Dr. David Minkoff’s Health Blog

Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth & Hormones: Optimum Health Report #360

Small intestine bacterial overgrowth & hormones: optimum health report #360

Dear Readers,

Greetings all!

This week the NY Times reported that (from Stat Morning Rounds Online)

Prominent cancer researcher quits after report on financial disclosures

The chief medical officer of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has resigned on the heels of a New York Times and ProPublica investigation that found he failed to disclose millions of dollars in payments from drug and health care companies on studies he authored in leading journals. ProPublica and the New York Times found that Dr. José Baselga didn’t report any financial ties — including links to Roche and several small biotechs — in dozens of papers he authored since 2013.

How does this make you feel about your trust of these institutions? Or what they advise for care? Sloan Kettering is at the pinnacle of the cancer industry in the world.

There are truths in medicine and most of them have to do with good nutrition, avoiding toxins and drugs, getting sleep, sunshine and exercise, and if you are ill seeing a practitioner who can help your body heal by nontoxic means. Yes, occasionally pharmaceuticals are needed, on a temporary basis for emergencies, but that is rare rare rare.

I urge you to be vigilant about your personal care and that of your family and be very careful that you get medical advice from practitioners of holistic medicine.

Have a great week.

Dr. David I Minkoff, MD

A woman's abdomen suffering from small intestine bacterial overgrowth

Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth

Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) refers to a condition, in which abnormally large numbers of bacteria (at least 100,000 bacteria per ml of fluid) are present in the small intestine.  This overgrowth causes damage and inflammation to the gut wall.

What causes small intestinal bacterial overgrowth?
The gastrointestinal tract (GI) is a continuous muscular tube through which digesting food is transported on its way to the colon.  The coordinated activity of the muscles of the stomach and small intestine propels the food from the stomach, through the small intestine and into the colon.

The muscular activity that sweeps through the small intestine is important for the digestion of food as it sweeps bacteria out of the small intestine and thereby limits the number of bacteria in the small intestine.  Anything that interferes with the progression of normal muscular activity (the waves) through the small intestine can result in SIBO by allowing the bacteria to stay longer and multiply.  The lack of muscular activity may also allow bacteria to spread backwards from the colon and into the small intestine, which is why types of bacteria normally found only in the colon, are found in the small intestine.

Symptoms may include:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Gas
  • Bloating
  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation
  • Weight loss
  • Aches
  • Fatigue

We are experts in correcting small intestinal overgrowth issues.  If you have any of these symptoms please call (727) 466-6789 for more information or to schedule an appointment.

Patient Testimonial

What a blessing to find a team of people who are so great at what they do, and go above and beyond to help each person on their journey to healing!

Carter and I are so thankful for Dr. Minkoff and the amazing team here at LifeWorks!  The IV (Infusion) Team made a big impact on us and blessed our weeks here making a difficult time much more bearable.  We came to LifeWorks at the end of June – Carter battling Stage IV aggressive melanoma – had a growing tumor the size of a baseball. 8 weeks later we have seen great improvement after intensive therapies – the tumor is now the size of a golf ball!  We are on our journey to healing – returning home to IL for now but we are equipped and have a great game plan for continued healing.”

– amy & Carter

*Disclaimer: Individual patient results may vary based on a patient’s medical history and other factors.

Dr. Springer Discusses Hormones

Click on the video to hear Dr. Springer’s talk about hormones.

Lifeworks accepts care credit
LifeWorks is happy to announce that we are now accepting CareCredit cards. For many people CareCredit can provide an easier way of financing you and your family’s healthcare needs*. For more information go to carecredit.com

*Subject to credit approval.

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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.