I am overwhelmed by your response to my recent appearance on the Dr Oz show. I would like to help each and every one of you with your health problems, as I know what disease-care in our country is like. However I am one doctor and can only do my best to answer all your questions and give you guidance.

I have written this response to your specific individual questions and calls for help and will do my best to answer questions as outlined below:

I am considering  setting up a regular series of webinars to answer your questions and talk about health from an Integrative Medicine Point of view. If you are interested please fill out this 2 question survey online to let me know your interest

Webinar Questions

The questions you have written to  me fall into Four categories.  Please see the paragraph relevant to the question that you asked.

1. For those with questions about where to purchase Dr. Soram’s Vitamin D:

Please go to www.drsoram.com/store.  Dr. Soram’s Vitamin D supplements, DVD, book, and at-home Vitamin D test kits are all available on his website.  Please note that due to an overwhelming demand, the Vitamin D 2000 IU is on backorder and will be available in mid to late January.

Unfortunately, we do not currently offer international shipping.

2. For those inquiring about other doctors who practice Integrative Medicine:

You may find other doctors who practice Integrative and Functional Medicine in your area on the following websites:

https://www.functionalmedicine.org/

ACAM

3. For those interested in seeing Dr. Soram for a consultation:

Dr. Soram is currently accepting new patients in his Beverly Hills, CA office.

Please note that like most integrative doctors, Dr. Soram does not take insurance or Medicare.  He is a fee-for-service physician.

Also, the new patient process begins with a 15 minute consultation with the doctor.  In this consultation you will have a chance to meet Dr. Soram and he will have a chance to evaluate why you have come.  This will allow him to tell you if he thinks he is likely to be able to help you, and it will let you meet him personally to see if you want to continue your care with him.  After this consultation if you are going to begin treatment, a complete physical examination will be scheduled some time in the following 1-2 weeks.

4. Answers to your email questions about your personal health:

Dr Soram unfortunately can NOT reply by email to each of your personal health questions as he has received so many emails.  He will answer  questions sent to him on his podcasts and may start Webinars to address bigger questions.  The questions will be addressed in the order they have been received. Please know that Dr Soram cannot TELL you specifically what to do as he has never met you. He will be able to give general directions of information to bring to your own doctor.

Thank you again for your overwhelming response to my appearance on Dr Oz!

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My podcast can be found HERE on your Cell phone !

The Orange Ball for Lupus LA was held on May 24, 2012 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. It is the annual fund raiser to raise money for research into the cause and treatment of Lupus Erythematosis a major autoimmune disease which can be debilitating for patients with it.

I was the honoree of the ball and I received the prestigious Daniel  J Wallace Founders Award. For the last decades I’ve been treating hundreds of patients with Lupus using integrative medicine. Integrative medicine is able to help patients with lupus improve the quality of their life and their overall well-being as well as help ameliorate some of the joint pains and fatigue that often accompanies lupus.

It was a very large event with over 400 people in attendance. There were stars of music and movies everywhere to be seen!

My friend Verdine White was there and Earth Wind and Fire donated Backstage Passes and “Meet and Greet” tickets for the auction to raise  money for Lupus. Natasha Bedingfield performed on stage and I was so honored she dedicated her singing her song “Pocketful of Sunshine” to me!

Here is a copy of the invitation

Here is a great link reviewing the event 

and a video interviewing Paula Abdul talking about her experience with Lupus 

Below are some of the photographs from the event.

This is me as I was giving my speech for the Lupus LA event

Here is Natasha Bedingfield singing

Here is Paula Abdul at the event

Toni Braxton bidding at the auction at the Lupus LA event

"The times, they are a changing" said Bob Dylan. And I am delighted to see that this is truly happening.

United States Surgeon General Regina Benjamin is advocating a "holistic approach" to well-being. At the North American Adventist Health Summit meeting Dr. Benjamin was quoted  to say "If we really want to change and reform healthcare in this country, we need to prevent people from getting sick in the first place."

Dr. Benjamin also is the head of the National Prevention Council which was established through President Obama's Health Reform Act. She went on to point out that this administration’s vision is to change the nation's health care system "from a focus on disease and illness to a focus on wellness and prevention." "Health does not occur in the doctor's office or hospital alone”, she said. "Health occurs where we live, where we learn, where we work, where we play and where we pray."

She went on to say "I continue to be impressed by the innovative thinking that's going on in the Seventh – day Adventist Church to make health something you live, and not just something you hope for."

Health professionals at the meeting pointed out that obesity rates had doubled in adults and more than tripled in children since 1980. They pointed out that the need to raise awareness is more urgent than ever. More than 20 million United States children under the age of five are now overweight.

Dr. Albert Reece who is the dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Maryland was at the meeting and pointed out that "Obesity is often the underlying cause of heart disease, cancer and hypertension and is the number one risk factor for type II diabetes. He pointed out that "We are now number one in the world with regards to obesity. The United States wishes to be and likes to be number one in everything, but this is not one area that we can be proud of".

As an integrative medicine physician whose logo is "Enlightened Medicine, Consciously Living, Compassionate Healing" I am so delighted to hear that the government and major medical centers are now recognizing the need for lifestyle change and conscious living and awareness of what we are putting in and doing to our bodies as a way to reduce the health care budget that is crippling our country. The quotes given above are direct quotes from lectures I have given and many of my integrative medicine colleagues have given for years. 

I look forward to working with you to help you keep yourself and your family healthy, happy, and spiritually connected.

Read more here. 

Please feel free to ask me questions below or send an e-mail to questions@askdrsoram.com 

In my blog, “Ringing in Ears Affects Fifty Million,” I gave you some background and some startling statistics about tinnitus, commonly referred to as ringing in the ears. I also stated that, currently, there is no cure. This is frustrating and disruptive to the 10–12% of Americans, roughly 50 million, who suffer from tinnitus.

Once thought to be a disease of the ear only, research indicates that tinnitus has a neurological component as well. The brain tries to fill in sounds that the ears can’t pick up. However, often this compensation is faulty, and the tinnitus sufferer is left hearing sounds he or she shouldn’t hear at high decibels and for prolonged periods of time.

If this continues for a while, the patient can also experience a stress response. While a “Fight or flight” response is helpful when faced with a real threat, in this case, it does more harm than good. Instead of sending a message to the brain to stop filling in the missing noise, it does the opposite. The internal noises get louder, thereby contributing to additional neurological and physiological responses. This further explains why patients report anxiety, depression, difficulty concentrating, and so forth.

Tinnitus is often triggered by loud noises. For example, many soldiers returning from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan were exposed to gunfire and explosions without proper ear protection. Over the past ten years, MRIs of the brain (imaging of the brain) have been able to pick up differences that can be attributed to tinnitus. It is possible that brain images taken before and after combat will help doctors diagnose and treat tinnitus in years to come. 

Currently, there is no standard treatment for tinnitus. Some doctors prescribe medication, even though none has been approved specifically for the condition. If you seek medical help for tinnitus, your treatment may include: sound therapy, acupuncture, hearing aids, cochlear implants, electrical brain stimulation, mindfulness training, and neck exercises. Here are some highlights:

•    Electrical Brain Stimulation
Jay Piccirillo, a professor of otolaryngology at Washington University in St. Louis, has conducted research with electromagnets to keep the brain from overcompensating when hearing loss is present. He told National Public Radio (NPR), “We think that perhaps that electrical stimulation just clears away that pathological, or that faulty, connection,” Piccirillo says, “with the hope that the reconnections are more normal and more healthy.” (http://www.npr.org/2011/07/18/138163304/tinnitus-why-wont-my-ears-stop-ringing)

•    Sound Therapy
A man who was suffering from extreme tinnitus symptoms and unable to work was interviewed by NPR, after an unsuccessful trial of electromagnetic therapy. He went on to try a form of sound therapy that involved listening to radio static. Although it was annoying at first, after a while, he was able to tune out the radio static. As time went on, the phantom sounds he heard as part of his tinnitus faded to background noise, like the radio static. Although it didn’t go away, he experienced enough relief that his quality of life improved. 

•    Neuromonics—Sound and Neural Stimulation
Neuromonics, www.neuromonics.com, makes a device that has been approved by the FDA. It addresses the neurological component of tinnitus, but delivers treatment via sound. According to their Web site, “The treatment utilizes a customized neural stimulus combined with specific music, delivered according to a coordinated program. The treatment is designed to interact, interrupt, and desensitize tinnitus disturbance for long-term benefit.” Each treatment is unique to the patient and each teaches the brain to filter out the extraneous, “inner” sounds.

The therapy usually takes place daily, for two or more hours, during the times of day when the sufferer is most affected. Treatment typically takes six months and can be done when relaxing, reading, working on the computer, cooking, and during other activities. The best results have been achieved when the patient follows a multi-stage process.

•    Mindfulness Training
Mindfulness training, which includes the practice of being present and of meditation, has been used very successfully for pain management. As I said in my first blog, there is often a similarity in the mindsets of chronic pain sufferers and tinnitus patients. The lack of control over their lives and the disease creates psychological struggles, such as anxiety and depression.

Currently, phase 2 of the “Mindfulness Based Tinnitus Reduction (MBTR): A Symptom Perception Shift Program” is being conducted. In Phase 1, researchers verified that cognitive behavior therapy and MBTR relieved distress and reduced symptoms caused by tinnitus. The researchers believe that mindfulness training alone will also benefit participants significantly. (http://clinicaltrialsfeeds.org/clinical-trials/show/NCT01229709)

•    Nutritional Supplements
Several nutritional supplements have been found helpful for people with tinnitus.
Ginkgo biloba has been found in seven studies to show clear improvement over placebo. It is believed that Ginkgo's mechanism of action is because of glutamate antagonism and neuroprotection. In addition, ginkgo increases circulation because it acts as a vasodilator allowing the capillaries to carry more blood.

Zinc is one of the most important mineral supplements. In one study in January 2003 patients treated with zinc daily for three months had a significant improvement in their tinnitus. This was true for people without or with zinc deficiency. Its benefit is thought to be due to the antioxidant properties of zinc.

Deodorized Garlic improves blood circulation and helps prevent arteriosclerosis. It is a natural antibiotic and antiviral. Several studies have shown that garlic reduces plaque and improves blood flow. It is also natural antioxidant.

***
At the time this blog was written, the Fifth Tinnitus Research Initiative Conference, “The Neuroscience of Tinnitus,” was being held. Scientists were expected to introduce a new drug, which had been used effectively to treat tinnitus in animals.

I will keep you posted as I learn more.