A very large number of clinicopathologic entities affecting the oral cavity, esophagus, and stomach have been described and listed below for general information. Precise diagnosis is essential to categorize lesions into the following three categories of major clinical significance:

1. Inflammatory and autoimmune
2. Specific Infectious
3. Neoplastic

At the outset, I make two essential points. First, in my experience, a majority of lesions encountered in the clinical practice of integrative medicine fall into the first category. Second, good long-term results with lesions in that category can be obtained only when all issues of bowel ecology are effectively addressed.

The primary responsibility of an integrative physician to persons with neoplastic lesions is prompt diagnosis with biopsy and referral to appropriate physicians for definitive therapy. I recall a patient with malignant melanoma of palate that was treated with local injections for months and without a precise diagnosis before a biopsy revealed the true nature of the lesion.

Sometimes I hear some clinicians make a case against the diagnostic biopsy for the fear that such a procedure will spread the tumor. If that happens at all, it must happen on exceedingly rare occasions. When asked about it, most pathologists with decades of diagnostic experience do not recall cases in which evidence for that was irrefutable. A more important question in this context is this: Without precise histopathologic diagnosis, how can anyone ever know what he/she might be treating? How can anyone separate benign from malignant neoplasms? How can anyone accumulate clinical experience about any specific malignant neoplasm?

In cases of specific infections, the use of antibiotics needs to be considered on the basis of total evaluation of an individual case. Clearly, experienced integrative physicians can successfully manage many specific infections without resorting to antibiotic prescriptions.

OUTLINE
Developmental Lesions

1. Face
    a. Cleft lip
    b. Other facial clefts
    c. Congenital lip pits
    d. Retention cysts

2. Tongue
    a. Microglossia
    b. Macroglossia
    c. Aglossia
    d. Lingual thyroid

3. Teeth
    a. Dental and dentigerous cysts
    b. Odontia, oligodentia, hypodontia
    c. Pigmentation
    d. Enamel defects
    e. Dentin defects

Autoimmune Mucocutaneous Disorders
    1. Lichen planus
    2. Pemphigus, benign mucosal
    3. Pemphigus, vulagaris
    4. Erythema multiforme
    5. Epidermolysis bullosa

Truamatic and Autoimmune Lesions
   1. Leukoedema
    2. Leukoplakia
    3. Hyperkeratosis
    4. Carcinoma-in-situ

Infectious Disorders
   1. Mycosis
        a. Candidiasis (thrush)
        b. Actinomycosis
        c. Histoplasmosis

2. Recurrent herpes, oral (clear vesicles on erythematous base)

3. Recurrent herpes, gingivostomatitis

4. Group A coxsackievirus (Hand-foot-and-mouth disease)

5. Vincent's disease (acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis caused by Borrelia vincenti)

6. Apthous (cankar) sores (larger than herpetic lesions, usually associated with altered sattes of bowel ecology)

7. Oral lesions of infectious mononucleosis, Bechet's syndrome, Reiter's disease (arthritis, conjunctivitis, and uretheritis)

8. Syphilis, gonorrhea, and related disorders

Mycotic infections

a. Wegener's granulomatosis

b. Midline lethal granuloma

c. Eosinophilic ulcer

d. Crohn's disease

a. Papilloma

b. Epithelial hyperplasia

c. Fibroma

d. Lipoma

e. Neuoma, neurilemmoma, and neuriofibroma

f. Hemangioma

g. Osler-Rendu-Weber disease (hereditary hemorrhagic telangietasia)

h. Osteoma and chondroma

i. Plasmacytoma

j. Keratoacanthoma

k. Salivary gland neoplasms

l. Squamous cell carcinoma

m. Carcinosarcoma

n Sarcomas

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Three essential points concerning GERD, in my view, are:

First, it is a problem of gastric motility, and not of excessive hydrochloric acid production.

Second, the disrupted ecology of the small and large bowel profoundly affect the gastric motility and digestive-absorptive dysfunctions.

Third, lifestyle stress plays a major role in the pathogenesis.

Gastric and Duodenal Ulcer Disease

Three essential points concerning the ulcer diathesis, in my view, are:

1. Lifestyle stress plays a major role in the pathogenesis.

2. Problems of gastric motility, and not of excessive hydrochloric acid production, play the central roles in pathogenesis of the ulcer disease.

3. Disrupted ecology of the small and large bowel profoundly affects the gastric and duodenal motility and digestive-absorptive dysfunctions.

In my view, the long-term use of pharmacologic agents that inhibit gastric production is fraught with the serious danger of disruption of the gastric functions. The epidemic of H. pylori infection is one consequence of that practice.

GASTRIC ECOLOGY PROTOCOL #1®
Papain 50 mg; Amylase 50 mg; Lipase 50 mg; Protease 50 mg; Pancreatin 100 mg

GASTRIC ECOLOGY PROTOCOL #2®
Aloe vera 2 mg; Licorice root extract 500 mg; L-Arginine HCI 25 mg.

GASTRIC ECOLOGY PROTOCOL #3®
Betaine HCI 50 mg; Ammonium chloride 50 mg; Calcium chloride 50 mg.

GASTRIC ECOLOGY PROTOCOL #4®
Artichoke leaves 650 mg; Dandelion 207 mg; Gentian root 164 mg; Turmeric root 118 mg; Milfoil 118 mg; Chamomile 74 mg; Fennel 74 mg; Blessed thistle 20 mg; Buckbean leaves 15 mg.

Gastric Reflux (Esophagitis)

The following steps are suggested to control symptoms of gastric reflux and esophagitis (usually burning pain behind the breast bone) for patients who suffer such symptoms on a chronic basis. For acute symptoms or new symptoms, we recommend evaluation by one of the Institute physicians or by your primary care physician.

1. Aloe liquid: one to two tablespoons every two to four hours to control symptoms.

2. Cabbage juice: One-half cup every three to four hours until symptoms are controlled.

3. Cell Ecology 3 tea: Two to three cups of tea sipped warm or cold according to taste daily

4. Peppermint tea: Two to three cups of tea sipped warm or cold according to taste daily.

5. Water Therapy (See Water Therapy Sheet)

6. Limbic-Lymphatic Rebounding

7. Limbic Breathing (Tape available for the Institute)

8. Limbic Prayer Beads

9. Attend autoregulation workshop at the Institute.

10. Eliminate all allergic and incompatible foods from your diet for three days.

11. Short-term medication support to be prescribed by your physician.

11. 1 Dicyclomine 10 mg caps, 20 mg tabs.