Health Assessment

Health Consultation

We know the following information you are about to read may seem long and overwhelming for some. We tried to keep it as short as possible and get the information out that you will need. This information alone can make dramatic changes in your present and future health.

Since 1991 Healing*Edge Science was offering these consultations at no charge. Unfortunately the demand became overwhelming and we discovered that health practitioner and doctors in all fields of medicine were acting in place of their patients and using our free consultations. So in 2001 we started charging for these services and the repeated practitioner requests virtually stopped. Some of the practitioners are still using our services at a reduced volume charge.

In the beginning of 2006 we reevaluated this once again as a free service and found it extremely difficult to charge for these consultation. Many people cannot afford to pay for reliable health information. In early 2006 we found the following statement as part of an article in a reliable drug topic magazine:

"What is your financial status? Past history has shown us that people for whom affording treatment is not an issue have more options and better chances at success. If you are short on cash, you will probably fall victim to a health care system that cannot offer you all the choices available or that you may need. Information that is free is rarely reliable and directly linked to a sale."

So we decided to give our clients a choice:

This is a common scenario that happens to many: You start a health program that seems to be working and all of a sudden it stops . The reason for this, is every nutrient, vitamin, mineral and food that we swallow uses other micronutrients and chemicals that should be readily available by the body. Once these micronutrients and chemical that come from food are used up the nutritional program stops working. In other terms the chemical messengers fail to communicate. Chemical messengers start acting the minute food, vitamins and minerals make contact with your saliva. This same scenario goes for many drugs. We've always wondered why we need to increase the dose to see the same results or why a drug does not work at all. In most cases were just missing the cofactors needed to help them perform. For this reason all health programs need a solid nutritional foundation to succeed and retain their results. We could not rely on our clients diets or nutritional intake or could we rely on the foods that are grown today. (Senate Document No. 264, 1936 Soil Depletion). So we chose to offer the following:

When you finish reading this page you will find multiple option to choose from. We will still be offering the choice to pay for a consultation but we will now offer something we feel will benefit our clients even if they choose not to do the Health Consultation. This NSA choice is very affordable and will have an impact on your health over a 2 to 4 month period even without the consultation.

By considering a health consultation, you have taken the first step towards making yourself well. What follows may seem lengthy and, at times, complex, but well worth your time if you wish to make a sound decision on how to take part in the restoration of your own health.

Our team of health practitioners is here to give you the knowledge and tools you need to travel this healing path. Before you move forward, however, it is important for you to recognize that the ultimate responsibility for your own wellness rests in your hands. Taking that responsibility begins with becoming fully informed, and with your commitment to follow the advice you are given in the consultation process.

This page is designed to do two things:

1. To give you the information you need to decide whether you should go ahead with the consultation, and which type of consultation best suits your needs.

2. To help you see what a true commitment to healing requires, and to encourage you to make that commitment.

Let's figure out what kind of disease (Webster's definition: an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning) you have to contend with, and what might be at its root. In order to understand disease, we must also have a grasp of how the human body functions when it is healthy. Western/allopathic and Eastern/natural medicines view health and disease in different ways.

Disease as War

The Western idea of disease is based in germ theory—the idea that disease is something that invades the body and causes it to become sick. Western medicine views most illness in this way, using metaphors of war—disease attacks the body, we get well by conquering disease, we fight disease, we eradicate illness—to describe the relationship between disease and host. Unfortunately, this kind of war tends to have casualties, in the form of side effects from medications or surgeries. Sometimes this is unavoidable; sometimes it isn't. A consultation will help you to discern whether you can find other, less warlike ways to approach the treatment of your condition.

Disease as Loss of Balance

The Eastern healing arts, along with the arts of homeopathy and naturopathy, see disease as a result of an imbalance within the body. This imbalance might be caused by one or more of a variety of factors, including poor diet, overwork, stress, hereditary characteristics, or emotional issues. Such imbalances create fertile ground for disease to take hold. Rather than viewing disease as something that attacks the body, these healing arts see it as a manifestation of imbalances that reduces our resistance against bacteria, viruses, and other pathogenic organisms that can cause uncomfortable symptoms.

Our bodies hold within them all they need to fight off virtually any pathogen, as long as we maintain proper balance with a nourishing diet, exercise, sleep, and a health-promoting attitude. When we do become ill, we can look to Western medicine to tamp down symptoms with drugs, but in order to truly heal we need to reclaim that balanced state that is our birthright.

The Eastern, holistic view of health and disease is more complicated than the Western view, and it requires more participation and understanding on the part of the patient; but if you are dealing with an illness that Western medicine cannot cure, you will likely find that the extra work is well worth it.

Disease as Communication Breakdown

At its most basic level, the body is a conglomeration of thousands of chemicals, circuits, enzymes, and proteins, all of which constantly strike a dynamic state of balance. That dynamic balance is orchestrated by a remarkable and complex communications system, comprised of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. This communications system is the link between the inner workings of the body and the external environment—the foods we eat, the places we go, the substances we come into contact with. The activities of all of the millions of cells that comprise our bodies are, in the end, dictated by communications from the nervous system.

This concept is an easy one to understand if you have ever been married. In a marriage, open and abundant communications are a must. As soon as one partner starts to keep secrets, aspects of the relationship start to break down. Or, you can compare it to a government, with the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) as commander-in-chief. The President doesn't deal directly with the members of each city council in the nation, but his communications trickle down to their level through an intricate network of contacts. A loss of any one of those contacts will disrupt the whole system.

In the body, too, communication lapses—which can be the result of structural issues typically dealt with through chiropractic, or due to organ dysfunction caused by poor diet, stress, or underlying disease—lead to an ever-expanding series of miscommunications that prohibit the body from healing itself.

With natural medicine—also known as integrative, holistic, or alternative—we address this balance throughout the lifespan, helping to maintain it in a world that is usually anything but health-promoting. We nudge it this way or that with homeopathic remedies, dietary changes, or lifestyle changes. Because it is a dynamic balance, and because each person is different, every person's needs are unique and change throughout the lifespan. Western medicine generally fails to take this into account.

To get the most from the consultation process, begin to see your condition through the eyes of Eastern, holistic healing practices. Holistic practitioners categorize patients in a bit more detail than Western medicine's sick/not sick. The spectrum of health and disease is much broader than this. A person without apparent disease in the eyes of Western medicine may have low energy, dry skin, digestive problems, or other subtle symptoms that suggest either low-grade chronic condition or the beginnings of something more serious. In simple terms, here is a breakdown of the spectrum of disease. Try to figure out which category best fits your condition:

Simple disease/infection. Examples: common cold, strep throat, insect bite, food poisoning. This category of illness is easiest to understand and to treat. In many instances, a simple disease or infection resolves on its own, especially if the person's immune system is strong and all of his or her organs are working well. A person who is somewhat weaker might have more of a struggle when dealing with these simple infections, and may require temporary antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, or other pharmaceutical therapy. If this person's treatment is not entirely successful—if vestiges of disease remain for more than a few days—the condition may escalate to the next category.

Prolonged disease/infection. Examples: more complex, less readily diagnosable conditions, such as secondary infections like bronchitis or sinusitis, fungal infection, or environmental poisoning by chemicals or heavy metals. These conditions are not caught or contracted from others, but are cultivated within body systems in which communications are not clear, where diet and lifestyle choices fail to support the body's natural striving towards healthful balance. These conditions seem to hang on for prolonged periods, up to a month or a month and a half. They are not life-threatening, but they are bothersome and tough to beat.

Chronic disease/disorder. Examples: diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, psoriasis, asthma, allergies, Crohn's disease, or long-lasting, recurring viral, bacterial, or fungal infections. These kinds of conditions are hardest for the medical mainstream to treat, because they have a lot to do with diet, lifestyle, and thought patterns. They may take years to evolve and manifest themselves as symptoms. Some people are more genetically prone to these kinds of conditions. The drugs used to treat chronic disorders are more for symptom control than healing. They often are powerful agents that leave the ill person with major side effects. Alternative medicine is an ideal approach for chronic disorders because it addresses the whole person. It seeks to find the root causes and treats them with natural agents that promote balance and improved communications between the central nervous system and the rest of the body.

Age-Related Diseases. Examples: heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's disease and other age-related memory loss, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis. These diseases are considered to be a natural part of the aging process, but this doesn't have to be the case. Our bodies change as we age in ways that lead to decreased nutrient absorption and assimilation. Alterations in hormone balance mean that what once kept us feeling fine is no longer adequate for self-care. Natural medicine, exercise, and other lifestyle modifications can make a big difference, pushing off these disease processes and extending your healthy, active lifespan.

Is A Consultation Right For You?

You are most likely to benefit from our service if you have a condition that is prolonged, chronic, or age-related. Simple conditions can also be treated and prevented through natural means, however, and if you tend to have them often, we may be able to help you make some changes that will better fortify your body against recurrent bouts of simple illness.

A consultation is designed to teach you about your condition and its foundation in the day-to-day functioning of your body. We will explain both the Western and Eastern points of view, and how each addresses control or cure. We take into account a great many factors as we try to develop a protocol especially for you, including:

• Diet
• Consumption of liquids
• Digestion, absorption, and assimilation of nutrients
• The quality of the air you breathe
• Exposure to toxins
• Exposure to electromagnetic frequency (EMF) radiation
• Relationships
• Sleep patterns
• Stress level and coping mechanisms
• Emotional and behavior patterns, mood, thought patterns
• Physical and/or emotional traumas
• Posture and physical activity
• Bowel and breath odors

All of these factors are important for proper diagnosis and for creating a treatment plan that re-establishes balance and harmony within the body.

If you go ahead with this consultation, you need to be prepared to:

1. take pills (homeopathics, supplements, herbs) as directed, i.e. with or without food and at the right times of day;
2. take the brand of pill specifically recommended (different products can vary enormously in quality and composition, and we can't vouch for the healing power of any but the ones we recommend) let go of the Western statistics on the prognosis of your condition (remember that all statistics and prognoses are referents of Western medicine only, and that integrative medicine does not have recording systems in place…in other words, if a million people were cured of cancer each year with alternative medicine, no one would know except through word of mouth)
3. let go of popular myths around your condition, and accept information about its true causes rest!!!
4. eliminate unnecessary stressors
5. make appropriate dietary and other lifestyle changes

More than 60 percent of the patients we counsel do not comply with all of these directions. Then, they are frustrated that the treatment does not work. We're not here to take your money and run; we are here to help you heal. We can't do so without full participation on your part.

A Warning

This list might seem daunting to you. You may feel tempted to use whatever information you can get on the Internet or in books to pick and choose natural remedies on your own. There are two major problems with this approach:

1. About 97 percent of the health information on the Internet is unreliable. Most of it is there to sell a product; a good deal of it is simply copied from other Web sites, with no information from actual research to support its veracity.

2. Without a comprehensive understanding of how your body works and how natural therapies (supplements, herbs, homeopathics) work, and without the up-to-date research that we make it our business to stay on top of, you are likely to create a program that, in the end, promotes imbalance and causes further problems. For example: if you take high doses of folic acid—a vitamin that is vital for good health—you actually block the absorption of vitamin B12. These two nutrients are meant to be in a specific balance, and if you disrupt that balance with 400 or 800 micrograms of folic acid a day, it is possible that you will end up with a clinical B12 deficiency. This can manifest itself as nerve damage, muscle weakening, depression, absentmindedness, failing memory (levels of this vitamin are often low in Alzheimer's patients), fatigue, or anemia. Recent research showing that high doses of vitamin E or C may be harmful confirms this; antioxidant nutrients like these can actually become pro-oxidants if they are taken individually in high doses rather than in a complementary way. We have found that supplement plans need to be altered periodically to ensure that no imbalances are created.

What To Expect In Your Consultation Process

Integrated medicine can approach treating your condition in one of three ways. When you begin your consultation, we will need to know which of these paths you wish to take.

Consider the following as you examine your options:

• How serious is your disease? If it's a minor condition that doesn't cause you too much discomfort, you may opt for approach #1 or #2.

• What is your age? If you are older, you may be less invested in aggressively dealing with the condition, and you may be fine with simple symptom control. If you are young or dealing with something potentially life-threatening, you will probably want to go for the gusto—option #3. For obvious reasons, children and infants tend not to be good candidates for aggressive integrative medical therapy. They can also cope better with the risks of mainstream therapy.

• What previous treatments have you undergone? Certain mainstream therapies may lead us to rule out more aggressive interventions. Prescription drug therapy may also be an issue as we work to create a protocol for you, and if you need to stay on medications, you might have to opt for less intensive natural therapies. A patient who has received an aggressive or invasive medical treatment may find that results from integrative treatments take longer to appear; this is because we must first unravel any damage that has been done by the Western treatment.

• What is your financial status? Past history has shown us that people for whom affording treatment is not an issue have more options and better chances at success. If you are short on cash, this could restrict you to options #1 or #2. But with our new program you now have choices.

• Symptoms only. This is similar to Western medical approaches that only deal with surface symptoms. Comfort and quality of life will improve somewhat, and with fewer side effects than mainstream therapies. Of the three choices, this one requires the least work on your part.

• Control only. A little more aggressive than symptom-only treatment. We can use natural medicine and lifestyle modification to keep your disease from progressing, with fewer side effects than Western therapies. You can expect to have relief from symptoms and possibly temporary remissions. Requires a bit more patient involvement and commitment.

• Cure or total remission. This approach may require intense participation on your part, on a par with the list above, but if you want to eliminate the condition for which you are seeking treatment, this is the way to go.

In most consultations, we also discuss:

• The history of your disease. Every disease has a history. It is our job to discover this history in order to completely understand your condition.

• The mechanism of your disease. You will be given a complete understanding of your condition: what we know about causes, and what actually happens within the body in people who have this condition.

• The relationship of your disease to parts of the body not directly affected. This is where the whole concept of disease as faulty communications comes in. Any disease process has ramifications throughout the body, and we will describe these to you as part of your consultation.

• The most up - to-date information on research from around the world on both Western and Eastern medical treatments for your condition.

• All of your treatment options.

• Advice on how and when to follow up our recommendations with Western treatments. Newly available mainstream treatments may be hard to get, but they may offer better chances for symptom relief or cure than integrative medicine for some conditions. The average new medical treatment takes about two years to reach all physicians. If there are new, groundbreaking, and promising treatments available for your condition, we will tell you about them—whether they are Western, Eastern, integrative, or somewhere in between.

Consultations

We are very aware that health conditions can create a feeling of hopelessness, especially when you have been sick for a long time. We have just about heard every known problem that can exist. Many of our clients suffered from continuous pain syndromes, fatigue, uncontrolled blood pressure, diabetes, skin problems, drug addiction, withdrawal and much more. Never give up hope!

After you make your selection, you will be prompted for a credit card. We will e-mail you a questionnaire to complete and submit once pre-authorization is confirmed. It will take 24 to 72 hours for us to respond. For some clients we found it more effective to explain what needs to be done to regain their health and in-turn they would communicate this to their doctors. Other clients would be handled by our circle of experts or when needed would be referred to a new doctor that could handle their specific situation. This decision is made by our circle of experts discussing your questionnaire. If we chose to refer you to an outside source your credit card will not be charged; the referral service remains a free service. This free referral service has helped many of our clients restore their health to normal.

Understanding chronic disease and mainstream medicine.