{"id":164166,"date":"2026-05-10T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/watchman.news\/2026\/05\/general-principles-to-consider-when-treating-chronic-illness\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T05:34:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T05:34:03","slug":"general-principles-to-consider-when-treating-chronic-illness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/watchman.news\/de\/2026\/05\/general-principles-to-consider-when-treating-chronic-illness\/","title":{"rendered":"General Principles to Consider When Treating Chronic Illness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s Note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published May 1, 2022.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. David Minkoff is a pioneer in natural medicine with an active practice in Clearwater, Florida. In this interview, we dive deep into some of his best strategies to optimize your health and resolve common health challenges that conventional medicine is incapable of resolving.<\/p>\n

Like me, he\u2019s passionate about exercise and has been an avid athlete since his youth. He has completed numerous Ironman competitions over the course of his athletic career.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMost of my practice is chronically ill people, but I have worked with some very high-end athletes, and I can really help them because I understand what kind of metabolism you need to do to be able to perform consistently at a high level,\u201d<\/em> he says. \u201cI’ve sort of been in the laboratory myself, and that’s been very helpful.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Minkoff\u2019s Journey<\/h2>\n

Minkoff has had a rather eclectic medical training, including adult and pediatric infectious disease. In 1995, his wife, a registered nurse, took him to a series of Jeffrey Bland lectures, a pioneer in nutritional biochemistry, and the rest, as they say, is history.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMy lights just went on,\u201d<\/em> Minkoff says. \u201cIt was just like, \u2018Holy smokes, this guy is smart, and it makes sense, and I want to learn this.\u2019 So, I started going to courses. I went to ACAM [American College for Advancement in Medicine] and learned how to do chelation.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

After that, he trained with Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, a pioneering physician in alternative medicine and Lyme disease specialist; Dr. Yoshiaki Omura, a general practitioner, cardiologist, and president of the International College of Acupuncture and Electro-Therapeutics; and Dr. Thomas Rau, a Swiss doctor specializing in biological medicine.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAs I got into it, I just sought out the best people that I could find to help me learn how I could do this better,\u201d<\/em> Minkoff says. \u201cThat’s been 25 years. So, I left the emergency room in 2002, and we’ve been going gang busters since then.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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We have a very big practice now, and it’s so much fun because there are so many new ways to help people get better that actually solve the problem with their bodies.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u2026 If you have a chronic illness \u2014 high blood pressure, high cholesterol, rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson’s disease \u2014 the repertoire of standard medicine is not very good. They might help you with symptoms, which is fine for a while, but you are headed toward an endpoint, which isn’t going to be what you want.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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We have seven hyperbaric chambers. We’ve been doing it for years. It’s a wonderful treatment … We’ve been doing methylene blue for about five years … Then, I learned about intranasal NAD \u2014 fascinating. The field is exploding with amazing people who are coming up with things that help people and have practically zero downside.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

2 Key Root Causes<\/h2>\n

Chronic illness is typically caused by some underlying cellular dysfunction, and two of the primary reasons for that are toxicity and\/or poor gut health. Minkoff explains:<\/p>\n

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\u201cHalf the problem is things in the body that shouldn’t be there, and the other half is things missing from the body that should be there. In some cases, there’s mechanical stuff.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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We need chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists or things like this because there’s a joint out of place, or their cervical vertebrae are out of place. Sometimes they might even need surgical intervention. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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But the big two are, you\u2019re toxic and you’re depleted. My approach to people then is: What are those things, and then, what is the priority or the order of dealing with those things?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

When it comes to detoxification, many things can go wrong, so it needs to be done under the supervision of a skilled practitioner. The use of DMPS, for example, can be very rough on your kidneys, and if your body is not capable of excreting the toxins, releasing them from the tissues where they\u2019re trapped will make you far worse rather than better.<\/p>\n

Making a Diagnosis<\/h2>\n

When Minkoff sees a new patient, he has them fill out an extensive and detailed medical history, including dental history. Then, he performs a detailed physical exam, followed by autonomic response testing, which allows him to identify various triggers, such as toxins and infections.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe body is so sophisticated that it will give you a sort of readout of \u2018Here’s my priority levels. Do the root canals first. Handle the cavitations. Oh, yes, there’s a parasite there. There’s autoimmune there. I’ve got chronic Epstein Barr virus or herpes Type 6,\u2019\u201d<\/em> Minkoff explains.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Autonomic response testing will also identify specific pathogens that are causing problems. In the interview, Minkoff gives a number of examples of patients whose health problems were resolved once the specific pathogen was identified and treated.<\/p>\n