Hi My Fellow Slow Losers,

I recently went to an Endocronologist who asked me about 5 ?'s, looked at me and told me, "Well I don't think anything is wrong with you - you should control your portions?!, I'll run some tests but umm...you should meet with a dietician"!

I had brought this doctor a food journal dating for over a month, articles I read, some conditions I was concerned about - explained my portions are already very small - but he simply didn't listen to me.

I did bloodwork and am awaiting results - in the meantime my mother referred this new book to me and it was like the WORLD stopped as I read it - it made SO MUCH Sense!

Book is called Ultra Metabolism and the website is www.ultrametabolism.com - it also refers people TO DOCTORS IN THEIR AREA that subscribe to the Functional Medicine approach (I'll post more about this below).

Some things that can be wrong with me that is affecting my weight loss could be H. Pylori (which I have!), Fatty Liver, etc.

My appointment with a specialist in this area is the end of next week - I can't wait!

The Website to find doctors in your area that will treat YOU individually is:

http://www.functionalmedicine.org

What is Functional Medicine? Functional medicine 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 health span.

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 improve 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.

Thank you for posting this. I AM a slow loser and intend on reading as much as I can.

Thanks again.

Thank you for posting this. I AM a slow loser and intend on reading as much as I can.

Thanks again.

Your welcome, let me know what you think if you read this book. I normally do not like Non-Fiction books. I read the whole book in 1 day!!!

I read and followed Ultrametabolism. The recipes are so yummy and healthy, but I gained weight with all those beans! No used to all the carbs! Otherwise, I felt like the book was a nice summary of knowledge about healthy eating. His theme is very similar to Suzanne Somers' new book, and Life Extensions company's supplements. I love Life Extensions....

You have to be REALLY careful- The functional medicine doctor in our area told my mother after their heart scan show she had some blockage, that he could unclog it with IV Vitamins, and solns!??? She went thru THOUSANDS of dollars and days of IV soln/vitamins or whatever the mixture was. She finally believed me AFTER her heart attack - that was NOT possible!! IF it was there would be no reason for angioplasty.

They also did a mercury detox. Her opinion of them has changed emensely!!

Dont mean to be the party pooper.......

BE CAREFUL!!!! BE SENSEABLE about the care you let them offer!!

PS... my mon is still fat too. she gained on the diet specifically for her although she was not allowed to eat a ton of stuff!!

GOOD LUCK!! I hope they can help !!

Wow, THANK YOU for the feedback. I will definitely keep my eyes ane ears open and be a bit skeptical. I'm just sooo tired of not losing weight. *sigh* desperate I am!

I think it's like anything else. Lots of good info, but also overblown promises because it's the new craze. By the way, the Dr that wrote it claims you can email him, so I did-twice-about gaining wieght and asking for advice. Never got a response. Maybe too busy at book signings.....

Beachee, honey, the first endo said the SAME THING!!! I fired him, and went to another one who found my pit tumor and confirmed my Cushing's.

Fire his butt and find another one. You do NOT have to take their smerking patronizing attitude. Fire him and find another one. If that one can't help, then fire that one.

NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SURRENDER!

I'm curious. And does the band help with your Cushings symptoms?

Nope, the band doesn't help at all. But, it did lead me there, because I probably would have never found the Cushing's without it though. I would have been dismissed as "fat and lazy." Forever.

But I'm used to doctors dismissing my health concerns becuse I'm fat. I had a collasped lung that they diagnosed as "fat."

Part of the biggest problem with Cushing's is that the main symptom is OBESITY. If you are fat, it's your own damn fault, you've been over eating and under excersizing, and you need to take ownership, whatever that means... I was told that it was NORMAL to gain 25 pounds in a week. Sure if you are a pregnant elephant... I gained 50 pounds one summer, and I was told it was because I was upset because my husband was on sea duty. (I didn't change my eating habbits or my excersize)

Just because doctors have MD behind their name doesn't mean they know everything. I was in the ER last night for one of my killer headaches. The ER doc basically said I was a lier, and that Cyclical Cushing's doesn't exisit... Well, he's not an Endo, he's not an Endo that specialized in Cushing's and he sure as heck doesn't live in my body.

BeecheeGirl, and all you slow losers, FIGHT! DO NOT TAKE THIS LYING DOWN.

you know somethings wrong, don't let some fool who's seen you for all of 15 minutes tell you otherwise.

Do not go quietly into the dark!