GX Sciences Nutrigenomic Testing

By Nancy Mehlert, MS

GX Sciences* is proud to introduce the most comprehensive nutrigenomics test available to validate your specific nutritional supplement needs. The scientific study of individualized genetics and nutrition is known as nutritional genomics or “nutrigenomics”. Nutrigenomic testing accurately identifies each patients’ genetic protein variations to identify sites of metabolic weakness. These key proteins are involved in enzyme conversion, nutritional delivery and signaling pathways in the cell. Expert physicians have designed a genetic panel that evaluates up to 55 of the most common, research backed, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that can affect a patient’s ability to regain and maintain their metabolic functionality. Abnormalities in specific polymorphisms can negatively affect many physiological and metabolic processes. Overcoming these metabolic weaknesses with the right supplement allows each patient to overcome their genetic weaknesses (SNPs) and maintain optimal health.

“As a practicing physician, the ability to test your individual, unique genetic footprint takes a lot of the guesswork out with regard to customizing a treatment regimen that gets you the best results”, says Dr. McManus, MD. “We all have some minor genetic variants, aka mutations called SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) and 75% of all people have significant variations in the most important nutritional metabolism pathways that affect how we function.” For instance, MTHFR mutation affects how our bodies activate and utilize B vitamins. This in turn affects how well a person detoxifies, makes and clears hormones and neurotransmitters. This means a person would be more likely to have mood disorders, insomnia, cancer, heart disease, etc. Two other common SNPs are the GAD and COMT. These can cause lifelong anxiety. The good news, and the reason to want to know, is that there are work-arounds for a variety of SNPs.

GX Sciences differs from 23&me in that it tests for many more relevant mutations and offers recommendations to address them. They offer several panels from which to pick and choose! Check out this chart HERE to determine what panels are most relevant for your current health concerns.

You can pick up a saliva kit at our office, or we can ship a kit to you. Prices range from $179 to $499. Turnaround time for results is typically 3 weeks.

* https://www.gxsciences.com/nutrigenomictest-s/113.htm

*Gx Sciences maintains your genetic information privately. They never have and never will sell, give away, trade or use personal information in any way other than to ship your package, call you about a shipment or offer you special discounting. No e-mail addresses are sold, traded, etc.! This has been a long standing company policy that will remain unchanged. Have peace of mind that your genetic information will never be shared.

By Mila McManus MD|2019-09-20T09:59:45-06:00July 25th, 2019|Articles, General|

Autoimmunity Explained

By Mila McManus, MD

According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, there are more than 150 different diseases on the autoimmune spectrum[i]. In America, almost one in six people have an autoimmune disease. To understand autoimmunity, it is necessary to start with discussing foreign invaders and inflammation.

Inflammation is designed to be a necessary process. It is a natural response when the body identifies a foreign invader or threat. Examples of threats include:

Injury
Microbes, such as bacteria, viruses, molds or parasites
Chemicals and heavy metals
Undigested food particles that have made their way into the body through a leaky gut

When a threat is detected, the body creates antibodies to find and mark the invaders. Antibodies attach to, and highlight, the foreign invader so that the immune system can see it and attack it. Inflammation is the result of the battle within. Under healthy circumstances, once the threat is removed, the battle is won, and the inflammation dissipates.

Antibodies find the foreign invader by identifying the unique protein molecules of the invader. This can be complicated, much like trying to distinguish poison ivy from another green, leafy plant. You have to know what distinguishes poison ivy from other plants that look very similar.

Problems arise when foreign threats multiply and/or become persistent. As small battles turn into full blown war, inflammation, stress and confusion increases. The immune system is now hyper sensitive and operating in high alert. Antibodies begin to make mistakes and fail to distinguish the nuanced differences between the proteins in healthy, human tissue and the proteins of the foreign invader. Mistakenly, antibodies attach to human tissues (for example, thyroid tissues or joint tissues), marking them for attack, and causing the immune system to attack its own. This is autoimmunity.

Autoimmunity develops over time, in a sequence, from chronic, on-going exposure and inflammation. As tissue damage accumulates, degenerative processes escalate, and symptoms are increasingly manifesting. The autoimmune process moves from unnoticeable to an organized disease pathology.

Autoimmune diseases can strike many parts of the body, making symptoms vary widely, and making diagnosis sometimes difficult. Interestingly, the same foreign threat can manifest differently in different people. For example, a gluten sensitivity may result in compromised brain function for one person. In the next person, it may manifest as constipation, while yet another person, as liver disease and neuropathy. For yet another, it may affect the thyroid. Some suggest that the place of attack is simply your weakest link in overall health, caused by genetics, lifestyle factors or environmental factors.

Conventional Medicine will tell you it is genetic, and nothing can be done except to minimize the severity of symptoms. You will be directed to a specialist who treats the specific damaged tissue. Standard treatment protocols involve reducing inflammation with steroids, biologics, and even cancer drugs such as methotrexate.

Functional Medicine will seek to stop the cascade of events which lead to autoimmunity. The root of the problem lies first with the foreign invasion and resulting inflammation. A Functional physician will address the entire chain of events rather than one tissue that has been attacked. For example, important interventions include:

Addressing gut health
Identifying and reducing toxic burden
Uncovering and addressing food sensitivities and allergies
Supporting and strengthening immune function
Identifying if pathogenic microbes are involved and address them
Improving diet and nutrition in general
Obtaining a genetic profile to address mutations that affect how the body functions

Other supportive modalities include:

LDN
Identifying lectin sensitivities or trying a Low Lectin Diet (Plant Paradox, AIP)
Ondamed PEMF therapy
Fecal Transplants
Stem Cell Therapy

If you want to read more about autoimmunity, we recommend the following books:

Brain Maker by David Perlmutter, MD

Plant Paradox by Steven Gundry, MD

Wahls Protocol by Terry Wahls, MD

The Autoimmune Fix, by Tom O’Bryan, DC, CCN,DACBN

[i] American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, “list of Diseases: Autoimmune and Autoimmune-Related Diseases,” http://www.aarda.org/autoimmune-information/list-of-dieases/.

By Mila McManus MD|2019-07-29T13:47:24-06:00July 25th, 2019|Articles, General|

The Salad Dressing Nightmare

By Nancy Mehlert, MS

Unfortunately, virtually every salad dressing on a salad bar, on a menu, and on the salad dressing aisle of the grocery store, is a nightmare when it comes to ingredients. Damaged oils, specifically soybean, canola and olive oil, and others that are not listed but present, are commonly used by most large producers. None of these can provide nourishment for your cellular make up, and what they do instead is create inflammation and toxicity.

The second issue is that many of the other ingredients are genetically modified, chemicals and/or highly allergenic such as, corn starch, gluten, yeast extract, mono-sodium glutamate (MSG), natamycin (mold inhibitor), Polysorbate 60, Calcium Disodium EDTA, and high fructose corn sugar. These too create inflammation, are toxic to the body, and in some cases are damaging to the gut.

On your journey to improved health, you may be choosing to eat more salads, yet your salad dressing choices may be contributing to poor health. Thankfully, there is hope on the horizon as a couple of companies have come out with some cleaner dressings that taste good!

Here are two company brands you might want to look for and give a try.

Primal Kitchen Salad Dressings and Mayonnaise – This brand used avocado oil and is certified gluten free and certified non-GMO. Great start. Additionally, they do NOT use dairy, gluten, soy, refined sugar or grains in their dressings. These are available at HEB, Whole Foods, Target, Kroger, Walmart, Amazon.com and ThriveMarket.com.

Tessemae’s Salad Dressings – Always organic and Non-GMO, this company offers a wide range of good choices. This will be in a refrigerated section, usually in produce. Many non-dairy options are available, and they use undamaged oils. Available at Whole Foods, HEB, Target, ThriveMarket.com, Amazon.com.

Now, go and enjoy a fresh salad!

By Mila McManus MD|2019-07-28T09:41:11-06:00July 25th, 2019|Articles, NANCY’S NUTRITIONAL NUGGET|

Bacon Curried Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

6 pastured eggs

3 tablespoons uncured bacon bits

1 teaspoon curry (or more to taste)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium so that the water is rapidly simmering, then add the eggs and cook for 8 ½ minutes (2 minutes longer if X-large eggs). Drain and when cool, peel the eggs under cold running water. Allow the eggs to cool completely.
2. Slice the eggs in half lengthwise. Carefully remove the yolks from the whites and place the yolks in a bowl. Mash the yolks with a fork, add curry, mayonnaise, salt and pepper then whip with a spatula or wooden spoon until smooth and creamy. Fold in the bacon bits. (Oscar Meyer, EPIC and Kirkland have uncured bacon bits in a bag)
3. Place the egg white halves, cavity side up, on a platter and evenly spoon the mixture into the cavities. Top each filled egg with additional bacon bits, chopped herbs, scallions and/or sliced olives.

By Mila McManus MD|2019-07-29T13:41:23-06:00July 25th, 2019|General, Recipes|

“Since I started Ondamed…a whole lot better.”

Braiden’s June 2019 Ondamed Testimonial

By Mila McManus MD|2019-06-13T10:48:54-06:00June 13th, 2019|General|

Fish Tacos

A fast and easy summer dinner for the beach, lake or patio.

Serves 4

1 14 oz bag pre-mixed coleslaw veggies
1 jar Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayo*
1 ½ pounds wild mahi mahi, salmon or steelhead trout
1 package of Siete Almond or Garbanzo Bean Flour Tortillas*
1 avocado, sliced, if desired
1 lime, cut into 4 slices
Chopped cilantro, as a garnish

1. Pan fry, broil or bake fish until done, tender and flaky.
2. Put the coleslaw in a bowl. Spoon several tablespoons of the mayo into the slaw and begin tossing until desired moisture level is reached. The wetter the better in the taco. This can be done a day ahead.
3. Put two tortillas on each plate. Microwave for 20 seconds.
4. Place a strip of the fish down the middle of each tortilla, top with coleslaw.
5. Garnish with avocado, cilantro and lime juice.

*Primal Kitchen Mayonnaise, plain and flavors are available at HEB, Kroger, Whole Foods and on-line.

*Siete Almond Flour and Garbanzo Bean Tortillas are available at HEB, Whole Foods and on-line.

By Mila McManus MD|2019-06-12T09:32:05-06:00June 12th, 2019|Articles, Recipes|

Why Which Salt You Use Matters

by Nancy Mehlert, MS

Salt is a flavor most of us really enjoy. It is an essential mineral in just about everything that has life. It is found in the Himalayan mountains, the depths of the ocean floor and salt lakes. It is life-giving. Every cell in your body relies on salt for regulation of body fluids, bone density, blood sugar stabilization, good circulation and muscle and nerve function.

As with so much of our food supply, it is important to choose real salt from a safe source. Sad that the distinction must be made since manufacturing has once again gotten in between the real thing and us, producing a less than healthy processed food product which merely mimics the taste of salt’s natural elements.

Here’s the dirt on Table Salt:

Much of table salt today is a manufactured form of sodium called sodium chloride created from natural salts occurring in rock, crystal or sea salt.
Natural salts are heated up and cooked at 1200°F. At this extremely high temperature, the salt loses the more than eighty important alkaline elements that occur naturally in it, including natural iodine and leaving just sodium chloride.
Then it is bleached to make it white.
Other chemicals often added in table salt (with or without iodide) include manufactured forms of sodium solo-co-aluminate, iodide, sodium bicarbonate, fluoride, anti-caking agents and toxic amounts of potassium iodide and aluminum derivates, as well as white sugar and mono-sodium-glutamate (MSG). As a result, sometimes table salt can be literally toxic to the human body.
Table salt is not just on your table. It is found in virtually every processed and fast food in the marketplace today from bread to frozen meals.

Table salt wreaks havoc in the human body, especially over time. Here’s how:

Causes a rapid rise in blood pressure as the body attempts to move the toxic elements away from the heart.
Causes water and fluid retention.
Contributes to and/or worsens chronic imbalances such as diabetes, gout, and obesity.
Additives in salt can cause major kidney, thyroid and liver problems, goiter, hypertension, heart disease, strained elimination systems, muscle cramps, water retention, edema, stroke, heart failure, PMS and major nervous system disorders such as anxiety and depression.
Table salt is hard on the circulatory and nervous system and disturbs the balance of the lymph system as well.
It is highly addictive as the chemical additives are designed to stimulate pleasure centers of the brain, in the same way sugar does.

So what’s your best option? Surprisingly, sea salt may not be the answer either. As a result of ocean pollution, specifically with microplastic pollution, sea salt has been found to contain microplastic particles.This leaves the optimal choice to be Himalayan salt, which is mined from salt beds created long before plastic and other toxic chemicals were manufactured. When the Himalayan Mountains were formed by rising from the ocean beds, they were later protected by lava and covered in snow and ice for thousands of years. The balance of sodium and chloride with the added natural minerals your body requires, contribute to its pink color. Himalayan salt contains at least 80 naturally occurring trace elements which are beneficial to our health. Be cautious when you make your purchase as there are cheap knock offs. Three brands that appear to be authentic and pure are Evolution Salt Company, Dr. Mercola’s Himalayan salt and Redmond’s Real Salt (sea salt harvested from a pristine ancient sea near Redmond, Utah).

Resources:

Group, Edward.,(2017). The Health Dangers of Table Salt. Global Healing Center. https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/dangers-of-salt/

Mercola, Joseph., (2018). Ninety Percent of Sea Salt Contains Plastic. https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/10/31/sea-salt-plastic.aspx

www.realsalt.com/Ingredients

By Mila McManus MD|2019-07-03T15:54:53-06:00June 12th, 2019|Articles, NANCY’S NUTRITIONAL NUGGET|

PROLON: Fasting-Mimicking 5 day diet Plan

This 5-day meal program provides scientifically researched micro- and macro-nutrients in precise quantities and combinations that nourish you but are not recognized as food by your body and therefore mimics a fasting state. It is the first and only meal program that has gone through clinical trials at the University of Southern California and has been patented for its anti-aging effects. Valter Longo, the designer of the fasting mimicking diet (FMD), has shown in his research that specific diets can mimic fasting, enabling the body to safely experience the rejuvenating effects of a prolonged fast. The benefits of the FMD include:

Feelings of improved focus, clarity and energy
Fat focused weight loss, especially of belly fat
Enhances cellular function by triggering stem cell-based regeneration which continue for up to 5 days after completion of the ProLon FMD
Enhances cellular function by triggering autophagy, the process of cleaning up aging and damaged cells
Supports maintenance of healthy levels of blood glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure as well as markers of inflammation.

The diet includes everything you need for each day in a box. Just open, heat and eat! Included are delicious meals and tasty snacks which are prepackaged and ready to go. No shopping required. Ask your medical provider and see information below to determine if ProLon might be right for you.

Ready to get started? Order here!

The ingredients in ProLon are considered generally recognized as safe (GRAS). ProLon is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease and has not been evaluated as such by the FDA. Information provided athttps://prolonfmd.com/fasting-mimicking-diet/

ProLon^® is a low-calorie diet. Do not start if:

You are allergic to nuts, soy, oats, sesame, or celery/celeriac (ProLon^®contains these)
You are pregnant or breastfeeding
You have dietary restrictions or a fever, cough, diarrhea, or signs of an active infection
You have an active infection or are at risk of recurring infection
If you are underweight per the chart below, or have experienced protein deficiency or are malnourished:

4’11”-5’2” and under 100 pounds
5’3”-5’4” and under 105 pounds
5’5”-5’7” and under 115 pounds
5’8”-5’10” and under 125 pounds
5’11”-6’0” and under 135 pounds
6’1”-6’4” and under 150 pounds

The ingredients in ProLon are considered generally recognized as safe (GRAS). ProLon is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease and has not been evaluated as such by the FDA. Information provided at https://prolonfmd.com/fasting-mimicking-diet/

By Mila McManus MD|2024-11-20T13:05:42-06:00June 12th, 2019|Articles, General|

Stem Cells-The Future of Medicine or Dangerous Science?

by Mila McManus MD

I began learning about the miracles of stem cell therapy several years ago at a functional medicine conference. I saw pictures of scarred heart tissue from a heart attack that disappeared after the injection of stem cells. It was quite amazing. I didn’t pay much attention to the potential applications in the real world until some information landed in my lap a few years later. Since then, I’ve been doing a lot of research, watching a docuseries and other videos, reading books, studies and articles feverishly, attending lectures at conferences, and sharing notes with colleagues. Today I’m presenting some details about what stem cells are and what they do, as well as the risks, benefits, uses, and controversy.

Definition of stem cells:

Stem cells are the cells in our bodies that act as our raw materials. They can self-renew, meaning that they can create more new stem cells, or they can differentiate into (i.e., turn into) other types of cells, such as blood cells, bone, muscle, and organ tissues.

Types of stem cells:

There are 2 main types of stem cells.

Hematopoietic stem cells give rise to all types of blood cells
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) form bone, muscle, fat, heart tissue, etc.

Where stem cells are sourced from:

Bone marrow
Adipose (i.e., fat) tissue
Embryos (illegal in the US)
Umbilical cord blood or tissue
Amniotic membrane and fluid
Menstrual blood/tissue

Couple of fascinating facts about stem cells

Doubling time (i.e., how long it takes for stem cells to replicate themselves) slows as we age. In a fetus, stem cells double every 24 hours. In a 35 year-old, they double every 48 hrs. In a 65 year-old, they double every 60-72 hours. This means that, at the end of 30 days, 1 fetal stem cell will become 1 billion cells, and 1 stem cell from the 35 year-old will become only 32, 000 cells, and 1 stem cell from a 65 year-old will yield a dismal 200 cells.
The number of stem cells declines with age. In newborns, 1 out of every 10,000 cells is a stem cell. In an 80 year old, 1 in every 2 million cells is a stem cell (see graph)

Benefits of stem cells:

Reduce inflammation
Modulate the immune system (strengthen it when/where weak, and dampen overactivity)
Anti-microbial
Regenerate tissues
Anti-aging due to ability to repair damaged tissue
Stimulate angiogenesis (i.e., formation of new blood vessels, which then carry oxygen and other nutrients to tissues for healing and optimal function)
Stimulate your own stem cells to work better and harder

Risks of stem cell therapy:

Infection (extremely rare. You are at risk from infection any time you have any type of injection with a needle)
Lack of benefit for various possible reasons
Growth of unwanted tissues
Transient fever or flu-like symptoms

Various applications for which stem cells have been used and/or studied

Cancer treatment
Chronic inflammation (e.g., autoimmune disease, fibromyalgia)
Arthritis in various joints
Healing of torn ligaments and tendons
Neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimers, Parkinsons, stroke, etc)
Aesthetic procedures (e.g., improving skin appearance, facilitates better results with face lifts)
Autism
Diabetes
Emphysema
Wound care
Spinal cord injuries
Heart disease, heart failure

The Controversy surrounding stem cells:

There are currently thousands of ongoing studies using stem cell therapy for various diseases
Big Pharma wants its piece of the pie
Large universities are fighting for patents to get their piece of the pie
Researchers are working on manipulating stem cells to become patentable drugs
Embryonic stem cells are controversial in their own right and are illegal in the US. They are still used in other countries
Story of people going blind with stem cells-this was about 3 patients undergoing experimental injections of stem cells directly into their eyes. The theory is that it was a chemical preservative in the stem cells that caused the blindness, and not the stem cells themselves
Tumor growth with stem cells—has been only with use of embryonic stem cells
They are NOT FDA approved (they are natural, and therefore not under the jurisdiction of the FDA)
Most uses of stem cells are considered ‘off label’
Yours vs theirs argument: Proponents of “autologous adipose” derived stem cells (i.e., cells obtained from your own fat tissue) argue that it’s better to use your own cells than those of another person (e.g., umbilical cord from a healthy full-term newborn) because you run the risk of contracting a communicable disease, particularly one that hasn’t even been discovered. While that’s a valid theoretical risk, it’s important to note that 1) no such infection has ever been reported, and 2) umbilical cords are obtained only from healthy, full-term, prescreened newborns and mothers. Furthermore, the tissue banks test for infectious agents beyond what blood banks do for blood transfusions. The argument on the allogeneic side (using other people’s cells) is that MSCs lose activity and potency with age, so why use old dysfunctional cells when you can use young, active, and robust cells. Studies have proven, in vitro, that younger MSCs work better than older ones.
Injection of expanded cells is not legal in the US (yet). Expansion means that cells are obtained and then cultured for several days to increase the volume of cells by orders of magnitude (e.g., from millions to billions). One can culture the cells in the US, but then the patient must travel to another country to have those cells injected or infused.
According to Dr Neil Riordan (published in 2017), “over 40 studies published on the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in a wide range of chronic and acute health conditions have been found to have no serious adverse reactions. In particular, there have been no adverse events reported with the use of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells, which appear to have the highest safety profile among the four most commonly used MSC types: bone marrow, fat tissue, menstrual blood, or umbilical cord.”
Dr. Riordan also stated in his book that in 2012 a meta-analysis was conducted that included 8 randomized controlled trials of patients receiving MSC treatment for a range of disease conditions. The only adverse reaction that the analysis detected was transient fever. They found NO evidence of cancer, immune reaction, organ system complications, toxicity, infection, or death.

If you’d like to learn more about regenerative medicine, call us at 281-298-6742.

References:

Stem Cell Therapy: A Rising Tide by Dr Neil Riordan

The Healing Miracle docuseries

stemcellsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/sctm.16-0492

cellmedicine.com

predictivebiotech.com

By Mila McManus MD|2023-01-23T14:58:17-06:00June 2nd, 2019|General|

“I am thankful…”

I am thankful…

Hi Doctor M:

Lately I’ve been thinking about TWIHW and thought you might need a word of encouragement. No matter how well things are going there is always some frustrations, disappointments and serious challenges along the way. Whenever these things happen to me, I can get discouraged. I used to save notes I would get from people [that] I had helped. If I was sliding down hill emotionally I would read some of them and it would remind me and help me to get reoriented in my thinking for the better. It was not an egotistical thing but an encouragement to help me realize that things were not as bad as they seemed to be. I have, as well as many, many others, a deep appreciation for you and the work you do. You are genuinely a real person who, as a doctor, has a deep concern for the well being of your patients and are willing to do whatever it takes to help. You have used and continue to use all of your attributes to improve the health and welfare of all your patients. You are very, very smart and proactive but not obnoxiously pushy. You have a kind heart and a gentle demeanor. The love you have for your work and people really shines through to all those around you. An interviewer once asked Luciano Pavarotti about any criticism he received after all the hard work he did performing. His response was that it was not work for him because it was something he enjoyed and loved to do, so any criticism was swept aside. I think that is the way you are. If you are not, then it is the way you should be. Sweep the criticism aside. I am thankful as are many, many other people for you and all that you do willingly and graciously. You keep hitting home runs and we all greatly benefit from them.
May the good Lord give you the strength, ability, courage and enthusiasm to continue what you are doing and peace of mind and heart while you are accomplishing wonderful things for others.

P.S: Maybe you should keep this for a rainy day.

Sincerely,

J. S.

By Mila McManus MD|2019-07-01T14:01:48-06:00June 1st, 2019|General|

About Mila McManus MD

A fast and easy summer dinner for the beach, lake or patio.

Ready to get started? Order here!