Dear Dr. Brownstein,

I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis 15 years ago. I was devastated. My doctor told me to get a wheelchair as I will eventually need it to get around. He prescribed a cocktail of toxic drugs that only made me sicker. About two years after my diagnosis, I was getting around in a wheelchair. A family member gave me your book, Overcoming Arthritis. I cried when I read your book. The case histories were describing me. I was sure I could get help from your office. When I first saw you, you gave me hope. You told me that rheumatoid arthritis was most likely caused by an infectious agent. You also said that most arthritis patients get significantly better when the infection is treated and the immune system is provided support. At that first visit you drew A LOT of blood! When we met to go over the results, you found that I was suffering from a mycoplasma infection. I remember crying in front of you. I was so happy that someone was finally saying that they could help.

I took the antibiotics as well as the nutrients that you prescribed. I also improved my diet. About three weeks into the therapy, I began to feel better. It took me four months to get rid of the wheelchair! It is now 13 years later, and I have never needed that wheelchair. It is, thankfully, gathering dust in the closet. Thank you, Dr. Brownstein for all your help. Anybody with arthritis should read your book and follow your protocol. It is lifesaving! 

Sincerely,
Val Benstein

 About four and a half years ago after leaving corporate America and a highly demanding position I experienced some unusual symptoms. I ignored them for a time but the body has a way of tapping you on the shoulder and then when you don’t pay attention it slams you over the head. I ignored the taps and straightaway went to the 2 x 4 over the head.

It was a feeling of dying I was experiencing. I would remark to my family and others that the exhaustion was so debilitating that it would force me to sleep every afternoon. It wasn’t the kind of sleep that you would think a nap would provide, waking up refreshed. No. It was the type of sleep that made you feel you had taken a sleeping pill and upon awaking you couldn’t shake off the fog, the remainder of the day, each and every day. In addition to the totally exhaustion I was feeling I had severe joint pain in just about every part of my body. Up to this period of total exhaustion I would occasionally experience severe dry eyes which occurred monthly right around the time of my cycle. So I ignored it because it would go away after a days. Over the years, I had seen other traditional medicine doctors about these symptoms and was told over and over that it is all in my head. None of the doctors helped me or could guide me to find a therapy that would explain my symptoms and provide me relief.

That’s how it began but it isn’t the whole of it. Since leaving my position I now have time in my schedule to spend with my adult children. Recently, I scheduled a vacation to our summer home in Tawas. I hoped it was going to be a bonding experience for us girls.

After spending the day in the sun on the beach of Lake Huron, I received major sunburn. The next morning I noticed my eyes were so dry that I couldn’t drive the car. I thought the remedy would be eye drops but after purchasing them and using them they quickly evaporated within minutes of putting them in each eye. Our plan was to drive to Mackinac Island and spend the night. However with my eyes so dry it was impossible to drive the car. With my oldest daughter agreeing to drive my car we went anyway. I thought like all the other times I had experienced the dry eyes issue it would go away within a day. This time it did not go away.

I waited patiently for 2 weeks for the symptom to subside. After two weeks the problem was severe and long lasting enough to contact my family physician to see what they could find out. After taking blood work I was referred to a Rheumatologist. He summed up my symptoms and made a diagnosis of Sjogren’s disease. Sjogren’s, he explained, is an auto-immune disorder and a cousin of Lupus. He told me there wasn’t much he could do and that there was no cure. He claimed that I could take anti-malaria drugs because some people with Sjogrens got relief from their symptoms. He also told me to see an ophthalmologist to receive plugs in my tear ducts, so that possibly we could trick the eyes into getting more moisture in them.

Stunned by this news and like many people whose lives were just turned upside down, I researched Sjogren’s disease on the internet. I found an organization called Sjogrens.org. a community of folks also receiving a similar diagnosis. As I read through the posts and participated in some discussions I became more and more despondent that my life would never be the same. The woe and misery of the people discussing this disorder threw me into a pity party. One of the members of the group contacted me and asked if we could chat via phone call instead of email. I agreed. She lived in New York and we became allies and friends very quickly. She too had been diagnosed with this syndrome and we shared stories and disbelief. She was not going to accept this diagnosis of “no cure” and was an avid researcher for both of us.

She located obscure information about a protocol used successfully in other types of auto immune disorders and we began our quest to understand more about this odd disorder. Through her research and relentless quest she located a site called the roadback.org. On this site she and I discovered people being treated for the various conditions in the auto immune category with low dose antibiotics. There was also a discussion of how these antibiotics worked to alleviate and even put into remission many debilitating conditions including Lupus, scleroderma, fibromyalgia and others. There were no reports on Sjogren’s syndrome specifically but the mere fact that Lupus was included in the relief gave me hope. The thread among these people on the roadback.org was the discovery of mycoplasma or other bacteria in their blood tests. My friend and I felt this was the answer for both of us. The challenge was now to find a physician in the area that understood this root cause for autoimmune illness and who would actually be able to test to see if an infection was discovered.

One day my new friend from New York called and asked me, “Why aren’t you seeing this doctor in West Bloomfield? He prescribes the antibiotic protocol mentioned on the roadback.org site.” This doctor was Dr. Brownstein. I immediately contacted The Center for Holistic Medicine and asked the receptionist to check with the doctor to be certain that he knew of this protocol. I was told he did and scheduled an appointment with him. Six months later my appointment day arrived and little did I know that my new life had begun.

I was very ill by the time my appointment had come around. I did not take the anti-malaria drugs the Rheumatologist had offered as there were serious side effects such as blindness associated with them. I did receive tear duct plugs from an ophthalmologist who performed a test to measure the amount of moisture in my eyes and the result was zero. Zero moisture in your eyes feels like someone threw sand in them and that was 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This doctor placed plugs in my tear ducts. The plugs placed in my eyes solved one problem but created a new one. I had the appearance of uncontrollable crying eyes. By the time I came to see Dr. Brownstein my joint pain was severe and new symptoms appeared such as swollen glands in my neck and armpits. Every time I bent over to retrieve something off the floor or to simply put on my shoes my glands in my neck felt as if they were going to explode.

I was desperate for relief. I didn’t expect a miracle; I just wanted to get some of my life back. I felt like a leper in a leper colony and begged for an antibiotic prescription. Doctor Brownstein said, “Let’s check your blood first to see what we are dealing with. It’s important to know if there is an infection and what strains of bacteria are present in order to prescribe the appropriate therapy. At my initial visit, Dr. Brownstein’s nurse took twenty vials of blood. Some were sent to a local lab and some were sent to a microbiology lab in Maryland. Also, he discovered a swollen thyroid gland after feeling it.

About a week or two later I received a call from Doctor Brownstein who upon reviewing my lab work discovered multiple strains of Mycoplasma bacteria including Mycoplasma Hominis and Mycoplasma Chlamydia as well as Mycoplasma Pneumonia. He also discovered that my vitamin D levels and my vitamin C levels were severely low. I was encouraged by this news as someone was finally giving me a diagnosis and a treatment plan for my symptoms.

I was placed on low dose of two antibiotics--Minocycline and Zithromax along with a plethora of vitamins. In addition I received a heavy metals test and was placed on bio-identical hormones. I also took acidophilus to balance the antibiotics effect. I was also prescribed a natural thyroid hormone, Naturethroid and iodine in the form of Iodoral.

It was instantaneous. After a day or two, I thought, “Wow”. My energy level improved dramatically and the enlarged and sore thyroid gland was no longer painful. It is now four years later I am no longer taking any antibiotics. I have a normal amount of moisture in my eyes. I have changed everything I eat to organic food. I drink enough water and I continue to take supplements but, more importantly, I feel am cured. Now, I feel better than I’ve ever felt in my life. I have a normal life, run a business and have written a self help book which includes this story of a healing. I am grateful to Dr. Brownstein and tell everyone my story about a Doctor in West Bloomfield Michigan who didn’t rely entirely on conventional testing. Furthermore, he understands the body works as a whole system he searches for an underlying cause to dis-ease in the body. He certainly did not tell me that there was “no cure” for my myriad of symptoms.

I am grateful for this journey as it helps me tell others not to accept a bad diagnosis and how important it is to be an active participant in their own health care issues. I also tell people that traditional medicine generally treats the symptoms of the illness while ignoring the root cause. If everyone used their inner GPS system when they’ve been given bad health news and pursues and questions everything they are told, there would be a lot more healthy outcomes. Thank you Doctor Brownstein for giving me back my life. A life that is very full and very vibrant. I am truly grateful. 

Gratefully,
Sue Birkam

 Dr. Brownstein,

I had a total hysterectomy in 1993 at the age of 39, an my physician at the time prescribed synthetic hormones for me. That was causing so many adverse side effects for me, that a friend recommended Dr. Brownstein. I have been a patient ever since. He prescribed bioidentical hormone therapy for me, and I feel great after all these years. I am thrilled that natural therapies and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is an answer for so many women like me. 

- Patrice Rensin

 Dear Dr. Brownstein,

I have been a patient for Dr. Brownstein for several years now. I was recently involved in a motor vehicle accident. He recommended that I use the magnetic generator in his office to help my eye, the stiches in my head and my bruised rib to heal. He also performed a manipulative technique that significantly helped to lessen the pain I was in. In fact, after two days, the pain was virtually gone. I was able to stop taking pain medications shortly after I saw him. 

Thank you so much for all you do,
Frank Johnston

 Hi Dr. Brownstein,

After reading your book about vitamin B12 and bursitis, I followed your regimen diligently. I gave myself an injection once per day for 30 days. I am now on a weekly maintenance dose of two shots/week. As I told you, I have suffered with severe bursitis/tendonitis for over twenty years in my left shoulder. I have had numerous steroid injections and several rounds of physical therapy with temporary relief. I am so pleased to tell you that I have had incredible results with the natural vitamin B12!!! It has alleviated my pain almost completely and my mobility has greatly improved. Thank you so much!! 

Take Care,
Mary Myer

 Dr. Brownstein,

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis sixteen years ago and placed on synthetic thyroid replacement at that time. I felt like I was barely alive for three years and went to many doctors, none of whom helped me. Eventually, I got my life back when switching to natural thyroid, but I honestly never felt 100% normal and knew intuitively that I needed to get off of thyroid replacement altogether. I'd had an iodine loading test done shortly after reading Dr. Brownstein's book a few years ago, but my N.D. said that I shouldn't use iodine because of my Hashimoto's. UGH. More recently I had two different acupuncturists who were able to help me radically reduce my thyroid intake but, unlike their other clients, I simply couldn't get off of thyroid completely for some unknown reason....that is until I began taking high-dose iodine, which has allowed me to make more progress. Why? Because in lowering my thyroid dose, we discovered I had been walking around with multiple tumors (breast and neck). Why? Because I clearly had an iodine deficiency which my body was trying to tell me about for a good 20 years! I'm thrilled to say that now I'm on 10 - 15% of the prescription thyroid I was originally taking and hope to be fully off of thyroid replacement in a few months. Moreover, one of my tumors is 90% flattened, thanks in part to my new hobby – painting Lugol's iodine on my body. To be clear, I'm also using a broad variety of other herbs, supplements, lymphatic stimulation and dietary modifications, but the iodine made an obvious difference when I added it to my protocol just 28 days ago, allowing me to further reduce my prescription thyroid supplementation and helping me to purge the body odor from my normally odor-free body, likely the result of bromine, chlorine, mercury and fluoride toxicity. Yes, I'm taking a lot of iodine - I've slowly titrated up to 100MG+ of Ioderol, plus whatever I paint on each day. In my case, I'm just finishing my studies in holistic nutrition, and believe me, they don't teach you this in school, no matter how holistic and progressive your program might be! Thank you so much, Dr. Brownstein. Your work has literally changed my life.  

Joyce

 Dr. Brownstein,

Thanks again for all your progressive work. It has really made such a difference for me! My story started about one year ago. I began to feel anxious and jittery and knew that I had gained weight but just figured that’s what happens when you get close to 40. I blamed most of my symptoms on stress because I had the proverbial ‘when it rains it pours’ kind of stress; death of my father, teenage child in trouble, adoption of a foster child, running my own business, husband starting new career after surgery, etc… I had already been diagnosed with adenomyosis and I would sometimes cramp and bleed on the spot if I gave a very hard adjustment aside the normal ‘think I’m going to die today on my period pain’. I knew it wasn’t a fix but out of survival and upon my OB/GYN’s suggestion I had the uterine ablation performed.

It was after this that the symptoms really started kicking in. I would go weeks on end with getting only 3 -4 hours of sleep per night because I would wake up at 2 or 3 and could not go back to sleep. I went to work diligently on my adrenals and took in all that Dr. Wilson had to say about adrenal fatigue. I started doing lectures on the topic for patients because I saw how much it had helped me. I cleaned up my diet and went to exercising every day. Still, something wasn’t right, I noticed my hair was thinning (already having fine and thin hair –motivating factor), and my mind was working so much slower than it usually does. I had many internal thoughts of ‘so this is what Alzheimer’s and ADHD really feel like’. I used to joke about having Alzheimer’s (family hx) and say ‘well, I won’t remember that I don’t remember.’ Well, that’s a lie and there’s nothing that makes you feel more disconnected from everyone and everything that to have such foggy thinking and not be able to remember simple things. Some days I couldn’t come up with words that I normally say everyday. I have a whole new respect for what those poor patients have to go through.

Anyway, I knew all my hormones were off, and suspected estrogen dominance but I wanted to start with the basics first. I went to an MD friend of mine and she told me that she was sure that I was just ‘tuned in’ to my body but she didn’t figure me for a thyroid patient. (5’ 7” 140 pounds then.) She called me back later and told me that my thyroid was dead. (TSH - 12.1, Free T4 .72, Free T3 2.8, Thyroid Peroxidase -562 and Thyroglobulin – 111.0) She put me on Armour thyroid and told me to take Iodine. (I had an iodine product at my office) I was so glad to find out that I wasn’t crazy and there was something that would make sense of all my symptoms and now a simple answer- Armour Thyroid…wrong!

After a few days of the thyroid med it felt like I was carrying two of me around. It took me twice as much effort to get half as much done. My heart felt like it was the live well of a pro fisherman and the bass was not happy to be there. It wouldn’t have surprised me if they woke me up in the hospital telling me that I had had a heart attack. (I really thought I was going to pass out when I got up to talk to you that day at the seminar, just the change from sitting to standing and walking was almost too much!)

I have always been accused of being ADHD because I am so active and for a month, my stationary places were on the couch or the bed as soon as I got home from work. I honestly didn’t care what happened to me, my family or my clinic. I have never been in that state before, but I can tell you that I don’t think you can live in that state long.

I ended up at one of your seminars to learn more about Thyroid. As you began to get a little deeper into the topic we had a break and I came to pick your brain. I explained it as quickly as I could that I have terrible fatigue since taking Armour . You said to take Iodine and explained why it had to be Iodine with Iodide or it wouldn’t work. I got some Iodoral on a Monday night and by Wednesday I could tell a major difference. It was like some one ‘flipped a switch’ for me. It took about 2 weeks for me to stop carrying around the extra person but my foggy mind and memory cleared up quickly. Meanwhile I had signed up with a lab to have the 24 hour urine iodine loading test done. When I got the results it showed that I was clearing 99%. At first I am taken back by the number because I knew that you wanted 90% excretion and then Charles went on to explain that I was likely not taking up little to no iodine into the cells and most was being excreted pointing toward a symporter defect. (Actually a rare disorder 1 out 2000) The good news is that 3G of Vitamin C and 100mg of Riboflavin have been shown to help the problem. He did mention that salt was very important and I can tell you that however gross this may sound but salt water green tea in the morning is like 2 cups of coffee for me- clears the cobwebs.

I recently had lab work done again I guess really 2 months after starting armour. TSH is now down to 0.2 (she told me to skip one dose a week b/c I may not need that much. On one grain /day) and free T4 has come up to 0.92 and Free T3 is up to 3.7. I do feel so much better. My heart is so much happier than it was just a month ago. I did show her my iodine test and she was so blown away, she was on the phone that day to learn more and have herself tested. (She herself is a thyroid patient and works a lot in the holistic area) I know she was frustrated not being able to help. What does she say with a 12.1 TSH – ok don’t take the thyroid medicine? When I told her how the ‘right iodine’ was like a switch, she listened but I don’t think she thought much of it, until I showed her the results of the iodine test she began thinking, how many others could have this same problem? I just told her, I have learned a lot from this guy.

Anyway, I will have another iodine test performed in about 3 months and see where I am then. Regardless, I feel better (off the couch and in the garden again – I grow great tomatoes) and I am ready to start looking at hormones now and see what imbalances lie there. Just by symptoms alone, I can tell you that they are better right now than they were just 2 months ago or even a year ago. It’s probably why I ended up with the adenomyosis to begin with. Urgh. 

Take Care,
Tina A., D.C.

 Dr. B,

Recently, I started to give myself B12 injections based on your recommendations.  I am doing a shot three times per week.  It has made a huge difference in my energy and stamina.  This one thing has helped me oveocome afternoon fatigue which used to require daily naps. Also, my motivations is so much better 

Thank you so much,
Sue E.