"To the patients whose improvement or recovery vith metabolic rehabilitation inspires us to continue our work on behalf of the millions who still suffer from poor metabolic health.

And, to the patient advocates and alternative doctors who diligently and couragerously work to relieve human suffering by correcting conventional doctor's false beliefs."

Your Guide to Metabolic Health
By Dr. Gina Honeyman-Lowe and Dr. John C. Lowe
Table of Contents

Foreword
Introduction
  • Readers in One of Three Circumstances
    - Working Without a Doctor's Help
    - Working With a Minimally Cooperative Doctor
    - Working With a Collaborative Doctor
  • Making Your Guide to Metabolic Health Understandable
  • How Best to Use This Book
  • The Ultimative Reference Book - The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia


SECTION I
UNDERSTANDING METABOLIC HEALTH

  • Chapter 1. Slow Metabolism: Cause of the "New Diseases"
    - Common Misconception About Our Work
    - Why Our Work Is Misunderstood
    - Why You Should Understand Fibromyalgia - Even If You Don't Suffer From It
    - What Patients With Defferent Diagnoses Have in Common
    - Why Different Symptoms and Different Diagnoses
    ---
  • Chapter 2. Metabolic Rehabilitation (PDF 70 KB from Web.archive.org)
    - What You're to Measure
    - Responses to Treatment That Health Care Practitioners Can Evaluate
    - Metabolism-Slowing Factors: What You Must Change to Improve Your Symptoms
    1. Under-Regulation by Thyroid Hormone
    2. Too Little Cortisol
    3. Sex Hormones Imbalance
    4. Nutritional Deficiences
    5. Unhealthy Diet
    6. Chemical Contaminants
    7. Low Physical Fitness
    8. untreated Physical Problems
    9. Troublesome Drugs
    - Taking Advantage of Your Increased Metabolic Capacity: Essentail Parts of Metabolic Rehab
    - Patients Likely to Stay in Poor Metabolic Health
    - Patients Likely to Fully Recover Rapidly
    - Getting Well Merely Trough Lifestyle Practises
    - Summary
    ---
  • Chapter 3. Numbers Count
    - Graphing Your Symptom Score
    - A Typical Hypothyroid Patient
    - More Than Graphing
    - Summary


SECTION II
HOW TO OPTIMIZE YOUR METABOLIC HEALTH

  • Chapter 4. Wholesome Diet
    - Typical American Diet
    - Refined Carbohydrates
    - Nutritional Deficiences
    - Caveman Diet
    - Caveman Diet and Fibromyalgia
    - Fat: Good anmd Bad
    - Foods Rich in Arachidonic Acid
    - Mediterranean Diet
    - Nuts
    - Arachidonic Acid: A Good Fat in Small-Enough Amounts
    - Balance With Omega-3 Fatty Acids
    - Low Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Hypothyroidism
    - Animal Meat and Good and Bad Fats
    - Protein
    - Animal or Vegetable Protein
    - High Protein / High Fat Diets
    - The Atkins Diet
    - Protein Supplements
    - Carbohydrates: Refined and Complex
    - Refined Carbohydrates
    - Complex Carbohydrates
    - Whole Grains: Wholesome - But Harmfull in Excess
    - Low-Calorie Diet
    - Vegetarian Diet
    - Fiber
    - Headaches From Stretching og the Colon
    - Autoimmune Diseases and Proteins From the GI Tract
    - Direct Effects of Inadequate Thyroid Hormone Regulation of the GI Tract
    - Troughly Digesting Proteins: The First Way to Stop or Prevent the Absorption of Dietary Proteins Into Your Blood
    - Relax When You Eat
    - Throughly Chew Food
    - Protein-Digesting Enzymes and Beatine Chydrochloride
    - Ingesting Enough Fiber: The Second Way to Stop og Prevent the Absorption of Dietary Proteins Into Your Blood
    - Supplementing with Bran
    - An Advantage of Getting Fiber From Food: Avoiding Adrenaline-Induced Symptoms
    - Fiber and Thyroid Hormone Work Together to Keep Cholesterol Normal
    - How to Tell When You're Getting Enough Fiber
    - High-Nutrient Convenience Foods as Supplement to a Wholesome Diet
    - Organic Foods
    - Liquids
    - Getting Enough Water Each Day
    - Water, Eating and Retention
    - Why No One Should Drink Tap Water
    - Clean. Filtered Water
    - Water Treatment Methods
    - Soft Water
    - Spring Water
    - Soft Drinks
    - Aspartame
    - Fat and Weight Loss and Thyroid Hormone Dose
    ---
  • Chapter 5. Nutritional Supplements: Vitamins, Minerals, Trace Elements, and Other Substances
    - Vitamins
    - Vitamins and Enzymes
    - Vitamins and the Use of Thyroid Hormone
    - B Complex Vitamins
    - Vitamin B1, Thyroid Hormone and heart health
    - Antooxidants
    - Vitamin C
    - How Much and How Often
    - How Much Vitamin C Should We Take?
    - Can We Get Enough Vitamin C in a "Good" Diet?
    - A Precaution When Increasing Your Vitamin C Intake
    - How Often Should We Take Vitamin C?
    - Trace Elements
    - Minerals
    - Calcium
    - Magnesium
    - Potassium
    - Sodium
    - Nutrients and Other Agents to Take for Tissue Damage
    - MSM
    - Glucosamine Sulfate
    - Bromelaine
    - Doses of MSM, Glucosamine, Vitamin C and Bromelain
    - Optimal Vitamin and Minerals Intake
    - Understanding the Difference Between Optimal Nutritional Intake and the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs)
    - "Too Many Pills to Swallow"
    - Multi-Vitamin-Mineral Supplements
    - "I Can't Afford All the Supplement Listed in the Table"
    - A Precaution All Petients Should Heed
    ---
  • Chapter 6. Herbs
    - Dosages of Herbs
    - St. John's Wort
    - Kava-Kava
    - Valerian Root
    - Gingko
    - Ginseng
    - Echinacea and Astragalus
    - Caution in Your Use of herbs
    ---
  • Chapter 7. Safely Getting Well with Thyroid Hormones
    - Most Hypothyroid Patients Dissatisfied With T4-Replacement Therapy
    - Two Major Sources of Under-Regulation by Thyroid Hormone
    - Hypothyroidism
    - Cellular Resistance to Thyroid Hormone
    - Deciding Whether a Patient is Hypothyroid or resistant to Thyroid Hormone
    - Deciding if a Patient is Hypothyroid
    - Deciding if a Patient is resistant to Thyroid Hormone
    - Optimal Improvement With Thyroid Hormone Therapy
    - Other Responses to Treatment the Patients Can Evaluate
    - Pulse Rate and Blood Pressure
    - Basal Body Temperature
    - Body Temperature May Not Change
    - Tissue Responses to Thyroid Hormone That Your Therapist or Doctor Can Monitor
    - Puffiness og Skin and Connective Tissue in Muscles
    - Achilles Reflex Speed
    - Responsiveness of Trigger Points to Treatment
    - Realistic Perspective on the Safe Use of Thyroid Hormone
    - Needless Worry Over Potential Harmfull Effects of Thyroid Hormone
    - Osteoporosis
    - Heart Problems
    - Acute Adrenal Crisis
    - Relieving Thyroid Hormone Overstimulation
    - Important Points to Bear In Mind
    - Mean the Patient is Hyperthyroid
    - Use of T4 is the Least Effective Approach to Thyroid Hormone Therapy
    - Potential Harm From Too Low a Dose of Thyroid Hormone
    ---
  • Chapter 8. Cortisol, Pregnenolone, and DHEA
    - Some Causes of Decreased Adrenal Reserve
    - Decreased Adrenal Reserve From Hypothyroidism or Thyroid Hormone Resistance
    - Acute Adrenal Crisis
    - Testing Adrenal Cortex Function
    - ACTH Stimulation Test
    - Daily Variations in Salivary Cortisol Levels
    - Physiologic Doses of Cortisol
    - How to Take Cortisol to Correct Decreased Adrenal reserve
    - Precautions
    - How to Take Cortisol
    - Allergic reactions
    - Proper medication
    - Potassium Supplements
    - Licorice and Cortisol
    - Pregnenolone
    - Supplemental Pregnenolone
    - DHEA
    - Benefits of DHEA
    - DHEA and Androgens
    - Note: Thyroid Hormone, Growth Hormone and Injuries
    - DHEA Dosage
    ---
  • Chapter 9. Female Hormones Balance
    - Sex Hormone Problems Due to Under-Regulation by Thyroid Hormone
    - Reduced Estrogen and Progesterone and menopausal Symptoms: Natural Process or Health Problem?
    - Testing for Hormone Imbalances
    - Treatment of Sex Hormone Imbalances
    - Conventional Hormone Replacement Therapy
    - Inadequate Thyroid Hormone regulation: A Cause of Sex Hormone Imbalances
    - Natural Alternatives to HRT
    - Natural Progesterone
    - Natural Sources of Estrogen
    Soy Isoflavones
    Gamma Oryzanol
    Herbs
    - Bioidentical Estrogen
    - Vitamin E
    - Diet and Exercise
    ---
  • Chapter 10. Exercise to Tolerance
    - Benefits of Exercise to Tolerance
    - Relaxation and Reduced Pain
    - Exercise and Anxiety
    - Exercise and depression
    - Exercise and Mental Abilities
    - Easier Menstrual Periods and Menopause
    - How to Exercise
    - Exercise Intensity That Doesn't Worsen Your Symptomes
    - Baby Steps First and Gradual Conditioning
    - Need for Exercise to Tolerance
    - Avoid Overdoing It
    - Don't Ride When You Can Walk: Don't Walk When You Can Run
    - Do Exercise You Will Do
    - Types of Exercise
    - Warm Water Exercises
    - Horizontal rest
    - Toning Exercise (Resistance Training)
    - Posture and Toning Exercises
    - Aerobics
    - Walking
    - Running
    - Bicycling
    - Stretching
    - Yoga
    - Caution
    ---
  • Chapter 11. A Good Night's - or Day's - Sleep
    - Harm From Too Little Restfull Sleep
    - Insomnia: A Feature of Poor Metabolic health That Can Worsen Its Symptoms
    - Faster Brain Wave Intrusion Into Slower Waves During Sleep
    - Metabolic Status
    - Sleep Brain Waves of Hypothyroid and Fibromyalgia patients: The Same
    - Why Hypometabolic Patients Have Disruption of Sleep
    - How to Get a Good Night's - or Day's - Sleep
    - Developing Good Sleep Hygiene
    - Avoiding Environmental Sleep-Disrupters
    - Identifying and Treating Sleep-Disrupting Medical Problems
    - Adopting a Wholesome Diet
    - Avoiding Indigestion
    - Abstaining From Sugary Foods
    - Low Intake of Foods High in Arachidonic Acid
    - Eating a Complex Carbohydreate Food Before Bed
    - Nutritional Supplements
    B Complex Vitamins
    Calcium and Magnesium
    Tryptophan and 5-Hydroxytryptophan
    Herbal Sleep Aids
    - Hormones
    Thyroid Hormone
    Taking Too Much Thyroid Hormone
    - Melatonin
    - Pregnenolone
    - Female Sex Hormones
    - Cortisol
    - Relaxation and Strress reduction
    Hot Baths
    Emotional and Psychological Issues
    - Exercise to Tolerance
    - Lying Down: Shutting Off the Nerve Bombardment of Your Brain
    - Clinitians Who Provide Physical Treatment
    - Caffeinde and Sleep
    Two Constructive Ways of Using Caffeine
    - Drugs as Sleep Aids
    Diphenhydramine
    Hypnotics
    Beta-Blockers
    Antidepressants as Sleep Aid
    - Alcohol and Sleep
    Liquid Interference With Sleep
    - Special Circumstances
    ---
  • Chapter 12. Avoiding Chemical Contaminants
    - Food Constituents
    - Commonly Prescribed Drugs
    - Dioxins and PCBs
    - How Dioxins and PCBs Disrupt the Thyroid System
    - Dioxins, PCBs and Problems With medical Specialists
    - Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids
    - Chlorine and the Thyroid Gland
    - Chlorine and Bath, Hot Tub and Swimming Pool Water
    - Cigarette Smoking
    - Thiocyanate From Cigarettes
    - Smoking and Graves Disease
    - Protecting Yourself Despite Official Assurances
    ---
  • Chapter 13. Physical Treatments
    - Myofascial Therapy
    - Ultrasound
    - Chiropractic Care
    - Spinal Adjustemts
    - Spinal Subluxations
    - Massage
    - Certified Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists
    - What Kind of Physical Treatment Not to Have
    - Making Sure You're getting Effective Physical Treatment
    ---
  • Chapter 14. Coffe and Caffeine
    - What Patients Have Taught Us About Caffeine Use
    - Caffeine and Pain
    - Caffeine Can Worsen Some People's Pain
    Excess Caffeine Sensivity
    Abruptly Stopping Heavy Caffeine Use
    Breast Pain
    - Pain-Reducing Effects of Caffeine
    - Other Benefits of Using Caffeine
    - Improved Mood
    - Energy and Alertness
    - Mental Ability
    - Athletic performance
    - Our Advice on Caffeine Use


SECTION III
OBSTACLES TO YOUR RECOVERY: GETTING PAST THEM

  • Chapter 15. Troubleshooting
    - First Step in Troubleshooting
    - Two Main Categories of Obstacles to Recovery
    - Obstacles Involving Lifestyle Praktices
    - You Don't Think You've Improved at All
    - Not Engaging in Necessary Lifestyle Praktices
    - A Conscious Choice Not to Take Advantage of the Full Treatment Protocol
    - Not Improving Enough From Lifestyle Practices Alone
    - Obstacles Related to the services of Health Care Praktitioners
    - Troublesome Drugs
    Narcotics
    Beta-blocking Drugs
    Tricyclic Antidepressants
    Cold Medicines, Decongestants and Diet Drugs
    - Disorders Other Than Hypometabolism
    ---
  • Chapter 16. Other Obstacles to Your Recovery
    - When Your Family Isn't Helping... or Worse
    - Too Little Knowledge of Your Disorder
    - Support Gropups and Internet News Groups
    - Managed Care
    ---
  • Chapter 17. A Final Word: Hope and Commitment


References (406)

Forms

Resources
Glossary
Index