To Feel Well 1 Sampler by Okanagan Institute

Dr. Brent Barlow To Feel Well Improve Your Digestive System A Naturopathic Medical Approach to Optimal Health through Improved Nutrition, Digestion and Absorption

To Feel Well: Improve Your Digestive System is the first in a series of books designed to empower people to pursue and achieve optimal health and wellness. This book focuses on the naturopathic medical approach to improving health through better digestion, absorption, and nutrition. The book explains how the digestive system works, how to identify digestive system dysfunction, and how to improve digestion with natural treatments. Many symptoms and medical conditions are a result of problems with the digestive system. Many skin conditions, auto-immune conditions, mental-emotional disorders, and cardiovascular diseases can be treated and improved by therapies that support the digestive system. To Feel Well: Improve Your Digestive System is a must read for anyone experiencing digestive symptoms. Dr. Barlow simply and thoroughly explains the digestive processes and teaches the reader how they can “feel well” again with the use of natural therapies.

To Feel Well Improve Your Digestive System

Published by the Okanagan Institute www.okanaganinstitute.com in association with the Kelowna Wellness Clinic isbn 0-978-0-9868663-2-0 | $4.95

What the Experts Say About this Book To Feel Well: Improve Your Digestive System is an inspiring book for millions of people living with a digestive disorder. The information is rooted in Dr. Barlow's solid therapeutic expertise. Dr. Barlow's message is simple to understand and practical to use even for people living a busy life. Become healthy, so that you are freed from illnesses, so that you can enjoy the amazing wonders that life offers. And this book is a solid start. – Dr. Albert Kim, ND, author of “Mind Your Healing! How to get healing out of the way so that you can step into other dimensions of your life.”

– Dr. Hal Brown, DC, ND, Integrative Healing Arts, Vancouver, BC

Okanagan Institute

Dr. Brent Barlow is a Naturopathic Physician practicing in Kelowna, British Columbia. He believes the primary role of a physician is to provide individualized healthcare that focuses on treating and preventing the root causes of illness. Dr. Barlow operates a full-service general practice that focuses primarily on natural therapies like nutrition, oral vitamin and mineral supplementation, botanical medicines, acupuncture, and regenerative injection therapies like prolotherapy, neural therapy, and intravenous nutrient infusions. He also utilizes advanced diagnostic laboratory tests including markers for food allergies, hormones, neurotransmitters, heavy metals, antioxidant status, cardiovascular disease, detoxification enzymes, bacterial imbalance, and parasites. Dr. Barlow graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University in August of 2001 with an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration and a minor in geography. He graduated from the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine in New Westminster, BC, in June, 2009.

Dr. Brent Barlow To Feel Well Improve Your Digestive System

Dr. Brent Barlow

A Naturopathic Medical Approach to Optimal Health through Improved Nutrition, Digestion and Absorption

DR. BRENT BARLOW

To Feel Well: Improve Your Digestive System eloquently explores one of the most fundamentally important causes of disease; damage to the digestive system. Many of the most common, and the most overlooked, neglected, and unappreciated causes of ill health stem from digestive system disorders. Dr. Barlow provides astutue insight to the application of a broad spectrum of natural therapies for treating digestive disorders and restoring optimal health. – Dr. David Scotten, ND, Dean of Academics, Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine, New Westminster, BC

Dr. Brent Barlow

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To Feel Well Improve Your Digestive System DR. BRENT BARLOW A Naturopathic Medical Approach to Optimal Health through Improved Nutrition, Digestion and Absorption

Okanagan Institute

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Table of Contents Acknowledgements / 8 Introduction / 9

The Naturopathic Medical Approach / 11 Choices in Healthcare The Old and Outdated Medical Approach Medicine vs. Healthcare Proactive vs. Reactive Your Approach to Health Complementary and Alternative Medicine Naturopathic Healthcare My Philosophy

How the Digestive System Works / 23 The Six Phases of the Digestive System

The Purpose of Nutrition / 31 To Nourish the Body and Soul Moderation The Building Blocks

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Causes of a Damaged Digestive System / 37 Poor Nutrition Celiac Disease and Grain Sensitivity Bacterial Imbalance (Dysbiosis) Low Stomach Acid Non-Nutrition Factors The Spine and Nervous System Radiation and Chemotherapy

Signs of a Damaged Digestive System / 65 The Obvious Signs Abdominal Pain Upper Digestive Tract Mid-Digestive Tract Lower Digestive Tract Bowel Movements Decreased Bone Mass Weight Gain and Body Composition Performance Plateaus Fatigue Pain and Poor Healing Emotional Factors Depression Poor Stress Management Fatigue and Malaise ADHD The Tongue and Oral Cavity Skin, Hair, Nails

Lab Tests for the Digestive System / 77 Diagnostic Imaging Physical Exam Diet Diary HCl Challenge

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Blood Tests Stool Tests

Natural Treatments for the Digestive System / 95 Introduction to Natural Treatments Food Allergies Stress Management Intravenous Nutrient Infusions Liver Support Supplementation Probiotics Fish Oil L-Glutamine Fibre Vitamin C Anti-inflammatory Blends Botanicals Acupuncture Neural Therapy Spinal Manipulations

Nutrition to Heal the Digestive System / 117 Nutrition Diets vs. Lifestyle Top 10 Guidelines for Optimal Nutrition Conclusion and Summary / 129 About the Author / 133

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Introduction

“To Feel Well: Improve Your Digestive System” is the first in a series of books designed to empower you to pursue and achieve optimal health and wellness. This book focuses on the naturopathic medical approach to improving health through better digestion, absorption and nutrition. It explains how the digestive system works, how to identify gastrointestinal dysfunction, and how to improve digestion with natural treatments. It is surprising how many symptoms and medical conditions begin with problems in the digestive system. The good news is that many of these medical ailments; like auto-immune conditions, mental-emotional disorders, cardiovascular diseases and certain skin conditions, can be successfully treated and improved by therapies that support the digestive system. Nutrition has been receiving more and more attention in recent years. We are constantly reminded to “eat well for health” by media, government and the health food industry. However,

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in focusing our efforts on what we eat, the importance of digestion and absorption has often been overlooked. Digestion and absorption are as important, if not more important, than the food we eat. You can put all kinds of expensive “health food” into your mouth, but if it doesn’t get broken down in your gastrointestinal tract and absorbed into the bloodstream, all that good stuff just goes right through you. Good nutrition is limited by the effectiveness of digestion and absorption, which is one of the main reasons for writing this book. The digestive tract is also one of the body’s main lines of defense against the outside world. Everything you put in your mouth must be either absorbed into the body or excreted in your stool. The digestive tract plays a huge role in defending the body against substances it doesn’t want to incorporate. In Traditional Chinese Medical Philosophy the digestive system is King. For thousands of years, Traditional Chinese Doctors have believed that if digestion and absorption are not working well, other health consequences will almost certainly follow. Most naturopathic physicians share this belief, and I utilize this philosophy in my daily practice. This means that it is extremely important to assess and treat digestive system disorders prior to, or in conjunction with, other health concerns. As the digestive tract heals, other health issues improve and the entire body benefits. I recommend that you use the information in this book to start taking control of your healthcare. It is always best to work with a professional who can guide you through the process in a safe and effective way. To feel well, start with your health’s foundation. Find a good Naturopathic Physician and begin working on your digestive system.

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The Naturopathic Medical Approach

Choices in Healthcare Before we talk about the many ways that Naturopathic Healthcare can help you “feel well” by supporting the digestive system, I would like to spend a moment on the basics of the Naturopathic model, to describe how it differs from, and integrates with, the conventional Western Medical approach.

The Old and Outdated Medical Approach The “Old and Outdated Medical Approach” is one of the most significant reasons that sick people don’t get better. I define this approach as one that is doctor-centered and primarily focused on the treatment of symptoms – often by the suppression of the body’s natural responses.

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Characteristically, this approach over-utilizes medication, surgeries and other “advanced” procedures. It relies too heavily on lab results and tends to discount the individuality of its patients. This high-tech, locked-in North American medical model has become increasingly frustrating for many doctors, patients, healthcare workers, administrators and politicians. It has also become very expensive to operate, to the point that many healthcare systems are no longer sustainable. The future of healthcare has to be different. It has to be patient-centered and focused on treating the causes, not the symptoms, of disease. It has to promote the body’s natural healing mechanisms, embrace the individuality of each patient, and treat people – not lab tests. It must revise its protocols so that the least expensive, least invasive treatments – with the fewest side effects – are the first resort.

Medicine vs. Healthcare What is Medicine? What is Healthcare? Are they the same thing? What do doctors and healthcare professionals do? These are fundamental questions we must ask ourselves when considering how best to protect our valuable health. Most dictionaries define medicine as a field of work that utilizes some form of therapy to treat disease, illness, or ailment. Healthcare, on the other hand, is defined as a field of work that maintains or restores health. Based on these definitions, the question becomes: Do we have a Healthcare System or a System of Medicine? Most people involved in the healthcare system agree that our system is based on

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the treatment of disease. It is therefore, unfortunately, a medical system: as opposed to a system that maintains and restores health.

Proactive vs. Reactive The ‘Old and Outdated Medical Approach’ tends to be reactive instead of proactive. Our Western culture puts a great deal of emphasis on ‘saving lives’ in acute situations. We get excited when we hear about a medical intervention that ‘saved’ someone. However, these dramatic stories are the exception to the rule. I would be the first to agree that it is wonderful when lives are saved by complex medical procedures, but when we heavily invest our resources in eleventh-hour interventions, we miss the bigger picture. We come to depend on advanced intervention technologies and develop a habit of false confidence. We allow situations (like heart disease and cancer) to get out of control, and then react “heroically” to the inevitable crisis. What we should be doing, in my opinion, is focusing much more attention on proactive measures that actually work to prevent health crisis situations. Which fate would you prefer? To your have your life “saved” with surgery or radiation therapy – or prevent the crisis in the first place? Your answer will define your personal healthcare agenda.

Your Approach to Health Your attitude toward healthcare can make a significant difference in your health and healthcare outcomes. If you buy into the “Old and Outdated Medical Approach” you are letting some-

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one else make health decisions for you. You are allowing yourself to be placed into a system of “medicine” in which critical symptoms may be required to gain access and attention. Become the CEO of your Health and Healthcare When your approach to healthcare is focused on your goals, your needs, and your individual circumstances; you stand a much better chance of achieving the health you desire. There are no guarantees in life, but when you take control of your own health by investigating and utilizing the full range of healthcare resources at your disposal, you are much more likely to make beneficial decisions. In recent decades, with the introduction of many Alternative and Naturopathic health modalities, North Americans have the option to create personal healthcare programs that use all the resources at their disposal – not just intervention resources. With the help of caring, knowledgeable health professionals, you can re-focus your health and healthcare around your goals, your needs, and your individuality. You can incorporate a wide range of preventative therapies that support your total health picture. By becoming the CEO of your own healthcare, you stand a much better chance of living a long, healthy, and satisfying life.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Complementary or Alternative Medicine is defined in most medical dictionaries as “a range of therapies including Naturopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Osteopathy that do not use drugs and/or surgery to treat disease.” Some dictionaries stipu-

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late that these therapies are marginally accepted, but not necessarily condoned by the conventional medical system. A new definition – Integrative healthcare I propose that we no longer refer to non-drug and non-surgical therapies as “complementary” or “alternative” medicine. I question the fact that pharmaceutical and surgical therapies set the standard of treatment by which everything else is labeled ‘alternative.’ The way I see it, drug and surgical therapies are the alternative to good nutrition, exercise, stress management, supplementation, and other natural therapies. Pharmaceutical and surgical interventions should be employed only when proactive primary healthcare has failed. I prefer the term “Integrative Healthcare” because it does not pit one system of medicine against another. Integrative healthcare promotes the integration of multiple disciplines for the benefit of the patient.

Naturopathic Healthcare Naturopathic Healthcare is an integrative healthcare approach provided by Naturopathic Physicians. It is dedicated to treating the causes of disease, recognizing the individuality of each patient, utilizing the natural healing mechanisms of the body, educating patients, and promoting optimal healthful lifestyles. Although Naturopathic Physicians generally use natural therapies for treatment, naturopathic medicine should not be defined by the therapies offered. It should be defined by the overall integrative and holistic approach taken by the Naturopathic Physician.

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Our Qualifications Naturopathic Doctors must complete at least seven years of postsecondary education. Most NDs complete their undergraduate degree, including the pre-med requirements, before attending naturopathic medical school for an additional four years. Naturopathic medical curriculum provides extensive education on the core human sciences, including anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, the pathology of disease, and microbiology. Naturopathic medical students are trained to utilize the core therapies of nutritional counseling, supplementation, lifestyle modification, physical therapies, homeopathy, and counseling. Many Naturopathic schools include extensive training in Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture as well. In addition to the Naturopathic modalities, ND medical students receive excellent education in conventional therapies and techniques like laboratory testing, diagnostic imaging, pharmaceutical medicines, and minor surgery. In many jurisdictions, including British Columbia, naturopathic physicians have been granted access to public laboratories and prescription privileges for the use of pharmaceutical medicines.

My Philosophy Every physician has to develop a Philosophy of Practice that guides his or her professional career. We must simplify the big picture in order to make sense of all the data at our disposal. We must find a way to put the practice of healthcare into context on a personal level. A physicianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s philosophy may change over time, but clearly defined core beliefs provide the essential dynamic force that drives and focuses an effective practice.

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As a young Naturopathic Physician it was important for me to develop a personal philosophy of practice, by which I could evaluate information, continue my study of healthcare and guide my professional career. The Three Pillars of Health My philosophy of health is illustrated by three balanced pillars. Before I give advice, administer a therapy, or make a recommendation, I spend time with my patient to evaluate these three pillars. I believe that the best healthcare that I can provide is made available when this happens. 1. The Ingredients of Life The first pillar I investigate is called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ingredients of Life.â&#x20AC;? These are all the elements, nutrients, tangibles, and intangibles required â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not only for life, but for health and wellness. These include biochemical ingredients like oxygen, water, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, carbohydrates, and fatty acids. They include physical ingredients like good circulation, exercise, and activity. They include intangible ingredients like love, belonging, connectedness, and a sense of purpose. If there is a deficiency or imbalance in any of these ingredients, it must be identified and addressed. If a patient is not drinking enough water, neglecting to exercise, lacking essential minerals, or dissatisfied with career or personal circumstances, healthrelated consequences will appear. Ensuring the optimal presence and balance of all Ingredients of Life prevents diseases caused by their imbalance and promotes wellness.

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The Three Pillars of Health

Obstacles to Cure

Ingredients of Life • Oxygen • Water • Vitamins • Minerals • Amino acids • Carbohydrates

• Excess sugar, trans-fats, processed food, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine • Food allergies, sensitivities, intolerances • Addiction, stress, poor coping skills • Hormonal imbalance • Toxicity, chemicals • Viral, bacterial, or fungal infection • Pain, joint degeneration, scar tissue, ligament laxity, previous injury

• Fatty Acids • Circulation • Exercise • Love • Connectedness • Sense of Purpose

Interventions • Nutrition • Vitamins IV or oral • Minerals IV or oral • Amino acids IV or oral • Botanicals

• Acupunture • Counseling • Prolotherapy • Neural therapy • Chelation

• Hormone testing • Food allergy testing • Toxic metal testing • Neurotransmitter testing

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2. Obstacles to Cure I call the second pillar â&#x20AC;&#x153;Obstacles to Cure.â&#x20AC;? This pillar includes all possible factors that stand in the way of health and wellness. These factors include nutritional obstacles like excessive consumption of sugar, trans-fats, processed foods, alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine, as well as specific food allergies. They include lifestyle and emotional obstacles like addiction, financial stress, difficulty expressing emotions, high stress, and deficient coping skills. They include biochemical factors like hormonal imbalances, neurotransmitter imbalances, and detoxification deficiencies. They include environmental exposures like heavy metal accumulation, household chemicals, personal care product toxicity, environmental allergens, and household exposures like mold, dust, and infestation. They include immune-related obstacles like chronic viral infection, fungal overgrowths, parasites, bacterial imbalances, and compromised immunity. They include physical obstacles like pain, joint degeneration, muscle imbalance, scar tissue, ligament laxity, postural imbalance, and previous injury. Obstacles to Cure are factors that prevent the physical and emotional bodies from getting better, regardless of whether the Ingredients of Life are present and optimally balanced. These obstacles are often overlooked and frequently contribute to chronic health concerns. I believe that it is crucial to take time to evaluate and address the Obstacles to Cure before proceeding to Interventions.

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3. Interventions The third pillar, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Interventions,â&#x20AC;? encompasses the range of treatments and healing modalities a naturopathic doctor provides. Intervention is the third pillar, because it is third on the priority list. I believe that it is essential to provide the Ingredients of Life and remove the Obstacles to Cure before moving ahead to Interventions. This is not to say we cannot work on all three pillars at once. But, if we focus too quickly on Interventions (whether natural, pharmaceutical, surgical, or procedural) and neglect the first two pillars, we end up merely treating symptoms, as opposed to treating the causes of illness. I utilize many natural interventions, including nutritional counseling, botanical medicines, oral supplementation, acupuncture and intravenous vitamin and mineral infusions. I also administer regenerative injection therapies like prolotherapy, hyaluronic acid therapy, and neural therapy. However, I do my best to ensure that the first two pillars of health are fully addressed first â&#x20AC;&#x201C; because when they are, the results of these interventions are better.

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In Summary Every doctor has a personal philosophy that guides his or her practice. The more intact and clear that philosophy is, the better a doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work will be and the more engaged his or her patients will become in co-creating personal health. A strong philosophy serves as a beacon and a blueprint. It gives potential patients the information they need to choose the doctor who is right for them. My philosophy involves balancing the Three Pillars of Health. I am personally satisfied when all three pillars are evaluated and addressed in priority. I feel this is the most effective way for me to provide optimal naturopathic healthcare to my patients. I encourage every person reading this book to take charge of his or her own health and healthcare. Learn as much as you can about how the body works and use that information to guide your health-related decisions. Evaluate your level of comfort and happiness with your patient-doctor relationship. Take time to develop a list of questions before each medical or healthcare appointment and insist on clear, satisfying answers. Most importantly, become the CEO of your own healthcare so that, ultimately, YOU can make decisions based on knowledge you have gained from the doctors and healthcare practitioners you employ.

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About the Author Dr. Brent Barlow is a Naturopathic Physician practicing at Kelowna Wellness Clinic in Kelowna, British Columbia. He believes the primary role of a physician is to provide individualized healthcare that focuses on treating and preventing the root causes of illness. Dr. Barlow operates a full-service general practice that focuses primarily on natural therapies like nutrition, oral vitamin and mineral supplementation, botanical medicines, acupuncture, and regenerative injection therapies like prolotherapy, neural therapy, and intravenous nutrient infusions. He also utilizes advanced diagnostic laboratory tests including markers for food allergies, hormones, neurotransmitters, heavy metals, antioxidant status, cardiovascular disease, detoxification enzymes, bacterial imbalance, and parasites. Dr. Barlow was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario by his parents Tom and Marg and with his brother Darren. He married his wife Sara in 2006 in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. They had their first child, a son named Harrison in April 2011. Dr. Barlow has a strong athletic background and played football, hockey, baseball,

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badminton, touch football and golf during high school and was voted Athlete of the Year in 1997 at Barton Secondary School. He also played 3 seasons of varsity football for the University of Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. Currently, Dr. Barlow enjoys family time, skiing at Big White, hiking around the Okanagan Valley, and playing touch football in the Kelowna Touch Football League. Dr. Barlow graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University in August of 2001 with an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration and a minor in geography. Dr. Barlow became passionate about health, wellness, longevity, and athletic performance while playing varsity football. He wanted to pursue athletic performance without sacrificing long-term health. After taking several nutrition and health-related courses he eventually found out about naturopathic medicine. He visited several naturopathic doctors to learn more about the profession and was amazed by the services they provided and the results they were getting. He immediately contacted the accredited schools in North America, went back to school to acquire the prerequisite courses, and applied for admissions. Dr. Barlow was accepted by the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine, his first choice, in the spring of 2005. Dr. Barlow graduated from the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine in New Westminster, BC, in June, 2009. BINM is the only Naturopathic Medical School in Western Canada and is well known for its cutting edge curriculum, intimate class sizes, and strength in physical medicine techniques. Dr. Barlow was voted co-valedictorian in his graduating class and was privileged to speak at the graduation ceremony. During his time at BINM Dr. Barlow was the host of an online radio program entitled, Naturopathic Radio, where he explored

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the most significant advances in alternative and complementary medicine. He interviewed many of the top researchers and physicians in the field including Dr. Hyla Cass, Dr. Gabor Mate, Franco Cavaleri, Suzy Cohen, Dr. Russel Blaylock, Jay Robb, Parris Kidd, and Dr. Peter Bennett. Dr. Barlow has been in practice in Kelowna, BC since November 2009. He writes a weekly column entitled, “Natural Health News”, for Castanet.net, Kelowna’s online newspaper. The column discusses the Naturopathic medical approach to healthcare and highlights the ongoing advances in complementary and alternative medicine. Dr. Barlow speaks regularly at various events and locations in the Okanagan Valley including Rexall Pharmacies, Choices Food Market, Natural Resourzes, and Chapters. His main goal is to help empower patients to become more aware of their health needs and gain more control of their healthcare.

Kelowna Wellness Clinic 201-1433 St Paul Street, Kelowna BC 250.448.5610 www.drbrentbarlownd.com

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FORTHCOMING TITLES IN THE

To Feel Well BOOK SERIES

Detoxify Your Life A Naturopathic Medical Approach To Optimal Health Through Healthy Detoxification

Decrease Pain and Inflammation A Naturopathic Medical Approach To Optimal Health by Reducing Pain and Inflammation

Strengthen Your Immune System A Naturopathic Medical Approach To Optimal Health by Supporting Your Immune System

Balance Your Hormones A Naturopathic Medical Approach To Optimal Health Through Hormonal Balance For more information contact us at: www.okanaganinstitute.com

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Dr. Brent Barlow

Dr. Brent Barlow To Feel Well Improve Your Digestive System A Naturopathic Medical Approach to Optimal Health through Improved Nutrition, Digestion and Absorption

To Feel Well Improve Your Digestive System

Published by the Okanagan Institute www.okanaganinstitute.com in association with the Kelowna Wellness Clinic isbn 0-978-0-9868663-2-0 | $4.95

– Dr. Hal Brown, DC, ND, Integrative Healing Arts, Vancouver, BC

Okanagan Institute

Dr. Brent Barlow To Feel Well Improve Your Digestive System

Dr. Brent Barlow

A Naturopathic Medical Approach to Optimal Health through Improved Nutrition, Digestion and Absorption

DR. BRENT BARLOW