Typical symptoms of peripheral nerve disease include:

• tingling
• numbness
• loss of sensation.

Other signs can include:

• loss of strength
• balance problems
• pain
• vascular changes
• Severe dysfunction can include decrease in motor function.

The medical diagnosis, “peripheral neuropathy” is so alarming that people assume there is no help except whatever relief prescription drugs might provide. The nervous system is important in transmitting messages between the brain and the body. Most people have experienced nerve pain, if only from a dental injection or from an electric shock, so everyone knows that nerve pain can be very sharp, unexpected and unpleasant.

Nerves have the reputation for being “delicate,” so the idea of performing manual therapy upon nerve tissue may seem likely to cause some harm. Nerves are seen as “delicate” because of their sensitivity, the ability to detect energy changes and produce sensations of all kinds. On the structural level nerves are well supported and protected by connective tissue so it is safe to perform the right type of manual therapy to remove the compressive forces that can trouble nerves.

Physicians diagnose peripheral nerve disease based on certain symptoms like tingling, numbness and loss of sensation. When peripheral neuropathy is diagnosed, both doctor and patient are usually busy pondering, “what’s adversely affecting the nerve tissue?” The doctor will consider a long list of known diseases that affect the health and performance of neural tissue, including uncommon genetic diseases and common diseases like diabetes.

The doctor often fails to consider that a peripheral nerve consists of three layers of connective tissue that give the nerve its structure. This connective tissue also holds in place the capillary beds that supply blood and nourishment to the nerve. Nerve pain can be caused by ischemia, lack of blood supply to the nerves. Neural ischemia is often the result of abnormal connective tissue changes that can be easily reversed with the right kind of manual therapy and the right kind of exercise.

The peripheral nerves of the body are made up of neurons bound together by connective tissue. The nerve’s outer, protective connective tissue sheath penetrates the nerve to form the perineurium. The perineurium holds blood vessels that deliver oxygen and nutrients to the living nerve cells.

Connective tissue is the body’s most abundant tissue by volume. Connective tissue has many functions. It provides form, structure, connections, compartments, and protection to all of the organs, muscles and nerves of the body. All connective tissue, no matter where it is found in the body, is subject to three deformations, compression, compaction and adhesion. When any of these deformations affect one of the three connective tissue layers of a peripheral nerve, nerve pain can occur.

Manual therapy is the perfect answer to nerve pain caused by connective tissue deformation. When performed very slowly, and at the appropriate depth, cross fiber spreading of the connective tissue surrounding the nerves and penetrating the nerves will relieve compressive forces. By definition, compression is the reduction of volume under pressure. Compression adversely affects the movement of the body’s plasma-based fluids. The plasma-based fluids carry oxygen and nutrients to the nerve cells, and also transport waste products (metabolites) away from the nerve cells. The plasma fluids flow through the solvent ground substance of the connective tissues.

Lack of blood supply (ischemia) to peripheral nerves can additionally be caused by compression of the muscles in the vicinity of the affected nerve routes. Peripheral nerves and skeletal muscles have a parallel construction. Similar to nerves, skeletal muscles consist of three layers of connective tissue that provide a structural framework for the muscle fibers. The connective tissue framework also anchors the blood-supplying vascular networks and provides the ground solvent fluid for the movement of the plasma fluid to and from the muscle cells.

It is generally accepted that prolonged pressure on a nerve from excess bodily fluid (such as swelling post-injury) can result in damage to the nerve cell body or its axon. The ground substance of connective tissue provides the medium for the retention and flow of the body’s fluids. It is generally accepted that both obesity and lack of movement contribute directly to interstitial fluid retention. Damage to peripheral nerves could result from three related problems: fluid pollution from stasis, loss of fluid volume, and prolonged fluid retention. Research is needed.

Overweight and under-active people suffer sluggish lymphatic circulation. Older adults also suffer sluggish lymphatic circulation due to negative connective tissue changes that occur over time. Younger patients with a history of injuries will also have connective tissue problems

The fluid environment surrounding nerve cells can become polluted by metabolites and by other toxic molecules that have not been adequately removed by the lymphatic system. Pollution will irritate nerves and may lead to inflammation. It is logical that pollution of interstitial fluids could also interfere with nerve conduction by introducing foreign molecules into the synapse space between axon and the dendrites of the neural body.

When peripheral neuropathy is diagnosed, and when the doctor has eliminated genetic and metabolic causes, connective tissue disease should be considered as the main or contributing cause for the neural pain. The doctor should be on the alert since peripheral neuropathy in diabetic patients who are older, obese, inactive, or who have a history of soft tissue injuries may have a secondary cause in connective tissue deformations.

Manual therapy can contribute to a specific diagnosis and treatment for peripheral neuropathy. The soft tissues (nerve, connective tissue and muscle) can all be evaluated by palpation. The evaluation should assess for signs and symptoms of ischemia, along with signs and symptoms of connective tissue deformations that can cause ischemia.

Manual therapy is the perfect treatment for nerve pain caused by connective tissue deformation. When performed very slowly, and at the appropriate depth, cross fiber spreading of the connective tissue surrounding the nerves and penetrating the nerves will relieve compressive and adhesive forces.

Joan Sloss, Ed.D. LMT
Healing Unleashed
Lakewood, Colorado
Copyrighted material 2010

Foods that boost breast health include fresh green vegetables, fresh fruit, omega oils, garlic and green tea.  Substances that increase risk factors for breast disease include smoking, sugar and refined foods, trans-fats and hydrogenated oils, food additives and excessive alcohol.

Healthy breasts depend upon good circulation and a clean fluid environment to support the breast tissue cells.  Exercise, deep breathing and lymphatic drainage massage help circulate the lymphatic fluid through the 600 lymph nodes distributed throughout your body.  Lymph nodes are garrisons of B, T, and other immune cells.  Lymph nodes act as filters or traps for foreign particles and cellular waste.

Lymphatic drainage massage helps to cleanse, circulate and drain fluids around the breast tissues.  The many lymph nodes that drain the breasts are largely found in the underarm and chest area.  When you receive your massage (which is very relaxing), Dr. Joan will teach you how to massage yourself to increase lymphatic flow.

Healing Unleashed wants to help you learn to take better care of your breasts.  We encourage you to do three things.  First, come to our seminar on breast health (and bring a friend).  Second, receive a lymphatic drainage massage with Dr. Joan Sloss.  Third, exercise daily for at least 30 minutes.  Fourth, eat high-fiber, fresh fruits and veggies, and take pro-biotics daily to improve gut health.

–Dr. Joan Sloss, Ed.D. LMT

And to add to this “off label” prescribing, many children are prescribed more than one drug that has not been tested in combination with other “off label” drugs. This is very disturbing to me as a physician, and I hope it would be “mind-boggling” for parents. I have seen children who were on 5 or more powerful psychotropic drugs for their behavior or learning problems. This is insanity! Why hasn’t the medical profession as a whole taken a close and careful look at what the potential causes might be instead of reaching for the “easy” solution…the prescription pad? Is it parental pressure to “do something”, or is it for financial gain? Difficult questions we all must contemplate.

Isn’t it time to start asking questions of our health care providers? The number of “over the counter” drugs that are available for what we consider to be minor ailments, fever and colds, have recently been taken off the market. Does this cause alarm in more people than just me? Tylenol? Every parent’s quick response to a child who is just out of sorts, crying more than usual or just not as responsive as they usually are has been in the past to reach for the Tylenol bottle. I often asked: Did the child have fever? Why did you give Tylenol? I am sure that most people realize by now that Tylenol (acetaminophen is toxic to the liver.) is not a solution for everything that might ail a child. Tylenol is not the answer to everything that impacts a child’s health. The same is true for ibuprofen and a host of cold remedies. Thank you FDA for a wise decision.

As a society, we all want what is best and safe for our children. We cringe at the idea of bullying and the horrors of internet predators, but how often do we get guarded or outraged about the drugs that we are putting into the fragile ecosystem of our child’s physiology?

Okay most of us may know all this, but what are we, as a society, as parents and health care providers to do? First, physicians must stop prescribing a drug for every little ailment. And parents must stop insisting that every cold is a bacterial infection requiring potent antibiotics. Physicians must also decrease the number of “off-label” drugs they are prescribing for our infants and children. Doctors must take the role of compassionate and wise leaders in the health of the children in their care. They must warn parents that many drugs have not been adequately tested for their safe use in our children. As doctors, we must educate, educate, educate. That means that doctors have take the time to do this.

As dedicated physicians we also need to learn about other safer treatments…what some call “alternative” therapies. These natural therapies, especially homeopathy, have a much safer tract record than pharmaceutical agents. This is evidence-based medicine at its highest. There is growing evidence that therapies such as homeopathy can have a healing effect for common illnesses such as ear infections, gastrointestinal viruses, and respiratory illnesses. Homeopathy is such a powerful healing modality that can assist our young ones in restoring physiological balance by assisting the immune system to eliminate common infections.

Integrative medicine is the use of both traditional and holistic therapies to stimulate a healing response. In the midst of our health-care crisis, there has never been a more important need to understand that we need to re-think what health care really means. Parents need to start asking questions, and doctors must rise to the occasion and start investigating and exploring safer therapies for their young charges. We are all ready and open to something dramatic and radically different to be the main emphasis of our health-care system. Our precious children are more important than the bottom line of the richest industry in the history of the world…the Pharmaceutical industry! Our children are our future. Let’s protect them.

If insomnia is fracturing your life, think Homeopathy! Homeopathy is a safe, natural and effective holistic remedy for your sleep problems. In every homeopathic consultation, your homeopathic professional will inquire into your sleep habits. Listening carefully to how you describe your symptoms, your homeopath will pay attention to every detail of how, what, when, where you experience the disturbance in your energy system.

No matter what the chief compliant is, so many of the people who consult with a professional homeopathy will have some issues with their sleep. It’s a pervasive problem in our 24/7 culture. Homeopathy is holistic and individualistic. No two people with a sleep problem will require the same homeopathic remedy to restore balance and homeostasis. That is why is important to consult with a professional. You can be assured that your homeopath will take everything you say into consideration in choosing the best remedy to help you heal at the deepest level.

Stresses of our modern world have a tremendous impact on our ability to sleep peacefully and restfully. The disruption of sleep causes our adrenal glands to be overly stressed. The release of cortisol (an adrenal hormone) from stress has a negative impact on our whole hormonal system. Normally, we have the highest level of cortisol in the early morning, readying us for the day. By the late evening, the levels of cortisol will drop, according to a wonderful innate plan of diurnal variation. If your stress has caused a variation in this natural rhythm, you will find it difficult to fall asleep. In essence, you are still wired for activity. Eventually, this will lead to adrenal exhaustion and to the feeling of being tired all the time.

Don’t let insomnia lead to greater health problems and rob you of the joy of vibrant living. Homeopathy can help. Find a homeopathic professional and begin your healing journey today.

Let’s address some of the negative effects on the body when unforgiveness is long-standing.  Unforgiveness can take many forms, from grudge holding, bitterness and resentment to irritability and stress.  The anger behind unforgiveness can increase your risk of dying at an earlier age.  That ought to be a wakeup call for us.

Anger triggers the body’s flight-or-fight response and overstresses the adrenal glands.  The stress hormones, epinephrine and norepinephrine, mimic the effect amphetamines would have on the body:

• Increased blood pressure
• Increased heart rate
• Depression of the immune system
• Increased risk of heart disease, cancer and stroke

The negative health effects of unforgiveness can also affect the brain.  Studies show that even low-level resentment and anger tend to lower cognitive function and problem-solving capacity.  Unforgiveness can lead to anxiety disorders, depression and shame.

The bottom line:  Unforgiveness is not good for you.  It causes unimaginable harm, not only to your health, but also to your capacity to have loving relationships.

What can we do about it?  Learn to forgive.  Practice forgiveness.  Practice letting go of hurtful remarks and situations.  Holding onto resentment and unforgiveness creates toxicity in your mind and body. And we are 100% responsible for cleaning up our own  toxicity.

I want to share with you an ancient Hawaiian prayer of forgiveness called Ho’oponopono.

I first heard about this at a spiritual retreat I went to several years ago on “The Healing Power of Forgiveness.”  The retreat leader told the story of a psychiatrist, Dr. Lew Hen, who was hired to work in the high security ward of a prison.  The inmates were the worst criminals who had committed rape and murder.  The prison could not keep doctors because they were not able to help any of the inmates.

Dr. Hen decided to accept the position.  Over a period of several years, he did not see a single one of the inmates in consultation.  He had been taught this powerful cleansing process called ho’oponopono, and all he did everyday was take each one of the inmates’ chart and practice this forgiveness process.  Gradually over this time, one by one, the prisoners were able to come out of the isolation they had been put in to protect them from others.  Gradually, they all were released from prison, and the ward was empty.  Let me share a little about this process.

First, we must understand that our experiences in life come from the data/memories we have stored inside our being.  It’s as though, we have a mortgage on our own soul.  In order to be “debt” free, we have to clear out the date bank that is running and ruining our life.  We have to forgive ourselves so we can forgive others.

Ho’oponopono is a cleansing process that involves 4 steps:

• I’m sorry
• Please forgive me
• I love you
• Thank you

I’M SORRY:  I’m sorry for how I have viewed you, how I have judged you and held you in contempt and negativity I’m sorry for that part of me that could ever believe it possible that you could do something to harm another.  I repent of my own false beliefs about humankind.

PLEASE FORGIVE ME.

THANK YOU: Thank you for showing me your true, pure self.  Thank you for helping me see the truth.

I LOVE YOU:  From my deepest soul I realize that we are truly one expression of the divine.  I love you and release you from this pain.  I love you and give you your freedom to be who you really are.

This is a very powerful process.  When we do this over and over again for all the situations in our life that has created a spirit of unforgiveness, we will be detoxifying in a profound way.  We will be releasing all the data tapes of painful memories.  As we heal ourselves, we heal those around us.  When we change the way we look at people, the people we look at will change, too.  Forgiveness is the greatest gift of love you will ever give yourself.

Click on this link to hear the ho’oponopono song.

Costs are escalating beyond our wildest imagination, along with the rising incidence of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. It all boils down to this: we are in trouble, and must implement a solution to the rampant escalation of chronic diseases. Our country ranks 37th in the quality of its health care system according to the World Health Organization, however we spend twice as much per person as any other developed country. A phenomenal number of Americans, 48 million, don’t have insurance and those who do realize they don’t have enough.

There are many ways we can prevent poor health before it happens. Do you realize that what we put into our bodies in terms of the food we eat and toxins that constantly surround us have a huge impact on our inner cellular health? What about our beliefs? Negative thoughts and emotions have a deleterious impact on our precious inner life. Although it appears complicated the answer to our health care crisis is so simple:

• Eat whole foods that have not been processed or genetically modified.
• Eliminate toxins from our inner and outer environment.
• Learn to be live in a state of inner peace, joy and contentment.
• Choose holistic therapies that stimulate the body’s innate wisdom to heal itself:

1. Homeopathy
2. Ancient therapies such as acupuncture or ayurve
3. Massage Therapy to stimulate the movement of lymph and cellular fluids.
4. Chiropractic manipulation to bring the structure back into alignment.
5. Yoga to bring the mind and body into synergy.
6. Exercise the body to stimulate revitalization and invigoration.
7. Individualized biochemistry: to test and measure how the body is handling oxidative stress, liver detoxification and cell membrane functioning. Appropriate supplementation of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and amino acids should be taken based on these results.

There are many wonderful holistic therapies that stimulate the healing response. What about the millions of people who know nothing about these modalities? It’s time for us to enlighten others about positive, life enhancing, healing therapies. To establish your repertoire of modalities and bring you to a greater state of wellness call Healing Unleashed at 303-986-0492 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Bedinghaus.

Recent studies by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have found toxic residues in our human tissues, especially fat. Umbilical cord blood analysis found 217 toxic chemicals that affect the brain and nervous system of infants. This is scary. We are floating in a soup of toxic substances that is making us sick.

Researchers have studied the link between chemical toxins and obesity. The pollutants are stored in our fat cells and poison our metabolism, preventing us from losing weight. The more obese a person, the more toxins are stored. Thyroid hormone levels are lowered, disturbing your metabolic rate and interfering with the hormonal signals that control your appetite. Toxins block the mechanism that tells your brain you are full.

What’s important about this research is that the role of a scientifically- based detoxification program is vital to restore your metabolism and your overall health. We all know that we live in a toxic environment. We must learn to live differently if we expect to be healthier, happier and full of vitality, strength and energy.

The following are a few ways to get started in cleaning up your environment both externally and internally:
• Eliminate toxic household cleaning substances and use natural substances.
• Eat as much organically raised foods as possible.
• Eliminate sugar and white flour from your diet.
• Drink half your body weight in ounces of filtered water.
• Detoxify with foods (organic):
o Cruciferous veggies..eat 1-2 cups, cooked, daily
o Drink green tea to boost liver detoxification.
o Cilantro, parsley, celery, dandelion greens, citrus peels, rosemary.
• Exercise. You literally sweat out the toxins.
• Urine testing to see how your body is handling oxidative stress, how your liver is detoxifying, and how well your cell membranes are functioning.

This is just the beginning. At Healing Unleashed, we offer customized nutritional supplementation that is individualized for your body’s needs. Call us today for more information: 303-986-0492. It’s up to every one of us to clean up our toxicity and live a balanced, healthy, vibrant life. Let’s get started today Taking You to a Healthier Place…Naturally! www.HealingUnleashed.com

Over two-thirds of the refined sugar used in this country is added to manufactured food products. Parents need to become educated about how to read food labels; and more important, they need to read those labels! Cereals are loaded with sugar; that is why it is smart to buy the older, original cereal brands like Raisin Brand and Cheerios. All processed foods contain generous portions of sugar including otherwise healthy foods like peanut butter, canned fruits and veggies, soups and cured meats. If you really want to protect your child’s brain and your child’s health, learn to prepare and serve natural foods that have not been processed.

The chronic diseases that afflict more and more children each year can be prevented and reversed with sound nutrition. Diabetes is now rampant in kids. Parents and kids both need to learn the “label names” for sugar: sucrose, fructose, glucose, maltose, lactose, and the worse culprit of all “high-fructose corn syrup.” Currently the most popular form of refined fructose is corn syrup, which is added to hundreds of products. It is about 70 percent sweeter than sucrose; so while it adds fewer calories to the food, it is a very dangerous sweetener.

Are molasses, maple syrup, corn syrup, and honey just as bad for your health as white sugar? Yes. Fructose from natural fruits and natural fruit juices is the one type of sugar that has some nutritional benefits and is safe in modest amounts. But you can still produce a “sugar high” by eating too many grapes or too much watermelon. Most forms of sugar cause blood sugar levels to rise and hence demand the production of insulin by the pancreas. The one exception is fructose which is metabolized by the liver and does not demand insulin.

“There is no doubt,” writes David Reuben, M.D., “that diabetes mellitus – otherwise known as ‘sugar diabetes’ – is caused by excessive consumption of refined sugar.” “Sugar high” occurs because simple sugars break down quickly into glucose and are too rapidly absorbed into the blood stream. With an influx of rapidly absorbed simple sugars, the pancreas overproduces insulin to protect our brain and other vital organs from sugar overdose.

The amount of sugar consumed by most children produces a metabolic roller coaster which adversely affects brain activity and also adversely affects the adrenal glands, liver and pancreas. Obesity in children has become a national epidemic.
The digestion of sugar requires B-complex vitamins, calcium and magnesium which are undersupplied by the Standard American Diet (SAD). The high-sugar American diet is helping to deprive children of the B vitamins needed by their brains and nervous system, as well as the calcium and magnesium needed by their bones and teeth. Scientific tests have shown that the 6 teaspoons of sugar contained in an 8 ounce soft drink decreases the number of bacteria destroyed by while blood cells by 25%.

Joan Sloss, Ed.D, CMMT

I just googled Biochemical Individuality ( wow! The power of the internet) and found the book on Amazon. I had this book in my library for all these years, but did not understand what the author was saying. Now I am beginning to get it. We know we are all unique, but how many of us have thought about our nutritional needs being unique?

I am taking a few excerpts from a “look inside the book” found on the Amazon website. “Dr. Roger Williams, world renowned biochemist, told us forty years ago that biochemical individuality – the differences in anatomy and metabolism from person to person – influences our health. For optimal function we each have unique nutritional needs and specific environment requirements. This message is even more timely today than when it was originally put forth in 1956.” (I was still in grade school in 1956, but per my previous blog, I was very much intending to be a physician.)

Biochemical individuality explains why:
• Some of us are better at detoxifying drugs and chemicals
• The harmful amino acid homocysteine may or may not cause heart disease
• Cancer genes respond in different ways to diet and environment
• Low fat diets cause some people to gain weight
• One person needs higher levels of a nutrient than another to be healthy

According to Jeffrey Bland, PhD ( a leader in Functional Medicine): “This book should have an honored place among the principle reference books of anyone interested in health and nutrition.” (From the Amazon website “look inside” this amazing book.)

I must make a confession: I received absolute “zero” education in nutrition while I was in medical school. “Zero.” Not just insufficient, but “zero.” And I can assure you that even most of your younger doctors have had “zero” instruction in nutrition. That should cause most people to become alarmed. Well, I am doing my best to rectify this lack of nutritional education by studying, researching and investigating everything I can about the absolute essential role nutrition plays in our overall health and well-being .

That brings me to a very important point: After many years of research, some of us in the medical profession are finally realizing that most of our chronic illnesses could be abated and healed with the right nutritional program. At Healing Unleashed® Health Services we are dedicated to providing our patients with the best information and healing modalities that will support them in greater wellness.

We have recently discovered a company, Ideal Health, that provides testing to access the inner metabolism of the individual. This is mostly based on urine testing to ascertain which nutritional supplements: vitamins, minerals, amino acids, phytonutrients an individual needs to correct and maintain homeostasis. We are so excited about the promise of helping our patients achieve greater health. I believe this kind of approach is the wave of the future. No longer do you need to go to the vitamin store to try and guess what your body needs, but now you can have confidence, based on your individual test results, that you are using the right nutritional supplements for your own unique needs. The supplements are made just for you. Isn’t that exciting?

If you have questions, give me a call at 303-986-0492. The direction of health care must be to a more individualized approach. You have unique fingerprints and brain waves. So, why shouldn’t your metabolic needs also be unique? More about this in future blogs.
Wishing you a health, happiness, inner peace, and JOY!
Wanda Bedinghaus, MD

When I finished my residency in Pediatrics, I started a solo practice in Plano, Texas. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was just “putting out fires”, and not really making the impact on the young lives that I so longed to make. I finally got to the point where I could not write one more prescription for Ritalin. I knew something was missing from my doctor tools. After years of searching for that “missing” healing tool, I made the decision to leave medicine and explore other options. I went to seminary and became a minister.

One day I read an article by Rachel Naomi Remen, MD about how doctors had forgotten the sacredness of life. I knew I had to go back to medicine, but this time with a different, more holistic perspective. I searched for a model for holistic medicine, and I discovered homeopathy.

The reason I was fascinated with homeopathy is that with this natural way of healing a real cure is possible. Homeopathic remedies stimulate the body’s own healing potential without causing harmful side effects. Our remedies come from nature: plants, minerals, and from animals. They are prepared by a series of dilutions and potentized (by shaking the solution) until the material substance is no longer present. Homeopathic remedies contained the energy of the original substance so they stimulate the healing response in the individuals.

All of the therapies we use at Healing Unleashed® Health Services are safe and effective. As a physician I took an oath, the Hippocratic Oath, that said, “First, do no harm.” I took that oath seriously. Homeopathy does no harm. In fact, it just stimulates the body’s own innate capacity to heal itself. What greater medicine could there be? I cannot imagine why everyone does not use homeopathy for their healing needs. With the rapid increase in chronic diseases plaguing our human family, there is one “jewel of nature” that has the potential to heal, not just control or suppress symptoms. To find out more about this safe and wonderful healing modality visit our website at www.HealingUnleashed.com. We want to take you to a healthier place…NATURALLY!
Wanda Bedinghaus, MD