Dr. Boydston's Neuro Endocrine Immune Blog

Why My Patients Are The Best!

Dr. Robert Boydston D.C, Founder of the Boydston Institute in Fresno comments:

I treat chronically ill patients every day at the Boydston Institute. My patients suffer with fibromyalgia, fatigue, brain fog, autoimmune conditions, insomnia...you name it. Unfortunately, many of them have been to previous doctors who didn't listen, got frustrated when it took more than a 10 minute office visit to diagnose them, or never really let them explain what was going on with their body. You could say they have "been through the ringer".

Our approach is completely different. We look at the complex interactions between the brain, hormones, adrenal and HPA axis, GI system, and immune system. We get to the bottom of the problem and create huge turn-arounds for those with fibromyalgia, fatigue, Hashimoto's Disease, and many other conditions.

We improve physiology and function because we are measuring everything, and making the necessary dietary, lifestyle, and supplemental changes that promote positive change.

My patients are a pleasure to work with because they have seen the other side. They are grateful and appreciative of the comprehensive approach we take. My patients and I truly work together to restore hope and function.

So like a proud parent that thinks their kids are the best...I declare "My patients are the best." It is true, they are all amazing. It is a joy to work with them, and get to play a role in making their life more enjoyable and fulfilling for them.

When you lose your health...what else do you have? At the Boydston Institute we restore hope...one patient at a time. For every patient I have had the opportunity to work with, I thank you for that opportunity.

If you suffer and would like to see how our Comprehensive Big Picture Approach can help you, call us at 559-297-9218.

Fibromyalgia: What Does It Really Mean?

Dr. Robert Boydston D.C., Founder of the Boydston Institute in Fresno...elaborates:

With the big pharmaceutical companies scrambling to create and market new drugs to treat fibromyalgia, it behooves us to ask the question: What is fibromyalgia? Fibromyalgia sufferer's have several things in common, including: widespread achy muscle pain, fatigue, insomnia, and "fibro fog." Given these similarities it is not the same for every individual that is given this diagnosis, or "label" if you will.

These symptoms are REAL. Those that get diagnosed with fibromyalgia suffer in ways that most could never comprehend. Their fight seems never-ending, and those that are closest to them, can't grasp, can't comprehend, their daily struggle and pain. On the outside they look "normal". It appears they should have no problems at all, but they hurt all over, can't sleep, and are often unable to get words out or perform at the same level mentally because their brain seems "cloudy" or "foggy".

This daily struggle of symptoms and misunderstanding is the reality for a fibromyalgia sufferer. The truth is they have a lot of functional problems occurring at the SAME TIME...immune dysfunction, gastrointestinal dysfunction, brain and nervous system weaknesses, hormone imbalances, adrenal imbalances, intestinal dysbiosis, among other things. It may be a different combination and different degree of these components from person to person, but they are there. They have to be measured, and specific changes have to be made in order to help them get back to normal living again.

To the medical community...to most doctors, fibromyalgia is a convenient label they put on patients. It allows them to brush the patient off. The moment they attribute the symptoms to "fibromyalgia", it prevents them from looking for a deeper understanding of the underlying problem. The label is a hindrance for many...because the next step is drugs that rob them of personality and have nasty side effects, or the patient is told nothing is wrong "it's all in your head."

To us, at the Boydston Institute, fibromyalgia is just a label that doesn't tell us how to help you. We look beyond the label, and look at EVERYTHING, ALL AT ONCE. We know that if we take a BIG PICTURE approach and look at you like a WHOLE person, then we can create life changing results. It takes a step "outside the box", and complete focus on the individual, but fibromyalgia can be eliminated.

You can request an information packet about our highly successful Fibromyalgia Treatment Program by visiting our website. If you have a question Contact Us.

The Functional Model - What Happens Right Before You Enter A State of Disease?

Dr. Robert Boydston D.C, Founder of the Boydston Institute near Fresno, elaborates:

 At the Boydston Institute, in Fresno, CA, we use a functional model when evaluating and treating chronic patients. To put it simply the functional model we use doesn't determine future clinical management on the name of the condition, but rather on the unique physiological expression of the patient.  

Our philosophy at the Boydston Institute is: "Treat the Patient, Not Their Diagnosis."

Your body doesn't move from health to disease in one step. In order to get to disease there had to be a series of shifts in hormone levels, immune system function, blood sugar management, brain and nervous system function, gastrointestinal dysfunction etc.

Our job when we evaluate a patient experiencing a given set of symptoms, whether they have been labeled with Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Early Alzheimer's, Hashimoto's Disease, or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, is to ask the questions:

1. What is the mechanism?
2. Why is this happening?

We answer those questions by using:

1. Functional Neurology
2. Functional Endocrinology
3. Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis
4. Functional Immunology

We take a step book and look at EVERYTHING, all at once. We look at hormone shifts, brain and nervous system function, gastrointestinal system function, and metabolism from a functional perspective. We measure everything and use diet, lifestyle, and specific nutritional supplementation to restore lost function.

This is a much different approach than presenting to a doctor and getting drugs to fight off whatever symptom you may have, without even a second thought of why you have the symptoms, and what specific mechanism is involved.

So what happens before the body moves into a "disease" state? A lot of subtle, and not so subtle, changes in the body systems I mentioned. Unfortunately many of the named conditions like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome consist of dozens of these physiological shifts. These shifts are never detected if you don't take the Big Picture Approach, like we do here at the Boydston Institute. These patients are the ones that suffer the most in the mainstream medical system. They suffer because nobody listens to them and really looks at what their body is doing. 

It is our willingness to look at all of these things, spend the necessary time with our patients, and truly give them the help they need, that has led patients to us from all over the United States. For many of our patients, after the initial examination and laboratory tests, much of the follow up is done via lab tests and consulting to alter and hone the treatment. This allows patients who live across the country to come and get the help they desire, because there is usually no need for frequent return trips to our clinic. 

If you suffer from a chronic condition, and would like to become a patient at the Boydston Institute, in Fresno, CA, call us at 559-297-9218.  

How Do I Know If I Have Hashimoto's Autoimmune Thyroid?

Patients from all over the country come to the Boydston Institute to seek our expertise in Hashimoto's Autoimmune Thyroid. In the United States, 90% of hypothyroid (low thyroid) cases, have an autoimmune mechanism. This means the bodies own immune system attacks the thyroid gland, causing it to lose function over time. I feel that autoimmune thyroid is one of the most mismanaged conditions in our country. So many people suffer, needlessly, because nobody addresses the immune dysfunction...which is essential if you want to feel normal again. 

With the prevalence of Autoimmune Thyroid being so high, you would think that it would be commonly tested for. Wrong. It is usually not checked, because the medical treatment is the same, no matter what the mechanism of dysfunction is. You will be given thyroid replacement hormone, while your body continues to attack and destroy your thyroid gland.

This is kind of like having a slow bleed, and instead of stopping the bleed, you get blood transfusions to make up for what is continually being lost from the bleed site. That would make zero sense, right? Neither does getting so focused on thyroid replacement when the CAUSE of the problem is the immune system.

So how can you determine if your hypothyroid problem has an autoimmune mechanism? It is actually very simple to do. A simple blood draw to check for Thyroid Perioxidase Antibodies (TPO) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TBG) is all that is needed. If these antibodies are elevated, it indicates your immune system has began to attack your own thyroid gland.

If you are suffering with low thyroid, ask your doctor to check your antibodies to see if you have Hashimoto's Autoimmune Thyroid. I have written a special report about Autoimmune Thyroid and the unique approach we take at the Boydston Institute. If you suffer with low thyroid, I suggest you go and request it now.

If you suffer with hypothyroidism and would like to become a patient at the Boydston Institute, call 559-297-9218, and ask for a Case Review and Consultation with Dr. Robert Boydston. If you have questions, Contact Us.

Hashimoto's Autoimmune Hypothyroid Patient's Don't Stand A Chance In Mainstream Medicine

Dr. Robert Boydston D.C., founder of the Boydston Institute elaborates:

I am no longer surprised by how mistreated and mismanaged Hashimoto's Autoimmune Thyroid patients are in the mainstream medical system. It's completely predictable. Whatever happened to looking at mechanisms for dysfunction? What about asking why things went wrong in the body, and actually investigating those dysfunctions? When did we become a society that throws pills at every random symptom a patient may present with? If I, or a member of my own family, was treated with way...I would be infuriated.

This is the truth...if you have a problem that is not going to kill you tomorrow...and it takes more than 10 to 15 minutes of face to face time with the doctor...your up a creek without a paddle. All you are going to get is a pill to mask your symptoms. Are you ever going to be better in the long run with this approach? I HIGHLY doubt it. Sad but true. I see it first hand every single day. 

Here is the natural progression for a thyroid sufferer. First they become fatigued or begin to have unexplainable weight gain. The patient goes to their doctor and gets thyroid replacement of some sort. Is there any exploration of the mechanism of the thyroid dysfunction? Of course not...it is not considered medically necessary because it WILL NOT change the treatment. The treatment is still thyroid replacement.

Eventually after going back to the doctor, visit after visit, month after month, and still not relieved of their symptoms, they are going to start getting prescribed anti-depressants. I think they are trying to make it so the patients just don't care about their problems any more.

If a patient in the United States has hypothyroidism, the number one cause, in up to 90% of cases, is Autoimmune Hashimoto's Thyroid Disease. This means the bodies own immune system is attacking the thyroid gland, causing the dysfunction. Without calming and modulating the immune system...the treatment is almost guaranteed to fail. It is possible to do...but it requires stepping outside of the box and really investigating what the immune system is doing.

If you or someone you know suffers with hypothyroidism or has already been diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease, pick up a copy of my report.It will explain what needs to be done to properly manage and treat Hashimoto's Autoimmune Thyroid.

Do you suffer with hypothyroidism? Call the Boydston Institute, in Clovis, CA...just 2 blocks outside of Fresno, at 559-297-9218. Ask for a consultation with Dr. Robert Boydston. If you have questions, Contact Us.

Why Did Your Thyroid Gland Stop Working?

Dr. Robert Boydston D.C, founder of the Boydston Institute elaborates:

It amazes me that more doctors and patients do not question the mechanism for low thyroid function. If you are diagnosed with low thyroid guess what the treatment is? Synthroid...or some other form of thyroid replacement hormone. What about figuring out why the thyroid is not functioning?

Up to 90% of hypothyroid patients are suffering with low thyroid function because of an autoimmune attack against the thyroid gland. This is called Hashimoto's Disease. This immune mechanism is never investigated in mainstream medicine. Instead, thyroid replacement hormone is given...while the immune attack against the gland rages on.

Ask yourself this question..."Does it make sense to focus all of the treatment on thyroid replacement when the immune system is actively attacking the actual gland?" It would be like treating a person with a deep cut with continual blood transfusions for the blood loss without ever addressing the site of the blood loss.

There are some major problems with the thyroid replacement approach for Hashimotos Autoimmune Thyroid Patients (remember, if you are suffering with low thyroid, you have a 90% chance of suffering with this disease): 

1. The body will continuously attack your gland because nothing is being done to modulate the immune attack. 

2. When there is an immune attack against one body tissue there is usually other tissues being attacked. It is common for Autoimmune Thyroid patients to have an autoimmune attack against intrinsic factor, the brain, and stomach.

3. The immune cytokines (little proteins) that create the autoimmune attack, block the thyroid receptors, not allowing a normal thyroid response to occur. This means that even when the labs are "balanced" with replacement hormone, most patients with continue to suffer with thyroid symptoms.

4. The patients that continue to have low thyroid symptoms, even after taking replacement hormones, are the ones that get put on antidepressants and other drugs because the doctors don't believe there is anything wrong with their thyroid function.

I get so many questions about how we modulate and calm the immune system, naturally, that I wrote a report that goes into great detail about why thyroid replacement will not work for most people and what to do about it.

If you suffer with hypothyroidism and would like to end your suffering call the Boydston Institute, at 559-297-9218. We treat Hashimoto's Autoimmune Hypothyroid patient's from across the country. To learn more about our approach request our report. If you have questions, Contact Us.