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Local chiropractic center works to relieve stress
By Jana Seshadri
Studies have revealed that a major contributor to most illnesses and diseases is stress. It has been linked to all the leading causes of death, including heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, diabetes, accidents and suicide. People's daily lives are often inundated with stressful situations--so much so that they affect their basic everyday functions like sleep and appetite. Drugs and medication offer temporary relief, but after they wear off, the stress will remain in the body and continue to do its damage.
HealthNOW Medical Center, 922 W. Fremont Ave., Sunnyvale, has been treating stress-related problems for more than a decade by tackling the root of the problem--the adrenal gland, or the stress gland, which is designed to deal with stress effectively.
"It's very important to find out the root cause of the stress-related problem and treat it," said Dr. Vikki Petersen, who founded the center along with her husband Richard. Both are chiropractors and certified clinical nutritionists.
"Most often we can find out what the problem is by determining the patient's hormonal levels in the adrenal gland," Vikki said. "This is done by testing the saliva, which is the most accurate way to determine hormonal levels, according to the World Health Organization."
Dr. Dev Desai, currently a transplant surgeon at the Stanford University Medical Center, agrees that stress, which is a complex response, does relate in some degree to the body's endocrine system and hormone levels. However, Desai, who completed his residency and training at Stanford Hospital, disagrees with Petersen's theory that stabilizing hormone levels can treat stress or affect all the different organ systems.
"It's not entirely clear whether treating the hormonal imbalance will alleviate stress," Desai said.
Petersen said medical doctors treat the adrenal gland only if it is diseased.
"Our method of treatment compared to the conventional way is like comparing apples to oranges," Petersen said.
The Petersens say their hormone testing method is quite simple. Patients are given a simple instructional kit to help collect their saliva. The saliva is later sent away to a laboratory for detailed testing of hormonal levels.
The adrenal gland releases hormones like cortisol, DHEA, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and melatonin. Each one of them is critical to many normal bodily functions. Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms due to lack of adrenaline, produced by the cortisol. The adrenal gland produces the precursor hormones necessary to make estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. The hormonal levels will determine whether the gland is functioning the way it should or not according to Petersen, who argues that an optimally functioning stress gland enables individuals to handle stress effectively. However, that is not always the case.
"The gland is known to malfunction all the time," Vikki said.
Sherry Grantz has been an insulin-dependent diabetic for five years. Repeated consultations with her doctor and dietitian did not make her feel any better. In fact, Grantz, 52, started to feel progressively worse.
Sleepless nights were just one of the many symptoms that Grantz suffered. Eventually, she heard about the Petersens' program and started her treatment in June 2000.
"Now my life is a lot more manageable," Grantz said. "My health is more stable."
Vikki explained that during deep sleep, the adrenal gland produces melatonin, the sleep hormone. Laboratory tests revealed that Grantz wasn't producing enough melatonin, hence the sleeplessness. With nutritional support, in the form of natural supplements, and certain lifestyle changes, Grantz was able to stabilize her hormone levels.
"Sherry stopped a pro-aging condition by sleeping better," Vikki said.
According to Desai, the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate nutritional supplements. Consequently, he said there could be irregularity in the manufacture of these pills--so much so that contents could vary from pill to pill, even in the same bottle, he said.
Vikki Petersen said she and her husband treat their patients using three different methods--physiotherapy, clinical nutrition and chiropractic. Sometimes a patient will only require one of the methods and sometimes a combination of all four. The treatment will be one of three stages depending on the severity of the problem. Stage 1 involves some basic changes in one's lifestyle. Stage 2 might include slightly more serious problems like food allergies, inappropriate diet, insufficient exercise and lack of sleep. Stage 3, the most severe, could be caused by infections and sometimes even parasites in the body.
"We literally hold our patients' hands through the program," Vikki said.
Treatment programs can last anywhere from 90 to 120 days, sometimes even longer. The length of the program depends on how severely the patient is affected and the ease with which the patient handles the changes that the treatment requires.
Dr. Kristin Welter, doctor of internal medicine at Camino Medical Group, said she considers it unwise to prescribe supplements to anybody because these might interfere with the body's natural functions. While Welter agrees that changing a person's lifestyle and dietary habits could reduce stress levels, the addition of supplements to the body could be detrimental to one's health, she said.
"I don't believe in any of that stuff," Welter said.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
