Clearing the Body and Brain of Toxins: A Path Back To Wellness by Pamela Costello MD PC

Posted on by under Toxins
Clearing the Body and Brain of Toxins: A Path Back To Wellness
by Pamela Costello MD PC
Pam

Hippocrates prophesied 2500 years ago about our modern day bodies’ reaction to an impure environment when he stated “All diseases are crises of purification, of toxic elimination”. What he may not have foreseen, however, was how toxic our planet was to become and how challenged our bodies would be in their attempt to rid themselves of these toxins.    As we find ourselves living in an increasingly toxic world, it becomes more challenging to navigate a clear path to wellness.  Obstacles on this path include the adverse effects on the nervous system and the body of a deteriorating food supply, the presence of potent, elusive infectious agents, and the increasing burden of toxins and neurotoxins. This toxic burden damages our cells, body tissues, and organ systems, creating imbalances in the body which manifest as acute and chronic illness.
The antidote to these challenges begins with awareness and avoidance of the sources of these toxins. The next step is finding qualified medical guidance, utilizing the diagnostic tools and treatment strategies to identify and safely clear the body and brain of their toxic burden. This process will lead to the correction of the associated imbalances and allow the body to be restored to health.    Toxins are defined as those substances that act as poisons to the human body and are acquired from a lifetime of exposure, beginning in utero (in the womb). They facilitate other injurious or foreign agents such as Lyme Disease, viruses, funguses, and bacteria to flourish. The accumulation of these agents leads to inflammation, direct cell and organ damage and, ultimately, illness.
Neurotoxins are poisonous substances with an affinity for the Nervous System, i.e., the brain, spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system. The most poisonous toxins to the nervous and immune systems include heavy metals such as mercury, lead, and nickel, along with pesticides, herbicides, hydrocarbons, solvents, and plastic compounds.
Exposure of the developing nervous system to such toxins leads to maldevelopment which can result in mental retardation, cerebral palsy, growth, balance, and coordination issues and developmental delays, both micro and macrocephaly, spinal deformities, the autism spectrum, and behavioral and mood disorders.
In the mature, adult brain, exposure to such toxins results in inflammation and neurodegenerative disease. This is seen early on as ‘brain fog’, difficulty focusing or concentrating, excessive fatigue, acute pain syndromes, including headaches, neck and low back pain, neuropathies (pain, numbness, and tingling of the feet and hands), balance and coordination issues, mood disorders, and visual dysfunction.  In the later or more chronic stages, these toxic and infectious issues can lead to movement disorders, more severe limb weakness and numbness, (including MS and ALS), dementias, (including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases), chronic, debilitating pain syndromes, mood disorders, and other degenerative disease.
Much of allopathic medicine addresses diagnosis and treatment of illness by symptom suppression. As this approach fails to address the core, toxic, basis of disease, symptom suppression and a suppressive pharmaceutical approach is myopic and one that often has its own toxic consequences and, therefore, is destined to fail.
An effective guide for the path back to wellness, therefore includes the following:
A. Awareness: information is free and available to everyone. The Internet has facilitated this tremendously, and knowledge is power.
B. Avoidance Behaviors: once aware of current and past toxic exposures, modifying one’s diet and lifestyle to minimize further exposure is key.
C. Detoxification and Treatment: identifying and clearing the body and brain of toxins involves accurately establishing one’s own toxic burden, then safely removing the acquired toxins, and correcting associated imbalances.
Every one is entitled to effective, safe healthcare that offers establishing and maintaining maximum health and wellness. If you would like an evaluation to help on your path back to wellness, please contact my office at 505-503-8325.

Lyme Disease And The Journey Back To Health, by Pamela Costello MD PC

Posted on by under Lyme Disease
Lyme Disease And The Journey Back To Health
by Pamela Costello MD PC
“Let the truth be known and the country is safe”
Abraham Lincoln
Pam
What if all of modern disease states and maladies were found to be operating on an entirely new paradigm….one existing largely outside the best understanding and tenants of standard medicine? How would one ever find their way back to restored health if the very basis of their disease state were predicated on an illusive, yet extraordinarily powerful, microbe and it’s cast of co-conspirators?
Such is the dilemma of many of the as yet unheard voices of those suffering silently from Lyme Disease, a pathogenic opportunist that has found a niche in humankind, thriving off of a perfect storm of conditions, allowing it to exist as a modern day pandemic. While there exists a handful of visionaries who have recognized, managed, and researched the accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of this disease, they are a small minority of the medical community, with much of standard medicine relying on antiquated and flawed diagnostic tools and treatment approaches. Such a disconnect acts to further facilitate the stronghold of this disease, and only those who choose to think ‘outside the box’ can be effective in managing a modern day plague such as Lyme Disease.  An increasingly toxic air and water supply, along with a dangerously altered food source, have contributed to increasing genetic fragility and compromised immunologic mechanisms in the general public.  Such conditions, combined with increasingly virulent microbes that have genetically outsmarted modern day super drugs, (through either extreme evolutionary forces or those of man made genetic alterations), have allowed these pathogens to exist within our bodies, largely undetected, resulting in chronic infectious and toxic states that have created a perfect matrix for chronic, often debilitating, diseases to flourish.
What if an infection and/or toxic state were the cause of your neurodegenerative, rheumatoid, orthopedic, bladder, thyroid/endocrine, reproductive, cognitive disease, or even emotional imbalances? What if you were to find out that the primary cause of your debilitating illness was in fact a treatable infection or reversible toxic state?  You would find yourself on a journey back to wellness.  Therefore, the journey back to wellness involves dramatic shifts in consciousness. An increased awareness is necessary as to the true nature and identification of this illusive, virulent disease, as well as management of toxic background issues such as Mercury, Lead, radiation, pesticides, and other neuroimmune toxicities. The addition of adverse dietary choices, dental mercury amalgams, chronic dental infections and interference fields (see Dr. Bill Wolfe’s ad and related article in this issue), found in the presence of restrictive, myopic attitudes, yields limited understanding in recognizing and treating Lyme related diseases.
Upon recognition as to the possible presence of Lyme and Lyme related organisms, the next step is to find a Lyme Literate physician who can safely and carefully guide you through the diagnostic and healing process (see www.ILADS.org for such a listing).  The good news is that modern day heroes, including celebrities, authors, and politicians afflicted with Lyme Disease, are exerting their efforts to help increase both awareness in society and in the medical community, allowing for better testing and more appropriate, effective treatments. See the JumboTron ad on Lyme Disease Awareness at this year’s Superbowl, as well as the ongoing JumboTron ad in NYC’s Times Square.  Additionally, there are numerous medical pioneers whose hard work has allowed for insights into the successful diagnosis and treatment of this disease, in all of it’s many clinical manifestations. As more patients become aware of the ‘outside the box’ thinkers, the tide of public opinion will forcibly move the medical community and insurance industry to become open to this disease reality.  Thankfully, there indeed exists a road back to wellness. There is hope, and many of us who are in a position to help are willing to help you find this road.
Please refer to my ads for appointment information and to www.drpamelacostello.com or to www.ILADS.org website for further information.

Cowboys, Aliens, and Neurotoxins: The Poisons in Our Brains by Pamela Costello MD PC

Posted on by under Toxins
Cowboys, Aliens, and Neurotoxins: The Poisons in Our Brains”
By Pamela Costello MD PC
Holistic Neurological Physician, Holistic Neurosurgeon
Pam
     Hippocrates stated 2500 years ago that “all diseases are crises of purification, of toxic elimination”. More so than at any other time in history, this wisdom applies to our current state of health crises and to our nervous system’s response to an increasingly toxic planet
While it is generally accepted that our brain function is positively influenced by a healthy lifestyle, good nutrition, regular exercise, adequate rest, and good genetics, it is not as well known that a multitude of toxic influences (neurotoxins) adversely affect our neurologic function, contributing to everything from brain fog, headaches, decreased mental processing, to even more severe maladies such as infection/inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. If left untreated, this exposure can manifest as chronic debilitating pain syndromes, limb weakness and numbness, hearing or visual loss, balance and gait dysfunction, debilitating mood disorders, or as a number of other neurodegenerative disorders, including dementia.  In the developing brain, these neurotoxic influences can contribute to maldevelopment in children, such as the autism spectrum, micro or macrocephaly, spinal deformities, as well as behavioral, learning, and mood disorders.  These adverse influences are referred to as acting in a neurotoxic manner to the brain and neurologic tissues. While structural issues and even genetics must always be considered as a contributing background, it is often a surprise to patients that a number of both identifiable and potentially reversible neurotoxic agents are contributing to their neurological dysfunction or illness.
Of these neurotoxins, there exists a number of categories that involve potentially reversible toxic influences on the nervous system that, once removed, can lead to significant improvement in brain function and help restore improved neurologic health.  To begin with, there is the adverse inflammatory influence of dietary choices. Much of our immune system resides in our gut wall, where there exists an interface between all ingested substances and our immune systems. Many currently available food sources can cause a substantial allergic inflammatory response that directly adversely affects our brain function. This is readily testable and can be corrected by the appropriate dietary changes.  Additionally, there exist the severely neurotoxic agents of pesticides, radiation, and the wide array of neurotoxic heavy metals such as lead, mercury, nickel, cadmium, aluminum, etc. These toxins are measurable with appropriate laboratory testing, as well as readily, safely removed with chelation (binding and removing) therapies.
Furthermore, dental energetic interference fields and ongoing brain exposure to Mercury/”Silver” dental fillings can adversely affect the brain and nervous tissues, and are readily testable and treatable with the help of a biological dentist (see related Mercury filling article with ad by Dr. Bill Wolfe in this issue).Finally, there exists an array of elusive viral, bacterial, and fungal infections that have an affinity for our brain matter, leading to brain fog, chronic pain syndromes, mood and behavioral dysfunction, and even to the extreme conditions of encephalitis and myelitis.  If we didn’t have as much environmental toxicity to contend with, these pathogens would likely not be such a health issue. Addressing both the environmental toxicities, as well as the infectious pathogens, is therefore imperative to achieve healing.  Diagnosis of these neurotoxic influences is the first step toward restoring good brain health. Once identified, careful and thorough treatment can be undertaken. This evaluation and treatment would involve conducting a thorough neurologic history and physical, to include both structural and physiologic analysis, followed by chelation therapies, nutritional and avoidance behavior counseling, eliminating toxic environmental exposures, addressing toxic dental issues, as well as management of any underlying infectious issues and other toxic imbalances.  To arrange such an evaluation, please contact my office at the phone numbers listed in my adjoining ad. Our office accepts all insurance plans.

What You Need to Know About Chronic Lyme Disease and Your Nervous System by Pamela Costello MD PC

Posted on by under Lyme Disease
Healing Chronic Lyme Disease and Your Nervous System
by Pamela Costello MD PC
Holistic Neurological Physician
Pam

Largely due to the focused efforts of an ever expanding group of health care practitioners working hard to better define and cure Chronic Lyme Disease, there now exists accurate diagnosis and effective treatment, offering recovery and life beyond this elusive disease. Although much of the public is not yet aware that Lyme Disease has become a national and global epidemic, there’s an increasing awareness and understanding that has allowed for the suffering patient to have hope for diagnosis, treatment, and full recovery.

Lyme Disease is transmitted by a biting insect, often a tick, and is caused by a spiral shaped bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi. As insects and those organisms that get bitten by them (deer, pets, humans), migrate and travel, this disease recognizes no boundaries. The diagnosis of Lyme Disease is a clinical one, in conjunction with supportive lab testing, a physical exam, and thorough history taking. This diagnosis now includes a number of co-infecting organisms, known to travel within the transmitting insect with the Borrelia bacterium – specifically Babesia, Bartonella, Erlichia, and a number of other associated bacterial and viral species. Each organism causes it’s own set of symptoms.
Chronic Lyme Disease is a Lyme infection that has been either incompletely treated, or the diagnosis has been missed altogether. The organisms can go on to invade the tissues of the nervous system, often causing damage that can lead to debilitating illness. The organisms causing Lyme Disease, as well as many of the co-conspirators such as heavy metal and other environmental neurotoxins, have a great affinity for the insulation that surrounds or comprises much of the nervous tissue of our brain, spine, and nerves. Many cases of Chronic Lyme Disease are contracted from a remote exposure, including the possibility of an infection from mother to fetus.
The elusiveness of correctly diagnosing Lyme Disease has been the result of a number of factors, many of which are due to widely held misconceptions by both health care professionals and the public. This perfect storm of misinformation includes the overall poor sensitivity of standard available lab testing in detecting the organisms, the general lack of awareness of the wide array of clinical manifestations, and the widespread confusion over appropriate, effective treatments.
What we now know, and is important for the public to know, is that many of the most severe maladies affecting the nervous system today are actually related to an occult Lyme Disease infection. Neurologic and pain syndromes such as Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, the Autism Spectrum, Attention Deficit Disorders, Bipolar Disorder, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Dementia (including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Neuropathy, chronic neck and low back pain, chronic headaches and mental fog, are often an acquired manifestation of a missed diagnosis of a Lyme Disease infection. While there are many other known contributing factors to these clinical syndromes, Lyme Disease is often a hidden, treatable, conspirator.
Once a chronic Lyme infection is suspected, the next step is to seek a licensed health care professional who is formally trained to diagnose and treat Lyme Disease. You can inform yourself of the complexities of this disease through organizations such as ILADS (International Lyme Associated Diseases Society) before seeking professional care. Such organizations provide both current and accurate information on the disease, as well as provide a tremendous resource of sponsored ‘Lyme Literate’ practitioners, support groups, and other valuable references.
As an ILADS trained and sponsored physician, as well as a practicing physician of holistic integrative neurological medicine, I effectively diagnose and treat Chronic Lyme Disease. If you feel you might be suffering from a chronic Lyme infection, or might have been recently infected, you may contact my office for an appointment at 505-503-8325 or go to www.ILADS.org for further helpful information. Additional information and links can be found on my website athttp://www.drpamelacostello.com.