Thank you for your interest in the Natural Medicine approach to treating disease and healthy living! Caring Medical is currently a full time Prolotherapy doctor's office, headed by Ross Hauser, MD and we are blessed to fill the needs of patients seeking an alternative to surgery. We are accepting new patients and athletes suffering from chronic pain, sports injuries, and arthritis for treatment with Prolotherapy. Due to this large demand in Prolotherapy, we are not currently accepting new patients for natural medicine conditions, this includes autoimmune conditions, weight loss, menopause, hormones, or cancer. Through the years, we have seen so many lives turn around for the better with some of the methods discussed on this page, and encourage you to seek a Natural Medicine practitioner at www.acam.org.
The Response of Traditional Medicine
Traditional medical treatment of arterioslerosis includes a combination of lifestyle changes and medications to relieve the symptoms, and surgery for severe cases. For example, since smoking constricts arteries, it is recommended that patients stop smoking in order to avoid potentially life-threatening blood clots. Since high cholesterol is a common cause of arteriosclerosis, cholesterol-lowering drugs, also called statins, including cholestyramine, colestipol, lovastatin, pravastatin, simvastatin, probucol, gemfibrozil or niacin, may be prescribed. Unfortunately these drugs also have potential side effects, some of which can be quite serious, including liver malfunction, fatigue, upset stomach, gas, constipation, abdominal pain or cramps, and muscle pain. Additional drug therapy may include pain relievers, blood thinners, and medications to enlarge or dilate the affected artery or arteries.
High blood pressure can be a serious risk factor when arteriosclerosis involves the heart, referred to as cardiovascular disease. In response, most cardiologists usually prescribe beta-blockers, which lower blood pressure and slow the heart rate. The problem with this approach is that beta-blockers slow metabolism, which causes patients to gain weight and be even less inclined to exercise, both of which increase fat deposits. Unfortunately, all of this effectively adds to the underlying problem rather than eliminating it.
More advanced cases of arteriosclerosis that involve the heart may require surgical treatments such as cardiac catherization and angioplasty. Other traditional medical treatment options for more serious cases include removing the lining of the artery (endarterectomy), or repairing or replacing the vessel (grafting) via bypass surgery using a vein or a synthetic graft.
Caring Medical's Natural Medicine Approach to Arteriosclerosis
A better approach, in our opinion, is to address the underlying cause of the disease by determining why blockages developed in the arteries in the first place. The best theory today about the cause of the initial insult to the lining of the artery (the endothelium) is that it results from some combination of mechanical stress (stretching of the arterial wall, as from high blood pressure, or nicks caused during the process of angiography) and oxidative stress (free radicals released in the process of metabolism that are not neutralized by internal antioxidants).
The body attempts to heal all such damage, and under ideal circumstances is able to do so without trouble. However, there are many things that can derail normal healing, and cause the beginning of plaque in the vessel wall. Such factors taken in total will predispose the patient to arteriosclerosis, either damaging the artery lining or impairing the body's healing response.
Stressors include hypertension (high blood pressure) and anything that creates it (like stress), and anything that produces more free radicals (like poor diet, smoking, increased homocysteine levels, elevated blood fats, medications, and excess iron). Healing response interference would come from factors such as inadequate antioxidants, hormonal deficiencies or excesses, other nutritional deficiencies, insulin resistance, elevated blood sugars, increased lipoprotein levels, and increased clotting tendency of the blood.
Thus, our approach involves careful attention to and testing for a number of risk factors, including the emotional state, non-invasive assessment of the condition of the arterial system, non-drug natural medicine, and diet and life style correction of risk factors.
We utilize what we call the Hauser Diet® Natural Medicine Program which is designed for the person who has the desire to optimize his or her health, and is ready to take a serious step in getting to the root cause of their condition. Ross Hauser, MD and Marion Hauser, MS, RD have developed this program over years of experience in both the traditional and natural medicine fields. Not only does this program include testing for your Hauser Diet Type, but it utilizes a number of other tests that we have determined are necessary to help you get to to the root cause of your condition.
In other words, we use the minimum number of tests that will tell us the maximum amount of information, to help you attain optimum health. That is what the Hauser Diet® Natural Medicine Program is all about. Some individuals may require additional laboratory tests, but most just need the program.
Good Candidates for our Natural Medicine Program include patients who want to seriously utilize the principles of the Hauser Diet® are motivated to make necessary lifestyle modifications, are willing to start an aggressive herbal program, and in some cases take natural hormone replacement, or do other natural medicine modalities as needed.
We will help you! Included in our Natural Medicine Program are consultations with our registered dietitian who will provide you with a detailed diet instruction, accessibility to her via email, and all the support you need!
We are also careful to check that your condition is not due to inflammation of the arteries or the heart itself. If this were the case, testing would be done to determine if the patient had a nanobacteria infection, such as H Pylori, food allergies, or an imbalance in the ratio of Omega 6 fatty acids to Omega 3 fatty acids. Once a cause of the inflammation is determined, appropriate treatment, such as anti-bacterial medication, a hypoallergenic diet, or Omega 3 supplements, may be recommended.
To determine the cause of blockages, we conduct a thorough risk factor analysis of current symptoms. A bleeding time test may be performed to determine if the patient’s blood is too thick and may result in excessive clotting. If positive, natural herbal supplements such as Enzyme Max or Magnesium may be prescribed.
Based on the risk factor analysis, changes in lifestyle, such as diet; hormonal replacement therapy, such as progesterone, testosterone, or growth hormone; and targeted nutritional intervention, such as antioxidants and vitamin and mineral replenishment may be recommended. For example, if the patient has high blood pressure, a four-part natural medicine treatment plan is recommended that includes blood thinning; eliminating Syndrome X, a condition related to high carbohydrate intake and also called hyperinsulinemia; weight loss; and stress reduction. It should be pointed out that, although an individual can inherit the inclination to arteriosclerosis, this is often reversible. In other words, heredity doesn't always have the final word.
In summary, we aim to reverse the underlying cause of arteriosclerosis using a comprehensive testing program, where based on the results, we recommend appropriate natural medicine treatments that not only treat this condition but also may help avoid potentially deadly cardiovascular and heart disease and stroke in the future. We will put you on a diet program that has been individually prescribed for your particular Diet Type. You may not need to follow that low fat, low salt diet that was prescribed for you. You may be surprised to find that the best diet for you may involve eating meat, eggs, and butter! Read more about Hauser Diet Typing.
If you are interested in more information about natural medicine treatments or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Hauser, please contact Caring Medical at 708-848-7789 or online using our contact form.
