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Gil Winkelman ND

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What You Need to Know about Pyroluria Testing

May 4, 2018 by Dr. Gil Winkelman Leave a Comment

My first podcast of 2018 is about pyroluria testing and pyroluria. I’ve taken a break from it because I’ve been doing some other projects when not seeing patients. I have been working on my first novel that other than a few poisonings as part of the story has little to do with medicine. But I am also working on a series of workshops for people who for whatever reason, can’t see me at my clinic or via telemedicine.

What You Need to Know about Pyroluria TestingDr. Gil Winkelman
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The first workshop will focus on pyroluria. What is pyroluria? It’s a sign of oxidative stress that when it arises can lead to many physical and emotional issues. You can learn more about it here. But listen to the podcast to learn more.

Dr. Gil also offers online consultations for most mental/emotional health issues using the Walsh Protocol  including pyroluria, RAD, ODD, OCD, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and others.

Pyroluria Supplements and Test Kits: How to Improve Your Anxiety

February 7, 2018 by Dr. Gil Winkelman 6 Comments

Jason’s parents brought him to my clinic because of violent behavior. (I am not using anyone’s real name.) Several suspensions from school alerted his parents there may be a problem. But it was his punching a hole in the wall of his bedroom that led to the call to me. Lisa’s anxiety became so debilitating that she didn’t want to leave her house. By the time she called to make an appointment, she had confined herself to only her room and the adjoining bathroom. Clark’s sudden mood swings correlated with depression and not knowing what he wanted to do with his life. Though very smart and done well in school, Clark was currently underemployed. His mom convinced him to see me. We sent pyroluria test kits to all three of these patients, and I knew the results would be positive.

While depression, anxiety, oppositional defiance disorder (ODD), and reactive attachment disorder (RAD) may arise from different causes, pyroluria should be ruled out as the cause of these and other mental health problems. Testing is easy to do at home. The lab sends a pyroluria test kit; the sample is collected and sent back to the lab. After Jason’s mom called, we had results within two weeks, and I developed a treatment plan of vitamins and minerals ready for Jason.

“He’s a different kid,” his mom reported to me after the first follow-up appointment. “Had I known that treatment was so simple, I would have called you much sooner!”

Jason is not unusual. I have treated hundreds of people with pyroluria over the last seven years with great success. A pyroluria test kit is inexpensive and easy to do. Pyrrole supplements cost little and are simple to take. If that is the only imbalance in the body, we see changes in the person within a month.

What is Pyroluria?

What exactly is pyroluria? Confusion abounds as to how to explain pyroluria or Pyrrole Disorder. Other names include Mauve Factor and Kryptopyroluria. Many doctors do not recognize the clinical significance of pyrrole disorder. Though I didn’t learn about it in medical school, I can assure you that pyroluria is real.

Kryptopyrroles seem to appear under conditions of oxidative stress in the body. The body produces an unusable form of the part of the red blood cell that holds the oxygen, called a heme-ring. This molecule, harmless in most people, will deplete the body of nutrients such as zinc, vitamin B6, and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) in others. People who have pyroluria be in normal range for these nutrients in their blood tests but still have symptoms. What are some of the symptoms? The chart below shows the effects of pyrrole disorder. You only have to have two or three to be positive. Oddly, there isn’t always a correlation between symptoms and amount of pyrroles. I have seen patients with extremely high numbers but few signs and patients with lots of symptoms and a low kryptopyrrole result. Over the course of the next could of articles, I’ll explain why that is. Suffice to say, pyroluria can affect different parts of the body in different ways.

Why would oxidative stress lead to the creation of kryptopyrroles? The short answer is we don’t know. There are many different theories, but the one I like the best is trauma. Early childhood trauma seems to be a commonality of people with this condition. Pyrrole disorder and oxidative stress, in general, seems to be a physiologic response to emotional or physical trauma. Jason’s parents adopted him as a baby. Early childhood wounding contributed to his behavior. Pyroluria may be a clue to mind-body connections; the bridge between the trauma that one experiences when younger and the physical symptoms that occur later in life. A diagnosis doesn’t mean that psychotherapy is unnecessary, but it can make it more successful.

pyroluria supplements and symptoms

Pyrrole supplements make a huge difference in the patients who have pyroluria. Treatment plans are inexpensive and easy to follow. While the number of pills can be daunting, most people find it effortless to integrate the task into their day. And the results are extraordinary. Lisa’s anxiety abated so she could continue her life again. Jason finished high school and responded to the new counselor his parents arranged. Clark’s mood swings disappeared with pyrrole treatment, and his motivation returned. “I feel that I have my son back,” his mother said to me. “He’s calm, funny, and is starting to have direction in his life again. He’s doing great!”

You too can get help. If you or a loved one has some of the symptoms listed, call or email us today. We will be happy to send out a pyroluria test kit and consult about the results, which we can do via an online doctor consultation. Pyrrole supplements can be life-changing. We’d be happy to help facilitate moving you into a happier place.

Though the patients mentioned in this article had an easy time with treatment, not everyone does. The next article will discuss some of the pitfalls of self-treatment.

Filed Under: pyroluria, Treatments, Uncategorized, Walsh Protocol

How to Benefit from Online Doctor Consultations

January 26, 2018 by Dr. Gil Winkelman 3 Comments

Online doctor consultations are becoming more popular. And why not? Patients don’t have to travel to the office, park the car, and wait for the doctor. You can stay in the comfort of your home and consult with the doctor through your computer or phone. But are online doctor appointments good for everyone? Not likely. But for many people, virtual medical visits provide a simple approach to medical care. Let’s explore what online doctor consultations look like with Dr. Gil and what sort of conditions are appropriate for treatment.

Online Doctor Consultations with Dr. Gil

Dr. Gil has been using telehealth services for mental health for many years. The process begins with either a phone call or email and determine if labs need ordering. If you have the correct labs run relatively recently, there’s no need to repeat them just yet. Sometimes Dr. Gil orders additional labs, especially if you attempted similar treatments that didn’t work or only had partial results. Labwork performed by other providers may be reviewed before your appointment.  Labs aren’t required for every patient before the first appointment but can expedite the treatment process. For most patients in the US, we can arrange for the lab collection to occur near your location. Outside the US, some results are challenging but not impossible to obtain. The office staff assists as best it can to help you get what is required.

Before the appointment, you will fill out an extensive questionnaire that combined with the lab results helps Dr. Gil uncover possible causes of the ailment.  The first appointment lasts up to an hour whereby Dr. Gil comes up with a treatment plan for your condition. You can merely order the vitamin and supplements from Dr. Gil’s medicinary or obtain through another source.

Conditions Treated During Online Doctor Consultations

It is difficult to say what conditions can or cannot be treated online. New technologies are making it possible to do medicine via telehealth services. Dermatology, for example, is moving to a model that allows doctors to diagnose skins conditions via online doctor consultations. Some situations require an in-person visit before telehealth services will be useful. The Walsh Protocol, a system that uncovers nutrient deficiencies causing mental health issues, can be productive using telehealth services for mental health.  Some of the conditions that Dr. Gil treats using online doctor consultations include:

  • Oppositional Defiance Disorder
  • Reactive Attachment Disorder
  • Conduct Disorder
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Bipolar
  • Schizoaffective Disorder
  • Autism/Asperger’s
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
  • Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD)
  • Migraine Headaches

Insurance may or may not cover telemedicine visits but may reimburse the lab fees. Check with us first about whether coverage is possible. Neurofeedback services typically require appointments to be in-person.

Demand for online doctor visits has increased as patients discover its advantages.  Find out for yourself how easy it is to get help for you or your family member. Schedule today for a free pre-consultation.

Filed Under: Telehealth Services, Uncategorized, Walsh Protocol

The Colossal Mistake of Everyone Taking Methylated Folate

June 9, 2017 by Dr. Gil Winkelman 31 Comments

I get a lot of questions about the methylation cycle and taking methylated folate. In articles and podcasts, I go into great detail about undermethylation. This causes a lot of confusion amongst patients because most providers don’t understand how methylated folate works.  Folate is a wonderful vitamin for many people. But for undermethylators, folate can cause problems. Why is that? To understand the issue, we have to first understand more about methylation, DNA, and why genetic tests may not be the right approach.

Undermethylators is one of the primary subtypes described by the Walsh Protocol. To understand why folate is a problem for them though, we should discuss undermethylation.

To begin, let’s discuss what methylation is. Methylation is the process where DNA gets “tagged” by a small hydrocarbon group. Methyl is one carbon and three hydrogens. Carbon can bond to four different atoms so a methyl group has one spot that allows it to attach somewhere else. The body uses methyl in many different reactions and one of them is to turn off DNA.

How does it do this?

We don’t know the exact mechanism. It appears that the methyl group stops the DNA from turning on at particular locations.  Methylation seems to be responsible for turning genes off. Acetylation (a different hydrocarbon) and folate are responsible for turning genes on. In some cases, the reverse is true but for now, let’s simply the thought process.

One gene methyl turns off is the serotonin reuptake gene. Folate or folic acid appears to turn this gene on. If you have too much serotonin reuptake happening, serontonin levels will be low. If you have too little, serotonin will be too high. (Yes, you can have too much serotonin in your body and some people do.)

Undermethylators are particularly vulnerable to folates. The folates turn on the serotonin reuptake gene that is already not downregulated due to the lack of methyl. For some people, they find that a sudden intake of folic acid causes a precipitous drop in mood or exacerbation of symptoms.

NOTE: If you are a pregnant woman, take your folate even if you’re an undermethylator. 

What about Methylated Folate?

What about methylated folate? Isn’t that suppose to help undermethylators?  Many providers prescribe it. A good number of patients have seen other providers that believe this. And why not? It was what we were taught in medical school. I was. But Dr. Walsh has shown something different. All folates including methyl folate probably cause a net reduction in methyl in the body. Couple that fact with how folic acid turns on the serotonin reuptake gene so that serotonin levels drop and you have a recipe for problems.

That all said, many undermethylators do show temporary improvement as a result of taking methylfolate. After two to three months, the person devolves again. The methyl donation from the methylfolate gets overshadowed by the effects of folate on the body. So the person gets worse.

This is when patients call me. Fortunately, it’s not too late to feel better under this circumstance. A proper treatment plan can benefit someone at any time. Undermethylators respond slowly; some people may not get a benefit for almost a year after treatment starts.

If you think you may be an undermethylator or overmethylator, call today to schedule an appointment. Let me review your medications and supplements to ensure you are taking what is right for your healing process.

Filed Under: Treatments, Uncategorized, undermethylation, Walsh Protocol

How Mind-Body Healing Techniques can Help You Part 2?

November 13, 2016 by Dr. Gil Winkelman Leave a Comment

I’ve talked about mind-body healing on Ask Dr Gil many times thus far. In this podcast, I want to go a little deeper into the connections between the mind, body, organ systems, and peptides. Candace Pert in Molecules of Emotion goes into great detail about how our emotions get translated into neuropeptides that then turn on genes in our cells. This in turn causes the release of other peptides that can create a feedback loop.

How Mind-Body Healing Techniques can Help You Part 2?Dr. Gil Winkelman
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Without going into that level of detail, I want to discuss the connection between our emotions and how those get stored in our body. Why do we sometimes hold onto an event that we have long forgotten? What is it that causes us to not be able to heal trauma at times? Why do some people get better but others don’t? I don’t pretend to know the answers to these questions but want to explore how we might gain healing in ways that mainstream medicine can’t give us.

Connections between the body, mind, and spirit are starting to be understood from a scientific point of view. Not some fringe science either but mainstream scientific approaches to the body. My background as a scientist isn’t to shut off the possibilities that mind-body healing exists but to better understand those connections. Healing sometimes requires us to explore what has happened in our past. It requires us to remember events long forgotten. Sometimes those are extremely traumatic but other times they seem so insignificant looking back we wonder “how could that have affected me?”  If brain injury is any indication, a small injury can have a big impact. Maybe small events after our mind-body connections more than we realize.

 

Listen to this podcast to learn more. And if you like my podcasts, feel free to leave a review at iTunes. Thanks so much.

How Mind-Body Healing Techniques can Help You

November 4, 2016 by Dr. Gil Winkelman Leave a Comment

Mind-body healing is an important aspect of any disease process. What is it that allows us to heal? What is it that prevents us from healing? In today’s podcast, I explore how healing can be affected through spiritual practices. Why does yoga work? Why are breathing exercises helpful? Tune in to find out more on today’s Ask Dr. Gil.

How Mind-Body Healing Techniques can Help YouDr. Gil Winkelman
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What You Need to Know about Copper Overload-podcast

October 31, 2016 by Dr. Gil Winkelman Leave a Comment

What do migraines, anxiety, sleep troubles, and learning issues have in common? Well, they all could stem from copper overload. Copper is a micronutrient needed in the body. But sometimes there is too much in the system. What happens in this situation. Why does copper cause these problems?

In this week’s episode of AskDrGil, I go through the problems that arise in the body as a result of excess copper. I will also discuss how total copper may not be high but may be an imbalance somewhere else in the system.

Copper overload is one of the subtypes that Dr. Walsh lists as a cause of mental illness. I have discussed methylation issues, pyroluria, heavy metals, and zinc deficiency on the Ask Dr. Gil podcast but haven’t really covered copper overload as of yet.  It is an important aspect of the Walsh Protocol.

Tune in to find out more.

 

What You Need to Know about Copper Overload-podcastDr. Gil Winkelman
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Start Feeling Better Now By Stopping Your Multi-vitamin

October 13, 2016 by Dr. Gil Winkelman Leave a Comment

Many people are told to take a multi-vitamin. It’s a reasonable assumption. Taking all of the good nutrients that we may not get enough in our diets should help us feel better. For many people this may be true. But for anyone with mental illness, there’s a good chance that it’s doing more harm than good. Why is that? Many nutrients in a multivitamin don’t absorb well together for one thing. They shouldn’t be in the same pill for anyone. But many people have imbalances that are affected by different nutrients in opposite directions. On other episodes of Ask Dr. Gil, I’ve discussed how Folate can be detrimental to an undermethylated person for example. But there are many other examples to be found in the multi-vitamin. On this episode of Ask Dr. Gil, I discuss how different nutrients can interact. For example,

  • Learn about how Zinc and Calcium can interact with one another
  • Hear more about folate and methyl B12 working against each other in some people
  • Zinc and copper are often together in a multi-mineral but may be extremely detrimental to some patients.

Tune in to find out more.

Start Feeling Better Now By Stopping Your Multi-vitaminDr. Gil Winkelman
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What you Need to Know about Epigenetics

October 7, 2016 by Dr. Gil Winkelman Leave a Comment

Are we hardcoded? Does the fact that we have a specific genetic mutation mean that we are in trouble for the rest of our lives? Dr. Gil Winkelman discusses how epigenetics is so important in understanding our genetics. Epigenetics is the study of how DNA gets turned on and off based on a variety of factors. But what does this mean? Dr. Gil explores how we can use this information clinically and how effective it is for treating behavior, learning, and mental health issues.

What you Need to Know about EpigeneticsDr. Gil Winkelman
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What you Need to Know about the Methylation Cycle-podcast

September 16, 2016 by Dr. Gil Winkelman 2 Comments

The methylation cycle is a combination of the methionine and folate cycles in the body. Confused? Well don’t be. While there are many technical terms associated with the methylation cycle, understanding the details is important. Having the appropriate balance of methyl in the body is important. Methyl is used by the body as a messenger and catalyst. The body uses it to break down histamine, recycle homocysteine, and tagging DNA. Too much histamine (undermethylation) can cause many problems in the body from psychological problems to allergies. Too little histamine (overmethylation) can lead people to have an inability to experience emotions fully. It’s like they get stuck emotionally.

Homocysteine build up can be deadly. It can lead to inflammation, cancer, and heart disease. Balancing methyl in the body helps both of these issues.

Methyl is also used in the epigenetics of the body. It helps the body know what genes to leave off and which genes to turn on. Today on Ask Dr Gil the podcast, I will cover the Methylation Cycle in detail. This is important to understand so that you know how to treat. Knowing the genetics isn’t very helpful. Just because there is a genetic defect on one side of the methylation cycle doesn’t mean that is the side that the problem resides. We discuss why this may be and what we need to know on how to treat the problem.

What you Need to Know about the Methylation Cycle-podcastDr. Gil Winkelman
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