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(813) 867-0608 • Contact • Schedule an Appointment

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis – Yes, but what’s the cause?

I don’t know how many people are aware, but thyroid medication is the 4th most prescribed medication just below pain medication, cholesterol, and blood pressure. I think it’s quite interesting considering that low thyroid is associated with increased pain, elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure.

 

What’s more is that most cases of hypothyroid are actually caused by Hashimoto’s. I know this may all sound confusing, hypo this, hashi that! It’s simple to quickly get a handle on thyroid disease. Hypo – means low. Most people who suffer with thyroid problems are not producing enough thyroid hormone. The main reason is due to an autoimmune attack on the thyroid, whereby the immune system is  Continue reading…

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – Healing Your Frustrations!

Have you ever been told it’s all in your head? I mean, did you ever have the feeling that when you speak with your doctor, the look on his or her face is saying “you must be making this all up”? 

In my Tampa holistic and functional medicine practice, I regularly see patients who have many chronic symptoms. Symptoms that on the surface are seemingly unrelated and bizarrely appear to have no known cause. Many of these patients have been diagnosed as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or exhibit multiple symptoms in multiple systems of the body. It appears as if they have some type of autoimmune condition(s). Although, some have been diagnosed with a specific autoimmune condition, many elude diagnosis. The doctor often suggesting “let’s retest in a few months or a year, it looks autoimmune, but I don’t see anything in your labs yet”. 

Case Study 

A forty year old female administrator recently presented with complaints of memory loss, lack of motivation and anxiety, all brain based symptoms, ok that fits. She explained to me that she has low sex drive, stomach pain, rashes that come and go and is always tired. When, I let her continue to state her concerns, “I also have cramps in my legs and I wake up stiff, my joints hurt, and at times I find it difficult to breathe. I sleep well enough but wake up tired.” There was more! “I have tingling in my hands and I feel weak”. This is suddenly sounding way more complex! 

The patient went on to tell me about her  Continue reading…

Hormone Replacement Therapy – Part I: The Icing on the Cake

Hormone replacement therapy has gotten a lot of press over the years — both good and bad. It all started in the 1960s, when women in their 40s and 50s were prescribed estrogen to alleviate the symptoms of menopause — hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, and mood swings. Then, studies appeared, showing estrogen promotes growth of the uterine lining, which increases the risk of cancer, so doctors began recommending the addition of progesterone to protect the uterus.

However, instead of providing patients with bioidentical estrogen and progesterone, pharmaceutical companies created a synthetic form of progesterone called progestin (which they could patent) and started combining it with various forms of estrogen — synthetic or derived from animals.

Hormone Replacement Therapy Doctor Matt Lewis

At about this same time (the late 1990s), theories emerged suggesting hormone replacement therapy (HRT) would be helpful for preventing certain age-related diseases in older women, and doctors began prescribing it for women in their 60s and 70s. However, in 2002, a large federal study by the U.S. National Institutes of Health called the Women’s Health Initiative linked the leading HRT medication, Wyeth’s Prempro, with an increased risk of cancer, stroke, and blood clotting. As a result of that study and others, many doctors and women abandoned hormone replacement therapy or now use it only to help alleviate symptoms during menopause.

The truth is that hormone replacement therapy is safe and effective for both men and women, as long as it is done right. Doing it right involves addressing other underlying health issues first and then using bioidentical hormones instead of Continue reading…

Toxic Mold: How a Medically Supervised Detox Can Help

Toxic mold is a problem in any Tampa building that has been subjected to high humidity or water damage. It is especially prevalent in areas struck by hurricanes and tropical storms, which are common in South Florida. In Fact, Home Advisor recently ranked Florida number two in its list of “The Top 10 Worst States for Mold,” second only to Texas. It makes sense; according to FloridaHealth.gov, toxic mold “can grow almost anywhere there is enough moisture or high humidity,” and South Florida is the capital of high humidity.

Of special concern is Stachybotrys chartarum (also known as Stachybotrys atra or black mold), a greenish-black mold that can grow on drywall, sheetrock, ceiling tiles, and wood. This mold and several others produce mycotoxins, which compromise the immune system and trigger Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), leading to a host of illnesses, including these: Continue reading…