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Ultra Low Dose Enzyme Activated
Immunotherapy (LDA)
Post Traumatic Environmental Stress Disorder
Peace of
Mind: Holistic Approaches to Anxiety and ADD
(on "New Life
Journal" Website)
Bipolar Disorder Can Be Treated With Medication
and Naturally
ALLERGY REDUCTION:
Improving Mood and Energy
Hidden Factors Behind Your Persistent
Illness
Adult
ADD:
To Medicate or Go Natural
Cancer
–
Finding Your Best Advisor
Overweight - The Risk and the Remedy
Loss
of Sexual Interest
Approaches in Helping Bipolar Sufferers
Help
for Panic and Anxiety Sufferer
Seasonal
Affective Disorder: The Winter Blues
Depression
Relief Speeds Health Recovery
Amino Acids
& Other Considerations in Depression Evaluation
Integrative
Medicine & Psychiatry
Blood
Pressure -
A Wake up Call
Addictions
- Breaking the Cycle
Spirituality:
The Core of
Healing in Integrative Psychiatry
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Hidden Factors Behind Your Persistent Illness
By
Ronald R. Parks, MD
Did you know hidden factors may be behind your health
problems?
Three to nine percent of patients seen in emergency rooms and
ten to thirty percent of treated elderly patients have
underlying medical problems that appear as mental illness.
A common example is hypothyroidism, under functioning of the
thyroid gland, which can mimic depression. Allergies and
nutritional deficiencies also can mimic or masquerade as other
problems. Difficult-to-recognize conditions frequently
can be misdiagnosed as another medical or psychological
illness.
Recovery from a persistent illness often requires learning
about possible hidden causes and associated symptoms.
Integrative medicine and psychiatry form a partnership with
you to keep an open mind toward investigating and solving
these problems. Simply treating symptoms has often led to
over prescribing medication, procedures or supplements without
full relief of the problem. Many hidden medical issues may
appear on the surface as psychological, emotional or
behavioral problems. The opposite is also common.
Low thyroid can cause weight gain, fatigue, decreased memory,
changes in sleep, depression and loss of concentration,
appetite and libido. The type of hypothyroidism that is
easily diagnosed represents less than one percent of people
seen by health care providers: Their symptoms are severe or
the routine blood thyroid test are strongly positive.
However, thyroid disease can be "subclinical" or hidden if
symptoms are not recognized by a routine medical exam or
thyroid testing, and can account for five to fourteen percent
of people seen for medical or psychiatric reasons. Proper
diagnosis may require closer examination and tests that go
beyond the commonly done TSH thyroid blood test.
Allergy is easy to recognize if one has immediate reactions to
environmental factors such as dust, pollen, mold or other
airborne irritants with nasal stuffiness and congestion, which
can occur either on a seasonal or year-round basis. Allergy
is commonly overlooked when it is a significant contributor to
fatigue, depression or focus and attention deficit problems.
With so much pollution and chemical exposure to us and our
food supply, allergic or sensitivity reactions are important
to consider. Proper assessment for allergy as a possible
causative factor in illness, along with appropriated allergy
treatment is important in an integrative health-care approach.
An
important causative or contributing factor to illness, often
overlooked, would be the deficiency of vital mineral, vitamins
and other nutritional factors. Vitamin B12 deficiency for
example, can cause symptoms of depression, paranoia, violence
or signs of dementia. Magnesium deficiency can contribute to
muscular, headache, migraine and heart problems.
Many other problems, that can be difficult to recognize, can
present themselves as other medical or psychological
illnesses. These include hidden infections; early stage
diabetes; heart disease; early cancers; nutritional, digestion
or hormone problems; uncommon type of seizures; psychological
conditions; early dementia; inborn errors of metabolism; side
effects of medications; alcohol and drug abuse; allergies; or
environmental problems as toxic exposure to lead, mercury or
carbon monoxide.
Have an open mind for factors that may be overlooked when
illness or symptoms persist and do not respond to conventional
approaches. Consult with your integrative medicine or
integrative psychiatric practitioner for help.
Ronald R. Parks, M.D. practices integrative medicine and
psychiatry at the Asheville Center for Integrative Medicine
and Psychiatry. For information call 828-225-1812.
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