VSL#3® is a high potency probiotic blend consisting of live, freeze-dried lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria. Each sachet contains 450 billion live bacteria in defined ratios of 8 different probiotics.

The Living Shield^®

• High potency blend of 8 different probiotics (beneficial live bacteria).
• Contains the highest available concentration of probiotic bacteria (450 billion live bacteria per sachet).
• Helps protect the gastro intestinal tract.
• Used for the care of patients with an ileal pouch or serious intestinal disorders.

How It Works

VSL#3® is a highly concentrated blend of 8 live probiotic strains specifically chosen to survive in gastric fluid, bile, and pancreatic secretions. Studies have demonstrated that these probiotic strains arrive alive to colonize in the intestines. This is important as studies have shown that the flora can reduce intestinal inflammation and lower colonic permeability and improve barrier junctions, which protects the intestinal tract.

Patients with IBD

It has been shown that patients with IBD have an imbalance of “good” and “bad” bacteria in their intestinal tract. By taking VSL#3®, the amount of good bacteria is increased allowing the balance of “good” and “bad” bacteria to be normalized. For full product information and ingredients click here.

Low-dose Naltrexone (LDN)   

**** Call our Physicians Network for a consult (non ohip covered)

LDN can be used for:

• Autoimmune Disease Hayfever / Severe Allergies
• Lyme Disease Cancer
• Autism Fibromyalgia
• Multiple Sclerosis IBD (Crohn’s Disease and Colitis)
• Rheumatoid Arthritis Parkinson’s
• Thyroid Disorders (Hashimoto’s and Graves’ Disease)
• Chronic Fatigue and other autoimmune and chronic conditions

The following information is taken from the LDN Research Trust website   https://www.ldnresearchtrust.org

LDN is normally used in treating addiction to opiate drugs such as heroin or morphine. The daily dose used for this purpose is usually between 50 and 300mg per day.  Naltrexone is in a class of drug known as an opiate antagonists.

Low-dose Naltrexone (LDN) has been used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases in the United States since 1985, but is relatively new in the United Kingdom and Europe. Despite the fact that the drug is used at a very low dose, the occurrence of significant introductory or long term side effects cannot be excluded.

This method was devised and subsequently developed by the late Dr. Bernard Bihari, M.D., a physician from New York, USA who passed away May 16, 2010.  Dr. Bihari was qualified in Internal Medicine, Psychiatry and Neurology – a true Pioneer.

How Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) Works

Autoimmune Disease:

The mechanism of action of naltrexone, in autoimmune diseases and cancer, is poorly understood. The benefits of the drug are possibly due to the temporary inhibition of endorphins. This results in a reactive increase in the production of endorphins, which should result in a reduction of painful symptoms and an increased sense of well-being.

Increased levels of endorphins should be expected to stimulate the immune system, promoting an increase in the number of T lymphocytes. This effect was observed in Dr. Bihari’s research. This increase in T-cell numbers apparently restores a more normal balance of the T-cells such that the effects of the disease progress are significantly reduced.

It may also act directly on these immune cells to stimulate or restore normal function. There is research currently underway, to prove the hypothesis that naltrexone improves or modulates the immune system – by acting on a receptor called TLR4. Several published papers have shown that naltrexone binds to the TLR4 receptor, and has a clinically measurable effect. This is evident in Chron’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

REFERENCES:

•  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22850250 
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22826216 
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23188075
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17222320

Cancer:

Recent research by Dr. Ian Zagon in Multiple Resistant Breast Cancer has shown that LDN can stop breast cancer cells growing by acting on a new pathway “p21 cyclin-dependent inhibitory kinase pathway”.

REF: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130810063639.htm

This is yet to be confirmed by a second study but is likely to research further in the future. This pathway is present in many solid tumors – as well as a large proportion of breast cancers. The article seems to offer some hope for people with Multiple Resistant Breast Cancer.

Multiple centers around the United Kingdom are quietly using LDN for all types of cancer.

Professor Angus George Dalgleish (Bsc, MD FRACPath FRACP FRCP FMedSci), Professor of Oncology at University College London is extremely experienced in using LDN for cancer. Recent examples where it has been beneficial in anecdotal cases include lung, bowel and Malignant Melanoma. Dr. Zagons study points to a mechanism of action in these, and other solid tumor types.

There is also a combination therapy called the Berkson Method – using Alpha-Lipoic Acid and LDN.

What is Functional Medicine?

Functional medicine is personalized medicine that deals with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of symptoms for serious chronic disease. It is a science-based field of health care that is grounded in the following principles:

• Biochemical individuality describes the importance of individual variations in metabolic function that derive from genetic and environmental differences among individuals.
• Patient-centered medicine emphasizes “patient care” rather than “disease care,” following Sir William Osler’s admonition that “It is more important to know what patient has the disease than to know what disease the patient has.”
• Dynamic balance of internal and external factors.
• Web-like interconnections of physiological factors – an abundance of research now supports the view that the human body functions as an orchestrated network of interconnected systems, rather than individual systems functioning autonomously and without effect on each other. For example, we now know that immunological dysfunctions can promote cardiovascular disease, that dietary imbalances can cause hormonal disturbances, and that environmental exposures can precipitate neurologic syndromes such as Parkinson’s disease.
• Health as a positive vitality – not merely the absence of disease.
• Promotion of organ reserve as the means to enhance healthspan.

Functional medicine is anchored by an examination of the core clinical imbalances that underlie various disease conditions. Those imbalances arise as environmental inputs such as diet, nutrients (including air and water), exercise, and trauma are processed by one’s body, mind, and spirit through a unique set of genetic predispositions, attitudes, and beliefs. The fundamental physiological processes include communication, both outside and inside the cell; bioenergetics, or the transformation of food into energy; replication, repair, and maintenance of structural integrity, from the cellular to the whole body level; elimination of waste; protection and defense; and transport and circulation. The core clinical imbalances that arise from malfunctions within this complex system include:

• Hormonal and neurotransmitter imbalances
• Oxidation-reduction imbalances and mitochondropathy
• Detoxification and biotransformational imbalances
• Immune imbalances
• Inflammatory imbalances
• Digestive, absorptive, and microbiological imbalances
• Structural imbalances from cellular membrane function to the musculoskeletal system
• Imbalances such as these are the precursors to the signs and symptoms by which we detect and label (diagnose) organ system disease. Improving balance – in the patient’s environmental inputs and in the body’s fundamental physiological processes – is the precursor to restoring health and it involves much more than treating the symptoms. Functional medicine is dedicated to improving the management of complex, chronic disease by intervening at multiple levels to address these core clinical imbalances and to restore each patient’s functionality and health. Functional medicine is not a unique and separate body of knowledge. It is grounded in scientific principles and information widely available in medicine today, combining research from various disciplines into highly detailed yet clinically relevant models of disease pathogenesis and effective clinical management.

Functional medicine emphasizes a definable and teachable process of integrating multiple knowledge bases within a pragmatic intellectual matrix that focuses on functionality at many levels, rather than a single treatment for a single diagnosis. Functional medicine uses the patient’s story as a key tool for integrating diagnosis, signs, and symptoms, and evidence of clinical imbalances into a comprehensive approach to improving both the patient’s environmental inputs and his or her physiological function. It is a clinician’s discipline, and it directly addresses the need to transform the practice of primary care.

The Cox Technic is a gentle adjustment procedure developed by Dr. James M. Cox, about fifty years ago, as a natural healing alternative to surgery. It often provides fast relief from low back and leg pain and is one of the most effective and well-researched techniques used in Chiropractic care. It has been proven by a number of trials and studies and upholds the scientific standard.

The Cox Technique is utilized to treat conditions such as:

• Back, leg, neck, and arm pain
• Disc herniation
• Stenosis
• Sciatica
• Sacro-iliac Syndrome
• Facet Syndrome
• Sprain or Strain Injuries
• Tension and Migraine Headaches

The goal of the Cox Technic is to decompress spinal discs and nerves while applying gentle stretching to the spine. Treatment is both gentle and painless. Patients undergoing Cox Technic experience:

• Significant pain relief
• Decreased pressure on spinal discs
• Relief of pressure on discs
• Improvement in range of motion in the neck and lower back
• Improved sleep
• Improved energy
• Decreased pressure on spinal nerves
• Improved circulation

If you are suffering from back or spine pain, or have questions, call us today.