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What causes scoliosis?

Essentially there are two types. One is due to a malformation of your spinal vertebrae which then leads to the abnormal curvature (congenital scoliosis). The other is most commonly due to an imbalance in the spinal muscles (idiopathic/functional scoliosis).

How can scoliosis be treated?

If the scoliosis is due to a malformation of the spinal vertebrae, bracing or surgery may be warranted, all dependent upon the severity. If scoliosis is due to an imbalance in spinal muscles, we first must determine what’s causing the imbalance. Functionally speaking, the imbalance is most commonly due to some altered function in the kidney’s or bladder. You’ll also see a functional weakness and tightness of the corresponding psoas muscle, which is on the front side (anterior) of the spine.

I commonly find that people with functional scoliosis have heavy metal toxicity and inability to utilize certain minerals. They are also dehydrated and stressed out to the max!

Here’s my recommendations:

• Find a chiropractor well trained in functional medicine who understands manual muscle testing (especially an Applied Kinesiologist). He or she will probably make nutritional recommendations as well as detoxification recommendations.
• Get your spine in alignment. By stimulating specific nerve pathways, your body can relax the spastic muscles and turn on the inhibited muscles.
• Get hydrated. Drink at least 1 liter of water for every 50 lbs of body weight.

Leaky Gut?  What’s that doc?

Well your intestines function as a selective barrier, meaning that they let in the “good” stuff while keeping out the “bad” stuff.  So when you ingest food, the job of the intestine is to absorb the nutrients while keeping out potential pathogens.

Sometimes, however, the “bad” guys get through the intestinal barrier and can stir up an immunological response.  When I use the term “bad” guys I mean relatively large particles.  So instead of absorbing amino acids (which are the smallest portions of protein), macropeptides (or long chains of amino acids) are absorbed.  Your body dislikes this kind of activity because absorbing large particles makes the immune system think a pathogenic invader has entered the system.  (A pathogenic invader can be a parasite, bacteria or virus which have protein coats on it).

So here’s the link between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Leaky Gut: a heightened immune response due to absorption of large particles causes an auto-immune reaction where your body’s own immune system begins to attack itself.  The protein coats from pathogenic invaders is similar to the protein content of the joint in your body.  The immune system cannot distinguish between the two.

Predisposing factors for Leaky Gut:

• Smoking
• Drinking alcohol
• Taking aspirin/ibuprofen/antibiotics/drugs
• Exposure to environmental toxins
• Poor digestion
• Sluggish liver detoxification
• Stored Toxins
• Those who have bacterial/microbial infections or inflammation

Symptoms of Leaky Gut:

• Fatigue
• Arthralgia
• Myalgia
• Fever
• Abdominal discomfort
• Diarrhea
• Skin rashes
• Toxic feelings
• Memory deficit
• Shortness of breath

Nutrients and Herbs to repair Leaky Gut:

• Glutamine: this is the fuel for intestinal cells
• Lactobacillius bifidus: this probiotic helps to re-establish proper gut flora
• N-acetyl Glucosamine: prevents binding of harmful products to the intestinal lining
• Vitamins C and E, lipoic acid, zinc and ginkgo biloba: these antioxidants help to decrease free radical damage to the intestinal lining
• Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL): increases the lifespan of intestinal cells
• Slippery Elm: helps to calm the inflammation of the intestinal lining