Episode 138: Brain on Fire, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Reversing Disease:
According to Dr. Gary Kaplan, conventional thinking about the nature of chronic pain and depression is essentially flawed. Although physicians continue to diagnose conditions like migraines, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, chronic back pain, depression, anxiety, and PTSD, a growing body of research shows that these are in fact symptoms of something else—a deep-rooted inflammation in the brain. This inflammation can affect the nervous system for months-even years-to devastating effect.
HIGHLIGHTS
[00:00] Dr. Gary Kaplan
[06:15] On How to Start Addressing the Problems in Your Body
[09:51] On Damaged Immune Systems
[18:21] The Markers on the Cunningham Panel
[21:14] A Deeper Look Into Depression and Addressing It Holistically
[30:34] How Exercise Fits Into Dr. Kaplan’s Avatar of Chronic Illness
[34:36] On COVID Resetting the Immune System Negatively
[40:22] The Accessibility of Out-of-the-Box Treatments and Modalities
[42:45] Addressing Possible Psychiatric Misdiagnoses in Children
[47:12] Dr. Kaplan’s Clinic and Operations
[49:42] Dr. Kaplan’s Advice and on Being Beautifully Broken
Now Available!
Why You Are Still Sick: How Infections Can Break Your Immune System & How You Can Recover
by Dr. Gary Kaplan & Donna Beech
Paperback: $14.95
Kindle: $9.99
Publication date: May 10, 2022
Language : English
Paperback : 368 pages
Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.83 x 8.5 inches
Approximately 37 million people in the United States have diabetes. Over the last decade, statistics show that the diabetes incidence rate (new cases diagnosed) has trended downward. In 2009, approximately nine out of 1,000 adults were diagnosed; in 2019 that rate declined to just under six. Statistics also show that there are more adults living with diabetes (diabetes prevalence) than a decade ago. This may be due to better detection and management of the condition.
These statistics are encouraging, but as the eighth leading cause of death in the United States, we must continue to be vigilant in identifying the risk factors.
Pre-diabetes is a condition where blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. It affects over 96 million adults in the U.S. – that’s 38% of the U.S. adult population! Caused by a condition known as insulin resistance, an abnormal response to glucose regulation,pre-diabetes increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as well as other conditions such as heart disease and stroke.
While the incidence rate of pre-diabetes has remained relatively steady since 2005, there has been a significant increase in the percentage of adults aware that they had the condition. This is good news in that in many cases pre-diabetes CAN be prevented or even reversed, and knowing you have it is key. Dietary modifications and lifestyle changes are the most effective ways to return blood glucose levels to a normal range.
What are some of the contributing factors?
Sugar:
The average American consumes 152 pounds of sugar and 146 pounds of flour per year. Could this have a correlation with diabetes? Yes! Waistlines are increasing because the sugars and refined grains that we consume increase insulin levels causing belly fat (or visceral fat) to accumulate around the organs. Insulin resistance then causes the elevation of blood sugar which increases that person’s risk of developing other serious health conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetic eye disease, neuropathy, and kidney disease.
There are several ways to diagnose obesity and determine if one has visceral fat accumulation. A person’s BMI, or body mass index, is one measurement to take into consideration. BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight, and while it does not consider lean muscle mass, the measurement is still useful, with a recommended BMI of 25 or less. Waist circumference is another important indicator. Men should aim to keep their waistline circumference under 40 inches, and women should aim for 35 inches or less, with a waist-to-hip ratio (waist circumference divided by hip circumference) of less than 0.8. This reading in particular can be helpful in detecting those we call “skinny fat” – these people look thin but have a potbelly. All of these measurements taken together are good indicators of insulin resistance. The ultimate testing however includes glucose tolerance testing (fasting blood sugar and insulin levels) and/or hemoglobin A1C, which is a blood test that provides information about a person’s average levels of blood glucose over the past 3 months.
Something else to keep in mind is that all calories are not the same. A soda which has approximately 45 grams of sugar and 150 calories, causes a spike in insulin, whereas an apple and handful of almonds with the same amount of calories, does not. A 2007 study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, demonstrated that certain types of carbohydrates, such as wheat and potatoes, up-regulated the genes for diabetes and inflammation in the abdominal subcutaneous fat, as compared to other carbohydrates like rye and corn, even though the caloric value was the same.
Besides lowering the consumption of sugar and flour and improving sleep, what else can we do to improve glucose control? Research is strongly supporting all types of exercise like walking, running, biking, and swimming for the regulation of blood sugar. Weight-training in particular increases lean muscle mass and metabolism long-term and increases a specific type of muscle (white muscle) that has been shown to lower blood sugar.
Digestive health:
Newer studies show that there is a link between the microorganisms living in your digestive system, central obesity, visceral fat, and insulin resistance. Taking a prebiotic (dietary fiber that feeds the good bacteria) and consuming foods like kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, and supplements with probiotics, may help reduce insulin resistance.
Here is a summary of some of my recommendations:
Reduce sugars and processed foods, and lower or eliminate wheat products. Avoid at all costs high-fructose corn syrup which has a strong link to insulin resistance. Eat more of a plant-based diet, grass-fed meats, and fish that are high in Omega 3’s, like wild-caught salmon. Be aware if you have a food sensitivity to gluten or dairy as these are highly inflammatory and can add to visceral fat.
Get an activity monitor and aim for 10,000 steps per day. This is a goal, but any amount of extra steps that you can take each day towards this goal can make a difference. Consider getting a personal trainer to help you with a weight-training program, or take a yoga class at least once to twice a week or practice at home.
Create a comfortable sleep routine and climate, and make good sleep a priority. If sleep is poor, then ask your doctor for a sleep study to rule out sleep apnea.
Take a daily probiotic and switch them around every few months. Consider a prebiotic as well, but know that a good plant-based diet feeds your good bacteria too.
Take a few moments to practice deep breathing and meditation. Start a gratitude journal and write down something every day. This lowers stress hormones like cortisol, and thus lowers insulin resistance.
Get your vitamin-D checked and supplement as needed. Take 2 grams of Omega 3’s per day if you don’t consume fish regularly. Other supplements that help reduce insulin resistance include chromium and alpha-lipoic acid and magnesium.
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2
There are over 50 million adults in the United States living with some form of chronic pain. The impact of chronic pain on people’s lives is enormous; unfortunately, despite modern medical advances we’re still not that great at treating it.
We may be unsuccessful in treating chronic pain because the way we’ve thought about where it comes from is all wrong. Research demonstrates that chronic pain is frequently a symptom of inflammation in the brain. Finding a cure requires that we identify and treat all the things that are causing the brain to remain in an inflamed state.
Here are seven things you need to do to effectively to deal with your chronic pain:
Get a real diagnosis.
Chronic pain, in and of itself, is not a diagnosis. It’s a symptom of injury or illness, and even more specifically, it’s a symptom of inflammation. For example, over the course of 37 years of practicing family medicine and treating patients suffering from chronic pain, the worst case of acute shoulder pain I have ever seen was in a man who was having a heart attack.
I also have seen patients complain of chronic lower back pain, when their underlying problem was actually Crohn’s disease (an autoimmune disease that causes digestive problems).
Similarly, chronic migraine headaches may be a symptom of a food allergy. When this is the case, eliminating the offending foods can be a straightforward solution.
Today, we are seeing more and more people experiencing pain symptoms as a result of a previous COVID-19 infection. Long-COVID Syndrome symptoms often mimic the pain symptoms of fibromyalgia, ME/CFS and POTS.
Getting the right diagnosis requires a comprehensive history by a physician who can connect the dots. Frequently, what you think is the beginning of your pain problem is not its actually cause.
Bottom line: you must know what to treat if you have any hope of finding a cure.
Get tested for sleep disorders and get enough rest.
If you’re getting seven or more hours of sleep per night, but you still feel exhausted all the time, you may have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition that means that while you’re sleeping you periodically stop breathing. During these intervals, your brain is deprived of oxygen, which causes inflammation of the neural tissue in the brain. Sleep apnea affects approximately 5% of Americans and it has been estimated that as many as 85% of people with this condition have not been diagnosed.
The inflammation caused by sleep apnea can cause or contribute to joint pain, migraine headaches, abdominal pain, and other chronic pain conditions. Ask your doctor about getting tested for sleep apnea or other sleep disorders. Sleep well and you’ll find you have more energy and less pain.
Eat an anti-inflammatory diet.
To eliminate the dietary causes of chronic pain, I usually recommend that patients limit their food intake to rice, fish, chicken, and fresh fruits and vegetables for a period of six weeks. While this food plan doesn’t eliminate every possible allergen, it does eliminate the major offenders, such as gluten, milk and milk products, refined sugar, processed foods, nuts and eggs.
When you eat, notice if certain foods cause you to experience an adverse reaction such as a stuffy nose, fatigue, headache, bloating, or gas. By eliminating the foods that create inflammation in your brain and body, you’ll find that your pain decreases and your physical energy and mental clarity increase.
Meditate.
Studies show that regular meditation improves brain function and can help the brain recover from inflammatory damage. Regular meditation also has been shown to improve our ability to tolerate and recover from stress. Meditate for 20 to 30 minutes a day and see if you notice a difference.
Whatever the pain’s origin — whether its disease, traumatic injury or overuse, or emotional stress — bodywork can help stimulate healthy blood flow into damaged muscles, tendons, and connective tissue, thereby relieving musculoskeletal pain and tension and stimulating the body’s own ability to heal itself.
In fact, manual therapy is so effective in unlocking the emotional stress and trauma stored in our bodies that I often also recommend working with a psychotherapist who can help you process these issues.
Take nutritional supplements that are right for you.
There are supplements on the market that can help address generalized inflammation and joint pain. Supplements are also a great way to strengthen your immune system and help keep you healthy. However, before you start taking any new product, make sure you are buying from a trusted supplier; the U.S. Food & Drug Administration does not regulate the manufacture and marketing of supplements as they do with prescription medication.
Talk with your doctor about the medications and other supplements you are already taking before starting a new supplement because some products can cause drug interactions.
Practice gratitude.
Although this is sometimes a lot to ask of people whose lives have been devastated by chronic pain, the cultivation of gratitude for family and friends and the other gifts in our lives helps make us more trusting, altruistic, resilient, and just plain happier. It also allows us to live each day more fully.
I recommend keeping a gratitude diary and listing five things for which you are grateful each day. Other gratitude exercises include visualizing and writing about your future, best possible self; putting your gratitude into action by writing a thank-you note or visiting a person to whom you owe a debt of gratitude. Spending time each day contemplating the things for which you are grateful is likely to help reduce not only your stress level but also your experience of physical pain.
Good luck on your healing journey!
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2
LISTEN NOW: Dr. Gary Kaplan on The Beautifully Broken Podcast with Freddie Kimmel
/in Press, Wellness/by Gary Kaplan, DODr. Gary was a recent guest on Freddie Kimmel’s show, The Beautifully Broken Podcast.
Episode 138: Brain on Fire, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Reversing Disease:
According to Dr. Gary Kaplan, conventional thinking about the nature of chronic pain and depression is essentially flawed. Although physicians continue to diagnose conditions like migraines, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, chronic back pain, depression, anxiety, and PTSD, a growing body of research shows that these are in fact symptoms of something else—a deep-rooted inflammation in the brain. This inflammation can affect the nervous system for months-even years-to devastating effect.
HIGHLIGHTS
[00:00] Dr. Gary Kaplan
[06:15] On How to Start Addressing the Problems in Your Body
[09:51] On Damaged Immune Systems
[18:21] The Markers on the Cunningham Panel
[21:14] A Deeper Look Into Depression and Addressing It Holistically
[30:34] How Exercise Fits Into Dr. Kaplan’s Avatar of Chronic Illness
[34:36] On COVID Resetting the Immune System Negatively
[40:22] The Accessibility of Out-of-the-Box Treatments and Modalities
[42:45] Addressing Possible Psychiatric Misdiagnoses in Children
[47:12] Dr. Kaplan’s Clinic and Operations
[49:42] Dr. Kaplan’s Advice and on Being Beautifully Broken
Why You Are Still Sick: How Infections Can Break Your Immune System & How You Can Recover
by Dr. Gary Kaplan & Donna Beech
Paperback: $14.95
Kindle: $9.99
Publication date: May 10, 2022
Language : English
Paperback : 368 pages
Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.83 x 8.5 inches
Pre-diabetes: Are You at Risk?
/in Conditions/by Lisa Lilienfield, MDApproximately 37 million people in the United States have diabetes. Over the last decade, statistics show that the diabetes incidence rate (new cases diagnosed) has trended downward. In 2009, approximately nine out of 1,000 adults were diagnosed; in 2019 that rate declined to just under six. Statistics also show that there are more adults living with diabetes (diabetes prevalence) than a decade ago. This may be due to better detection and management of the condition.
These statistics are encouraging, but as the eighth leading cause of death in the United States, we must continue to be vigilant in identifying the risk factors.
Pre-diabetes is a condition where blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. It affects over 96 million adults in the U.S. – that’s 38% of the U.S. adult population! Caused by a condition known as insulin resistance, an abnormal response to glucose regulation, pre-diabetes increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as well as other conditions such as heart disease and stroke.
While the incidence rate of pre-diabetes has remained relatively steady since 2005, there has been a significant increase in the percentage of adults aware that they had the condition. This is good news in that in many cases pre-diabetes CAN be prevented or even reversed, and knowing you have it is key. Dietary modifications and lifestyle changes are the most effective ways to return blood glucose levels to a normal range.
What are some of the contributing factors?
Sugar:
The average American consumes 152 pounds of sugar and 146 pounds of flour per year. Could this have a correlation with diabetes? Yes! Waistlines are increasing because the sugars and refined grains that we consume increase insulin levels causing belly fat (or visceral fat) to accumulate around the organs. Insulin resistance then causes the elevation of blood sugar which increases that person’s risk of developing other serious health conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetic eye disease, neuropathy, and kidney disease.
There are several ways to diagnose obesity and determine if one has visceral fat accumulation. A person’s BMI, or body mass index, is one measurement to take into consideration. BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight, and while it does not consider lean muscle mass, the measurement is still useful, with a recommended BMI of 25 or less. Waist circumference is another important indicator. Men should aim to keep their waistline circumference under 40 inches, and women should aim for 35 inches or less, with a waist-to-hip ratio (waist circumference divided by hip circumference) of less than 0.8. This reading in particular can be helpful in detecting those we call “skinny fat” – these people look thin but have a potbelly. All of these measurements taken together are good indicators of insulin resistance. The ultimate testing however includes glucose tolerance testing (fasting blood sugar and insulin levels) and/or hemoglobin A1C, which is a blood test that provides information about a person’s average levels of blood glucose over the past 3 months.
Something else to keep in mind is that all calories are not the same. A soda which has approximately 45 grams of sugar and 150 calories, causes a spike in insulin, whereas an apple and handful of almonds with the same amount of calories, does not. A 2007 study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, demonstrated that certain types of carbohydrates, such as wheat and potatoes, up-regulated the genes for diabetes and inflammation in the abdominal subcutaneous fat, as compared to other carbohydrates like rye and corn, even though the caloric value was the same.
Questions? Give Us a Call!
703-532-4892 x2
Sleep:
Sleep deprivation also increases insulin resistance. One study showed that adolescents who slept less than 8 hours per night had an increase in central fat and insulin resistance. Another study recently reported that for every 30 minutes of weekday sleep “debt” the risk of obesity and insulin resistance increased by 18% and 41 % respectively over a year.
Exercise:
Besides lowering the consumption of sugar and flour and improving sleep, what else can we do to improve glucose control? Research is strongly supporting all types of exercise like walking, running, biking, and swimming for the regulation of blood sugar. Weight-training in particular increases lean muscle mass and metabolism long-term and increases a specific type of muscle (white muscle) that has been shown to lower blood sugar.
Digestive health:
Newer studies show that there is a link between the microorganisms living in your digestive system, central obesity, visceral fat, and insulin resistance. Taking a prebiotic (dietary fiber that feeds the good bacteria) and consuming foods like kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, and supplements with probiotics, may help reduce insulin resistance.
Here is a summary of some of my recommendations:
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2
What I Know About Healing Chronic Pain From 37 Years Of Treating Patients
/in Long Covid, Wellness/by Gary Kaplan, DOThere are over 50 million adults in the United States living with some form of chronic pain. The impact of chronic pain on people’s lives is enormous; unfortunately, despite modern medical advances we’re still not that great at treating it.
We may be unsuccessful in treating chronic pain because the way we’ve thought about where it comes from is all wrong. Research demonstrates that chronic pain is frequently a symptom of inflammation in the brain. Finding a cure requires that we identify and treat all the things that are causing the brain to remain in an inflamed state.
Here are seven things you need to do to effectively to deal with your chronic pain:
Chronic pain, in and of itself, is not a diagnosis. It’s a symptom of injury or illness, and even more specifically, it’s a symptom of inflammation. For example, over the course of 37 years of practicing family medicine and treating patients suffering from chronic pain, the worst case of acute shoulder pain I have ever seen was in a man who was having a heart attack.
I also have seen patients complain of chronic lower back pain, when their underlying problem was actually Crohn’s disease (an autoimmune disease that causes digestive problems).
Similarly, chronic migraine headaches may be a symptom of a food allergy. When this is the case, eliminating the offending foods can be a straightforward solution.
Today, we are seeing more and more people experiencing pain symptoms as a result of a previous COVID-19 infection. Long-COVID Syndrome symptoms often mimic the pain symptoms of fibromyalgia, ME/CFS and POTS.
Getting the right diagnosis requires a comprehensive history by a physician who can connect the dots. Frequently, what you think is the beginning of your pain problem is not its actually cause.
Bottom line: you must know what to treat if you have any hope of finding a cure.
If you’re getting seven or more hours of sleep per night, but you still feel exhausted all the time, you may have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition that means that while you’re sleeping you periodically stop breathing. During these intervals, your brain is deprived of oxygen, which causes inflammation of the neural tissue in the brain. Sleep apnea affects approximately 5% of Americans and it has been estimated that as many as 85% of people with this condition have not been diagnosed.
The inflammation caused by sleep apnea can cause or contribute to joint pain, migraine headaches, abdominal pain, and other chronic pain conditions. Ask your doctor about getting tested for sleep apnea or other sleep disorders. Sleep well and you’ll find you have more energy and less pain.
To eliminate the dietary causes of chronic pain, I usually recommend that patients limit their food intake to rice, fish, chicken, and fresh fruits and vegetables for a period of six weeks. While this food plan doesn’t eliminate every possible allergen, it does eliminate the major offenders, such as gluten, milk and milk products, refined sugar, processed foods, nuts and eggs.
When you eat, notice if certain foods cause you to experience an adverse reaction such as a stuffy nose, fatigue, headache, bloating, or gas. By eliminating the foods that create inflammation in your brain and body, you’ll find that your pain decreases and your physical energy and mental clarity increase.
Studies show that regular meditation improves brain function and can help the brain recover from inflammatory damage. Regular meditation also has been shown to improve our ability to tolerate and recover from stress. Meditate for 20 to 30 minutes a day and see if you notice a difference.
Hands-on therapies such as Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM), physical therapy, massage, and chiropractic therapy can help relieve, and in some cases, completely resolve chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Whatever the pain’s origin — whether its disease, traumatic injury or overuse, or emotional stress — bodywork can help stimulate healthy blood flow into damaged muscles, tendons, and connective tissue, thereby relieving musculoskeletal pain and tension and stimulating the body’s own ability to heal itself.
In fact, manual therapy is so effective in unlocking the emotional stress and trauma stored in our bodies that I often also recommend working with a psychotherapist who can help you process these issues.
There are supplements on the market that can help address generalized inflammation and joint pain. Supplements are also a great way to strengthen your immune system and help keep you healthy. However, before you start taking any new product, make sure you are buying from a trusted supplier; the U.S. Food & Drug Administration does not regulate the manufacture and marketing of supplements as they do with prescription medication.
Talk with your doctor about the medications and other supplements you are already taking before starting a new supplement because some products can cause drug interactions.
Although this is sometimes a lot to ask of people whose lives have been devastated by chronic pain, the cultivation of gratitude for family and friends and the other gifts in our lives helps make us more trusting, altruistic, resilient, and just plain happier. It also allows us to live each day more fully.
I recommend keeping a gratitude diary and listing five things for which you are grateful each day. Other gratitude exercises include visualizing and writing about your future, best possible self; putting your gratitude into action by writing a thank-you note or visiting a person to whom you owe a debt of gratitude. Spending time each day contemplating the things for which you are grateful is likely to help reduce not only your stress level but also your experience of physical pain.
Good luck on your healing journey!
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2