What I DID get...

I am thankful for understanding this energy…for 2 reasons.  1. I can more effectively help people!! (Yay!).  and 2. I am really thankful that I am beginning to understand people who aren’t me! 

There have been enough people ‘like me’ to help…and make a living with my unique value…BUT…seeing the perspective of those NOT like me really opens the doors to helping! 

‘Like me’ looks like this:  Sensitive to the point of allergies, anxiety, depression…self critical to the point of autoimmune conditions (I’m on my 2^nd!) and overwhelm.  And reactive to the point of exhaustion, defensiveness, and PAIN…

‘Like me’ is created by asking the question, “what is wrong with me…” on a multi-daily basis.  Go ahead…ask away…you get the above!!

‘Not like me’ includes this pattern… “I don’t GET it!”  I always put my attention on what I did get.  A small thanks.  And now I see it…here’s how I saw…

I had this experience of some (most) people walking out of my experience saying to Laura…’what the hell just happened?  I don’t get it.’  At first, I was annoyed and frustrated…because that’s now how I think. 

I did 3 years of post-doctoral neurology…300 hours…and I got 2 things.  1. You and your brain transforms and becomes WHATEVER you practice.  2. I don’t like neurology.  And…I…was…completely satisfied with the result.  My brain is practiced at finding solutions…because I practiced feeling ALONE.  You know…do it yourself…or it ain’t getting’ done.  AKA…if you don’t GET IT…nobody is coming to help.  So I focused on what I do GET.  

And for a LOOOONG time…It included a careful analysis of… “what is wrong with me.”  The FUNNY thing is…the ANSWER…was that crappy QUESTION!  Haha…uuuh…that’s the pain of my life you are laughing at.  

So I was having this experience…of people not getting me…and one of my most brilliant patients showed up for me!  She came to a group we offered, and seemed grumpy.  The rest of us were laughing…and she was frowning!  

She showed up FOR ME…for THIS…it turned out that she didn’t understand something (even brilliant people start from ZERO)…and decided (for my and your benefit) to be mad about not getting that point…for the ENTIRE 2 hours!  

Bless her…that is a big sacrifice to make…to help me get this point.  And a BIG point it is…

If you have FAITH…TRUST…in God…Nature…Love…Karma…ANYTHING…!!!  You PRACTICE that faith by TRUSTING that every moment you get exactly what you NEED.  

Of ALL the details of neurology and nerve pathways…I GOT one thing…  TWO if you consider ‘not being on the right path’ a learning experience.  (You will be served to consider that!!)

So now…I tell my patients…you aren’t SUPPOSED to ‘get’ everything…you are supposed to get ONE THING.  And it is good for your heart and soul…to TRUST…that it is the RIGHT thing.  

Go ahead…you will know…cuz it will ‘hit home’ or ‘make sense’ or somehow ‘ring true.’  

PLEASE…don’t regret or mourn what you didn’t get…LOVE and cherish what you DID GET!!!!!

"Best Ever"

In medicine, the goal of treatment is to slow the progression of the disease process that has overtaken your body.  Expectations are fairly low.  “There is no cure for your disease, so this is the best we can manage it.”  Cancer treatment is victorious if you extend the normal life expectancy…even by a few months.  

What if we chose a different goal…something exciting like “best ever. “ 

This concept came to me after a discussion with a patient who is about to turn 66.  She shared with me that she feels the BEST EVER.  Her energy, happiness, resilience to stress…her overall health and function are BEST EVER…compared to her experience as a kid, and anytime in her adult life.  She feels BEST EVER. 

She first visited me in January of 2009, experiencing what she might call her worst ever.  She had an autoimmune thyroid condition called Hashimoto’s, plus a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia.  She was sick, tired, and in severe pain.  And guess what…naming her suffering didn’t relieve the suffering even 1%.  

She had to leave her career because she couldn’t handle the stress of working…she didn’t have the energy or strength to do it…she hurt too much to do it…she was certain she would be dead if she attempted to continue.  

At the point I met her, she had little hope, little money, no direction (for improving her health) and no income.  Her next best option was dying…at least the pain would end, and she wouldn’t have to worry about becoming homeless.  But she wasn’t quite ready for life to end…ending her career was a decision to extend her life, no matter how much pain there was.  

Yup, WORST EVER.  

And now, BEST EVER.  

It got me thinking…thinking about the concept of wellness, and my long time patients (she has been checked at least monthly for 3 years).  She is the most consistent fixture in my practice, besides the longest current patient….me.  

I started to reflect on my suffering, which was mild compared to hers, but was a pretty good list…anxiety, shoulder pain, allergies…never complained about my energy, but I had to take naps all through my late teens and 20s.  Now, my pain levels are best ever…also best ever: energy, resilience, anxiety levels, allergies, flexibility, and I’d say happiness also.  

Then my partner, Sonya (who is edging in on 40, which I’ve already exceeded)…she had chronic migraines, allergies, ear infections (even into college), terrible cramping with her cycle…all best ever.  Moods…best ever.  Tail bone pain, TMJ pain, shoulder pain…best ever.  Scoliosis…best ever (seriously, you can barely see any sign of it anymore).  

Another person that comes in regularly, for the past 5 years…I had to ask about his best ever’s.  he said his ankle, knee and hip pain is best ever.  He said he used to regularly use 800MG ibuprofen for pain, would almost always hurt after playing basketball which he played in high school and college.  And…managing stress and emotions…best ever (which he credits in part to NeuroEmotional Therapy, plus natural management of stress physiology).  

The point here is that most of my patients come in for problem solving, and then when the problem is solved, wait for the next problem to appear.  Some remember the help we provided, and others fall back into the “normal” routine of visiting the “real” doctor…getting named and categorized…and managing those names with symptom suppressing drugs.  

It seems that handling health problems with natural means, and then building on that with wellness visits that identifies your weakest link, and what will strengthen that weakest link…that leads to BEST EVER.  And I propose that as the new goal for your health care investment.  

One more question for the best evers…this must be expensive to care for yourself this way…is your health care expenditures more now…or less?  

A:  A resounding and significant…LESS!  

I have to clarify this…so, you are healthier, happier, virtually NO pain or suffering (symptoms), and you have more $ in your pockets?  

A: YES!  

Hmmmm….

You Think You Have It Bad!?

With all the options to struggle in this world, I think this might be one of the most miserable.  Imagine an allergy to happiness.  You have a wonderful day, and the result is something like the flu.  You receive an award from work and your body feels sick.  I wish this were just a joke, but there is such a condition!

 

Your body’s immune system can make antibodies to serotonin, which most people have heard of from drugs like Prozac.  Serotonin is like an internal birthday party.  It is the feel good, happy chemical in our brain. 

If your body mounts an attack against serotonin, every happy moment is followed by inflammation.  What a kick in the pants that is!!

Researchers have found a “high prevalence of Serotonin antibodies” in patients with fibromyalgia. 

Think about this for yourself.  Do you feel awful when trying to accomplish something?  That could be serotonin antibodies.  If you have a good day…are you consistently punished with a bad day?  That could be serotonin antibodies.

I have a patient you have heard about…she shared something very interesting with us in this POST!

Yes, she is doing much better, but she is still on a very restricted diet to maintain her improvement.  And I mean strict…she can eat any protein, about 3 veggies, and most nuts and seeds.  Any fruit and she starts losing hair…any bread and the hair falls out…anything off this crazy diet, and she gets a kick in the pants.

 

If you look at the diet, you might assume she is sugar sensitive.  And she gets a serious butt whoopin’ if she were crazy enough to actually eat sugar.  But many things happen when we eat carbs…in fact, the reason for sugar addictions and some cravings is the surge of serotonin from sweets.  Most people love the feelings they get with sweet treats.  Serotonin feels incredible (the birthday party feeling!)… unless your immune system attacks your happiness like a bad virus!  

This is actually a new revelation for me.  I just put this piece of the puzzle together recently.  And in doing so, we are responding to the reaction by soothing her immune system. (which can only be done with natural medicine.)  As wonderful as the hair staying in her head has been (along with better energy, mood, etc.), she has since reported that she was able to eat half an apple without a reaction!  

I have a new appreciation for the struggle this person has endured.  Allergic to happy!?!  Trying to explain her extreme diet to friends and family!  She felt the reactions…and nobody understood.  Now, she has validated her experience even more…she’s not crazy, and she can tell you why!  

What a wonderful and interesting passion I have chosen!  

Yours in Health,

Dr. Todd Stone

PS.  We are extending our special invitation to experience our process through March…at 45 for the initial exam (normally 195), and 85 for our full system lab testing (normally 170)!  Learn why you feel lousy, and create a plan to feel incredible again…using safe, natural methods, and scientific lab testing to guide the process.  Call right away to reserve your slot!  

PSS.  For the science minded folks…and for those who just wonder “how the heck can your body become allergic to happy?” …Autoimmune conditions have increased 500% in the past 20 years (and this is diagnosed, so the number is probably much higher).  There are growing numbers of stressors to our immune system, including stress, but more so our overuse of antibiotics resulting in damaged immune systems and super-bugs, chemical manufacturing and genetic modification of our foods…plastics…chemicals for pests of many sorts (herbicides, pesticides), chemicals in our water supply, added purposely and incidentally, chemicals in our hair and skin products…you get the idea. 

In our “allergic to happy” patient, she had lived with an intestinal infection for who knows how long.  She thought she had figured out her troubles when she realized she had yeast problems.  By the time she saw me, she had resolved the yeast problem (no yeast on testing but significantly high antibodies to yeast, so she was right, and successful, but the damage had been done).  Throw all that into the mix of a toxic environment which we are all challenged with…and you have the recipe for allergic to happy…or allergic to energy (thyroid antibodies)…or all the other allergic to myself diseases…MS, Fibromyalgia, Crohns/Ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, pernicious and hemolytic anemia, Parkinsons, type 1 diabetes, ITP, etc., etc. 

There are a growing number of names of suffering labeled as autoimmune, but not a single advancement in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.  Chemicals (pharmaceuticals) simply cannot treat this kind of condition as they are part of the problem.  But rest assured, we do have answers…there is research validation…there are case studies, including many of my own patients…of overcoming this destructive and frustrating process!  

Hair Loss Reduction in Thyroid Patient!

This is pretty cool.  A patient sent me a picture of her hair loss...lessening as we improved oxygen, and got on the right track to support her immune system.  I don't know if you can read the captions...it says daily hair loss before starting treatment...one month in... and two months in. 

We started working immediately on her oxygen perfusion, which we improved in just a couple weeks, then started some immune protocols, which actually didn't work well...until we got her GI Microbiology test back and identified an infection.  Started the protocol for that infection, and she felt even better. 

I do a heck of a lot of objective monitoring using blood tests and other labs...this I had never thought of!!

The Emotional Needs Survey

A while back, I asked for responses to:  What are your emotional needs?

It was very interesting to hear back from so many people.  I have the results listed below (I put similar answers in the same category):

1T. To be needed, appreciated, valued  16%
1T. To be loved, cared for, desired:  16%
3. To be heard, respected:  11% 
4T. To feel safe, secure  9%
4T. Bonding, touching, affection  9%
6. To give love  7%
7. Acceptance  7%
8. To be understood  4%
9. To feel connected to people  4%
10. Honesty, Trust, open communication  4%

And then with one vote each:  Process loss, grief….peace and solitude….Support, encouragement…. Passion…and, there are no emotional needs, only wants.  

I’d say this is a pretty good list, although I will put in my vote and suggest Growth, which I might describe as an improving ability to be authentic in the good times and bad.  My opinion is that passion was under-represented…but it is difficult to feel and give passion if you don’t feel appreciated, understood, safe, cared for, etc.  

The Five Element Chinese philosophy would say our needs are:

1.       Structure and Security

2.       Acceptance and Inclusion

3.       Nurturing and Support

4.       Validation and Value

5.       Reassurance and Responsiveness

Structure is what we teach our kids.  Boundaries.  Adults have boundaries too!  When you find yourself stepping on your boundaries, (or someone else is), it is stressful and exhausting.  People lacking structure tend to have issues with thyroid and reproductive hormones…and without solid structure, find themselves being frustrated with their progress.  Good boundaries and structure are a must for good health.

Acceptance is feeling part of a whole.  Children who are left or abandoned have trouble with allergies and body pain, and giving and receiving love.  To feel included in something bigger than yourself is a human need.  (And this is where passion is birthed…as you feel wanted, needed, and desired…you feel safe to share your passions, which are, of course, not all sexual)

Nurturing is momma energy.  Children whose mother was less than nurturing tend to have problems with energy (our internal harvest) and issues with giving and receiving support, either through not asking or pushing people away.  Support is a must for good health.  

Validation is being ok.  This is a Dad energy, and people who had an absent father often struggle with self criticism, and autoimmune problems (talk about picking on yourself.  Being ok with who you are and really experiencing your value are basic human needs.  

Reassurance leads to knowing you can “do it.”  The child whose fears are invalidated rather than reassured tends to have blood sugar problems and problems taking action when things are tough.  Being able to respond to our lives is a growth process, and a must for good health.  

Surely there is no way to know with such clarity and certainty as our need for oxygen, water, and food.  But, we might get clues…when you feel nourished emotionally…energized…you are probably hitting on a need.  And, as the one person suggested, we can certainly get confused with wants…I might want a giant bowl of ice cream…and it is food…but do I feel energized and nourished after??   

These are also all considerations when I take on a client to create good health.  I validate their problems…I nurture them/care for them (thanks to my dad being absent I have a strong feminine energy…oops did I say that aloud!?).  I give them structure, and make sure they can do it (reassurance), and try to let them know that I am also just a bumbling person (with a useful gift), trying to make my way in life…using the wisdom of the five elements.  And we laugh at how silly we both are…it’s kinda fun! 

PS.  More votes and comments below!!

Diagnosis "BROKEN"

There is a saying that goes like this…specializing is the process of knowing more and more about less and less, until…finally…you know everything about nothing.

As you know, the process of specialization is considered a virtue in medicine.  If you have complicated and resistant symptoms…you are sent from the general physician to the specialist, and if they can name your condition, you might have to go to the person who specializes in that particular condition.  The more specialized it seems…the longer the wait.  And, clearly…the higher the value.
 

In my book I talk about my theories of specialization as more of a population census.  Meaning, as doctors named more and more conditions, they needed to separate by system, then organ, then even by the specific cell involved…and who on earth could keep track of all those names.

The reason that this thought process popped into my little brain recently was a Facebook post by a high school buddy.  He said he finally found out what he has.  “Complex migraine with aura.”  He was relieved to have a name, as well as rule out stroke and seizure, and I would want that ruled out if I were having his symptoms also.  The question I ask then is, “what does that tell me about me?”  Since there is no known cause to migraine in medicine, what does this diagnosis tell this patient?

I ask this question to people attending my seminars, what does the diagnosis of diabetes, hypothyroidism, neuropathy, etc., etc., tell you about you?  I discuss how that name is given…either by a lab value of a cluster of symptoms…but what does it tell you about you?

I drag my feet awhile and let people think about it…and always, perhaps in different language or words, they come to the conclusion that they are broken.

Next question… “If you are broken, what do you do about that?”  You can’t fix broken.  Of course the answer is to take the symptom suppressing medication for the rest of your life.  Broken only ends with death.

In my buddy’s case, they treated him with anti-seizure medication…even though they ruled out seizure!  Does that sound like a good plan for life to inhibit the activity of your brain?  Now, given the options, suffer with incapacitating symptoms or take this drug…I too would take the drug.

But that isn’t the only option(s)!  Well, it is the only option in the name game.  Names which indicate broken-ness only can be managed.  But in the game of identifying imbalances and things we can change…well, the options are endless.

What about testosterone and estrogen ratios.  Anyone who reads or watches the news knows the effects of hormones on the brain.  What about blood sugar regulation…stress physiology and cortisol levels??  These are all measurable things that have significant impact on brain and vascular function…and all can be changed.

Brain function itself can be changed.  I have used simple therapies such as fast eye movements and performed neurological tests immediately afterward…and the test was performed better. 

We have so much capability to change your internal environment and functions…it is sad to me to see people accept this diagnosis of “broken.”  Not to mention the great relief for finally being identified as broken.

If anything is broken, it’s not you, it’s the medical system of naming and suppressing, and the specialization versus looking at the whole picture (hormones, stress, inflammation, brain function…)!

Why do Americans have the Lions Share of Cancer and AutoImmune Diseases??!!

This is 18 minutes every American should watch!  Protect your health!  Learn what is really going on, and why we suffer with so many food sensitivities and allergies...and how this contributes to Cancer.

The Top Five Autoimmune Treatment Mistakes!

1.       5. Testing

The 5^th HUGE mistake in treating YOUR CONDITION…is the testing that your “standard of care,” insurance accepted, doctors order for you. 

Here’s some simple logic…if you are searching for an answer to some problem or mystery…ASK NEW QUESTIONS!  Different questions.  Questions like the lab I mentioned that is only available to HIV positive patients…the BEST test for Immune system analysis…the BEST test for IMMUNE SYSTEM PROBLEMS. 

I treat some of the most ill people on the planet…people who have almost NOTHING working RIGHT for them.  They don’t sleep, they have no energy, and they are “rotting” from the inside out.  These people (not patients, remember) have qualified for diagnoses ranging from Cancer and AutoImmune disease…to Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (the ultimate garbage can invention of a diagnosis…you don’t fit anywhere else, so we’ll just make up a new name that describes your suffering). 

Anyway, as I take on these difficult cases…these suffering people…I review their past medical records.  It is absolutely laughable what has been done in almost ALL cases.  Here’s the scenario…

Patient:  “Doctor, I hurt, I suffer, I am ill…please help me.” 

Doctor:  “Absolutely…we will run some tests and see what is wrong with you.”

The doctor runs a CBC…which is a complete blood count, including white blood cells, and red blood cells…and a CMP…which stands for Comprehensive Metabolic Profile…which checks several enzymes, proteins, and minerals…about 14 tests in total. 

Now, if you haven’t heard my family’s personal story…go to our website…click on the tab for fibromyalgia…and click on the link to our personal story.  It is worth a look…it brought me to tears writing it, and still does reading it.  The important part is that Sonya’s (my wife) mother was “fully worked up by medical diagnosticians…people paid to find problems…people paid to know how to CORRECT problems…and they ran these puny tests…and found one thing…low potassium.  One of the minerals assessed on the CMP test.  She was not as sick as she was because of low potassium.  They even gave her potassium.  Anyway…go to the link for the whole story. 

Back to you, or whatever patient is being diagnosed by this doctor. 

DOCTOR:  “Your tests are normal…why don’t you try this drug and come back in 6 months.” 

Now, this should be a problem for you right away…a treatment without a diagnosis…and when I say diagnosis, I don’t mean what name they call it…I mean what is CAUSING problem.  Imagine the mechanic again, telling you he doesn’t know what is causing your car to sputter and stop…but try this fuel additive.  You would get a second opinion in a heartbeat!!

Patient: (Six months later)  “Doctor, I still hurt, I can’t breathe now…I am very ill.”

Doctor:  Don’t worry Mrs. Jones, I will run some tests and let you know what is wrong.”

The doctor orders the SAME tests…CBC, and CMP…and again reports to the patient that her tests are normal…try this drug. 

Look, I know you have had more tests…things specific to AutoImmune Conditions…ANA, Rheumatoid Factors, etc…checking for antibodies…but, look at your tests…I have looked at MANY patients records…they keep testing the same tests…hoping for a different result?!?  That is the DEFINITION of insanity. 

I happen to know that LabCorp has a test menu approximately the same size as the Asheville White Pages.  I KNOW there are hundreds of OTHER tests, other question they CAN ask…but as I review…it’s the same puny tests over and over.  I have seen records dating back for YEARS…with the same couple tests over and over and over again! 

As I mentioned, there is ONE definitive test for ANY IMMUNE SYSTEM PROBLEM…it is called the T and B Lymphocyte and Natural Killer Cell Panel.  It measures multiple immune cells, and defines HOW your immune system is imbalanced…and, with my unique knowledge…it also defines WHAT has to happen to effectively treat your immune system…YOUR CONDITION.  TO RESOLUTION.  We can stop the destructive process that is occurring inside your body.  I have done it, and will do it over and over again.

The question is…will YOU do it?  To begin the process…it takes one simple test…and a doctor who knows what to do with the results. 

It’s CHOICE time…do you stay with your standard of care, insurance doctors…and keep doing what you are doing…hoping to slow the progression of your disease….but there WILL be progression…hoping to treat the symptoms of your disease…but there WILL be symptoms…???

Or, do you become a customer…expect BETTER results…hire an INNOVATOR…ask NEW questions…run DIFFERENT lab tests…with a doctor who know what to do with them.

Your choice…your health…your future.  Only NOW…you realize you HAVE a CHOICE.  Which will you make? 

Don’t sit there any longer…call our office today…and get on a path to a better future. 

Yours in Health,

Dr. Todd Stone
(828) 277-1414
www.GetTheRightDiagnosis.com