Jim Chialtas, L.Ac. – Acupuncture, Functional Medicine, Autoimmune Disorders, Pain Management, Thyroid Conditions, Nutritional Healing, Chinese Medicine, Gluten Sensitivity – San Diego, California

GD Star Rating
loading...

About Jim Chialtas L. Ac. – Functional Medicine, Acupuncture, Autoimmune Disorders, Pain Management, Thyroid Conditions, Nutritional Healing, Chinese Medicine, Gluten Sensitivity – San Diego, California

Jim Chialtas is a San Diego native, graduating from Serra High School in 1993. He went on to attend the University of California at Santa Cruz to achieve his Bachelor’s Degree in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology in 1997. There, he began his instruction in Quantum Ju-Jitsu, a martial art that encompasses Ju-Jitsu, Yoga and Restoration Massage Therapy training. After volunteering for a period of time at Quan Yin Healing Center in San Francisco, he decided to pursue a career in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Jim went on to attend Five Branches Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine. After three and a half years, and over 1500 hours of training, he received his Masters Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine (MTCM).

As well as being licensed by the state of California in Acupuncture, Jim is certified in Restoration Massage Therapy – a unique form of massage which he incorporates into many of his treatments. Jim is also an apprentice instructor in Quantum Ju-Jitsu and Warrior Yoga.

Since beginning private practice Jim has trained extensively in Functional Blood Chemistry and Hormone analysis. This cutting edge way of looking at the body allows for a unique understanding and a melding of Eastern and Western methodologies. These diagnostic methods allow the patient to see first hand the progress of their therapy. Jim also works with a nutraceutical company and teaches other local practitioners how to work with Functional Blood Chemistry and Endocrinology related concepts.

When Jim isn’t seeing patients, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two young children, playing his banjo, and getting into nature as much as possible.

Here Are Some Of Jim's Specialties:

Functional Medicine:

Functional medicine is a form of preventative medicine that focuses on helping the body remain ”functional” without the use of surgeries and medications.

Too often we fall into states of chronic illness where heavy medication or surgeries are the only offered solutions. The object of functional medicine is to help the patient avoid these problems.

Functional medicine offers us a sensible and logical glimpse into the future. Through the use of blood chemistry panels, salivary hormone panels, nutrient panels, and Traditional Chinese diagnostic methods, I am able to help my patients avoid many of the all too commonly used medical procedures that leave people dependant upon heavy medications and subsequently unhealthy lifestyles. Functional medicine offers a hands-on approach to wellbeing that is fully tracked and explained at every step in the process.

Acupuncture:

How Does Acupuncture Work?
In order to understand how acupuncture works one must first acknowledge the existence of Qi – or energy which flows in our bodies. This energy travels along paths called meridians. Each of the twelve major organs has its own meridian. Along these meridians are points where the Qi gathers more densely than in other areas of the body. It is at these points where acupuncture is usually administered. Stimulation at these points can have different effects on the body.

The object of acupuncture is to restore balance within the body. There can be either excess, deficiency, or stagnation of Qi, and acupuncture can help to return this flow to an optimum level for continued health and well being.

Does Acupuncture Hurt?
Contrary to what many people think, acupuncture is surprisingly painless. The needles used are very thin, and are not hollow like their cousin the hypodermic. Commonly, these treatments will create a sense of extreme relaxation, and the notion of the actual needle completely goes away.

Autoimmune Disorders:

If there is one thing that we can all look forward to seeing more of in the near future it is autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system begins to attack some organ or tissue in its own body. There are many reasons for an autoimmune disease to begin and once it has begun it does not turn off. Fortunately though there are ways to moderate the immune attack in such a way that the person with the condition can live a normal life. Common autoimmune disorders include:

Autoimmune Thyroid Disorders (Hashimoto’s Thyroid, Grave’s Disease)
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Multiple Sclerosis
Type I or Autoimmune Diabetes
Pernicious Anemia
And much MUCH more!

Autoimmune Disease… An Immune System Problem

The most important thing to understand when you have an autoimmune condition is that this is primarily a problem with the immune system. Of course you will be diagnosed with a disease pertaining to the organ which is under attack. But treatment needs to be focused squarely on the immune system first and then on the organ under attack second. Many practitioners fail to understand this important detail and end up with less than satisfying results.

Autoimmune condition vs. Autoimmune Disease

The next most important thing to understand about an autoimmune disease is that under the mainstream model, you are not diagnosed with a problem until the autoimmune condition has grown so bad that it interferes with the function of the particular organ. For example you will not be diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroid until enough of the Thyroid gland has been killed that Thyroid function has dramatically suffered not to mention the overall health of the person. So there will always be an autoimmune “condition” going on before a full blown autoimmune disease occurs. The goal in my practice is to screen for and stop the autoimmune condition before it can manifest into a debilitating disease state. This is one area that the mainstream approach simply misses.

Screening for Autoimmune Conditions

There are many different factors that can turn on and/or drive an autoimmune condition which should be screened for. I have listed a few below:

Family history
Hormonal imbalance
Blood sugar imbalance
Gluten sensitivity
Poor Vitamin D status
Heavy metal toxicity
Leaky Gut Syndrome

Finding and fixing the factors which drive these autoimmune conditions is vital. These disease states are progressive and will spread to other organs if left unchecked. I have developed a specialty in managing conditions like these. Call today for a consultation and stop autoimmune conditions before they become full blown disease.

Thyroid Conditions:

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms you may have a Thyroid condition:

Fatigue
Increase in weight gain even with a low calorie diet
Morning headaches that wear off as the day progresses
Depression
Constipation
Overly sensitive to cold temperatures
Poor circulation and numbness in hands and feet
Muscle cramps while at rest
Catch colds and other viral/bacterial infections easily with difficult recovery
Wounds heal slowly
Require excessive amounts of sleep to function properly
Chronic digestive problems
Itchy and/or dry skin
Hair loss (particularly the outer third of eyebrows)

There are no fewer than 22 different reasons for low thyroid symptoms such as these. And only a few of which may require thyroid hormone replacement therapy. I have formed a specialty in working with all types of thyroid conditions and take great care to uncover all of the mechanisms involved to help my patients choose the best choice for their therapy and continued good health.

It is also important to realize that approximately 80% – 90% of all low thyroid conditions are actually an autoimmune thyroid condition. This means that the person’s immune system is attacking their thyroid gland which in turn leads to the low thyroid symptoms. Treatment for this kind of condition is very different than for a basic low thyroid condition and it is very important to distinguish the difference between the two as soon as possible. Disregarding this detail may leave the person open to much more dangerous and progressive autoimmune conditions over time.

In working with thyroid conditions I will use simple and inexpensive blood tests together with thorough patient histories and questionnaires which can be used to screen for all of the possible low thyroid patterns and offer us a clear understanding of the problem at hand. Call my clinic today and get started in uncovering what is really going with your health. And together we can unravel the steps it will take to get your thyroid system functioning well again.

Gluten Sensitivity:

Living a gluten free lifestyle is perhaps one of the fastest growing health trends today, and for good reason. The fact is that the gluten containing foods we consume today are not what they were even fifty years ago. Genetically modified crops along with highly processed foods can change the chemical form of components in our food like gluten for example. The bottom line here is that for a great many people, the gluten molecule creates an immune reaction within our bodies. And by this I mean that when we eat gluten our immune systems may launch an attack against it which in turn creates massive inflammation particularly in our gastrointestinal systems as well as our brain, joints, and all other parts of our body. Too many well respected medical journals today have made the undisputable link between gluten sensitivity and many serious medical disorders. To not listen and understand these findings would be negligent.

Celiac Disease

Probably the most common link between gluten sensitivity and poor health can be seen in Celiac Disease. This is a condition where the gluten sensitivity reaction degrades the lining of the digestive tract leading to inflammation, poor digestive function, pain and even bleeding. The problem here is that currently as the standard of practice for diagnosing Celiac Disease there are only 2 – 3 markers used for a positive diagnosis of the condition. But in reality there are more like twelve markers that can be easily screened for. The mainstream approach leaves a lot of markers untested. But one thing we do know is that in the last 50 years the incidence of Celiac Disease has risen from 1 in 700 to 1 in100. And when you consider that the markers used to make these diagnosis’ are only looking at less than 25% of the gluten sub fractions, it is safe to say that we are well under the 1 in 100 marker!

Sensitivity vs. Allergy

It is very important to distinguish the difference between a food sensitivity and a food allergy. A food allergy creates a severe reaction in the person which may involve swelling of the face, body rashes, airway obstruction and even death. Think of a peanut or shellfish allergy. These people are in an emergency state when they eat these foods. A food sensitivity on the other hand is something that produces low grade and late onset symptoms that often times will not be associated with the symptoms they produce. A gluten sensitivity for example may produce headaches, joint pain or fatigue days later. This is almost worse since the person will generally continue to eat the offending foods and possibly induce larger more serious health problems.

Call today and get set up for a very thorough gluten sensitivity screen. Finding a food sensitivity like this may just be the thing you have been looking for. You could be poisoning yourself every time you eat and not know it.

21st Century Practitioners Acupuncture Auto Immune Disorder Specialist Auto Immune Disorders Chinese Medicine Chronic Pain Conditions Contributors Detoxification Digestive Disorders Digestive Health Functional Medicine Heavy Metal Toxicity Holistic Healing Services Hormonal Balance Immune System Support Nutritional Healing Thyroid Disease Treatments Acupuncture, autoimmune disorders, California, chinese medicine, detoxification, functional medicine, Gluten Sensitivity, heavy metal toxicity, holistic healing, Jim Chialtas L. Ac., Massage therapy, nutritional healing, pain management, San Diego, Thyroid Conditions, traditional chinese medicine