The doctors at Steelsmith Natural Health Center have completed an intensive ozone certification course with Dr. Frank Shallenberger, one of the world’s leading researchers on ozone therapy, where they learned the latest treatments for healing the body on a cellular level.

Ozone can help regenerate tissues, decrease pain, increase intracellular energy production, and keep your cells vital as you age—thus slowing down the aging process. Ozone therapy is recommended for people with a wide range of acute and chronic health conditions. In addition to relieving pain in joints, discs, muscles, and tendons, it has numerous benefits for people with cancer, autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative conditions, viral infections, Lyme disease, heart disease, macular degeneration, chronic sinusitis, diabetes, depression, slow metabolism, fibromyalgia, and much more. It also helps women with chronic pelvic health issues. Ozone can be given to patients orally, topically, as an injection, and intravenously.

Naturopathic medicine is a distinct practice of medicine that emphasizes prevention and the self-healing process to treat each person holistically.

Naturopathic doctors are educated and trained in accredited naturopathic medical colleges. They diagnose and treat acute and chronic illness, and restore or establish optimal health by supporting the patient’s inherent self-healing potential. Rather than simply suppressing symptoms, naturopathic doctors work to identify underlying causes of illness, and develop personalized treatment plans to address them.

For more information regarding naturopathic medicine, see Naturopathic Medicine: 100 Frequently Asked Questions. A NEW series covering everything you want and need to know about naturopathic doctors and naturopathic medicine on the website of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians.

Our doctors utilize a variety of laboratory testing to help with the diagnosis and treatment of patients. They order both standard and specialty laboratory exams.

Naturopathic doctors are experts in functional lab analysis and can order routine laboratory tests, but also recommend specialty testing as needed. The functional laboratory tests that our doctors order include:

• Thyroid panels
• Adrenal testing
• Comprehensive hormone testing
• Breath testing for SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth)
• Comprehensive digestive and stool analysis
• Comprehensive Lyme disease testing
• Specialty testing for cancer patients
• Genetic testing
• Food sensitivity testing
• Heavy metal testing
• White blood cell nutrient testing
• Neurotransmitter and brain chemistry testing

Our doctors are considered experts in the field of hormone replacement therapy. Bioidentical hormones are preparations of hormones that are identical to the hormones made in our own bodies.

Bioidentical hormones are prescribed to help patients with hormone imbalances, and can be beneficial for a variety of conditions. Their uses range from thyroid hormone replacement options to female hormone therapy (such as with estrogen and progesterone). Patients considering hormone replacement therapy should discuss the risks and benefits at length with their physicians. Our doctors have extensive training in bioidentical hormones, and have supported countless patients through hormonal transitions, including menopause, with appropriate bioidentical hormone prescriptions.

Intravenous Nutrient Therapy, also known as IV Nutrient Therapy, is the introduction of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and amino acids directly into the patient’s venous system. IV Nutrient Therapy is utilized in the treatment of a wide range of diseases and conditions.

What is IV Nutrient Therapy?

IV Nutrient Therapy is an effective treatment method that doctors may prescribe at Steelsmith Natural Health Center. This method of administering nutrients is unique, because it allows them to directly enter a patient’s bloodstream, bypassing the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This is especially useful for patients who may have some form of compromised GI absorption—for instance, those with celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, food sensitivities, and other inflammatory states of the stomach or intestines. In addition, IV Nutrient Therapy can be used to administer higher doses of vitamins or minerals than one would be able to absorb through food or oral supplements alone. This is important when treating specific disease states or conditions that require a high blood level of certain nutrients for optimal healing.

What does IV Nutrient Therapy treat?

IV Nutrient Therapy is recommended for people with a wide range of diseases and conditions. The therapy is prescribed for immune system enhancement (including for those with a propensity to a lower-functioning immune system), migraine relief, support in various cancer conditions, antioxidant boluses for competitive athletes, energy optimization for chronic fatigue conditions, and preventively for anyone seeking to maintain their best possible state of health. It also is prescribed to help support people with neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia, peripheral neuropathy, and Parkinson’s disease. It may also benefit those who have autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

IV Nutrient Therapies Offered at Steelsmith Natural Health Center:

• Myers’ cocktails
• Glutathione
• Vitamin C
• Immune formulas
• Migraine cocktails
• Asthma formula
• Antioxidant formulas

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) encompasses ancient Chinese healing techniques that include herbal medicine, qi gong, dietary therapy, tui na, moxibustion, cupping, acupuncture, and tai chi. With their long history of use, these therapies continue to impact modern medicine.

The goals of Traditional Chinese Medicine include balancing the opposing forces of yin and yang, keeping the normal flow of qi unblocked, and maintaining or restoring optimal physical and mental health. There are many dimensions to TCM therapy; typical treatments may include Chinese herbal medicine combined with acupuncture and dietary or lifestyle recommendations.

Whether our patients are going through active cancer treatment or in remission, there are specific natural treatments that can help support the body during this time. Our doctors have specialty training in integrative cancer care, and can help answer your questions about incorporating natural treatments into your conventional program.

Integrative cancer care is the combination of research-based natural supportive treatments with conventional cancer treatments. When facing a diagnosis of cancer, patients are often inundated with natural products making claims regarding cancer treatment. Our doctors are experts in understanding what natural products can be safely used in combination with conventional treatment such as chemotherapy and radiation. Many oncologists send their patients to our clinic to help mitigate the side effects of these conventional therapies. We also offer services for those who are in remission, and who would like to optimize their body’s ability to remain cancer free.

Dr. William Walsh is a highly esteemed researcher who has successfully used high-dose nutrients to treat and reverse mental health disorders from generalized anxiety to schizophrenia. At Steelsmith Natural Health Center we use Dr. Walsh’s protocols to treat patients of all ages with depression, anxiety, chronic insomnia, bipolar disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, and attention deficit disorders.

Doctors around the world have studied under Dr. Walsh to learn how to help their patients using high-dose nutrients to change and balance brain chemistry. At Steelsmith Natural Health Center, we test patients’ levels of certain nutrients and other compounds to determine if they have imbalances that can be treated with the Dr. Walsh Protocol. We have successfully treated children suffering from Asperger syndrome, autism, attention deficit disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and anxiety. In adults, we have successfully treated many patients with a variety of conditions, including premenstrual syndrome, postpartum depression, menopausal depression and anxiety, and chronic insomnia. Some of our patients have been able to stop taking their mental health medications and take only high-dose nutrients to balance their brain chemistries.

What to expect from treatment:

In order to benefit from Dr. Walsh’s protocols, we recommend that our patients obtain laboratory testing that assesses for pyrrole imbalances, copper overload, and methylation disorders. Once our naturopathic doctors receive the test results (this process typically takes a few weeks) they discuss treatment protocols with each patient, based on their unique test results.

Our doctors are trained to identify patients at risk for heavy metal toxicity, to utilize appropriate testing analysis, to help reduce heavy metal accumulation, and to support the patient’s detoxification system with heavy metal chelation therapy.

Heavy metals include toxic substances such as mercury, lead, aluminum, arsenic, tin, and more. These metals can cause detrimental health effects, but must be measured in a chelated urine test for adequate assessment. Our doctors create targeted, individualized treatment plans to help with gentle detoxification and the removal of heavy metals.

Perineural Injection Therapy (previously called Neural Prolotherapy) is a cutting-edge treatment for chronic or acute pain. Treatment involves the injection of dextrose into the subcutaneous tissues to induce healing. This easy and relatively painless therapy, developed by Dr. John Lyftogt, MD, of New Zealand, is an effective method for helping patients get out of pain quickly.

What types of conditions does Perineural Injection Therapy help?

Published studies clearly show that Perineural Injection Therapy helps decrease the pain of Achilles tendinopathy, chronic low back pain, pain from shoulder or rotator cuff injuries, knee pain, and elbow pain. The dextrose acts to decrease inflammation along the nerves and allows the body to come out of a chronic cycle of pain.

Conditions treated with Perineural Injection Therapy include:

• Osteoarthritis
• Degenerative Joint Disease
• Tendinopathy
• Ligament Sprain
• Neurogenic Pain
• Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain
• Degenerative Disc Disease
• Sciatica
• Trigeminal Neuralgia
• Fibromyalgia

What to expect from treatment:

The treatment consists of a series of small injections immediately under the skin, targeting painful and sensitive nerves with dextrose (medical-grade glucose). Every treatment aims to extinguish the pain, and the initial relief may last for a period of approximately four hours to four days. After this, the pain often returns, but usually in a diminished form. Repeated weekly treatments steadily reduce the overall pain and allow for the return of full function. The average number of treatments required for most conditions is 6 to 8, and success rates vary between 80 and 100 percent, depending on the condition. There are no major side effects, other than occasional localized bruising around the injection sites. No allergic reactions have yet been observed.

“I’ve had pain in both of my feet from gymnastics injuries from over 30 years ago. Any long walks/hikes, hours on my feet working, working around the house, etc., will make my feet hurt. I’ve tried many different treatments, but the prolozone & perineural injection therapy (P.I.T.) has by far worked miracles for me! By the time I get home from the treatment, I walk into my house, and it feels like I have brand new feet. No aches, no pain, new, young feet! I also decided to do the therapy on my neck and shoulder as I have a very tense spot there that often turns into a horrible headache. I went months without a single headache after the treatments! I did get one headache about 4 months after the last treatment- I decided to go back in for another treatment and I haven’t had a headache since! I highly recommend both treatments (prolotherapy & P.I.T.) with Steelsmith Natural Health Center for pain management. I feel so grateful that I found something that works for me!”

-Nina B., Haliewa, HI

Prolotherapy is a regenerative injection treatment used to repair injured ligaments and tendons. It is an alternative to pain medications and anti-inflammatory injections such as cortisone for joint pain and osteoarthritis.

How does Prolotherapy work?

Ligaments and tendons generally have a poor blood supply, so if these connective tissues become damaged, the body’s ability to repair them is compromised. This can lead to the onset of osteoarthritis and joint degeneration. The prolotherapy solution and the injection technique are both designed to stimulate repair mechanisms in the tendon, ligament, or joint cartilage. With a series of prolotherapy injections, the joint is able to heal and regenerate cartilage and connective tissues.

What is in the Prolotherapy injections?

The primary ingredients in the prolotherapy injections used at Steelsmith Natural Health Center are dextrose (medical-grade sugar water), procaine (a nutritive and mildly numbing agent), and glucosamine (a nutritive agent).

Conditions Treated with Prolotherapy:

• Osteoarthritis of various joints, including knees, hips, shoulders, and ankles
• Acute sprains or joint injuries
• Rotator cuff injuries
• Frozen shoulder

What to expect from treatment:

The treatment consists of injections targeting the tendons and ligaments where they attach to the bone. The treatments are typically administered 10 days to 4 weeks apart, and some patients may only require 4 treatments, or fewer, to achieve optimal results. Since prolotherapy causes inflammation, there may be some stiffness and swelling in the area following injections, and this typically lasts from 1 to 7 days. Research shows that regeneration continues to take place in the joint even up to a year after the final prolotherapy injection.

PRP is an injection treatment that is derived from the patient’s own blood, and contains a high concentration of regenerative substances, such as growth factors and collagen stimulators. The treatment can be effective for pain management, injury rehabilitation, wound healing, facial aesthetics, hair growth, and anti-aging.

How does PRP work?

Blood contains a large quantity of platelets that can be extracted through a centrifuging process in the doctor’s office. The patient’s blood is removed with a simple blood draw, then “spun down” in a special machine to a concentrated substance called Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), which is then injected into different areas of the patient’s body. The platelets have a remarkable ability to attract specific substances into the area that has been injected. These substances, such as collagen growth factors and immune-stimulating proteins, allow the body to begin a process of regeneration in the skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, or scalp. Because the solution is extracted from the patient’s own blood, there is no risk of infection or major side effects.

What is in the PRP Injections?

The only ingredient is the extracted plasma from the patient’s own blood.

Conditions treated with PRP include:

• Rotator cuff injuries, including partial tears
• Tennis elbow and Golfer’s elbow
• Knee injuries: meniscal tears, and ligament sprains
• Achilles tendinosis
• Plantar fasciitis
• Acute sprains and joint injuries
• Enhance natural aesthetics
• Sexual wellness

What to expect from treatment:

The treatment itself can be uncomfortable; most people have some pain during and after the procedure, and this may last for up to 72 hours. Our doctors discuss recovery and follow up with each patient, since these can differ depending on the area of the injection. Patients are advised to refrain from taking any NSAIDs for at least 2 weeks following the injections. Treatments are often spaced a month apart, for a total of 3 treatments, but the doctor will personalize the plan for each patient’s particular condition.

Blood may not be the sexiest topic but your own blood may be the secret to health and vitality.

Sound bizarre? Think again. Here in the realm of naturopathic medicine, we live by the tenet that our bodies are built to heal themselves. Proof of this emerges in myriad ways, from scabs that eventually form fresh skin to an (albeit exasperating) itch—a sure sign that blood is moving towards a wound in the name of healing. Overall, the human body is a miraculous creation, designed for curing itself and tremendous resilience.

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