praise for dr. stone… dr. stone’s thorough examination ... · ailments, such as acid reflux...

When Did Natural Become the Alternative?

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Praise for Dr. Stone…

When I started seeing Dr. Stone, I had been in chronic pain

for many years. My pain affected every area of my life, including

work, sleep, and recreation. Seeing other chiropractors and an

acupuncturist only gave me temporary relief from my pain. After

Dr. Stone’s thorough examination, including blood work and

adrenal stress tests, he gave me detailed information about how

my body chemistry was functioning. Then he synthesized a

comprehensive treatment plan for me. Dr. Stone uses a brilliant

combination of scientific data and intuitive deduction to pin point

effective treatments.

Dr. Stone has given me my life back. I have been pain–free

for many months and don't need to take pain relievers of any sort.

I am able to work again and am confident I will continue to grow

stronger. I can even dance now! Dr. Stone is a gifted healer.

–Ember M

I suffered from total numbness and loss of circulation in my

hands and feet. I was diagnosed with Raynaud's Syndrome six

years ago. My doctor told me there was no way to treat it. After

meeting with Dr. Stone, he realigned areas in my back, neck and

shoulder. After my blood tests came back, Dr. Stone put me on a

regimen of vitamins and supplements. Additionally, since


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Raynaud's Syndrome is brought on by stress, Dr. Stone also

addressed the stressors in my life.

I saw quick and immediate results. My energy level improved

and the Raynauds is 80–90% improved!

–Michelle S.

For approximately 20 years I have suffered from various

ailments, such as acid reflux disease (GERD), and back and hip

pain. I also had difficulty sleeping and sitting for long periods of

time. Exercising was also difficult due to the reflux disease. I tried

taking prescription Aciphex, but it didn't help.

After hearing Dr. Stone speak, I made an appointment to see him,

keeping an open mind. Dr. Stone gave me a thorough evaluation,

including blood work. After treatment, I felt immediate results.

After 6 weeks, my back and hip pain disappeared. I am also

sleeping through the night and waking up refreshed. I feel more

energized than I have in years, and I am more focused and able to

accomplish much more!

–Ruth B.


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After my very first visit with Dr. Stone, I cried with relief to

find a doctor who actually cared about putting all the pieces of my

health together. These days, with so many specialists, no one

seems to be connecting the dots. I am thankful for Dr. Stone’s

ability to care for my body as a whole. Dr. Stone understood that

my thyroid and feet are as important as the bones in my neck and

back. God has gifted Dr. Stone with a healing touch!

–Coral C.

I tried more treatments than I can count to help heal my

daughter’s Jaiden's severe eczema since she was 3 months old.

But nothing seemed to work permanently. Jaiden also suffered

from a variety of food allergies and sensitivities. During our first

appointment with Dr. Stone, I learned what I could do to control

Jaiden’s eczema outbreaks through her diet. During subsequent

visits, Dr. Stone treated her inflammation, "leaky gut," and overall

digestion. He also suggested several supplements that were very

helpful. Now, Jaiden’s discomfort and itching has been eliminated

and she is able to eat almost any food without a reaction. I truly

feel that Dr. Stone is extremely intuitive and intelligent.

–Beth B.


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Copyright © 2012 Dr. Todd Stone. All rights reserved. No

portion of this book may be reproduced mechanically,

electronically, or by any other means, including photocopying,

without written permission of the publisher. It is illegal to copy this

book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means

without permission from the publisher.

Todd Stone

1119 Hendersonville Road, Suite 330

Asheville, NC 28803

(828) 277-1414

[email protected]

www.GetTheRightDiagnosis.com

Limits of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty

The author and publisher shall not be liable for your misuse of this

material. This book is strictly for informational and educational

purposes.

Warning – Disclaimer

The purpose of this book is to educate and entertain. The

author and/or publisher do not guarantee that anyone following

these techniques, suggestions, tips, ideas, or strategies will become

successful. The author and/or publisher shall have neither liability

nor responsibility to anyone with respect to any loss or damage

caused, or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly by the

information contained in this book.


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WHEN DID NATURAL

BECOME THE ALTERNATIVE!?

How Functional Medicine Helps Patients Recover

from Thyroid Disease, Hormonal Imbalances,

Fibromyalgia, Food Allergies, and More

Dr. Todd Stone


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Overcoming Back Pain (SCIATICA) and

Intestinal Discomfort

Gerald B.’s recovery story is a perfect illustration of the

concepts covered in chapter 3. After consulting practitioners who

only named and treated his symptoms, Mr. B. finally found relief

from a functional medicine diagnosis. Mr. B., 72, met with me at

the request of his son. He suffered from chronic left hip and leg

pain for five years. He also experienced low-grade intestinal

discomfort throughout most of his life. He endured bouts of

stomach pain, resulting in terrible headaches. At which point, he

tried to lie down; however, he couldn’t because of severe heartburn

in his chest and throat.

Mr. B. also had several minor problems with his colon,

including a polyp removal, a diagnosis of diverticulosis (bulging

pockets of tissue that push out from the colonic walls caused by

pressure within the colon), and a hiatal hernia. He was also

diagnosed with an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA),

indicating prostate inflammation. As a result, Mr. B. feared he

might develop colon cancer.


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Mr. B. completed a full year of chiropractic care before

meeting with me. In fact, he was hesitant about consulting another

chiropractor. However, after I learned Mr. B. suffered from back

pain after he ate large meals, I was certain his symptoms were not

due to a twisted spine or pinched nerve.

With growing numbers of chiropractors, most of my patients

have tried chiropractic care. If they are consulting me, chances are

chiropractic did not work. Most chiropractors provide adjustments

and other structural or physical therapies. On the other hand, I am

primarily a functional medicine doctor. Therefore, I begin with a

functional diagnosis. I obtain this diagnosis by understanding what

causes my patients’ symptoms. Then I tailor therapy to their

diagnosis, regardless of what their condition is named.

The Real Culprit Behind the Symptoms

In my care, Mr. B. described in detail his left hip pain, what

positions aggravated the pain, and its movement into his left leg

and foot. He told me the pain progressively got worse over five

years, despite extensive chiropractic care. As you might expect, I

didn’t suggest a course of chiropractic adjustments. Instead, I

performed functional and medical diagnostic tests to reveal the

underlying cause of his pain.


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Mr. B. suffered from alternating diarrhea and constipation, as

well as chronic bloating and gas. These symptoms were not severe

so he suffered mostly in silence. I conducted an intestinal ecology

test to measure the levels of healthy bacteria in his intestines. This

test also looks for any infections including parasites, yeast, fungus,

and pathogenic bacteria in the intestines. Many infective species

can end up in the intestines without causing explosive diarrhea or

other obvious intestinal symptoms. When this happens it is

difficult to know these infections are present.

The intestinal ecology test showed Mr. B. had three active

infections, including a yeast species, (candida albicans), and two

bacteria, (klebsiella pneumonia and citrobacter braakii). In

addition, although his digestion and populations of healthy bacteria

were intact, a marker for intestinal inflammation was significantly

elevated to 74 (normal is less than 50). I realized Mr. B.’s immune

system responded to his intestinal infections by creating

inflammation. Accordingly, the inflammation caused Mr. B.’s

back, leg and colon pain. Since his infections were not highly

virulent or dangerous to his life, I prescribed a natural agents,

garlic and Uva Ursi to heal his intestinal infections.

Benefiting from Functional Diagnosis

Three months later Mr. B.’s citrobacter braakii were

completely eliminated, the candida was suppressed down to 1+ on


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a scale of 4, and his inflammatory marker dropped to 21.

Furthermore, his back pain and leg weakness disappeared. Mr. B.

says, “I can’t believe I struggled so long, and paid so much for care

that was essentially ineffective.”

The treatment Mr. B. received from his former chiropractor

was certainly quality care, however, it lacked the correct diagnosis.

His condition was misdiagnosed as a structural back disorder, due

to degenerative changes and a structural twist in his spine.

By approaching Mr. B.’s dilemma from a functional mindset,

we were able to locate and diagnose a significant barrier to his

health. Through diagnosing this barrier, the infections and

inflammation, Mr. B. rapidly moved toward health. Moreover,

since intestinal inflammation is a known trigger for colon cancer,

Mr. B.’s probability of developing what he most feared was greatly

reduced.


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Chapter 6

Bodily Systems Work Together to Achieve

Health: Generalization Versus

Specialization

To be master of any branch of knowledge, you must master those which lie next to it; and thus to know anything you must know all.

~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

The third self evident big idea is: we must view a person as a

whole, leaving no parts unexamined. In functional medicine, these

parts are the eleven body systems mentioned in chapter 1. Again,

these are:

Cardiovascular

Digestive

Endocrine (glands)

Immune

Muscular

Nervous


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Reproductive

Respiratory

Skeletal

Integumentary (skin)

Urinary

As a functional medicine practitioner, I do not examine one

aspect of a patient’s physiology without considering the role their

other systems play. Moreover, I do not leave parts of my patients’

bodies untreated. I treat each system that contributes to their

condition. To better understand this, imagine trying to complete a

jigsaw puzzle with only some of the pieces. If your doctor

examines only one of your organs, they might as well put together

a puzzle with only the corner pieces. If your doctor looks at some

of your organ then they present to you a partially finished puzzle.

However, once your doctor examines all eleven of your systems

(this includes examining each organ within each system), then your

puzzle is complete.

If you have struggled with a chronic illness, you have

probably been passed off from one specialist to another. This

process can be time consuming, considering the more specialized a

doctor is, the longer your stay in the waiting room typically


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becomes. Ironically, the more specialized your doctor is, the less

qualified they are to look for upriver reasons for your condition.

Consider John’s case:

Symptom: Chronic numbness in feet

Cause: Functional medicine practitioner

determines John’s job stress is the upriver

cause for his numbness.

First System Affected: Endocrine System

John’s job stress causes his brain to think

there is a problem. Then his brain tells his

pituitary gland to release stress hormone

chemicals, such as adrenalin and cortisol.

These chemicals quicken his mind, increase

his blood glucose (for quick action) and slow

his digestion. This is because our bodies do

not know the difference between twenty first

century job stress and running from a saber

toothed tiger. John’s body is preparing him

to think fast, act fast and put going to the

bathroom on hold until he has safely outrun

the tiger.


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All your body systems affect your health problem; therefore, it

is difficult for specialists to find root causes because they focus on

only one part of your body. Despite more sophisticated diagnostic

tests and high-tech machines, traditional doctors simply ask the

Next System Affected: Cardiovascular System

John’s arteries constrict to help send extra

blood to his extremities. Although this would

help if he were running from a saber toothed

tiger, it is exhausting for John. Moreover,

his constricted arteries do not allow enough

oxygen and nutrients to get to his feet. This

causes his feet to become interminably numb.

Last System Affected: Nervous system

Due to John’s feet being starved and oxygen

deprived, the nerves in his feet actually

change. Instead of needing a normal amount of

stimulation to fire, they now need very

little stimulation. As a result, the nerves

in his feet fire repetitively. John’s

exhausted nerves are officially dysfunctional

and cause constant numbness in his feet.


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wrong questions. Moreover, regardless if your traditional doctor is

a specialist or a generalist, they practice disease and symptom

management. This care model almost never provides permanent

cures.

Keeping up with the Swell of Disease Terms

I postulate that specialization has become a trend in traditional

medicine because one single doctor cannot possibly familiarize

himself with the names of every condition known to man. Human

beings can manifest an endless number of symptoms. To date,

hundreds of symptoms, groups of symptoms, laboratory tests, and

other diagnostic findings are named. What is more, this list

continues to grow. Due to this increasing sprawl of terms, doctors

become more specialized every year. Sadly, this leaves patients in

the care of doctors with less and less pieces of the physiological

puzzle.

Consider these examples of named conditions: migraine,

munchausen, conjunctivitis, erysipelas, idiopathic anemia, asthma,

insomnia, telangiectasias, reflux, leukopenia, and peritonitis. Some

of these terms might be familiar, while others a mystery. Each

term either describes a pathology (tissue destruction), symptom,

lab finding associated with a symptom, or the person who first

observed the particular syndrome or group of symptoms. With an

infinite number of potential symptoms, lab findings, and


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combinations of symptoms and lab findings, a system must be in

place to break up these terms into categories, hence the growth of

specialized medicine.

Generalization Medicine

Chiropractors and functional medicine practitioners are both

considered generalists, however, in an exceedingly different way.

Chiropractic understands altered nerve flow caused by spinal

subluxations, or kinks in your spine, create dis-ease. Moreover,

they realize your nervous system controls and regulates all other

tissues and functions in your body. Therefore, they believe any

symptom, problem, or disease may be caused by an out-of-place

vertebrae. In my experience, however, there are many other

dysfunctions that cause of health problems. Many of these

dysfunctions cannot be addressed with spinal adjusting. While

some chiropractors continue to specialize in adjustments, other

chiropractors expand their expertise. For example, as a functional

medicine practitioner, I have become deeply knowledgeable of

immune function, hormones, and chemical and emotional stress.

These additional qualifications are what make functional medicine

chiropractors, general health doctors.

Putting your spine back in order is a good thing because it will

improve your overall health and physiology – this has been proven.

However, chiropractic is not 100% sure its patients’ specific


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symptoms will go away. When I practiced chiropractic, before I

became educated in functional medicine, I did not know what other

factors contributed to dysfunction, in addition to subluxations.

Stress, blood sugar highs and lows, immune irritation, and

metabolic processes are additional factors that affect nerve flow.

Chiropractic is an immensely valuable concept, yet it lacks some

important points if practiced on its own.

Brain-based Functional Medicine

I practice brain-based functional medicine. Meaning, I base

my analysis, diagnosis, and treatment on my patients’ brain

activity. Although, I diagnosed based on brain function, I do not

specialize in neuro-science. On the contrary, the brain is the

central hub for all physical and mental function; therefore, it is a

perfect place to begin understanding my patients’ overall health.

The following brain activities affect the health of your entire body:

Amount of brain activity generated

Efficiency and accuracy of brain processing

Neuron health (the smallest brain tissue)

Dysfunctions are not necessarily caused by your brain,

however, when I look at your brain I easily see changes indicating

dysfunctions and adaptations to stress and inflammation. For

instance, stress causes your adrenal hormones to shift. As a result,


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a change in your brain occurs causing your pupils reflexes to

weaken. Considering the brain is a window to the rest of your

body, I often test for adrenal imbalance by shining a light into my

patients’ eyes. Due to the shift in my patients’ hormones, their

pupils fail to constrict properly. This is why when you suffer from

headaches or migraines you find relief in the dark. This can be

cured by simple adrenal balancing therapy.

The following is another example of how imbalances can be

diagnosed by looking at brain activity. Patients who lack proper

blood sugar regulation have weakened fast-focusing eye-

movements. To test for this, I hold two fingers in front of my

patients’ eyes. I ask my patients to follow one of my fingers in a

random direction. If my patients focus early, late, or miss the

movement altogether, I know they most likely suffer from

hypoglycemic or are insulin resistant.

The Big Picture Includes Every Symptom

Generalized functional medicine considers each body system

as well as each symptom. Functional medicine practitioners know

dysfunctioning systems negatively affect many aspects of your

health; therefore, they can better solve the mystery of your health

by examining each system. Likewise, considering each and every

symptom helps functional medicine practitioners figure out what

single system is broken. As you can see, the diagnostic process


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works both ways. Using a generalist approach, functional medicine

doctors consider every body system as well as every symptom.

Traditional doctors isolate symptoms when they attempt to

diagnose.

Immune, metabolism, digestion, elimination, circulation,

nerve activation, and hormone regulation are all physiological

functions that can get knocked out of whack. When this happens to

a single system, many aspects of your health are negatively

affected. Your body will manifest several symptoms that appear to

be unrelated. For example, a single hormone imbalance can cause

the following symptoms in one patient–hip pain, headaches, high

blood pressure, heart attack, allergies, and asthma. When I find a

hormone imbalance in my patients, I am able to effectively resolve

many more of their discomforts. My patients are often amazed to

learn their multiple symptoms were caused by one imbalance.

Typically, doctors don’t check hormone levels unless their

patients’ diseases are known to cause their patients’ conditions,

such as infertility, PMS, Hypothyroidism, or low libido. Moreover,

in these cases they only check the hormones of one gland. This

amazes me, considering hormones play such an important role in

our health.

Similarly, symptoms provide clues about system dysfunction.

To get a jump start on properly diagnosing my patients, I ask them


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to fill out a form listing all the discomforts they experience. If a

patient lists tired, hair loss, constipation, morning headaches, and

dry skin, I take a look at their thyroid gland function, since all

these symptoms are associated with thyroid disorders. If a patient

lists tired, cold hands, poor circulation, muscle cramps, charley

horses, rapid heartbeat, and shortness of breath, I check to see if

they have anemia, a mitochondrial disorder, or blood sugar

problem. Here is one more example of a cluster of symptoms that

often leads me to diagnose a single imbalance. If a patient lists

irritable bowel syndrome, depression, fatigue, insomnia, bloating,

indigestion, headaches, smell sensitivity, light sensitivity, PMS,

dizziness, and nausea, I verify that they have adrenal hormone or

immune system imbalances.

Systematic Diagnosing Technique

Traditional specialized doctors often become overwhelmed

when they consider long lists of symptoms and a myriad of

functions that take place in all eleven of our body systems.

Functional medicine diagnostic methods are organized in such a

way, practitioners can consider all these possibilities

systematically. I test my patients, system by system, and fix what I

find. I diagnose and treat the brain, the immune system, the

hormone systems, energy production, inflammation, circulation,

digestion, and more until my patients are truly healthy.


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Generalized functional medicine has a hierarchical system of

testing. This method dictates the order practitioners following

when testing each system. I examine the brain, the immune

system, the energy system, and then the hormone system.

Abnormal function in any of these systems trumps all other

functions. For instance, I know my patient’s carpal tunnel

syndrome will never resolve unless I cure her anemia and/or

hypoglycemia first. Some therapies may temporarily improve

symptoms associated with carpal tunnel, but the pain will typically

return.

Although traditional specialist doctors conduct complete

blood count (CBC), comprehensive metabolic profile (CMP), and

lipid panel tests, these tests are not enough to evaluate a patient’s

entire physiology system-by-system. After reviewing patients’

records with chronic conditions, I often see they have been given

the tests listed above two or three times a year for several years.

Yet, more comprehensive testing was never ordered. Never did the

questions (testing) become more probing. Unfortunately, this is

not uncommon, and people who continue submitting to this care

continue to struggle unnecessarily.

When I fully evaluate my patients, in addition to basic tests, I

ask many questions–the deep and probing kind. After a full system

evaluation, I pick out one or more abnormal functions or processes.


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Then I begin work to shift my patients toward health. This process

provides the clarity I need to start my patients on a road to better

health–even patients with chronic problems who were

unresponsive to medicine or alternative therapies.

Last year a client told me she already had all the tests and

nothing was found to be unusual. Moreover, her insurance wasn’t

going to cover more testing. And finally, she didn’t want to pay for

my full system evaluation out-of-pocket. I reassured her that if I

didn’t find something wrong, I would pay the lab fees myself. Her

recovery story is shared in the next chapter.

A Big Claim for Big Picture Medicine

With generalization medicine, practitioners find the functional

process that specifically causes physical problems and disease.

Generalization medicine does not leave patients questioning what

is wrong with then, but instead provides answers. Visiting the most

prestigious medical centers in the world or consulting the most

revered medical doctors in the field might not lead you to a cure.

Bain-based functional medicine thinks differently, and therefore

will most expectedly provide the answers you are looking for.

Furthermore, when functional medicine practitioners look at

the human body in a general way, they understand body systems

respond better to natural medicines. This is because


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pharmaceuticals force regulation, while natural medicines support

your body to function properly and adapt to circumstances (i.e.

poor diet) and environment (i.e. toxins). Big-picture functional

medicine uses 99% natural medicines.

I don’t claim functional medicine has all the answers nor

suggest there are guarantees. The human body is a non-linear

adaptive system with endless possibilities. I am aware scientists

have not discovered all there is to uncover in the field of medicine;

however, I affirm brain-based functional medicine is a cutting edge

diagnostic and treatment system for chronic health problems. As

generalists, we ask questions most other doctors do not. We offer

testing the vast majority of doctors do not. Because functional

medicine practitioners have made a small attitude adjustment

toward big-picture thinking, we get answers when traditional

specialists fall short.

praise for dr. stone… dr. stone’s thorough examination ... · ailments, such as acid reflux...

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