, histamine, elemental and trace minerals and amino acid/vitamin/mineral/EFA testing.

Once the test results and the patient’s health history and symptoms are evaluated and the biochemical markers have been established, our Director of Patient Services will provide a highly sophisticated evidence-based targeted nutritional therapy that will accelerate the healing of the neuroendocrine system so that you may quickly enjoy the rewards of natural “Green” mental health.

Since recovery from ALL addictions, legal and illegal, is a whole person endeavor we employ integrative holistic medicine to achieve the superior results we are known for. Every aspect of the person’s life and environment is incorporated into a healing treatment or recovery model. Every aspect of the person’s life that was touched by the addiction is massaged out until the person is left feeling whole and vibrant again.

We employ the sustainable, highly acclaimed counseling and life coaching model inspired by Ken Wilber’s Integral Life Practice of the Integral Institute. Here, addiction is not the focus because the biochemical healing is quickly established and the body and mind are well on their way to providing all the natural feel-goods for excellent mental and physical health. At Shangri La BioSpa & Resort we focus not only on healing the aspects of the person’s life that were touched by addiction, but also the psychological, emotional and physical root causes of the original addictive biochemistry. We provide individualized attention after inpatient care when needed to help the person adapt to life again, as there is usually a learning curve in establishing a way to manage one’s life without the fog of addiction separating her or him from life’s experiences.

Treatment Overview

The claim that there is no cure for addiction is a myth and not supported by science.
In fact, science proves that there is a cure.

No, you are not an alcoholic or drug addict for life. In fact, you never were one. You were a person seeking external means of providing the neurochemicals that your body and mind could no longer produce for itself in order to provide healthy states of mind experienced as peace, creativity, natural states of euphoria, inspiration, insight, enthusiasm, feeling and welcoming love, and a “can-do” attitude.

When the mind and body can no longer provide the “physician within” with the means to make the natural chemicals that provide for good mental health, they will literally instruct you through cravings and the natural survival instinct to find relief from emotional, physical or psychological discomfort to seek them externally. This of course is dangerous because not only does it lead to total dependence on mind-altering substances, but they are always toxic. They cause more damage to the delicate neuroendocrine organs which were deficient and aggravate the original symptoms you sought relief for.

What causes addiction?

The undisputable fact is that the epidemic mental health issues that plague society today are brought on primarily by over-stimulating and neurotoxic substances (meaning they damage the nervous system and cause psychological distress as well as physical symptoms). These substances can include food chemicals such as (MSG/Aspartame), sugar and caffeine. Another condition is malnutrition psychosis, where the belly may be full but the “tank is empty.”  

Also, neurotoxic and carcinogenic environmental and personal hygiene pollutants/chemicals cause serious damage to the nervous system and produce many psychological symptoms that land people in psychiatrists offices. When this happens, people seeking help are unknowingly prescribed very toxic drugs that are many times more toxic than the original cause of the condition; however, by design they mask the symptoms you would experience. While you think you are taking medicine, what you are really taking is a toxic drug designed to mask the original problem and the drug’s symptom while your health deteriorates and the original condition worsens without you even noticing it!

Sexual and physical abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, war trauma, and relentless career or toxic relationship stresses can also cause addictive biochemistry. These experiences place such high demands on the neuroendocrine system to mediate the psychological and emotional symptoms that it eventually burns out and you become more symptomatic. When trauma and chronic stress are the root cause, we provide counseling and life coaching through the world-renowned Integral Life Practice developed by Ken Wilber. Your neuroendocrine system is healed utilizing the individualistic biochemical TNT ONR therapies provided at our Resort so that you may begin life again with both a healthy mind and healthy body. You receive support redesign your life with patterns that will continue to produce psychological, emotional and physical health.

What causes addictive biochemistry?

Addictive biochemistry is the term coined for the book Alcoholism: The Cause & the Cure by Genita Petralli H.H.P., N.C., M.H. It describes the biochemical characteristics created by an imbalanced neurochemistry (brain chemistry) that will literally instruct you to seek external means of relief when the neuroendocrine system cannot provide the wholesome mental states achieved from naturally good neurochemistry.

Imbalanced brain chemistry can be caused by many factors in today’s over-stimulating, toxic and food-poisoned world. It will create cravings and compulsions to medicate the many symptoms that arise from a deficient neuroendocrine system. When the delicate organs of the neuroendocrine system become so deficient in producing the neurotransmitters and hormones that produce healthy states of mind on their own, they will literally instruct you to seek external chemicals that mimic the natural ones they can no longer produce.

This imbalance sets you on a downward spiral of pushed/prescribed drug and or alcohol addiction, chasing the symptoms of the original problem while even more damage is done to the very same organs that were causing the symptoms to begin with. Symptoms are a sign of an imbalanced deficient neuroendocrine system and they are at the very root of the attraction to substance abuse and relapse. If you don’t cure the symptoms by healing the neuroendocrine system, the odds are overwhelmingly in favor of relapse and never finding the quality of life you seek.

Psychiatric drugs are not medicine

Psychiatric medications are toxic drugs that cause liver function impairment, brain cell and tissue death, a plethora of neuroendocrine disorders and even cancer. They are designed to mask not only the original symptoms but the symptoms from the damage they are doing to your body and mind. Addiction to psychiatric drugs can be even more serious and life-threatening than street drugs!  Tens of thousands of people—many more than from street drugs—die every year from psychiatric medications.

Detoxification

In addition to carefully selected herbs and supplements to gently assist thorough detoxification down to the cellular level, Shangri La BioSpa & Resort treatment strategy includes:

• A world-class organic/whole foods ovo-pescatarian (eggs & fish) diet
• Vegetable juicing with extremely potent nutrient dense highly bioavailable organisms from the first tier of the food chain
• Infrared sauna
• Colonic therapy focused on actually removing mucoid plaque from the lower bowel
• Lymph drainage
• Deep tissue and Pranic massage
• Intravenous chelation
• Seaweed wraps
• Organic mineral water spa
• Yoga and your choice of dance (by renowned choreographer Ireni Stamou)
• Hiking, swimming, QiQong breathing or the private gym on the property

Repair

Targeted nutritional therapy focused on orthomolecular neurochemical rehabilitation is the core treatment at Shangri La BioSpa & Resort. This lays the groundwork for all other adjunct therapies to provide maximum benefits in reduction of symptoms and ultimate complete healing.

Many well intended and skilled practitioners provide very effective treatments such as acupuncture, cranial electrical simulation (CES), etc. However, they are not able to achieve the results that the masters and scientists utilizing these therapies did because the cells of the body and brain are so poisoned today and in chaotic disarray. They are not working bioenergetically, and therefore no long term recovery of the cells and tissue/organ function can be accomplished.

You must consider that when acupuncture was developed we did not have pesticides and other very neurotoxic chemicals in our food, air, soil and water blocking and convoluting the energetic message of the treatment. These therapies were developed to work with a body that is for the most part fundamentally working as nature has designed it over three million years. These other therapies were designed to inspire and utilize the natural healing process;  they were developed to assist and utilize the body’s physician within.

However, toxicity and the malnutrition that goes along with it prevent the body from delivering the raw materials to the physician within. Today’s toxins and lack of nutritious food literally make it impossible for cells to receive, utilize and embed the messages from the treatments necessary for the long-term healing and health they are very capable of providing.

At Shangri La BioSpa & Resort you will receive the maximum benefit of all adjunct therapies because your body and mind will be aligned with the laws of nature that produce a healthy life and will be receptive to and assisted by your world-class set of treatments.

Live Blood Cell Analysis

At Shangri La BioSpa & Resort we do on-site live blood cell analysis using dark field microscopy. We can immediately discover nutritional deficiencies, fungal/mold or yeast infections, insulin resistance/diabetes, toxic overload, immune disorders, oxidative stress, advanced glycation end products, fat deposits, pH imbalance and other abnormal conditions. Live blood analysis is extremely helpful while you are tucked away in the tropics and awaiting your comprehensive lab test results from the US. Live blood cell analysis enables us to immediately begin providing you an evidence-based treatment and targeted nutritional therapy based on your unique needs identified in your physical body’s life force—your blood.

Lab Testing

At our Resort we utilize very sophisticated laboratory testing that provides concrete evidence to support the Targeted Nutritional Therapy (TNT) Orthomolecular Neurochemical Rehabilitation (ONR) our patients receive. We conduct comprehensive testing to analyze:

• Brain chemistry
• The methylation and Krebs cycles
• Heavy metal toxicity
• Chemical sensitivities
• Gastrointestinal bacteria flora
• Liver function
• Allergies
• Amino acid, vitamin, mineral and EFA assays
• The neuroendocrine system (thyroid, parathyroid, adrenals, hypothalamus, pituitary, pancreas, and sex organs)

This extensive testing identifies the areas of the neuroendocrine system that are causing deficiencies in the production of the natural neurochemicals required for healthy states of mind and freedom from the symptoms that encourage seeking relief in external substances.

Remember, it is when the body can no longer make its own feel-goods that it will literally instruct you to find them externally. It is a mechanism of the survival instinct and it cannot be usurped by any of the conventional rehabilitation practices today, and their low success rates demonstrate this very basic real fact. You are driven by your biochemistry to seek relief from psychological, physical or emotional discomfort/pain. Any treatment that does not recognize that is inhumane because it strips you of your dignity, blaming you for the addiction. It does not clear the symptoms while expecting you to discontinue your source of relief, however detrimental to your health it may be. At Shangri La BioSpa & Resort, when the symptoms and craving are gone, you are back in the driver’s seat and free from the need to self-medicate.

Maintenance

Ours is a holistic medical model based on a cure, not on treatment. Conventional medicine focuses on treatments because it ensures they have a patient for life.  Our medical model cures the addiction by healing the symptoms that drove you to it and removing the cravings that encouraged you to seek relief in various substances. In our model there is a beginning, middle and end: detoxification, repair and then maintenance.

The maintenance phase involves the standard practices that any health conscious person today would practice to maintain excellent health; however, yours will also be focused on continued health and nutriment of the neuroendocrine system. Everyone should be focused on this area of their health because unfortunately in today’s environmentally toxic world, it is the neuroendocrine system that is hit the hardest. This is evident in the epidemic psychological/emotional and physical illnesses of today, This epidemic is rooted in the deficient neuroendocrine system that was rarely experienced just 70 years ago. Since then, there has been massive distribution of neurotoxic chemically adulterated and processed foods and environmental pollutants that include personal hygiene and home care products. These are damaging people’s nervous systems at an alarming rate.

The Green Body and Mind maintenance phase is individualized with a final round of testing 6 months after returning home after your stay with us. At that time we are able to measure the profound healing that has occurred and are able to reduce TNT products dramatically, leaving only those required for maintaining the excellent health you have achieved. Our Medical Director uses only the highest quality organic food-based nutriceuticals for her TNT protocols so you can rest assured that you will be receiving the highest quality services and products available today!

Integral Life Practice Counseling

The first step in treatment is clearing the body of symptoms and the damage that caused one to seek legal/illegal drugs and/or alcohol. This provides fertile soil for effective counseling. It is our position that counseling that focuses only on the mental/emotional response to the symptoms of the damaged neuroendocrine system—depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, traumatic experience, etc.—is not effective because the addiction is gone and the dis-ease that caused it is discovered and in the process of healing. A much more enlightened approach for counseling for someone that has suffered with addiction for many years focuses on the person’s universal embodiment as a human being challenged with what everyone faces but with one added layer. Integral life practice counseling helps those that have been disassociated from experiencing their environment and life circumstance as individuals with the full spectrum of capacity they were born with. Integral life counseling ensures they learn to adapt to the full spectrum of capacity and to navigate life in accordance with their hopes, dreams, needs and purpose in life.

Addiction to any toxic substance—be it illicit drugs, alcohol or psychiatric medications —affects every aspect of our lives. You cannot harm one aspect of your life without it affecting all others and you can not heal one aspect without it affecting all others. This is why detoxification is a powerful method for healing the body and mind from the ravages of alcohol abuse or drug addiction. Neuroendocrine health and brain chemistry balance cause people to feel vibrant and they naturally begin to heal all other aspects of their lives.

However, depending on the degree of damage to any aspect of a person’s life during their addiction crisis which affected all others, or because that person may be wounded by an event or series of events, or possibly may be in the midst of a life crisis besides their addiction- caused by it or not, the person seeking peace within, freedom from addiction, and a full life would certainly benefit from guidance and being provided the tools and support systems to carry them through their healing event and evolve as a person toward their highest vision of themselves.  

Conventional psychology and addiction counseling do not touch on all the core issues patients struggle with, such as trying to function in a world while their body and mind are fighting them every inch of the way.  Conventional psychology, talk therapy, and of course psychiatry do not recognize that a person struggling with addiction cannot create lasting change or healing by just meditating, thinking differently or talking about their problems. They will be struggling with the very core of their survival system designed to reduce pain as long as they are fighting the cravings from the addiction, the symptoms of their damaged neuroendocrine system that brought them to it, and whatever damage the addiction caused. They are searching for a way to reduce their emotional, psychological or physical pain and most of the time in conventional therapy that results in relapse.

That is why theservices at Shangri La BioSpa & Resort are essential for effective counseling therapy. They cancel not only the symptoms but the root cause by healing the mind and body, freeing people to seek full lives.  However, because in all cases a portion of their lives were spent out of synch with their environment and circumstances, we nurture them through an adaptation and growth stage.

There, in that space, in-between the mind / body and its life events and environment there is an adaptation phase that is initiated on every level and in every aspect of that person’s life when healing from addiction.  Here good, functional counseling medicine in the way of support and guidance in how to take command of those spaces in-between and look at all the aspects of one’s life and address them on their terms so that they may grow toward the person they see in their mind’s eye is certainly going to be a prescription for success on all levels.

Our Integral Life Practice counselor understands the space in-between and has brought together a combination of the most powerful tools available to not only fix but operate in that space in-between.

The healing achieved at Shangri La BioSpa & Resort will give you a healthy body and mind full of inspiration, tranquility, focus, enthusiasm, energy, peace within, and most importantly the ability to successfully follow through with any mind/body energy medicine or therapy program you choose. Healing the mind and bodymakes the soil rich for new growth and awareness. Integral life practice will help you choose and then plant the seeds for new growth in every area of your life, bringing you closer to your highest vision of yourself and nurturing growth in all aspects of your life.

There is nothing more exhilarating after becoming healthy in mind and body than to quickly sweep away the residual issues and begin planning and nurturing your new life. Experienced professional assistance in our counseling program that fully integrates you into all aspects of your life. Focused on the needs and challenges of one filling with presence areas that were once vacant will not only ensure success, but accelerate the manifestation of a life lived with the full capacity you were born with.

At the core of Integral Life Practice™, is a sophisticated model of personal development, the AQAL Map that engages body, mind, heart, and spirit to produce extraordinary health and awakening on all levels of your being.

Please read the mechanics of this unique form of very successful counseling for all areas of a person’s life, which focuses on evolving as a whole, integrated person here.

Mind / Body Energy Healing

Just as assuredly as we are one with the biosphere and the universe, we are also one within ourselves. The mind is not separate from the body—in fact, the consciousness is a remarkable “newscaster” that provides up to date, minute-by-minute information as to how the body is doing because the consciousness is the news reflecting the sum total of the experiences of each and every cell in our bodies at any given moment. The message conveyed by this transmitter is sent out into our field of energy through thoughts and emotions, letting the rest of the universe know how we’re doing by providing feedback in the way of like attracts like which provides the scientific understanding of the laws of attraction and manifesting your day.

As Einstein postulated, the energy field is the most important thing to consider when attempting to change or study an animate or inanimate organism. It is within this field that we merge our thoughts and feelings with the feedback from the universal consciousness, creating both physical and subliminal experiences in our lives. In the world of matter, both animate and inanimate forms are simply dense collections of energy vortexes brought together by their similar vibrational frequencies and what we manifest, or bring into our field, is attracted to us by the field of atoms and energy that we project.

While the whole body consciousness (our consciousness does not reside solely in our brains) does send signals out, it also receives them from both our environment and our “spiritual energy;” that part of us that will always continue. Yes, when we hit that big iceberg of life, a part of us will go on—we just lose the denser parts that eventually get dismantled and reabsorbed into the whole.

The more we are receptive to the spiritual energies of our being, the more vibrant energy is allowed to flow through us and the healthier we are. The more vital we are, the more life we get to experience while enjoying it. It is truly the elixir of life.

However, when the body is toxic and full of waste, it blocks that spiritual energy from flowing through us. Dis-ease, at its core, is the progressive detachment of that spiritual energy from the physical machinery that makes up our bodies—really just denser collections of the very same energies that comprise our spirit. Matter is a dense collective of energies of similar vibration.

When the denser energies are shut off from the sublime ones they begin to fragment, dismantle themselves, and disperse which results in cell death and ultimately death of the cellular community as a whole- you.  It is those sublime energies that provide the signals for the proteins to keep them moving, enabling you, the spirit, to enjoy an animated life on the planet.  Those sublime energies (spirit) carry the messages that the physical ones require to maintain functions that support animated life. For matter to maintain itself as a collective whole (the body) it must continue to resonate with the energy or spirit that “glues” it together which represents the fundamental totality of the organism; a unique collection of vibrational frequencies piggy-backed on the subliminal flow of energy (spirit).  Dis-ease is the result of obstruction in any of the frequency spectrums which carry the sublime energies (higher frequencies-spirit) into the denser physical organisms (lower frequencies-matter).  This is exactly how detachment from the collective whole brings about dis-ease and ultimately death.  This not only occurs on the microcosmic level; it also occurs on the macrosmic level; it is a well-known fact that the elderly whom volunteer and are active in their communities have a much longer life expectancy than those that withdraw and isolate themselves from the world.  This same functional truth can be witnessed in any aspect of life; when someone or something detaches from the whole, it diminishes the life force or functionality of the collective whole by the withdrawal of its contributions.  This causes feedback channels of communication with the environment to be shut down, which marks that person or thing for “death”; to be dismantled and reabsorbed into the parent organism (earth).  This process is much like how our bodies break down proteins and use their parts to reassemble new ones to serve the needs of the parent organism it is introduced into.  Please note that the energy that makes up these proteins is still very much there, it only changes form so that it may fully integrate with its new environment and serve the collective purpose of the sum total of the environment.  When an alternator in your car goes bad it is removed and the metal is melted down and reconstructed for another purpose; much like our protein parts being reassembled to serve the environment when we detach from our bodies.

In an entirely natural state, our physical bodies are simply denser representations of our spirit; the spirit has built a protein machine to experience life on the planet as we know it using parts from nature to do so. Our vitality is lost when our sublime spiritual energy is deflected by waste particles and toxicity on its journey to dense particles, or when it is consumed by exhausting unreasonable demands to continually rebuild and reorganize the broken and fragmented parts in order to maintain the functional protein machines our bodies are made of that produce animated life. Toxicity and waste break down our protein machines, impede in the spirit’s (energy) channels of communication resulting in mental and physical distress until it is removed or the organism dies.

The mind/body energy healing methods provided at Shangri La BioSpa & Resort help our patients restore a clear channel between their spiritual energy and their dense protein machines that rely on the subliminal energies of spirit for the instructions for healthy molecular response and bioenergetics. The energy channels are opened, spiritual experience and awareness is renewed, and heightened spiritual consciousness and perspective are implanted. This combination naturally provides excellent mental and physical health. We can see the evidence in our patients—the light in their eyes and the glow from their faces when the spirit is provided the clear channels to communicate with the person’s entire being once again.

Medical Science

All of our treatments are supported by science, real science not sales pitches. Our scientific techniques may not always be supported by mainstream scientific organizations because many opinions, views, outcomes and research objectives—even people—have been bought out by pharmaceutical money. Pharmaceutical interests own the airwaves, ink and paper that has formed many professional and personal opinions. Unfortunately, it is an industry that has produced more death than any other on the planet, including all wars put together!

The good news is that there are many bodies of science in the professional and academic worlds that maintain integrity and truth, and we utilize their findings as well as the benefits of the evidence-based treatments that have gone through their rigorous observations and clinical trials. Please see each treatment’s page for scientific validation.

Also, please remember to always listen to your inner voice. When information resonates with you—meaning it rings true enough for you to believe in—that is more powerful than science or medicine. This fact has been proven time and time again by the superior performance of the placebos over the drugs that they are tested against. The placebos have outperformed drugs nearly every time!  Never underestimate the power of belief!

Nature

The human body and mind have witnessed more change in the environment in the last 100 years than they have in the last 10,000 years. We now experience environmental pollution, denatured toxic water which now replaces what used to be our number one source for natural minerals and hydration, toxic chemicals being put in our food, the denaturing of food through depleted soils, genetically modified organisms, and pesticides which render crops nearly void of nutrition. We experience the over-stimulating and empty lives created by removing men, women and children from the fabric of the home and social structures by placing higher and higher demands in the work force. Expectations in academics have so removed/denatured our minds/bodies and hearts from the natural patterns of life we had just 100 years ago that our adaptation mechanisms are burning out. We are constantly being expected of more while receiving less and less. We are experiencing too much change too fast while being robbed of the very substances in nutrition, family life and social structures that sustain us.

We must realign lifestyles with the natural organic processes and substances that sustain us to live in peace and harmony with our environment. Putting our spirituality aside, we are organisms of the planet, made by the natural substances in the biosphere. If we stray too far away from those nurturing substances for the cells we have used for millions of years—especially while being bombarded with industrial toxicity every where we turn and in every bite we take—we will certainly perish and suffer while we do. That is already evident in the epidemic health crises of today.

The core function of our protein cloths (bodies) is to absorb, process and transmit light (energy). Every cell in our body is here today because it has learned to adapt to very slow environmental changes while repairing and replicating itself. In order to fuel the adaptation mechanism required for survival and to repair and replicate it, each cell needs the elements of nature in both physical and energetic forms to do so. This is why each cell has hundreds of thousands of receptors for every natural element required to build protein machines (bodies) and animate life. In fact, there are unique receptors on every cell for the spiritual energies from your higher self or spiritual body! 

Today, lives and lifestyles have become so denatured that the body is no longer receiving the raw materials it requires to repair and replicate itself. Instead, it is being bombarded through every orifice with toxicity which places huge nutritional demands on a body that is simply not getting the nutrition it needs to maintain baseline functions. At Shangri La BioSpa & Resort, you are provided with all the nutrient dense foods and clinical support and mind/body energy healing modalities you require to heal. And you will also be very well educated in how to practice environmental hygiene and align yourself with nature so that you may function effectively within the normal healthy limits of your mind and body.

Integral life practice coaching is very effective in helping you to look at all factors and situations in your life and mold them into a healthy evolving process. Integral life practice will produce a whole functioning successful, peaceful, inspired, creative and blissful you!

Clean / Organic nutrition

5 Star Organic Whole Food Ovo-Pescatarian Cuisine:  Our world class organic whole foods Chef and Medical Director have put together a very most satisfying, healing and medicinal diet.  You will not only enjoy your culinary experience while it provides the accelerated healing you seek, but you will be provided cooking and food preparation classes so that you return home fully capable of continuing the good practices of organic whole food preparation. Your diet is the foundation of your mental and physical health objectives so your treatment program includes education and practical experience in both whole food preparation and medicinal nutrition for maximum mental/physical health benefits as well as enjoyment!

Nutritional Supplements: We use only the highest quality organic food-based nutritional prescription class supplements available today. Once you are a patient of ours you will always have access to these holistic prescription products so that you may continue your health goals with only the most high-quality effective supplements on the market today.

Ancient Traditions

Yoga, QiQong, Tai Chi, meditation, dance and music are all proven effective life practices that produce mental/physical health, creative insight, optimism, spiritual connectedness, and nurture wholesome living values. This is why we offer movement and creative activities as part of our healing program at Shangri La BioSpa & Resort.

Science has accumulated years of studies, and medical and clinical trials that substantiate this, not to mention the obvious appeal that those who practice one or a few of these traditions carry with them. Their lives are peaceful, their disposition optimistic and their eyes shine. Do we really need science to validate why? Perhaps not, but the findings are useful.

PET scans and brain chemistry assays have assessed the before and after conditions of those that practice yoga, meditation, QiQong and Tai Chi. Scientific studies have established that very favorable changes occur in the neurochemistry. Please see this article for an introduction into this very fascinating new field of study and awareness.

These ancient traditions have also been given credit for being key adjunct therapies in the successful treatment of cancer, pain management, post traumatic stress disorder and stress reduction. Studies indicate they  are all proven to boost the immune system.

Targeted nutritional therapy is the science of using laboratory testing of all major biochemical processes of the body to establish an evidence-based nutritional therapy for health issues when nutritional deficiencies known to cause them are exposed. Examples of tests that are helpful in establishing a cause for addictive biochemistry include the methylation cycle, brain chemistry analysis, amino acid/vitamin/mineral/EFA assays, Krebs cycle, metabolic profiles, liver function, heavy metal and other environmental toxicities. Results of these laboratory tests establish your individual nutritional deficiencies, providing concrete evidence for the selection of the nutriceuticals required to repair and re-establish healthy biochemical and metabolic processes required for restoring your physical and mental health. Each patient at Shangri La BioSpa and Resort is assessed for which tests need to be completed and a highly sophisticated, individualized formula is provided both orally and intravenously.

Intravenous targeted nutritional therapy provides nutrition directly into the cell, bypassing intestinal malabsorption and other digestive disorders. It is standard for anyone who has been addicted to pushed/prescribed and/or alcohol to have impaired digestion. In addition to gastrointestinal damage, many people with a long-term addiction to any pushed/prescribed drug and/or alcohol suffer from pancreatic dysfunction. This reduces enzyme production and makes it impossible to benefit from the nutrient dense diets that many well meaning holistic practitioners will prescribe for those suffering from drug toxicity and mental distress.

Additionally, it is very difficult to get nutrients in and waste out because toxins are locked in the cells due to poor and damaged cellular mechanics. Cell walls are hardened from excess sugar and hydrogenated and indigestible fats bonding to proteins. During detoxification and withdrawal it is extremely important to quickly get the cells the help they need to detoxify and intravenous treatment is the best way to do that. The path must be cleared quickly so that cells may use the raw materials in amino acids, vitamins, minerals, EFAs and enzymes to stabilize the patient, minimizing withdrawal and transitional discomfort and delivering the patient to natural mental health in the most humane and quick way possible.

Intravenous targeted nutritional therapy is key in ensuring minimal transitional discomfort during withdrawal. It also is the most effective way to provide the “pharmacist within”—the neuroendocrine system—the raw materials required for producing the natural neurochemicals responsible for “green” mental health experienced as peace, inner joy, inspiration, enthusiasm and a renewed ability to embrace life in a fully present way. When the body can produce it’s own “feel-goods,” then cravings and drug dependency for relief of distressing physical and mental symptoms disappear- and the cure to addiction is achieved.

NOTE: Oral chelation begins upon arrival and intravenous chelation begins during the second month for those staying for the suggested 2 months. Intravenous chelation can not be initiated until all detoxification systems are working well, and drug toxicity is minimized. IV TNT begins after testing, usually in the 6th week. Special arrangements at an additional fee can be made for continuous intravenous TNT from the date of arrival on a case by case basis.

Links

The101Program.com

GreenBodyAndMind.com

Founder & Medical Director of Shangri La BioSpa & Resort, Genita Petralli H.H.P., N.C., M.H. provides an 18 hour lecture series over the 6 week program on all aspects of Green Mental Healthcare based on her new book, Green Mental Healthcare A Comprehensive Guide to Mental Wellness in a Toxic World

Twelve 90 minute lectures on the most prevalent topics of today for staying healthy in the toxic jungle:

1) Introduction: Fractal Environmentalism – As above, so below – Protecting and healing the earth through conscious consumption and healing yourself.

What is causing the Epidemic Mental Health issues today that often lead to addiction and relapse?  How the heart of humanity’s survival mechanism, the ability to adapt to the environment which is the function of the neuroendocrine system,  is being overworked and unable to keep up with the rapidly changing environment and the chemical abuse of both the earth and all its inhabitants.  When homeostasis is lost as a result of the organism not being able to adapt and the tank being empty (deficient raw materials for the cells to function) physical and mental symptoms develop which often lead to drugs and alcohol in an attempt to do what the body and mind can no longer do for itself.

Green Mental Health Care – Sustainable health care that utilizes, assists and respects the natural healing process allowing the body to heal and maintain health naturally as it was designed to do.

2) Introduction: What is Orthomolecular Medicine? – “Use Ford parts to repair a Ford” – Dr. Linus Pauling – father of orthomolecular medicine and two time Nobel Prize Winner (chemistry & peace).
Ms. Petralli lectures on the application of Orthomolecular Medicine, what it is, it’s history and why it is the superior treatment / curative model for both you and the earth.

What is Orthomolecular Neurochemical Rehabilitation? – Drug and alcohol addiction are not a disease; they are metabolic disorders resulting from a very elegant and necessary survival mechanism – adaptation.  Addiction at its core is neurochemical adaption.  The mind and body, in order to maintain homeostasis and survive, have adapted to a drug to compensate for its effects on the body so the body doesn’t shut down.  Conversely, it is what is causing the symptoms that is the true dis-ease.  Sometimes it is as simple as the damage recreational drinking and drug use / abuse can do that serves up the cravings and mental distresses people seek relief from, but other times it can be a list of causes from heavy metal toxicity and poor diet to childhood and/or sexual abuse that will certainly put enough stress on the neuroendocrine system that it becomes deficient in naturally medicating the body and mind and maintaining symptom-free, sound mental and physical health.

Orthomolecular Neurochemical Rehabilitation uses the principles of Orthomolecular Medicine to make the cell’s environment nutrient dense and correct deficiencies in order to “awaken the physician within” and provide a means to get the nutrients in and the waste out so that the cell can do what it does best to heal itself, the organs, and the mind and body as a whole – repair and replicate and.  At this time neurochemical rehabilitation has occurred to the point of once again being able to use the natural elements in the cells environment for the cell to function healthyfully.  Neurochemical Rehabilitation involves detoxing the body/mind and then repairing the damage done by the toxic abuse.  It then employs full laboratory testing and counseling to discover the root cause of the attraction to drugs / alcohol in order to provide a full spectrum Orthomolecular treatment to heal the root cause and free the person once and for all from both the addiction and the symptoms that drove them to it.

Orthomolecular Medicine and Neurochemical Rehabilitation also involves the art and science of Environmental Hygiene, Functional Counseling (Integral Institutes Integral Life Practice) and Mind/Body energy healing techniques to create an environment for the organism as a whole (the person) to heal. 

The science that demonstrates the phenomenal results achieved by the mind/body energy healing treatments provided at Shangri La BioSpa & Resort such as Cranial Sacral, Cranial Electrical Stimulation, Acupuncture / Medical QiQong, Infrared Sauna (stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system) and Integral Life Practice Counseling will be presented.

3) Environmental Stress – the inability to adapt – How the neuroendocrine system and particularly the HPA axis is showing signs of not being able to keep up.  The heat is on with the windows open.

4) Causes of today’s epidemic mental illness

5) Why Green Mental Health Care to address epidemic mental distress and addiction?

1. What psychiatrists call medicine are toxic drugs that do not heal; they are linked to growing numbers of health issues, death by disease, violence, and suicide.  They cause hundreds of thousands more deaths yearly than illegal drugs.
2. What is green mental health care? And why is it necessary for good mental health?
3. What are the mechanics of and steps to neurochemical adaptation?
4. What is orthomolecular neurochemical rehabilitation?  Detailed presentation showing the science of using natural substances to achieve what drugs are sought out for.

6) Food – the right criteria for the right choices.

7) Water – filters, wells, springs, and waterfalls

Environmental Hygiene: from toxic people to t.v. – Monsanto and Smith-Kline Free Living

9) Home – are the cleaning agents in your home making you sick? Cancer rates for those that work from home are higher than those who leave for the office and scientists are pointing to the toxic products used around the home and in the garden.

10) Personal Hygiene – all conventional products on the market today contain some if not many forms of neurotoxic, carcinogenic, and chemically poisonous products that are bypassing your liver through direct entry into the blood system through your skin.

11) Exercise – The average healthy person is exposed to over 3,000 toxins daily.  Established by a study where health conscious, pregnant women’s umbilical cords tested positive for this number of toxins.  

12) Adjunct Therapies: the value, virtue, vitality received by the practice of ancient and current mind/body healing methods that we call therapies that were once considered ritual. 

]]> http://biosanctuary.com/fractal-environmentalism-orthomolecular-medicine/feed 1 http://biosanctuary.com/live-blood-cell-analysis?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=live-blood-cell-analysis http://biosanctuary.com/live-blood-cell-analysis#comments Fri, 19 Nov 2010 07:02:49 +0000 Genita http://biosanctuary.com/?p=25 At Shangri La BioSpa & Resort we are committed to providing the most effective evidence-based healthcare and treatments possible from the minute you arrive. While we wait for your lab results to return from the States & Germany, we employ live blood cell analysis to support an aggressive Targeted Nutritional Therapy that immediately begins correcting any conditions that may present themselves in the blood cell analysis. Live blood cell analysis is an excellent complement to our extensive list of laboratory tests we perform on our patients. It is just one of our many diagnostic procedures we use to provide a truly evidence-based treatment for you.

There are many conditions directly related to alcohol and drug addiction that can be verified with live blood cell analysis, and we can therefore immediately stabilize our patients to both begin the healing process and minimize transitional discomfort (withdrawal). Advanced Glycation End (AGE) products are a very common condition for those with a history of legal/illegal drug and alcohol abuse.  Hardening of the myelin sheath (cell wall) causes waste to be trapped in the cell and nutrients unable to get in as well as dramatically reduces communication between the cells. All this can be quickly corrected within the first few days to expedite your detoxification phase of treatment and any transitional discomfort by softening the cell walls and assisting nutrient delivery. Live blood cell analysis quickly identifies nutritional deficiencies while we wait for your other laboratory results from the U.S.

AGE is just one condition known to those with a history of toxic overload. There are many other conditions of the patient’s health and biochemistry that can be discovered through live blood cell analysis. This method supports further research and diagnostics to develop a truly individualized and accurate treatment to cure the addiction and its underlying cause.

Live blood cell analysis can also expose other health conditions that may complicate or impede your full recovery. Some examples are yeast overgrowth, bacterial infections, immune system issues, fungal infections, oxidative stress, infectious disease and degenerative diseases. These can be quickly identified and addressed to assist your full expeditious recovery.
Our “Aligned with Nature/Supported by Science” approach to your health is what makes our scientific approach so appealing to patients at Shangri La BioSpa & Clinic. We take all the guesswork out and put your confidence in. And when we have your confidence, the belief system is incorporated into treatment. This is the most powerful contributor to each and every successful treatment strategy.

Live blood cell analysis is used not only at the beginning of your treatment, but also as an effective way for you and your healthcare practitioner to monitor your progress throughout your treatment program.

Live Blood Cell Analysis Procedure and Examples

Courtesy of HealthEnlightenment.com

Live Blood Cell Analysis is carried out by placing a drop of blood from the fingertip on a microscope slide under a glass cover slip to keep it from drying out.  The slide is then viewed at high magnification with a microscope that forwards the image to a television monitor.  Both practitioner and patient can then see the blood cells.  The results are then used as a basis for anaylsis.  A single drop of blood contains a mass of information which can be used to assess an individual’s current state of balance/imbalance.  This procedure is also called live cell analysis or nutritional blood analysis.   

Blood is the most important organ in the human body.  It provides every cell with the oxygen and nutrients it needs.  It is the system through which toxins and waste products are carried to the organs of elimination.  So it stands to reason that if the blood is not in an optimal state then this will affect the rest of the body.

The pictures below are courtesy of the Enzymology Research Center, Inc.* and are presented to show the relationship between various conditions and the blood.

Normal Red Blood Cell (RBCs) The circulatory system is the means by which oxygen, nutrients, antibodies, and hormones are transported to the cells to keep them alive and functioning. This is how our blood looks when we are experiencing optimum health. The Erythrocytes (cells) are round and separated and move through the capillaries very easily. The average size of healthy RBCs is 7.2 microns

Protein Linkage This condition is the first sign of cell stickiness and may progress into rouleau if not corrected. Protein linkage is a sign that excessive protein is being consumed or the protein is not being digested completely. As the cells start sticking together it becomes harder for the heart to push the blood through the veins and arteries.

Rouleau When the blood gets to this condition the amount of oxygen that can be transported is severely diminished. This condition is caused by high fat and protein diets and high acidity. Your blood will look like this if you drink one soda and will stay that way for at least two hours. Because your cells are not getting oxygen you will feel tired, have poor digestion, and skin disorders.

Erythrocyte Aggregation This condition is one step worse than rouleau. This is often seen in people with degenerative diseases. This is caused by undigested fats and proteins and high acidity. Degeneration of tissue always follows low oxygen and acidity. This condition can precede a blood clot which can cause a stroke or heart attack.

Poikilocytosis This condition is caused by free radicals. This also lowers the bloods oxygen carrying capacity and shortens the life if the cell. RBCs don’t have nuclei, so they will not mutate, but the fact that there is free radical damage signifies that there will also be damage to the nuclei of tissue cells which is the beginning of mutations that lead to cancer.

Microcyte These are small RBCs having a diameter of less than 5 microns. These cells have less hemoglobin than normal cells and is often seen in people with iron deficiency anemia.

Macrocyte These cells are greater than 10 microns in size. Macrocytes are often seen in people with hemolytic anemia.

Anisocytosis In this condition there are variations in the size of the cells. This is mostly seen in people with low levels of the vitamins B12 and folic acid and the mineral iron.

Target Cell These RBCs are deficient in iron and therefore hemoglobin, which is the part that carries oxygen. The symptoms produced in the body are tiredness, poor digestion, and anemia

Hemolysis This is literally the destruction of the red blood cell. This can be caused by bacterial infection or any number of toxins introduced into the blood stream. The hemoglobin goes out of the cells interior and diffuses into the plasma.

Fat, Protein, and Liver Congestion 

	Normal Thrombocytes (Platelets) Platelets are small disk shaped components of blood that have an important role in blood coagulation. When a blood vessel is injured the platelets adhere to each other and to the injury to form a plug which stops the bleeding. Platelets number approximately 200,000 to 300,000/cu.mm.
	Thrombocyte Aggregation When the thrombocytes (platelets) aggregate when there is no injury a very dangerous situation develops. The aggregated platelets can form a clot which can block an artery causing a stroke or heart attack. This clot is called a thrombus. Diets high in fats and proteins or high sugar consumption can create this situation
	Spicules (Fibrin) Fibrin are platelets that have changed in shape that form a net-like substance in which blood clots are formed by the entrapment of red and white cells and platelets. When they are formed in the blood when there is no injury there is an imminent danger of a blood clot that can cause a heart attack or stroke. This is caused by liver stress due to incomplete digestion of proteins and fats.
	Chylous Chylomicrons are small particles of fats in the blood after the digestion and assimilation of fat in food. The presence of chyomicrons in the blood after a 12 hour fast indicates a condition known as hyperlipo-proteinemia, This can lead to atheriosclerosis, coronary artery disease, and enlargement of the liver and spleen.
	Plaque Atherosclerotic plaque is one of the most dangerous conditions in the blood. It can adhere to the artery walls narrowing and hardening them. These crystals are formed when the system becomes acidic and the fatty acids from simple carbohydrates crystallize.
	Uric Acid Crystal Uric acid is a byproduct of protein metabolization and urea. When the body becomes acidic the urea forms crystals that can lodge in the joints or in the tissues. Uric acid is the cause of gout and one of the causes of fibromyalgia. These crystals are shaped like knives and is the reason it can cause so much pain for people with either of these disorders.
	Cholesterol Crystal Cholesterol is an important sterol in the body that is the precursor for many important hormones. Only when the body is acidic does the cholesterol crystallize and become a problem. This is probably the most seen crystal in blood analysis, but it’s important to realize that cholesterol is not the problem when you see the crystals, acidity is.
	Echinocyte These are red blood cells that have a thorny appearance. This is usually indicative of kidney stress and crenation (the shrinking of the cell by dehydration).

Immune System, Parasites, Bacteria, and Fungal Forms

	Healthy White Blood Cell These cells are made up of lymphocytes and leukocytes. They form the basis of the immune system. There are approximately one or two white cells for every 500 red cells. When there is an elevated count it is usually a sign of an infection. The white blood cells protect us from infectious diseases and will destroy any cells that have mutated.
	Yeast A fungus that feeds on undigested food and sugar in the blood. The principle yeast found in the blood is Candida Albicans. It is usually found in people with cancer, fibromyalgia and those with chronic fatigue. This condition is also indicative of over acidity as yeast cannot live in an alkaline environment.
	L-Form Bacteria This is a bacterial infection (it’s hard to see in this picture) that is shaped like a butterfly. This usually signifies a condition of low immunity and high blood sugar.
	Rod Form Bacteria This is an advanced form of a bacterial infection and is regarded as a serious indicator of a weak immune system. These bacteria produce very toxic acid byproducts as a result of their metabolic processes.
	Parasitized Red Blood Cells This is bacteria or parasites that get inside the cells. Of course the cell will die, and unless they are stopped by the immune system, they will continue to attack other cells.
	Fungal Forms Fungi can spread throughout your body through the blood and develop colonies. They usually develop slowly and are hard to diagnose and usually resistant to treatment. They are seldom fatal and most of the time go unnoticed. This is a sign of poor assimilation of nutrients and an acidic condition in the body fluids.

]]> http://biosanctuary.com/live-blood-cell-analysis/feed 2 http://biosanctuary.com/acupuncture?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=acupuncture http://biosanctuary.com/acupuncture#comments Fri, 19 Nov 2010 06:54:30 +0000 Genita http://biosanctuary.com/?p=24 Acupuncture has a powerful effect at reducing the craving for drugs and healing the damaged neuroendocrine’s symptoms that encourage drug and alcohol use

Acupuncture is rapidly increasing in popularity as an effective aid in the treatment of many addictions—from alcohol and pushed / prescribed drugs to nicotine and overeating because it works!

Scientifically substantiated clinical evidence supports the use of acupuncture for addiction in both reducing withdrawal symptoms as well as activating those centers in the brain which produce the natural neurochemicals those who seek relief in drugs and alcohol are deficient in producing themselves.

The first acupuncture detoxification clinic in the United States opened in 1974, at the Lincoln Memorial Hospital in the South Bronx section of New York City. At first, acupuncture was used as an adjunct to methadone treatment, but such good results were obtained with acupuncture that methadone was dropped from the program. According to the clinic’s Director, Dr. Michael Smith, the success rate with acupuncture is substantially higher than that of more conventional programs. Unlike methadone, which is itself a highly addictive drug that is used primarily as a heroin substitute for those addicted to heroin, acupuncture is a natural procedure with no side effects, and it can treat a wide range of addictions because it actually stimulates the body to produce its own opiates and other inhibitory (feel good) neurotransmitters.  It works equally well for cocaine, crack, heroin and alcohol addictions, users of psychedelics, and people addicted to barbiturates and amphetamines. Because psychiatric drugs follow along the same biochemical pathways as street drugs (and are even more toxic in many cases) acupuncture is equally effective for psychiatric drug addictions and is very helpful in aiding the repair of damaged brain and other organ tissues from the toxic effects these drugs inflict on the delicate organs of the neuroendocrine system. 

Those suffering from neurochemical adaptation (addiction) report a marked reduction in craving for drugs, a relief from symptoms of withdrawal, and feelings of relaxation along with improved sleep. The success of acupuncture in the treatment of addiction has inspired the opening of public-funded acupuncture detoxification programs throughout the US.

There is strong physiological evidence supporting the use of acupuncture for push/prescribed drug and alcohol addiction. Research has shown that acupuncture can raise the level of endorphins in the nervous system. Resembling opiates in structure and function, endorphins (gr: morphine within) are the body’s natural opiates (pain killers) and are displaced and down-regulated (less naturally produced by the body) by regular heroin, opium and alcohol use which is why there is such a profound withdrawal from these drugs if reversal of the neurochemical adaptation is not supported properly by providing the body and mind (brain) everything it requires to produce it’s own again – quickly.  Their level is also increased by exercise, and they are responsible for the phenomenon called "runner’s high", a feeling of euphoria.  The key to maximize endorphin production is found in diet, exercise, environmental hygiene (avoiding situations and people that cause stress) and for many, spirituality.  Many adjunct therapies such as yoga, acupuncture, CES etc… also stimulate the body’s beta-endorphin and enkephalin production and nutritional therapies such as D-phenylalanine actually serve to preserve what is made by reducing the enzyme activity that digests beta-endorphins.

Cravings and withdrawal symptoms experienced by people giving up smoking, drugs (legal / illegal) or alcohol can be quickly alleviated by raising the level of endorphins in the nervous system. Some researchers postulate that one mechanism that drives the desire to eat is also mediated by the endorphin level in the brain, which would explain why acupuncture helps dieters to control their appetites.

Chinese Medicine has its own explanation of how acupuncture works. Chinese medical theory is based on the concept of yin and yang, which are dynamic and complementary opposites observed in all the processes of nature. In the human body in regards to homeostasis (natural mental health) this can be observed as balance of the parasympathetic (inhibitory) / sympathetic (excitatory) nervous systems.  In a healthy individual, yin and yang are in relative balance (homeostasis). Many drug addictions are encouraged by a deficiency of yin (parasympathetic nervous system) because it is burned out sometimes very early in life by trying to keep up (maintain homeostasis) with the over stimulating effects of neurotoxicity (over stimulating – causing nervous system damage) found in pesticides, MSG, aspartame, high sugar and processed food diets, caffeine, heavy metal poisoning, reactions to chemical sensitivities, and unrealistically demanding and over stimulating (stressful) lifestyles. All of these have a very profound effect on the neuroendocrine system which causes deficiencies in the body’s natural feel good neurotransmitters and hormones.  Chinese medical theory, which comprehends the body metaphorically, relates yin to substance, quiescence, and the element of water. Yang relates to function, activity, and the element of fire. Yin nourishes, and yang consumes. When yin, or the water element, is deficient, fire is not held in check and rages out of control. Since it is the product of a deficit, it is called empty fire because it has no substance to fuel it. On a psychological level, such an imbalance creates feelings of anxiety, depression, panic, acute perception of stress, emptiness and desperation. Physiologically, it manifests as frenetic mind/body hyperactivity. The afflicted is driven to self medicate, but the drug exacerbates the fire and further depletes the yin.

Acupuncture treatment for drug / alcohol addiction involves nourishing the yin by treating points on the outside of the ear and other key areas to stimulate detoxification of the liver, kidneys and lower bowel.  At Shangri La BioSpa and Resort our patients receive superior benefits from acupuncture treatment because the diet and TNT they receive in conjunction with their treatment serves to provide the raw materials required to produce the endorphins and other neurochemicals acupuncture is used to naturally stimulate in order to bring up yin therefore balancing yin/yang.

Links

American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine: Acupuncture and Addiction

The World Health Organization endorses acupuncture as a treatment for addiction

Medical Acupuncture 1

Medical Acupuncture 2

]]> http://biosanctuary.com/acupuncture/feed 1 http://biosanctuary.com/cranial-electrotherapy-stimulation?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cranial-electrotherapy-stimulation http://biosanctuary.com/cranial-electrotherapy-stimulation#comments Thu, 18 Nov 2010 11:53:03 +0000 Genita http://biosanctuary.com/?p=23 Cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) is the application of low-level, pulsed electrical currents (usually not exceeding one milliampere), applied to the head for medical and/or psychological purposes. It is primarily used to treat both state (situational) and trait (chronic) anxiety, depression, insomnia, stress related and drug addiction disorders, but it is also proving indispensable for treating pain patients (Lichtbroun, Raicer & Smith, 2001; Kirsch & Smith, 2000; Thuile & Kirsch, 2000).

Drs. Leduc and Rouxeau of France were first to experiment with low intensity electrical stimulation of the brain in 1902. Initially, this method was called electrosleep as it was thought to be able to induce sleep. Since then, it has been referred to by many other names, the most popular being transcranial electrotherapy (TCET) and neuroelectric therapy (NET). Research on using what is now referred to as cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) began in the Soviet Union during the 1950’s.

Cranial electrotherapy stimulation is a simple treatment that can easily be administered at any time. The current is applied by easy-to-use clip electrodes that attach on the ear lobes, or by stethoscope-type electrodes placed behind the ears. In the 1960’s and early 1970’s, electrodes were placed directly on the eyes because it was thought that the low level of current used in CES could not otherwise penetrate the cranium. This electrode placement was abandoned over 20 years ago. Recent research has shown that from 1 mA of current, about 5 µA/cm2 of CES reaches the thalamic area at a radius of 13.30 mm which is sufficient to affect the manufacture and release of neurotransmitters (Ferdjallah, 1996).

Anxiety reduction is usually experienced during a treatment, but may be seen hours later, or as late as one day after treatment. Although in some people it may require a series of five to ten daily treatments to be effective. Severe depression often takes up to three weeks to establish a therapeutic effect.

Cranial electrotherapy stimulation leaves the user alert while inducing a relaxed state. Psychologists call this an alpha state. The effect differs from pharmaceutical treatment in that people usually report feeling that their bodies are more relaxed, while their minds are more alert. Most people experience a feeling that their bodies are lighter, while thinking is clearer and more creative. A mild tingling sensation at the electrode sites may also be experienced during treatment. The current should never be raised to a level that is uncomfortable. One 20-minute session is often all that is needed to effectively control anxiety for at least a day, and the effects are usually cumulative. If the patient can only tolerate a small amount of current (<200 µA), due to vertigo or nausea, more time is required. Cranial electrotherapy stimulation may also be used as an adjunct to anxiolytic or anti-depressive medication, but the dosage of medication should then be reduced by approximately one-third. It is also proven to be an effective complimentary treatment along with psychotherapy, biofeedback training, and surgical anesthesia (Kirsch, 1999). For people who have difficulty falling asleep, CES should be used in the morning to avoid the possibility of increased alertness that may interfere with sleep.

Most people can resume normal activities immediately after treatment. Some people may experience an euphoric feeling, or a state of deep relaxation that may temporarily impair their mental and/or physical abilities for the performance of potentially hazardous tasks, such as operating a motor vehicle or heavy machinery, for up to several hours after treatment.

At present, there are over 100 research studies on CES in humans and 20 experimental animal studies (Kirsch, 1999). No significant lasting side effects have ever been reported. Occasional self-limiting headache (1 out of 450), discomfort or skin irritation under the electrodes (1 out of 811), or lightheadedness may occur. A rare patient with a history of vertigo may experience dizziness for hours or days after treatment.

Most cranial electrotherapy stimulators are limited to 600 µA. To put this into perspective, it takes one-half of an ampere to light an ordinary 60 watt light bulb. To truly compare the work done per second by these two different currents, we must multiply the currents by the respective voltages that drive them. The product of current x voltage is a measure of the rate of generation of energy, and is referred to as the power output. By definition, when a device outputs one ampere of current with a one volt driving force, the power output of the device is one watt. Therefore a device producing a maximum output of 600 µA is limited to about 11,000 times less power than the light bulb: (600/1,000,000)amperes x 9 volts = 0.0054 watts. Some people do not even feel this amount of current.

As in many areas of biology and therapy, the evidence of CES effectiveness is empirical. It is generally believed that the effects are primarily mediated through a direct action on the brain at the limbic system, the hypothalamus and/or reticular activating system (Brotman, 1989; Gibson & O’Hair, 1987; Madden & Kirsch, 1987). The primary role of the reticular activating system is the regulation of electrocortical activity. These are primitive brain stem structures. The functions of these areas and their influence on our emotional states were mapped using electrical stimulation. Electrical stimulation of the periaqueductal gray matter has been shown to activate descending inhibitory pathways from the medial brainstem to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, in a manner similar to ß-endorphins (Salar, 1981; Pert, 1981; Ng, 1975). Cortical inhibition is a factor in the Melzack-Wall Gate Control theory (Melzack, 1975). Toriyama (1975) suggested it is possible that CES may produce its effects through parasympathetic autonomic nervous system dominance via stimulation of the vagus nerve (CN X). Taylor (1991) added other cranial nerves such as the trigeminal (CN V), facial (CN VII), and glossopharyngeal (CN IX). Fields (1975) showed that electrocortical activity produced by stimulation of the trigeminal nerve is implicated in the function of the limbic region of the midbrain affecting emotions. Substance P and enkephalin have been found in the trigeminal nucleus, and are postulated to be involved in limbic emotional brain structures (Hokfelt, 1977). The auditory-vertigo nerve (CN VIII) must also be effected by CES, accounting for the dizziness one experiences when the current is too high. Ideally, CES electrodes are placed on the ear lobes because that is a convenient way to direct current through the midbrain and brain stem structures.

From studies of CES in monkeys, Jarzembski (1970) measured 42% to 46% of the current entering the brain, with the highest concentration in the limbic region. Rat studies by Krupisky (1991) showed as much as a threefold increase in ß-endorphin concentration after just one CES treatment. Pozos (1971) conducted mongrel dog research that suggests CES releases dopamine in the basal ganglia, and that the overall physiological effects appear to be anticholinergic and catecholamine-like in action. Richter (1972) found the size, location, and distribution of synaptic vesicles were all within normal limits after a series of ten, one-hour treatments in Rhesus monkeys. Several studies in stump-tailed macaques and humans revealed a temporary reduction in gastric hypersecretion (Reigel, 1970; Reigel, 1971; Wilson, 1970; Kotter, 1975).

A recent review by Kirsch (1999) of 106 human studies involving 5,439 subjects (4,058 receiving cranial electrotherapy stimulation, while the remainder served as sham-treated or placebo controls) revealed significant changes associated with anxiolytic relaxation responses, such as lowered reading on electromyograms (Gibson, 1987; Forster, 1963; Heffernan, 1995; Overcash, 1989; Voris, 1995), slowing on electroencephalograms (Braverman, 1990; Cox, 1975; Heffernan, 1996; Heffernan, 1997; Krupitsky, 1991; McKenzie, 1971; Singh, 1971), increased peripheral temperature, an indicator of vasodilatation (Brotman, 1989; Heffernan, 1995), reductions in gastric acid output (Kotter, 1975), and in blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and heart rate (Heffernan, 1995; Taylor, 1991).

The efficacy of CES has also been clinically confirmed through the use of 27 different psychometric tests. The significance of CES research for treating anxiety has been reconfirmed through meta-analyses conducted at the University of Tulsa by O’Connor (1991), and by Klawansky (1995) at the Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health.

Seventeen studies conducted follow-up investigations from one week to two years after treatment (Brotman, 1989; Brovar, 1984; Cartwright, 1975; Flemenbaum, 1974; Forster, 1963; Hearst, 1974; Heffernan, 1995; Hochman, 1988; Koegler, 1971; Magora, 1967; Matteson, 1986; Moore, 1975; Overcash, 1999; Patterson, 1988; Smith, 1999; Turaeva, 1967; Weiss, 1973). Sixteen of 16 (100%) reported that at least some of the subjects had a continued improvement after a single CES treatment, or a series of CES treatments. The other follow-up report only commented on safety (Forster, 1963). None of the 17 studies revealed any long term harmful effects.

When restricted to anxiety populations or studies that measured for physiological and/or psychological changes in anxiety, there are 40 scientific studies of CES, involving 1,835 patients. Thirty-four of the 40 (85%) studies reported efficacious results in the treatment of anxiety. Five of the studies on CES (all using the Alpha-Stim) support the effectiveness for managing anxiety during or after a single treatment (Gibson, 1987; Heffernan, 1995; Smith, 1999; Voris, 1995; Winick, 1999).

None of the 6 of 40 (15%) anxiety studies categorized by the authors as having negative or indeterminate results were recent, five were done in the 1970’s, and one in 1980. Three showed both actual treatment and sham groups to improve significantly, most likely because both groups were also taking medications (Levitt, 1975; Passini, 1976; Von Richtofen, 1980). One was a depression study in which the author noted that acute anxiety was not relieved and again, the study did not control for medications (Hearst, 1974). One reported no significant change on anxiety or depression scales, but subjective insomnia improved (P<.05) during active treatment (Moore, 1975). Only one study conducted on a population of insomniacs, with an average duration of symptoms for almost 20 years, did not show any significant change at all in any parameters (Frankel, 1973). [Perhaps the device used in Frankel’s study was defective.]

Cranial electrotherapy stimulation has been well researched and clearly proven to be the most effective, and safest method of treatment for anxiety, and anxiety-related disorders. It is also highly effective for depression and insomnia, muscle tension, fibromyalgia and headaches. As an increasing number of patients seek alternatives to the side effects and potential addiction to mood-altering pharmaceuticals and controlled substances, CES offers a viable solution. It is easy enough to offer CES in a psychologist’s, dentist’s or physician’s office, clinic, or hospital, and chronically stressed patients will find it cost-effective over time to own their own CES device.

Indications

In addition to the primary claims for anxiety, depression insomnia, and pain, CES has been researched with significant results for many other conditions. Smith and Shiromoto (1992) showed it to be highly effective in blocking fear perception in phobic patients. Favorable results have also been reported for labor, epilepsy, hypertension, surgery, spinal cord injuries, chronic pain, arthritis, cerebral atherosclerosis, eczema, dental pain, asthma, ischemic heart disease, stroke, motion sickness, digestive disorders as well as various addictive disorders including cocaine, marijuana, heroin and alcohol abuse (Wharton, McCoy, & Cofer, 1982; Schmitt, Capo, et al., 1984; Smith, 1975; Smith, 1982; Patterson, 1983; Daulouede, 1980; Gomez & Mikhail, 1978; Brovar, 1984; Feighner, Brown, & Olivier, 1973; Overcash & Siebenthall, 1989).

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) and fibromyalgia syndrome (FS) are two significant pain diagnoses from primary central and autonomic nervous system etiologies that respond best to CES (Alpher & Kirsch, 1998; Lichtbroun et al., 1999). Adding somatic treatment with MET to these two conditions does not seem to improve the outcomes.

Besides specific pathological disorders, there are a growing number of studies being conducted that show increases in cognitive functions. Michael Hutchison (1986) discussed several mind enhancement techniques in his book Megabrain, devoting chapter 9 to CES as a tool for attaining higher levels of consciousness. Sparked by Hutchison, Madden and Kirsch (1987) completed a study that demonstrated CES to be a useful tool for improving psychomotor abilities. Smith (1999) demonstrated that CES significantly improved stress related cognitive dysfunction, such as attention deficit disorder (ADD), after only three weeks of treatment, and maintained the effect through an 18-month follow-up assessment.

Methodology

Cranial electrotherapy stimulation devices are generally similar in size and appearance to TENS units, but produce very different waveforms. Standard milliampere-current TENS devices must never be applied transcranially. CES electrodes can be placed bitemporally, forehead to posterior neck, bilaterally in the hollow just anterior to the mastoid processes, or through electrodes clipped to the earlobes. The ear clip method, developed by the author, is the easiest and possibly most effective electrode placement.

The electrodes must first be wet with an appropriate conducting solution. When using ear clip electrodes, apply them to the superior aspect of the ear lobes, as close to the jaw as possible. Start with a low current and gradually increase it. If the current is too high the patient may experience a painful stinging sensation at the electrodes, dizziness, or nausea. If any of these three symptoms arise, immediately reduce the current and the symptoms will subside in a few moments. After a minute or two, try increasing the current again, but keep it at a comfortable level. It is okay for the patient to feel the current as long as it is not uncomfortable.

The ideal treatment time is 20 to 60 minutes, but some patients may achieve the full benefits of a CES treatment within 10 minutes. Many dentists use it instead of nitrous oxide gas to help relax patients during dental procedures (Winick, 1999). Sometimes these dental procedures last for hours with the patient undergoing CES treatment the entire time.

Although CES treatment is indicated for insomnia, because of the increased alertness some patients find it difficult to fall asleep immediately after a treatment. Accordingly, it is recommended that CES be used at least three hours before going to bed. Also, in most cases after daily treatments for the first week or two, treating every other day is usually more effective than daily treatment.

The CES Experience

During the treatment, most patients will experience a subjective change in their body weight. They may feel heavier at first and then lighter, or they may feel lighter initially. The patient may feel worse during the heavy cycle and this feeling can last for hours or even days in rare cases unless extra treatment time is given. Therefore it is important to continue the treatment if the patient feels heavier at the end of the allotted time, even if it has already been 20 minutes or more. Continue for at least two to five minutes after the patient feels lighter. Not all patients will be aware of these weight-perception changes.

Following CES, most people feel better, less distressed, and more focused on mental tasks. They generally sleep better and report improved concentration, increased learning abilities, enhanced recall, and a heightened state of well-being

Psychologists first described these general feelings during the 1970′s as an alpha state of consciousness. Meditation, biofeedback training, relaxation instructions, chanting, hypnotherapy, and certain religious rituals also produce such states. This is not the same as the alpha brain wave frequency of 8 to 13 Hz. Often, practitioners are confused by device representatives who claim that their particular device will output and entrain a brain to the alpha frequency. There is no evidence to support that CES devices work on an entrainment principle.

Contraindications

There have not been any significant lasting harmful side effects reported in any of the research literature from either MET or CES. As with all electrical devices, caution is advised during pregnancy, and with patients using an older model (pre-1998) demand-type pacemaker. In addition, it is recommended that patients do not operate complex machinery or drive automobiles during and shortly after a CES treatment.

Summary

Microcurrent electrical therapy and cranial electrotherapy stimulation are electromedical modalities that use low level currents that usually do not exceed one milliampere. Beneficial effects have been reported for a wide variety of pain, psychological distress, and addiction-related disorders.
Pain is a complex process encompassing the entire nervous system. To achieve optimal results through electromedical intervention, the peripheral and central nervous systems should both be treated. Cranial electrotherapy stimulation induces a relaxed, alert state. It is a primary modality effective for controlling anxiety, depression, insomnia and generalized stress ubiquitous in pain patients. In addition, there is mounting evidence that CES can enhance cognitive functions. Because of its safety and effectiveness, the combination of MET and CES used with the protocols described here are highly recommended for a broad range of pain and stress-related disorders.

Chapter Reprint from:
PAIN MANAGEMENT: A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR CLINICIANS
Daniel L. Kirsch, Ph.D., D.A.A.P.M.
The Textbook of the American Academy of Pain Management
CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, 2001 Revision.
Chapter © copyright 2001 by D. L. Kirsch, Mineral Wells, Texas.
All Rights Reserved

]]> http://biosanctuary.com/cranial-electrotherapy-stimulation/feed 1 http://biosanctuary.com/cranial-sacral-massage-therapy?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cranial-sacral-massage-therapy http://biosanctuary.com/cranial-sacral-massage-therapy#comments Thu, 18 Nov 2010 11:47:13 +0000 Genita http://biosanctuary.com/?p=22

Cranial Sacral Therapy (massage) and Cranial Electrical Stimulation offered at Shangri La BioSpa & Resort  stimulate frequencies in specific parts of the brain that are responsible for healthy states of mind such as alpha, (healthy) beta, and theta ranges. In instances of addiction and withdrawal, these brain waves are significantly reduced with fewer occurrences when the dominant sympathetic nervous system expresses higher beta brain waves responsible for many of the symptoms that cause people to seek legal and illegal drug-based medications. In today’s over-stimulating, neurotoxic environment. it is more common for the patient to require alpha and theta stimulation and reduce elevated beta waves than it is to induce higher beta waves.

Below is a synopsis of the frequency patterns and pros and cons of each of the four major categories of brain frequencies. The good news about these therapies is that the brain can actually be trained to produce healthy waves on its own. At a certain point in therapy, the brain will consistently produce healthy frequencies responsible for tranquility, peaceful alertness, emotional well-being, focus, creative thinking and many other favorable states of mind.

At Shangri La BioSpa & Resort you will also benefit from the diet and lifestyle changes focused on eliminating the many neurotoxic and over-stimulating influences that caused the brain waves to produce  the unhealthy frequencies. This will become your foundation that maintains the success achieved at our Resort and makes our treatment model a curative approach—you don’t have to submit to treatment for the rest of your life, just as long as it takes to sustain the healthy states of mind you seek.

Cranial Sacral Therapy
A Clinical Report

We began this series of experiments by applying electrodes on the midline of each patient’s anterior thigh, three inches above the superior border of the patella. The grounding electrodes were placed upon the dorsum of each foot on the anterior midline over the tarso-metatarsal junctions. We also monitored cardiac activity through a V-2-placed electrode, and we tracked pulmonary/respiratory activity by placing sensitive strain-gauge and band apparatuses around the thoracic cage at the level of the juncture of the manubrium sterni with the xiphoid bone. Circumferential variations in thoracic-cage volume reflected breathing activity. These four measuring devices were then plugged into a polygraph that recorded the heart rhythm, breathing activity, and total-body millivoltage changes.

Dr. Karni monitored the readings on polygraph paper. Initially I told him what was happening as I initiated treatment techniques or patient changes occurred, and he noted the comments on the polygraph paper at appropriate locations. After a while, he was making accurate patient observations by simply monitoring changes in the polygraph recordings. We treated more than 150 patients this way and collected what seemed like miles of data. By demonstrating correlations in total-body electrical potential, we again confirmed the activity of what we called the craniosacral system.

As all of these laboratory studies were taking place, my colleagues and I conducted two clinical inter-rater reliability studies on children. I developed a 19-parameter evaluation protocol used to rate the level of mobility for various bones of the skull and sacrum. The first study was carried out on 25 nursery-school children examined by myself, one of two other cranial osteopaths, and a student assistant. The four of us evaluated the children independently, and reported our findings on each parameter to an independent research assistant. No one had any knowledge of the other’s findings until after an independent statistician completed the statistical analysis. The percentage of agreement between the examiners varied from 72 percent to 92 percent, with the allowed variance of 0-0.5 percent. Once again, these findings supported the existence of a craniosacral system and sutural movement.

Still not satisfied, I went on to use the same examination protocol on 203 grade-school children. I personally evaluated the children with no knowledge of their histories. I then reported my findings to a research assistant who faithfully recorded them. An independent statistician then collected information from each child’s school file, along with historical data from parent interviews. He correlated my findings with the data he recovered, and reported a very high level of agreement between the craniosacral examination findings and learning behavior; seizure problems; head injuries; hearing problems; and even obstetrical problems.
The study, because of its scientific design, obviated the possibility of random agreement. The results showed that standardized, quantifiable craniosacral system examinations represent a practical approach to the study of relationships between craniosacral system dysfunctions and a variety of health, behavior and performance problems. Other researchers have performed similar studies related to psychiatric disorders and symptomatology in newborns. Again, most of this work has been published. This is but a small portion of the research that has been done to prove the efficacy of therapy upon the craniosacral system.
Today, there are close to 100,000 CranioSacral Therapists around the world – and even more reports of patients helped by its noninvasive techniques. I find it odd that this information counts for nothing in the eyes of some skeptics who continue to proclaim the craniosacral system a fantasy. In any case, the craniosacral system will continue to exist and be used therapeutically with essentially no risk.

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CranioSacral Therapy
Celebrate the Healing Power of a Gentle Touch

Mr. Thomas Bianco, M.S.P.T.
Physical Therapist
CranioSacral Therapy
East Longmeadow, MA

Sometimes all the body needs to activate the healing process is a light touch by a skilled hand. CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle approach that works to alleviate a range of sensory, motor or neurological disorders.

It’s no secret that among the keys to good health are proper nutrition, exercise, a stress-free life (to the extent that’s possible) and steering clear of harmful habits. But what about that aspect of health that originates from inside, within our internal self-healing system? We know that the body is designed to defend us from disease and assist in healing, as evidenced every time we “fight off” a cold or a cut heals. What we may not be aware of are the innovative hands-on techniques available to facilitate that process.

CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a light-touch manual approach that enhances the body’s natural healing capabilities. For nearly 30 years is has been shown to be effective for a wide range of medical problems associated with pain and loss of function. CST is useful as both a primary treatment method and combined with other traditional or complementary techniques.

How CST Works

The CranioSacral Therapy practitioner works with the patient to assist the body’s self-correcting mechanisms. Generally using about five grams of pressure, or about the weight of a nickel, the practitioner evaluates the body’s craniosacral system. This system plays a vital role of maintaining the environment in which the central nervous system functions. It consists of the membranes and fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord as well as the attached bones – including the skull, face and mouth, which make up the cranium, and the tailbone area, or sacrum. Since the brain and spinal cord are contained within the central nervous system, it is easy to see that the craniosacral system has powerful influence over a wide variety of bodily functions.
The CranioSacral Therapy practitioner essentially helps the body release restrictions – which it has been unable to overcome on its own – that inhibit the body’s normal, self-correcting tendencies. Rather than deciding how these changes should be made, the therapist follows cues from the body on how to proceed. When the therapist follows this gentle approach, the method is extremely safe and effective. The few contraindications to CST are aneurysm, intracranial hemorrhage, and other conditions where altering intracranial fluid is not recommended.

Benefits of CranioSacral Therapy

CST has been shown to alleviate a wide range of conditions, including traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, migraine headaches, chronic fatigue, motor-coordination impairments, chronic neck and back pain, scoliosis, central nervous system disorders, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ), stress and tension-related problems, and orthopedic problems. While the focus of CST is to uncover the source of the problem, symptom relief also is achieved. The length of time and number of sessions needed is extremely variable and depends, among other factors, on the complex layers of injury and trauma that may mask the original cause of the problem as well as the body’s defense mechanisms. Due to its gentleness and effectiveness, many people include CST as a component in their personal wellness programs. They report having more energy, sleeping better and being sick less often.

The Foundations of CranioSacral Therapy

In the early part of this century, osteopathic physician William Sutherland put forth the original concepts for what is now known as the craniosacral system. Dr. Sutherland’s studies culminated in a system of treatment known as Cranial Osteopathy. Another osteopath, John Upledger, is credited with developing CranioSacral Therapy. While assisting during a surgery in 1970, Dr. Upledger observed a rhythmic movement of the dura mater, the membrane that encompasses the brain and spinal cord. Neither his colleagues nor medical texts could explain his observation. Dr. Upledger’s curiosity led him to the work of Dr. Sutherland, and later to develop his own scientific studies to confirm the existence of the craniosacral system. This work went on from 1975 to 1983, while he served as a clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics at Michigan State University. The findings of the research team he supervised first established the scientific basis for the craniosacral system.
Dr. Upledger’s continued work resulted in his development of CST. He formed The Upledger Institute in 1985 to educate the public and healthcare practitioners about the benefits of CST. To date, the Institute has trained more than 40,00 healthcare practitioners worldwide in the use of CST. Practitioners include osteopathic physicians, medical doctors, doctors of chiropractic, doctors of Oriental Medicine, naturopathic physicians, psychiatric specialists, psychologists, dentists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, acupuncturists, and massage therapists.
With a growing number of practitioners, CST provides a new healthcare option – one that uses a gentle approach working with the body. By following the body’s lead, the CST practitioner often can uncover the source of pain or dysfunction that can open the path to wellness.

Further Information

Your Inner Physician and You by John Upledger, D.O. (North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, CA, and UI Enterprises, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, 1997) describes CranioSacral Therapy in greater detail and offers a number of case histories.

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