Dr. David Minkoff’s Health Blog

Optimal Health Report #296 – The Power of IV Therapies, Sleep & More Patient Success Stories

Doctor offering iv therapy to a lifeworks patient

In this Edition

Unlocking the Physical Degeneration and Aging Cycle with IV Nutrition

More often than not, the degeneration of health begins with poor nutrition. A nutrient is defined as a substance that the body can use for manufacturing energy or building its structure. When needed nutrition is insufficient in the diet, the working machinery of the body structure and metabolism break down.

Since the tissues in the digestive tract turn over the quickest, they often breakdown first if the nutritional building blocks are lacking. The first affected tissues are the internal lining cells of the small intestine that are required to first digest and then actively pick up and transfer the nutrients that arrive there to the blood stream. When nutrition is good, there will be new lining cells every 3 days. If the body doesn’t have the nutrients to make these new cells and the very complex structures on their border, the “old damaged ones” hang around, and they don’t function as well. They might only absorb half of what is present (They’re old! They move slow!). Also, since they have wear and tear damage, they will allow molecules into the body that should not enter. Bacteria, yeast, and partially digested food can come in between cells because the junctions break down. This is what is known as “leaky gut.” Additionally, with lower nutrient levels now being absorbed the enzyme levels in the stomach, small intestine and pancreas will fall. This leads to incomplete digestion and more nutrient deficiency.

And so based on this scenario we age and get sick.

Moreover, since the immune system is largely based in the small intestine, it begins to react strongly to the foreign substances that are entering the body through this now “leaky gut” and attacks them. This is the origin of many autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, multiple sclerosis, and lupus.

Protecting the Body Against the Onslaught

In today’s modern society of nutrient depleted food (fast food, processed food, vegetables picked green and shipped thousands of miles and stored in coolers for weeks or months before we eat them), and toxic chemicals, our bodies are left out in the cold so to speak, to defend against this onslaught.

To make matters worse tens of millions have been prescribed pharmaceutical drugs which cause nutritional deficiencies. There are many reports of magnesium depletion and other minerals from anti-acid and diuretic therapies, low Co Q10 from cholesterol drugs and diabetes medication, B and C vitamin deficiencies from oral contraceptives just to name a few. Replenishing these missing nutrients can cause profound benefits in quality of life, better energy, improved sleep quality, and mental functioning.

The Power of Nutritional IV’s

Many times, trying to replenish the sick body by taking more oral nutrients does not work because the digestive system is so broken, it cannot absorb them. Luckily, we have a way around this. By using intravenous (IV) solutions of nutrients, we can quickly and efficiently deliver them directly to where they are needed: the cells. This means we can bypass the broken digestive system entirely.

What we are doing is giving the body natural nutrients (as opposed to drugs) that help to heal the body structure, including the intestine and digestive system, improve metabolism, and replenish supplies of deficient nutrients. Since these are the actual building blocks of the body, they are safe to administer, and body accepts them easily.

Did you know that sixty-seven percent of the population is estimated to be magnesium deficient? And did you know that when a person is magnesium deficient they have difficulty absorbing magnesium? Since this is the case, giving more oral forms of magnesium will not work.

We can fix the situation by giving a series of magnesium IVs and when the body is replenished, it will again be able to absorb the oral nutrient. Magnesium is essential in over 200 body processes and when one is deficient he may experience asthma (spasm of bronchioles), high blood pressure (spasm or constriction of blood vessels), menstrual cramps (spasm of the uterus), and migraines (vascular spasm). Heart failure and heart arrhythmia are conditions associated with decreased intracellular magnesium levels and, as such, are also benefited by this essential mineral.

Many times we use Vitamin C by IV administration because it can help the body fight off viral and flu type infection and it is useful in treating colds, influenza, and hepatitis. It is also indicated for immune support, for treating allergic conditions, for its anti-cancer properties, and to aid the detoxification of heavy metals.

The Myers Cocktail, named after the late Maryland physician John Myers, M.D. combines magnesium, calcium and B vitamins to safely, inexpensively, and effectively treat a variety of chronic conditions including depression and fibromyalgia and chronic conditions of the digestive tract that can result in magnesium being “leaked” or wasted.

A common eye disorder in seniors is macular degeneration. It is often responsive to IV administration of nutrients required for healthy eye function, including zinc, selenium, glutathione, and vitamin B complex.

A blend of vitamins, minerals, and micro-nutrients may be used to replenish nutrients during a course of chelation therapy and also anytime someone feels rundown, is exhausted by chronic illness, or is under more stress than usual. Stress “eats up” nutrients (especially B vitamins), thereby creating a temporary exaggerated need.

When someone has a chronic infection or is under a lot of mental or physical stress, an intensive anti-oxidant IV can be delivered using glutathione (the most potent antioxidant in the body) or alpha-lipoic acid. These nutrients have special use in modulating peripheral neuropathy of diabetes, liver disease (including hepatitis), asthma, and virtually any chronic disease in which oxidation plays a role.

In Summary IV Nutrition

  • Gets high dose vitamins, minerals and antioxidants directly to the cells
  • Quickly fixes nutritional deficiencies
  • Enhances immune response
  • Increases total body energy
  • Bypasses intestinal malabsorption
  • Fights chronic infections like hepatitis, Candida and Lyme.
  • Fights acute infections like Flu and mono

Visit our list of Superior IV Therapies here.

Do You Dread Going to Bed?

B2ap3_thumbnail_trouble_sleeping. JpgSleep is a problem for many. It may even be an epidemic. More than 1/3 of Americans have trouble sleeping every night, and 51% of adults say they have problems sleeping at least a few nights each week. 43% of respondents report that daytime sleepiness interferes with their normal daytime activities.

The number of adults aged 20 to 44 using sleeping pills doubled between 2000 and 2004, and the number of kids aged 1-19 who take prescription sleep remedies jumped 85% during the same period. Prescriptions for sleeping pills topped 56 million in 2008 – up 54% from 2004 – with over $5 billion in sales in 2010.

If you have trouble sleeping I have something to help you. I formulated it myself and many find it very helpful. It’s called Healthy Sleep Ultra. It’s natural and safe and when I can’t sleep it’s what I take.

We have a special summer price so if you want to try it, now is a good time. LifeWorks is currently offering a saving of 20% off the regular price of Healthy Sleep Ultra – call (727) 466-6789.

Getting Healthy Again

Do you want to feel better? We know how. I hear it every day from patients who are coming back for a recheck after only 4-6 weeks on our program. “This program is working for me,” “I have way more energy,” “My pain is almost gone,” are very common responses. So, if you need help, we are here. Have a great week.   Dr. David I Minkoff MD

IV Patient Success Story

“Thanks to all the great staff at LifeWorks. I’ve been coming here for 3 years and have improved my health with every visit.

I came in on the other day feeling very sick, which is unusual for me. The staff rushed in and figured out what was needed and after a couple of IVs – Myers’ Cocktail and MAH, I’m like a new person. Thanks.*” G.C.

 

Dr. Springer Discusses the Common Cough

This issue sees another in the series of videos featuring LifeWorks’ practitioner, Dr. George Springer, recounting patient success stories – this week the topic is a longstanding cough.

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About Dr. David Minkoff, Medical Director

Dr. David Minkoff graduated from the University of Wisconsin Medical School in 1974 and was elected to the “Phi Beta Kappa” of medical schools, the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Honors Medical Fraternity for very high academic achievement. He then completed both a Pediatric Residency and a Fellowship in Infectious Disease at the University of California at San Diego. He worked at the University of California and Children’s Hospitals in San Diego as an attending physician in infectious disease while conducting original research on Ribaviron, a broad spectrum anti-viral agent to fight disease. He also co-directed a neo-natal intensive care unit and worked in emergency medicine. In 1992, Dr. Minkoff’s wife Sue, a Registered Nurse, became interested in nutrition and health and began to go to lectures from some of the experts in the field. At the time, Dr. Minkoff was pretty fixed in his view of traditional medicine and it took a lot of convincing to get him to come to one of these lectures. After hearing Dr. Jeffrey Bland speak, Dr. Minkoff had a eureka moment and began pursuing the alternative field with a vengeance. Based on this new knowledge Dr. Minkoff and his wife set up a small clinic in 1997 to help some friends with their medical problems. What began as an experiment blossomed into Lifeworks Wellness Center, one of the most successful clinics for complementary medicine in the United States. In the process, he gained expertise in Biological medicine, integrative oncology, heavy metal detoxification, anti-aging medicine, hormone replacement therapy, functional medicine, energy medicine, neural and prolotherapy, homeopathy, and optimum nutrition. He studied under the masters in each of these disciplines until he became an expert in his own right. Dr. Minkoff is one of the most in-demand speakers in the field and wrote an Amazon best-selling book called The Search For The Perfect Protein. The demand for the products and protocols he discovered became a catalyst for founding BodyHealth.Com, a nutrition company that now manufactures and distributes cutting-edge nutritional solutions for the many health problems of today. Dr. Minkoff writes two free online newsletters, “The Optimum Health Report” and ”The BodyHealth Fitness Newsletter”, to help others learn about optimum health and fitness. Dr. Minkoff is an avid athlete himself and has completed 43 Ironman Triathlons. To keep his fitness maximal, he lives the lifestyle he teaches to others and tries to set an example for others, so they can enjoy a life free of pain and full of energy.