Clinical Nutrition Services
in Burlington, NC

There are many signs of an allergic reaction: Itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing and skin rash. More serious reactions can include constricted air passageways, vomiting and even death. All this from a handful of peanuts, an encounter with a cat or microscopic grains of pollen in the air! Your body inappropriately perceives the allergen as a threat. If everyone reacted to these common substances, we could fix the blame squarely on the nut, dander, shellfish or pollen. But not everyone reacts. So, if it is not the allergen, then what is it?

Your nervous system orchestrates your immune system, glandular system, and every other system that reacts inappropriately to an allergen. These systems help you respond and adapt to the world around you. But suffering from uncontrollable sneezing around a house cat is an inappropriate reaction. If your nervous system isn’t working right, you don’t work right. And, what impacts your nervous system? Your nutrition. Rather than directing our attention to the countless potential allergens, we locate and reduce the disturbances we find to your nervous system.

Testosterone is often viewed as the male vitality anti-aging solution. Many doctors promote hormone shots, patches and pellets as a way to boost the libido, build muscle mass, improve memory and concentration, increase energy levels and remain youthful. But at what risk?

Testosterone therapy has been shown to increase your risk of heart disease, contribute to sleep apnea, create acne or other skin irritations, limit sperm production, lead to an enlarged prostate condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia as well as encourage prostate cancer growth.

Taking testosterone will cause a reduction of your own natural testosterone production resulting in needing to take higher and higher levels of testosterone therapy to try to achieve desired results.

There are safer, healthier options. Low testosterone is not the primary problem. The body will distribute resources to the most important areas first, such as the heart, liver, brain, kidneys. Having sex and building large muscles are really secondary functions.

In fact, one of the first signs of poor health in men is a decline in testosterone and sexual function.

There are typically underlying conditions contributing to low testosterone levels. The solution is to identify these areas of weakness for correction and this will allow the body to restore hormones to their optimal levels.

What triggers your asthma? Pollen, dust or dander? What about smoke or airborne odors?

Asthma is an allergic and inflammatory reaction which causes your lungs to constrict their airways, making breathing very hard.

After analyzing your results, Dr. Naylor will focus on not only decreasing your allergic reactivity but also on restoring your healthy immune function. In allergic reactions, your body mistakenly views otherwise harmless substances like tree pollen as dangerous invaders and begins an inflammatory process to protect the body.

Diagnostic testing such as blood work and biomonitoring which is the practice of testing blood, urine and other fluids for the presence of environmental chemicals as well as other tests, such as lung function studies, will help identify exactly what underlying conditions or deficiencies are contributing to the allergic process of your asthma attacks.

Then we will work to eliminate or control your exposure to any reactive substances and foods. Chiropractic adjustments may also be recommended.

Asthma attacks can have serious consequences so don’t wait to schedule your appointment. Proper testing, then retesting to ensure progress and effectiveness of the program is essential.

Yeast is an opportunistic organism. In a healthy body, Candida Albicans- a type of yeast, naturally reside in the gut, mouth, skin, urinary and vaginal tract. But when the Candida grows out of control and becomes systemic, a slew of symptoms can occur.

Because this yeast lives in so many areas of the body, symptoms can be wide ranging and contribute to a general feeling of being “sick all over”.

Common complaints include…

• Fatigue • Depression • Headaches • PMS • Night Sweats • Decreased Libido • Nagging Cough • Numbness and Tingling • Irritability • Chemical Sensitivies • Craving Foods rich in carbohydrates and yeast. • Gas and bloating • Intestinal cramping • Rectal or Vaginal itching • Frequent Bladder infections • Canker Sores • Acne • Clogged Sinuses

So what caused the Candida to get out of control? Several things can contribute to this such as antibiotic use, oral contraceptives, heavy metal toxicity or having certain diseases such as diabetes or liver dysfunction. Diets high in processed foods, sugar or alcohol are often major factors.

Taking medications to kill off the yeast may work short term but what will keep the yeast from just growing back? Medications strong enough to kill the yeast can also harm the liver and kidneys.

Yeast also has a unique ability to bind up heavy metal toxins. Killing off the yeast with medications might release those toxins back into your system making you even sicker.

Finding the root source of the problem is the only way to ensure that your body can regain optimal health.

Diabetes has become a silent, modern epidemic as it’s already the 6th leading cause of death among Americans and the fastest growing disease in every age group…even children.

Glucose-regulating medications come with numerous side effects such as muscle pain, trouble breathing, stomach pain, changes in heart rate and even rapid weight gain. Can you imagine what a lifetime of drug therapy will do to these children? How will their medication use affect future generations?

The tragedy is that in most cases, this disease is entirely preventable with proper awareness, testing, diet and exercise. Yet it’s estimated that 5 million people are unaware of their abnormal glucose or hemoglobin A1C levels. Could you be one of them?

The cause of elevated glucose levels could be many things. Poor diet, medications, liver disease, mineral deficiencies, toxic elements, chronic infections and digestion problems can all be contributors. This is why it is essential to do proper testing to assess all aspects of your health.

Diabetes increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and loss of nerve function which can lead to the need for amputation. Because of this, medications are frequently used to reduce glucose levels in your blood stream.

But the most important question to ask when medication is used is this: Where does the glucose go when it is lowered from say 300 down to 120? The Glucose is not eliminated or destroyed. It is forced into other cells, such as the eyes and kidneys, where it continues to do damage causing kidney disease, and even vision disturbances or blindness.

Type 2 Diabetes can nearly always be reversed and even Type 1 can be greatly improved. Remember, the less insulin and medication you need, the better you are and longer you will live.

What causes fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome? Believe it or not, you’re asking the wrong question. The cause can be different for everyone. The better question is, “Why is my body not healing and repairing properly.”

Your muscles, joints and soft tissues break down a little bit every day just from doing normal daily activities and work. During sleep and rest, your body should repair the damage and restore your energy. But if your body is not healthy enough, damage to your muscles, joints and soft tissues will accumulate and progressively worsen leading to chronic fatigue and fibroymalgia… unless you find out why your body is not repairing like it should.

We understand that fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue are multi-faceted syndromes. A comprehensive analysis is essential to determine what conditions could be contributing factors. Viral infections, low immunity, food allergies, medications, depression, hormone imbalances, toxic elements, vitamin and mineral deficiencies and neurological and structural imbalances can all cause fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue symptoms.

The only way to determine exactly what deficiencies, toxicities or dysfunctions are contributing to YOUR symptoms is through a comprehensive health analysis including blood testing, tissue mineral hair analysis and other diagnostic testing.

Through careful examination and analysis, Dr. Naylor can help assist you with the lifestyle changes, diet or nutrients needed for your body to heal itself and restore your health, as well as continue to monitor your progress.

Be aware that Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia have often taken years to develop and at times, it can be a long, slow progress to recovery. But consistent improvement, even if slow, will lead you back to good, vibrant health.

Food allergies were first recognized by the famous Greek physician Hippocrates when he recorded that milk could cause gastric upset and hives. He observed that many symptoms associated with serious disease were the result of eating foods that one was sensitive to.

Today food allergies are commonly associated with a wide range of symptoms and medical conditions such as migraines, irritable bowel, colitis, auto-immune diseases, hyperactivity, asthma, eczema, fatigue, and many more.

The best known form of food allergy is called an immediate onset allergy. This type of immune reaction happens when allergic symptoms to a food occur quickly, right after consumption of a small amount of the allergic food. The cause and effect relationship between the food and symptoms is obvious.

There is a much more prevalent, subtle and insidious type of allergy that can not be detected by the standard skin scratch tests used by most medical physicians. Such allergies are known as delayed onset food allergies or food sensitivities. Once thought to be uncommon, this type of allergy is now believed to be the most common form of food allergy in children and adults. These food sensitivities can be caused by poor digestion, infection, liver or pancreatic dysfunction or even inflammation.

Allergic symptoms in delayed reactions may take 2 hours to 2 days to appear. Delayed food allergies, due to a combination of delayed symptoms and multiple offending foods, are rarely self-diagnosed. Delayed onset food allergies and the laboratory immunoassays may be needed but not always. Blood testing will commonly be the best place to start to determine the cause of the food allergy or sensitivity. We are particularly qualified to determine if food allergy testing is appropriate for you. If so, we will help you to overcome your allergy problems and restore your good health and well-being.

Millions of people nationwide, and countless in Burlington suffer from heartburn or reflux. Continued use of antacids and prescription drugs have serious side effects and merely mask the problem of heartburn or reflux. Continued use of these drugs will usually result in further problems and even worse digestion leading to more and stronger drugs.

Both of these symptoms can be controlled naturally and often times positive results occur quickly. Common causes of reflux include liver and gall bladder problems, pancreatic enzyme deficiencies, food allergies, infection and inflammation.

We can evaluate which tests are necessary to provide insight on helping you to improve your health. A healthy gastrointestinal system is vital to good health. So, stop masking the problem with medication; call us today to start your journey towards optimal health.

Contamination of our environment is, unfortunately, a common by-product of modern society. Toxic elements called heavy metals are known to accumulate in our soil, water, air and food. Examples of heavy metals are lead, arsenic, uranium, cadmium, mercury, and aluminum.

Repeated exposure to these toxins can result in significant health risks. Heavy metal toxicity may cause or contribute to a number of unwanted symptoms including: anemia, learning deficits, behavior changes, tremors and other nervous system disorders, gingivitis, cancer, fatigue, headaches, memory difficulties, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Autism and MS.

Cases of severe poisoning due to lead, mercury and exposure to other heavy metals are now somewhat rare. However, chronic, low-level exposure from occupational, environmental and foods is much more common and poses a significant risk to your current and long term health because the effects tend to be cumulative and usually insidious. Think of it as a slow poisoning.

We can perform the appropriate diagnostic testing to detect the presence of heavy metals in your body. Then we will design a plan that may include specialized testing and oral chelation to decrease the toxic burden of these substances on your body and help you identify the source of your exposure to those elements.

High blood pressure is generally regarded as the greatest risk factor for heart attack or stroke and is known as the silent killer due to the fact that it can go undiagnosed until it results in death.

Blood pressure is a measure of the force produced each time the heart beats. This pressure is what keeps your blood flowing to all parts of your body. When blood pressure becomes elevated abnormally, it is called hypertension.

Hypertension is a blood pressure that is consistently above 140/90. It is closely associated with an increased risk of developing heart disease, stroke, impaired circulation, and kidney disease. Normal blood pressure is considered 120/80 or slightly lower.

Over 80% of individuals with high blood pressure are considered to have moderate or below moderate hypertension. According to the American Journal of Cardiology, drug treatment is not recommended in these individuals, as there is “little evidence these patients will achieve enough benefit to justify the costs and adverse effects of anti-hypertensive drug treatment.”

If not with drugs, then how should most people address this problem? Wait until it does get worse? Comprehensive blood and toxic element testing can indicate problems or the cause of the high blood pressure from things as simple as anemia, infection to inflammation and heavy metal toxicity. With the results of the testing, a program can be developed to improve the health of the body, which will fix the cause of the high blood pressure. This will likely include lifestyle modification, including weight control, exercise, avoidance of tobacco, increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, and the use of nutritional supplementation.

Cholesterol is a major building block for a healthy body. While optimal levels are best, it is vital to determine the cause of your high cholesterol before simply taking a statin.

Low cholesterol may be more dangerous as it puts you at greater risk for infections, malnutrition, autoimmune disorders, cancer, and reduces your ability to absorb fat soluble vitamins like vitamin D and K.

About 80% of total cholesterol is made by the liver, while the remaining 20% comes from dietary sources. Cholesterol travels from the liver through the blood stream by protein molecules called lipoproteins. From there, the body’s cells can extract what they need, leaving the remaining cholesterol for transport back to the liver.

While often receiving a bad rap, cholesterol is actually a major building block for hormones which regulate blood sugars, blood pressure, stress, sex hormones and digestion.

Diet and exercise are only part of the story. Your body will raise its cholesterol levels to protect itself against toxins, bacteria, infections and other threats. Stress, poor nutrition, thyroid and liver problems also cause high cholesterol.

If you take a statin to lower cholesterol levels are you healthier? Have you fixed the problem?

If you suffer from abdominal discomfort and/or recurrent bowel attacks, you do not have too. We are well trained and equipped to care for most bowel and stomach problems without the need for prescription drugs. The natural treatment and management of inflammatory and irritable bowel is highly effective.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is the general name given to two specific conditions: Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is the term used when no medical disease is present, but bowel symptoms exist nonetheless.

IBD and IBS share many similar symptoms such as pain, constipation, diarrhea, gas, and bloating. Distinguishing between the two can be difficult, but is very important, as there are critical differences in the proper management of these two conditions. Although, medications may give relief, they do little to correct the cause or the digestive problem and will in fact actually contribute to the progression of the disease because the drugs will cause further malabsorption. The use of these medications will commonly slow improvement but progress is the goal. Appropriate laboratory testing is useful in both the diagnosis and successful treatment of these conditions. We can safely guide you through this process.

They can recommend appropriate nutritional supplementation, as well as any dietary changes based upon your individual test results that will allow your body to restore itself to good health and well-being.

Suffering from hot flashes or hormonal imbalances? Has your medical doctor or family members recommended hormone replacement therapy or bio-identical hormones? Remember theses four things…

Heart Disease, Breast Cancer, Blood Clots, Stroke

A large clinical trial found that hormone replacement therapy, commonly known as HRT, significantly increases your risk for all four. In fact, the results of a study called the Women’s Health Initiative found a 26% increase in breast cancer for women undergoing HRT.

According to the Mayo Clinic and the FDA, bio-identical hormones are no more effective than traditional HRT and may in fact be riskier.

The key to alleviating symptoms is finding out why your hormones are out of balance. HRT will not solve the primary problem. The body will distribute resources to the most important areas first – the heart, liver, brain, kidneys, etc. Troublesome hormonal symptoms are really indicators of deficiencies, imbalances or toxicities which are robbing the body of nutrients essential to proper hormone balance.

Vitamin and mineral imbalances, poor lifestyle habits and toxic element exposure can lead to hormonal imbalances. Dr. Naylor can help you find natural and safe alternatives to HRT and bio-identical hormone therapies.

Start by completing our patient symptom survey which aides in determining what comprehensive tests to order, informs us of any medications you are taking, and indicates the symptoms you are experiencing. Once your test results are in, we compile all of the data in a comprehensive, color-coded report that is easy to read and understand. Using your unique test data, the Science Based Nutrition® report will reveal your underlying health deficiencies and indicate the nutrients and diet that will likely help you progress toward a healthier you. Contact us today to learn more about the Science Based Nutrition® program.

Migraine headaches may be brought on by food allergies, hormone imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, nervous system dysfunction, and/or toxicity.

Laboratory testing may show obvious things that could cause migraines and headaches such as anemia, hypoglycemia, and low thyroid among other things. Prescription drug use can be a cause or a contributing factor in both types of headaches

Are you concerned about osteoporosis? An early stage of bone loss is called Osteopenia. Once a person has lost approximately 30% of their bone density it is called Osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis can occur in both men and women however women are at greater risk due to a lower bone density prior to age forty. Bone loss is usually greatest in the spine, hips, and ribs.

Commonly a bone density test called a DEXA scan, which measures the density of the hip and the lumbar spine is used to assess bone loss. Osteoporosis is a preventable illness provided certain dietary and lifestyle measures are followed. Calcium intake is usually recommended however there are more minerals and nutrients that play a preventative role.

The big question here is, “Why aren’t my bones strong?” or “Why is my body not willing to allocate nutrients toward strong bones?”. Do you think your body has more important things to do with those nutrients? Maybe there is some more important internal function that needs the extra nutrients right now and the body is not going to waste those valuable nutrients on non-essential tissue. Yes, your bones are non-essential to the body. Your body needs to make sure your liver function, kidney function, immune system, etc are optimized and as a result it will break down your muscles and bones to free up nutrients to be used for more important bodily function! So, if you’re not getting the nutrients your body needs from your diet, guess what’s going to happen! That’s right, Osteoporosis may develop or other conditions. But, how do you know which nutrients you’re deficient in?

Suggested causes of Osteoporosis include low calcium, low vitamin D, low phosphorus intake, high protein diets, high salt intake, trace mineral deficiencies, and even increased soft drink consumption. Proper testing will identify major and minor key elements of imbalance and deficiency, environmental toxicities, stress and physical structure, abnormal organ functions, digestive disorders, and much more. Through careful examination and analysis, we can help you determine your risk and determine what lifestyle changes you need to make in order for your body to heal itself, build bone mass and restore your health.

There are two glands located above each kidney called the adrenals. They influence many body functions that are extremely important to our well-being. When the adrenal rhythm is abnormal it can affect a variety of areas.

Effects of Abnormal Adrenal Rhythm

• Energy production: abnormal adrenal rhythms lead to low energy levels, poor blood sugar regulation, and a hard time rising in the morning.

• Muscle and Joint function: Tissue healing may be compromised and tissue breakdown can lead to chronic pain.

• Bone health: If the morning cortisol level is too high or the evening cortisol level is elevated we become more prone to osteoporosis.

• Immune Health: The cortisol cycle if disrupted, can adversely affect the immune system and resistance to infection is reduced and allergic reactions can increase.

• Skin Regeneration: A normal cortisol rhythm is needed for optimal skin health. High cortisol levels at night prevent optimal skin regeneration.

• Thyroid Function: It is common for hypothyroid symptoms such as fatigue and low body temperature to be caused by adrenal dysfunction.

• Sleep Quality: High cortisol values at night and in the morning can decrease deep sleep resulting in a reduction of mental vitality and depression. Common symptoms may include feeling tired and fatigued during the day with the inability to sleep at night.

• Grain Intolerance and Stress: If the gut becomes inflamed within 30 minutes of eating grains it can cause increased cortisol and reduced DHEA.

What We Do

We can test for adrenal dysfunction and recommend customized treatment as well as preventative measures including diet and lifestyle changes, and proper supplementation based upon your individual test results.

Are you taking thyroid medications and wish there was a safe alternative? Do you have all the symptoms of thyroid disease, but you are continually told it is normal? Often small variations in thyroid levels that are within the medically normal range can create severe symptoms.

Many physicians only test the TSH, however to accurately diagnose thyroid disease it is necessary to order the appropriate tests and to interpret them correctly. It is important to run T3 uptake, T4, T7 and at times other tests like Reverse T3, thyroid immunoglobins, and TSH. Other tests that may help influence the thyroid include heavy metal analysis, iodine levels, and lifestyle evaluations.

What We Do

There are natural alternatives to manage and correct thyroid disease that may include vitamins, enzymes, homeopathic remedies and diet modification. Ask us to order the proper tests, evaluate them and manage thyroid disease naturally.