7 Causes of Chronic Disease
Functional Medicine Practitioners use an approach centered on the human body and the root cause of disease when it comes to handling those with chronic illness. In contrast, traditional medicine tends to focus on the disease itself, plus the resulting symptoms that are presented. A Functional Medicine practitioner will shift that focus in order to address the root cause of the disease, instead of just the symptoms.
When you are exposed to harmful lifestyle factors that are toxic to your body, the resulting damage is referred to as toxic load. How strong your body is and how capable it is to withstand the toxic load is called host terrain weakness. Some people are just genetically made to be able to tolerate toxins a lot better than other people. Those without that capability are not able to detox as well and are prone to developing chronic illness.
Your body is constantly attempting to maintain homeostasis. When toxic overload occurs, and balance is not achieved, instability of bodily functions takes place. As this happens, symptoms begin to appear, and you start to feel ill. So the greater the toxic load, the faster you develop symptoms as your body can no longer handle the process of homeostasis.
The key is to reduce the toxic load to as low a level as possible by either actively getting rid of the toxins in your body by detoxing, or by avoiding exposure to toxins.
The the seven causes of chronic disease are:
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Key Toxins
-mercury
-lead
-arsenic
-aluminum
-fluoride
-iron
-xenobiotics (plastics, pesticides, herbicides, BPA)
These key toxins suppress your immune system, and when they do they make you more susceptible to infections. The long-term chronic low-grade exposure to these toxins over the course of decades builds up in your body tissues causing a weakened immune system and autoimmune disease. Eventually this build-up can also cause neuro-degeneration leading to Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
What steps can you take to counteract these effects?
-educate yourself on the environmental toxin exposure in your life
-reduce exposure to the toxin
-detox the toxin using Functional Medicine detoxification methods
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Infections
-parasites
-bacteria
-viruses
-Candida (yeast)
-molds
-fungus
In chronic illness you also develop disease over a long period of time. Even if your symptoms have just recently become noticeable, the disease has been developing for many years. At times chronic infections are actually a secondary issue due to your immune system being compromised by a toxin.
In this case of infections compromised by a toxin, there is always a system of support based on the priorities of the body. So if you have an infection and a toxin present in your tissue, which do you treat first? The toxin. You detox first so that your body can start to strengthen itself. You will then be more apt to fight off the infection better rendering better results.
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Iatrogenic causes – illness caused by medical exams or treatment
-medication
-chemotherapy
-radiation
-antibiotics
-hormone replacement
Side effects from these factors may disrupt your body’s own regulation. For example, long-term hormone replacement medications can disrupt your body’s natural hormone production. Antibiotics can cause residue to form in your intestine or gut system, even from the use of antibiotics many years ago! These toxins need to be detoxed before your body can heal itself.
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Living a ruinous lifestyle
-excessive alcohol consumption
-overeating
-eating the standard American diet
-substance abuse
-using recreational drugs
-overworking
-not getting proper sleep
-exposure to negative people and circumstances
If you stay up and watch television and don’t get enough sleep, or have destructive habits and emotions, you are living a ruinous life that can be a bullet cause of chronic disease. Traditional medicine ignores these lifestyle factors for the most part, but the honest truth is that you need to change your lifestyle, and reprioritize your life.
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Electromagnetic Fields – microwave radiation from our environment
-cell phone towers
-computers
-electronic devices
-fluorescent lights
-radioactive poisoning
Fluorescent lights actually contain mercury, which is another environmental toxin. These fluorescent lights have refresh rates that cause flickering. When this happens, the release of energetic frequencies of mercury are released. Just the fluorescent light itself is toxic to our environment. Current research is examining the effects on humans from cell phones and computers.
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Physical Trauma
-genetic weaknesses
-chronic inflammation
-weakness from heat toxins
Scientific research has shown that chronic inflammation is basically the root cause of all modern-day disease, everything from arthritis to autoimmune disease to chronic digestion issues. The National Institute of Health states that autoimmune and auto-inflammatory diseases share common characteristics in that both groups of disorders result from the immune system attacking the body’s own tissues, causing chronic increased inflammation.
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Emotional Trauma
-surviving abuse of any kind
-living with consistent stress
-psychological trauma
Ongoing adversity has been documented to lead to a chronic state of the fight or flight response. Research at Yale University has shown that when the resulting inflammatory stress hormones flood your body and brain, they alter the genes that oversee the body’s stress reactivity, re-setting the stress response to “high”. This increases the risk of inflammation, which may manifest as chronic disease.
By supporting your body with lifestyle changes, making healthier nutritional choices and supplementation, using bioresonance testing for detoxing, and examining the root cause of chronic disease, you can give your body the chance to reset and renew.
In health,
Dr. Peter Kan
Hope Integrative Wellness Center
(480) 988-6269
[email protected]
www.askdrkan.com
Dr. Peter Kan is a Chiropractic Functional Medicine and Functional Neurologist located in Gilbert, AZ.
If you are interested in more information about working with your chronic illness, visit www.askdrkan.com for live weekly shows. There you’ll find numerous topics of discussion that will give you the knowledge you need to begin a course of action for your particular situation. You’ll also find supplements to support your condition at www.neurometobolicsupplements.com.
Free seminars are offered at Hope Integrative Wellness Center. For additional info or to sign up for a free seminar, call (480) 988-6269.
Out of town? Don’t live in Arizona? No problem! FaceTime and Skype are used to manage clients across North America, Canada and even in Europe.
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Any products or information given are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using products or starting treatment.
