Over the last several months I found myself questioning
everything in my life, seeking meaning in an apparently less and less
sane world. One evening, while I was watching a beautiful Malibu
sunset, I reached deep inside for an answer to the meaning of being a
healer in a world that in so many ways seems to be going insane.
A world where all that I was seeing made me wish I could run away,
while realizing that there was no “away” far enough away to run
to.
At one time or another in life we all will find questions coming up
that cannot be answered by the intellect. The external
relationships we love and depend upon for emotional support, the
prestige we may have earned in our society, the physical acts that
give us joy, the society and culture in which we live, material
possessions, and in fact life itself will all inevitably change; for
change seems to be the only thing that is constant in this universe.
It is so easy to ignore these questions. So easy to simply
flip the remote, click the mouse, take a drink, smoke something, even
ignore it as something that should have been dealt with when a
teenager. Denial comes so easily. Yet to deny these questions would be
to risk missing out on the joy and learning that living can provide.
Part of my answer came in a simple yet profound moment of
realization. Despite everything there is one truth I cannot
deny: I am alive. I breathe; therefore I live. I live.
Therefore I have the capacity of creating my life with Love, Service,
Healing, and Peace as a continuing goal. This, I consider a
profound and infinitely valuable gift.
Another part of the answer was given to me by a dear friend,
who when looking at a brochure I was trying to write told me that it
was time that I shared my healing and my truths to others without
holding back; something not really easy for me to do.
I am currently creating healing workshop and retreats, starting in
the Spring. I'll be sending you more information on these in upcoming
Healing Points.
Now, I have a favor to ask of you. Simply, if there anything
lacking in your healing, or if there is any way I can aid you in your
healing and growth, please let me know. This is very important
to me.
My deepest wishes for a wonderful, safe, healthy, and joyous year.
With deepest regards,
Dr. Grossman
Microbial Overgrowth Tied To Osteoporosis
It's
said that everything has a proper place. And this may be particularly
true for the microbes that live inside our guts.
Hydrogen and methane-releasing bacteria, which proliferate in a
healthy large colon, are not normally present in large amounts inside
the small bowel.
Should they get "uppity," however, and begin to
overpopulate the small intestine, their excess fermentation of food
can trigger the classic symptoms of an irritated bowel: gas, bloating,
stomach cramps, and irregularity.
As if that weren't unpleasant enough, new evidence indicates that
these microbial squatters in the small bowel may have the potential to
cause even more serious and systemic health problems.
According to a new study by gastroenterologists at the University
of Pavia in Italy, bacterial overgrowth of the small bowel may
significantly increase the risk of progressive bone thinning.
Using hydrogen breath testing, researchers identified fourteen
patients with bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine. Researchers
also measured bone density in these patients and in healthy controls.
Based on World Health Organization criteria, researchers found that
86% and 93% of patients with small intestine bacterial overgrowth had
significant bone loss near the hip (proximal femur) and lower back
(lumbar spine), respectively. In fact, these patients were more than
twice as likely to have bone loss than healthy controls. Their bone
loss also tended to be more severe.
Although underlying mechanisms are still unclear, researchers
postulated that bacterial overgrowth in the small bowel could trigger
bone loss by promoting calcium malabsorption as well as the loss of
key enzymes in the intestinal brush border.
Up until now, the role of small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
in metabolic bone disease has been largely ignored - but this needs to
change, the researchers urged.
"SIBO should always be searched for and, treated in all
patients with predisposing conditions and malabsorption
symptoms," they recommended. "Early diagnosis [is]
indispensable to avoid the worsening of bone loss"
NOTE: The Bacterial Overgrowth of the Small Intestine Breath Test
is a simple, powerful noninvasive assessment to determine overgrowth
of bacteria in the small bowel. This test evaluates the degree of
small bowel bacterial fermentation by measuring the amount of hydrogen
and methane released in the breath after the ingestion of a
non-digestible sugar (lactulose) drink. Our version of this test
offers several important advantages, including increased clinical
significance and higher detection rates. Several recent studies have
shown that treatment of bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine,
based on initial detection using a lactulose challenge breath test,
can alleviate chronic gastrointestinal symptoms of unknown origin
(irritable bowel syndrome) more effectively than other therapies.
Increased bone loss can be triggered by malabsorption syndromes,
but it can be identified and monitored with the Bone Resorption
Assessment. This evaluation of pyridinium crosslinks has demonstrated
its clinical value in many recent studies. Based on initial results, I
can design an effective supplement schedule and lifestyle modification
to intervene - and then re-test periodically to see if bone loss
tapers off.
Source: Di Stefano M, Grazimaria V, Malservisi S, Corazza GR. Small
intestine bacterial overgrowth and metabolic bone disease. Dig Dis Sci
2001;46(5):1077-1082.
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