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  • 2014

Treatments for Insomnia

November 29, 2014 / Charles W. Lapp, MD / Ask The Doctor

Q:            Are there any reliable treatments for insomnia? A:            Most experts on ME/CFS agree that sleep disruption is the one symptoms that should be addressed first.  Sleep allows the tired achy muscles to recover; and lack of sleep increases pain and fatigue.   There are many ways to approach insomnia, starting with good sleep habits, especially […]

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Why Do I Wake Up Exhausted?

November 29, 2014 / Charles W. Lapp, MD / Ask The Doctor

Q:            I wake up each morning feeling tired, even though I have slept.  Would a sleep study be useful? A:            There are at least four core symptoms in ME/CFS:  pain, cognitive dysfunction, fatigue or post-exertional malaise, and non-restorative sleep.  Thus, awakening unrefreshed is one of the cardinal symptoms of ME/CFS, and one of the last […]

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Do I Have to Live Like This?!

November 29, 2014 / Charles W. Lapp, MD / Ask The Doctor

Q:            Do I have to live the rest of my life like this? A:            ME/CFS is considered a chronic illness, but longitudinal studies suggest that 17-64% of adult PWCs improve, less than 10% fully recover.  The improvement rate is even better for adolescents with ME/CFS.  The current standard of therapy is to treat sleep and […]

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Food Sensitivities

November 29, 2014 / Charles W. Lapp, MD / Ask The Doctor

Q:            Will it help me to eliminate gluten and milk? A:            Many PWCs report intolerance to both gluten (wheat products, barley, and rye) as well as dairy products.  These intolerances are rarely caused by true allergies to gluten (celiac disease or sprue) or dairy (milk protein allergy).  Researchers in Belgium have also suggested that many […]

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dairy, food, food intoelrance, food sensitivity, glujten, milk

What is the MTHFR Mutation?

November 29, 2014 / Charles W. Lapp, MD / Ask The Doctor

Q:            What’s this gene defect in folic acid metabolism all about (the MTHFR gene mutation), and should I be tested?  Does insurance cover that test? A:            MTHFR (or methylenetetrahydofolate reductase) is an enzyme required to convert folate to methionine, which is then used in the production of necessary amino acids and other compounds. When MTHFR […]

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ME Letter June 2014

July 20, 2014 / Charles W. Lapp, MD / News

This Month’s Contents Immunomodulators Creatine May Improve Muscle Function Checking the Cost of Medications Getting Some Help At Home Housekeeping Issues Emails under the new HIPAA Bring medications with you to the office Confirm your appointment when you get a “reminder call” The Use of Immunomodulators in CFS/ME/FM A subset of individuals with CFS/ME/FM experience […]

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Ampligen, CFS, Coping with CFS/ME/FM, Dr. Lapp, Fibromyalgia, Immunomodulators, ME Letter

Is there one climate more conducive to good health?

July 14, 2014 / Charles W. Lapp, MD / Ask The Doctor

Q:            Maureen C wrote, “My husband and I are fortunate to be able to live wherever we would like.  Given my medical situation, where is the best location for me to live?” A:            There is not one best place to live in general, because everyone has different needs and desires. Some prefer cold climates and […]

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Why Do Antibiotics Make Me Feel Better?

June 28, 2014 / Charles W. Lapp, MD / Ask The Doctor

Many PWCs have experienced improvement of symptoms following antibiotic treatment for other conditions.  The natural questions then are why?  And should I continue to take antibiotics? The first answer is simple.  Antibiotics may “work” in more than one way.  Yes, they might be treating some hidden infection in the body.  But antibiotics have other ameliorating […]

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Do I Have Lyme, CFS/ME, or Both?

June 28, 2014 / Charles W. Lapp, MD / Ask The Doctor

On a regular basis PWCs return to me with a new diagnosis of Lyme Disease.  My main concern in such a situation is whether the diagnosis is accurate and treatment appropriate. Lyme Disease can be a trigger for CFS/ME just as can EBV, HHV6, and other infections [Steere AC, JAMA 1993].  That’s why we request […]

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IACFS 2014 Summary

April 4, 2014 / Charles W. Lapp, MD / News

IACFS International Conference Summary 11th International IACFS/ME Conference Parc 55 Wyndham Union Square Hotel San Francisco CA March 20-23, 2014 The theme for this biennial IACFS conference was “Translating Science into Clinical Care,” which implies that most papers would address treatments and management schemes aimed at improving the care of persons with CFS/ME and FM. […]

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IACFS Conference
12

The Story of Hunter-Hopkins

The Hunter-Hopkins name derives from two individuals who were memorialized because of the invaluable lessons they taught to Dr. Lapp.

Linda Hopkins

Linda Hopkins presented to the emergency room complaining that she could not breath when she nodded off to sleep. As a result she had not slept in weeks. Other physicians had discounted her story as impossible, but Linda and her mother convinced Dr. Lapp to look into it further. Linda was hospitalized and monitored overnight. Sure enough, as soon as she nodded off, Linda went into respiratory arrest – a very severe form of sleep apnea now known as “Ondine’s Curse.” Once the problem was identified, Linda was fitted with a respirator to be used while sleeping. Lesson learned: listen to the patient.

Allison Hunter

Allison Hunter was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but lived in Australia, where the providers of socialized medicine ‘did not believe’ in the diagnosis. As a result she was misnamed a malingerer, hysterical, or Munchhausen – a term reserved for individuals who purposely pretend to be sick. When Alli developed convulsions they were attributed to this ‘phantom illness’ and went untreated. As a result, she died during a grand mal seizure. Lessons learned: (1) diligently look into all complaints and don’t discount them, and (2) don’t trust socialized medicine.

Allison’s parents went on to found the Allison Hunter Memorial Foundation, which has promoted CFS throughout the Pacific Basin and provides superb seminars for practitioners to learn more about CFS and FM.

So we have admired and memorialized these two young women who taught us much about the importance of diligence and listening to the patient.

Our Mission

We are dedicated to exceeding our patients’ expectations by providing individualized, compassionate, empathetic, and timely care. Our goal is to improve the quality of our patients’ lives by providing the highest quality of advanced evidence-based diagnosis and treatment available.

The patient is our first priority; conquering CFS/ME/FM is our ultimate goal.

The Banyan Tree

We chose the banyan tree to represent our practice because the resilient and long lived banyan offers its shade as a safe and sheltered place for weary travelers and the banyan’s distinctive habit of sprouting new supportive roots from its branches reminds our clients to find and accept support for themselves.

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