The Purple Pill Myth

The entire digestive process is orchestrated by good stomach acid. If there isn’t enough, the gallbladder doesn’t get triggered properly to function, and the pancreatic enzymes aren’t released for proper digestion.

So, knowing the vital functions of stomach acid,  it seems absolutely insane to take antacids or proton-pump inhibitors such as that little purple pill, doesn’t it?

How does the stomach acid get turned off? And what can be done about it? The main reason stomach acid gets turned off is from stress caused by high carb intake (high sugar levels are enormously stressful for the body), mental stress, physical stresses like excessive exercise, or physical stresses such as inflammation, infections, anemia or food intolerances.

Most people simply need supplementation of digestible betaine hydrochloride (HCI), for three to six months to restore proper acidity to the stomach and eliminate the symptoms they’re having. Mucilaginous vegetables like okra are especially effective for that. The stomach lining heals quite quickly, so after 10 days of eating okra or taking okra pills, you can add in the betaine hydrochloride with each meal. Make sure that it’s taken with or right after a meal.

Apple cider vinegar is a popular home remedy for low stomach acid, but it’s quite weak. It will help a little, but you might also consider supplementation, because if you are continuing to stress your body in whatever way that you do, the apple cider vinegar might not be enough, and considering how much we need good acid, it might be worthwhile to supplement.

It’s not just a matter of fixing the problem once and thinking you’re done. Pay attention to symptoms, and ask your doctor about betaine hydrochloride if you start having problems. Anytime you have a large meal, or when you travel, or in periods of high stress, you take it just as a precaution.

You will be amazed at how quickly those acid reflux, sour stomach, and gas problems will be resolved without having to take a lifetime of purple pills when you incorporate these simple, natural strategies. Ask your doctor for more information regarding digestive health.

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In Shape For Life

After the age of 40, we tend to lose about 0.5 to 2 percent of our muscle each year. If you aren’t concerned about looking good, then also realize that this loss is a large factor in falls in older age, which can most often lead to fractures and even death. The good news is that there’s an answer to helping fight this. Follow these steps and you will find yourself getting in shape for life:

Step 1: Don’t sit too long

The first goal is to avoid sitting or resting for long periods of time. A study in the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that people who sit for most of the day are 54 percent more likely to die of a heart attack. The shocking fact is that this is independent on whether you smoke or exercise! It doesn’t matter if you exercise or smoke. Sitting long periods still increase the risk.

Step 2: Start a Walking Program

Start with small steps. The best way to do this is get a simple pedometer. Those cost a few dollars and are well worth it. Stick to your regular routine for the first week and record how many steps you walk every day. Do this every week until you can get to a goal of 10,000 steps per day. This is the big goal so don’t aim for it from the start. It’s about aiming for smaller goals first and then reaching them.

Step 3: Start a stretching (warm up) program

Good news is that you don’t need to spend as much time holding a stretched position as we previously thought. That’s because we are often confused between stretching and warming up. Warming up is about moving body parts slowly and through a full range of motion until your muscles get warmed up. This is the best thing to do before you start any exercise program. Research has shown that static stretching, those positions that you hold for several seconds, can sometimes be responsible for increasing injuries, not decreasing them.

Step 4: Start a strengthening program

Researchers at University of Michigan Health System found that an adult can add 2.42 pounds of lean muscle and increase overall strength by 25 to 30 percent after 18 weeks of resistance training. This can occur well into the 80′s and 90′s so its never too late to start.

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You Are What You Drink

Not all calories are the same, especially when it comes to the calories you drink. Most people tend to revolve their diet plans around the foods they consume, often forgetting that what they drink on a daily basis is just as important. Countless drinks on the market tend to be very high in sugar content, which we all know eventually turns into fat, derailing our weight-loss goals.

Some drinks are also loaded with tons of calories that often can be just as high as an entire meal. Learning what drinks to watch out for and which ones to consume can make a big difference in your overall weight and health. Let’s take a look at a few healthy options that can help you meet your long-term goals.

When it comes to finding the perfect drink to complement your healthy eating goals, the number-one thing you need is just five letters: water!

Water is a basic beverage that provides essential benefits like helping to digest your food properly and hydrating the body, but most importantly, it contains zero calories.

When considering beverages, it is essential to always read the nutrition facts just like you would with food. The first ingredient listed is the most common ingredient; the least common ingredient is listed last. Your drink should be mostly water or 100 percent juice, depending on the beverage. If you see sugar first on the label, watch out!

Other things to consider: Try to keep your sugar intake lower than American Heart Association’s limits for added sugars: 100 calories (6 tsp) for women and 150 calories (9 tsp) for men per day. (These shouldn’t be coming from beverages, since many of your foods contain sugars).

So this summer, satisfy your parched taste buds with water; and if you can’t forgo your favorite sip (or more) of something less healthy, do it in small amounts! Small changes can equal big results! Drink well.

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A new study in the Journal of Human Hypertension, one of Nature Publishing Group’s journals, reveals that chiropractic adjustments to correct subluxation of the atlas vertebrae lower blood pressure (BP).
The double blind, placebo-controlled study enrolled 50 patients with Stage 1 hypertension, who were not taking medication for the condition. During an eight-week period, half of the subjects underwent chiropractic care for restoration of atlas alignment using a National Upper Cervical Chiropractic (NUCCA) procedure. A control group received a sham procedure.
Compared with members of the placebo group, those undergoing chiropractic care enjoyed significant drops in both systolic BP and diastolic BP. No adverse effects were detected. However, chiropractic care did not appear to influence heart rate.
“We conclude that restoration of atlas alignment is associated with marked and sustained reductions in BP similar to the use of two-drug combination therapy,” conclude the study’s authors.

Journal of Human Hypertension – January 25, 2007;Epub.www.nature.com.

[Thanks to Dr. Michael Beattie

Heart Health

With February labelled as "Heart Month", I was inspired to review the research findings of the recent past, as to formulate simple recommendations for our friends and patients. What I found gave me mixed feelings.

• heart disease is no longer an "adult" disease. Recent studies have found degenerative damage to blood vessels in school children, especially when overweight and lacking in exercise;
• many medications we use every day for diabetes, blood pressure, digestive problems, arthritis, and bone thinning have damaging effect to our hearts, yet very few people who take them are aware of this;
• many foods considered healthy and wholesome, like dairy product and meat, have been shown to contribute to heart disease, through saturated fatty acids;
• cholesterol is not a villain responsible for heart disease. It is actually a protective substance responsible for the maintenance of proper immunity, and the quick repair of damage blood vessels. Medications aimed at controlling cholesterol actually do more damage than good;
• many surgical heart interventions have absolutely no impact on the longevity of heart patients, and many have never been compared to determine their actual impact on health and survival.

On the other hand, I also found very encouraging information:

• even genetic predispositions take a back seat to lifestyle and dietary factors in heart disease;
• moderate regular exercise is the most important factor in preventing heart disease;
• smoking reduction programs are having a definite positive impact on heart problem at all ages;
• humble and common foods, mainly fresh fruits and vegetable have been found to have profound protective effect on the heart;
• easily ingestible nutrients like vitamins and minerals also influence the chemistry of heart disease;
• even heart attack sufferers have a better chance at health and survival by implementing non-invasive, drug-free measures.

 As a chiropractor, I am also interested in the effect of stress and the environment. This is where our collective and personal efforts can make a sizeable difference. We can all benefit from healthier hearts by:

• taking on less work, and taking in more leisure;
• making environmentally sound decisions regarding air, water and noise pollution;
• teaching our children by example to adopt and maintain healthier lifestyles;
• eating less, eating fresh, and eating slowly;
• driving less, walk or bike more;
• making sure our organs have proper nerve supply, and arrange regular spinal checkups for the whole family.

 Your heart has to last you a lifetime (so does your spine, for that matter). There is no such thing as "too young" to worry about either of them. Remember, it's your responsibility to look after yourself: other people count on you being around a long time.

More heart health related articles:

• Eating Apples Benefits the Heart (http://www.naturalnews.com/025401.html)
• Vitamin C Restores Heart Circulation in Young Healthy Smokers (http://drjohndc.tumblr.com/post/75433602/vitamin-c-restores-heart-circulation-in-young-healthy)
• Uphill and Downhill Exercise Keeps Heart Healthy (http://drjohndc.tumblr.com/post/75430928/uphill-downhill-exercise-keep-heart-healthy)
• An Angry Heart is an Unhealthy Heart (http://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=1370)

 [Thanks to Dr. John Bureau, http://drjohndc.tumblr.com/ for the inspiration for this article]

Children’s musculoskeletal systems are different from adults. To understand pediatric injuries that involve the musculoskeletal system, it’s important to be aware of the differences between children and adults in this regard. The main difference is that children’s bones are growing; adults’ bones have stopped growing. This bone growth happens in two ways – by growing lengthwise and widthwise. The bone grows lengthwise in an area at the ends of the bones called the epiphyseal plate or growth plate, in the region known as the metaphysis. The widthwise growth occurs on the surface of the bone.

Growing bone has inherent areas of weakness due to the growth process. In fact, children’s tendons and ligaments are relatively stronger than the growth plate; therefore, with severe trauma the growth plate will give way before the ligament. On the other hand, children’s bones and muscles are more elastic and heal faster compared to adults.

Due to the differences in growing bone, the patterns of injuries are different from mature bone. There are two main types of bone injuries: one is an acute injury in which violent forces are applied at one time; the second is from chronic, recurring stresses applied to the bone over a prolonged period of time. Growth plate injuries can cause cessation (stoppage) of growth of the bone, resulting in limb-length discrepancy, angular deformity or altered joint mechanics; possibly causing permanent disabilities. The chronic recurring stresses are often termed overuse syndromes, but also include stress fractures, which can lead to changes that affect the joints, causing early arthritic changes. Stress fractures, if not managed correctly, can result in complete fracture.

Adolescents who are in the peak period of linear growth – often termed a growth spurt – are most vulnerable because of imbalances in strength and flexibility and changes in the biomechanical properties of bone. Sports involving contact and jumping have the greatest injury risk. Most chiropractors who treat pediatric patients are aware of these injuries and the potential causes related to the growing musculoskeletal system. They have been uniquely trained to understand the musculoskeletal system, making them excellent resources for the management of sports-injuries.

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Why You Need Enzymes

You’re undoubtedly aware of the role a balanced diet can play in healthy aging and disease prevention, but do you know there is a non-nutritive element that can also exert a profound positive influence on your health? Proper function of the human body is dependent on the continuous activity of thousands of different enzymes. These essential biological molecules are the catalysts in all of the body’s biochemical reactions.

Here are three important health benefits attributable to enzymes. Talk to your doctor for more information about enzymes and their value in maintaining health and wellness.

One of the simplest ways to enhance your enzyme levels is to increase your intake of raw foods. Uncooked, unprocessed foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables contain natural enzymes that support digestion and overall enzymatic activity. However, since many Americans consume inadequate amounts of these foods, supplementation may be necessary to ensure enzyme activity is supported. Increasing your intake of enzymes can help support every mode of cellular activity as well as improve overall body communication.

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Antibiotics and Childhood IBD

Antibiotics are medications that fight bacterial infections. That means if your medical doctor ever prescribes an antibiotic to fight your child’s cold, flu, cough (in most cases) sore throat (unless strep) and even bronchitis – all of which are caused by viruses – the antibiotic won’t do any good and will be exposing your child to an unnecessary drug with potential side effects.

Unfortunately, studies have shown that doctors do prescribe antibiotics for viral infections, and that sometimes, it’s to appease the parent, who doesn’t want to hear that their child’s malaise will improve on its own in a few days or so.

Between unnecessary prescribing for viral infections and appropriate prescribing for bacterial infections, children can end up taking several courses of antibiotics in their early years. That can be a problem for several reasons, not the least of which is that, as a recent study suggests, they can end up with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) later in life.

While researchers did not find a clear cause-and-effect relationship between antibiotic use in year one and IBD in childhood, they did notice that children diagnosed with the condition were more likely to have taken antibiotics (one or more courses) in their first year compared to children without IBD.

Your doctor can tell you more about IBD and the dangers of antibiotic use in infancy, childhood or any age.

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Moderate Sun Exposure: There is evidence that painful sunburns are clearly unhealthy; in fact, painful sunburns are associated with all forms of skin cancer. However, sun exposure that doesn’t cause painful burns is associated with reduced expression of most cancers, including melanoma. Regarding the skin, it seems that sun-derived vitamin D protects the skin against the photo-oxidizing effects caused by the sun. In other words, moderate sun exposure is good for our skin and does not appear to cause skin cancer. North Americans have been scared out of the sun and are urged to venture out only if we are slathered in sunscreen, both of which are known to promote vitamin D deficiency.

Diet: Research continues to support the view that a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet is preventive against chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. A commonly appreciated anti-inflammatory diet is the traditional Mediterranean diet rich in fish, vegetables and fruit. But what does this have to do with skin health? When it comes to skin, we have been somewhat conditioned to believe that the skin is nourished from the outside by creams and lotions. Rarely is nutrition for skin health a consideration, despite multiple papers published on this topic.

In short, the anti-inflammatory diet that is recommended for primary and secondary prevention of diabetes and heart disease is also known to reduce the expression of skin cancer. Compared with the United States, Australia and New Zealand, Mediterranean countries with high levels of sunlight exposure, including Greece, Spain and Italy, have a substantially lower incidence of skin cancer. This may be due to the anti-inflammatory nature of the Mediterranean diet. It turns out that consumption of large amounts of vegetables and fruit and reduced consumption of pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids, which is characteristic of the Mediterranean diet, is associated with reductions in the negative effects of sun damage, including oxidative, mutagenic, immunosuppressive, and inflammatory responses.

A Rationale Plan for Skin Health: It is extremely important to avoid excessive exposure that leads to sunburns, particularly when we are young. Otherwise, we should take a graded approach to sun exposure based on our skin pigmentation. For especially fair-skinned people, this may mean only 10 minutes a day without sunscreen. Because it is not normal for humans to spend multiple hours at the beach lying in the sun, after brief sun exposure, the use of sunscreen is required and a beach umbrella is recommended.

While diet may not typically be considered to influence skin health, the evidence suggests the exact opposite. In addition to healthy sun exposure, we must eat a skin-protecting anti-inflammatory diet. For the average person, this means the avoidance of sugar, flour and refined oils, and substantially increased consumption of vegetables and fruit, which provide vital antioxidants and phytonutrients.

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Exercise Tips for the New Year

A new year means another 365 days to stick to the most common resolution out there: resolving to exercise. What will make this year different from years past when optimism turned to despair after a few months of hard work? Here are a few exercise tips to help you stay on track in 2011 and build a leaner, meaner you:

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Start Your Day Right

“Start off the day with a balanced breakfast” is a popular phrase in health circles, yet it’s also one of the least likely to be taken to heart. Why do so many skip breakfast when the health consequences are so profound? It goes far beyond reduced mental alertness and lack of energy, according to a recent study.

In the study, children ages 9-15 reported whether they usually ate breakfast before school; skipping the meal was defined as not eating between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Years later, when study participants were 26-36 years of age, the researchers asked the same question to discern whether breakfast skipping had continued until adulthood. Skipping breakfast in childhood and adulthood increased the likelihood of having larger waist circumference, higher fasting insulin, and higher low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol in adulthood compared to consistent breakfast eaters.

The moral to this story: You’re never too busy for breakfast! Even if you have to “eat on the run,” find a minute or two to toast a whole-wheat bagel or blend fresh berries with nonfat yogurt and protein powder. If that’s too time-consuming, do a little legwork the night before so your whole-grain cereal and milk are ready to take to work. Your body will thank you for it. Talk to your doctor for more information.

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[Source: www.toyourhealth.com]

Back pain, neck pain, knee pain, foot pain – wherever the pain is, it’s a pretty powerful motivator. In fact, depending on the severity of the pain, you may be willing to do just about anything to get rid of it. That’s why so many people rush to the medicine cabinet and pop a few pills at the first sign of pain. Here’s a much better idea: Ask your chiropractor about these simple exercises that can actually help reduce pain caused by common overuse conditions.

You wake up at night with numbness and tingling in your hands. Sleeping through the night is almost an impossible task. You may be suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition in which nerves from your neck traveling into your hand can become compressed in the wrist.

What you can do: Extend (straighten) your arm out in front of your body with your palm facing up. Straighten your fingers, keeping them close together. Bend your wrist backward and try to point your fingers toward the floor, and with the opposite hand press down on the palm side of your fingers to bend (extend) your wrist slightly further. Hold this stretch for 2 seconds, return the wrist to a straight position, and then repeat the entire movement for 10 repetitions

Do you feel clicking and popping in your knee? Perhaps walking up and down stairs has become a challenge and taking those after-dinner walks is more and more difficult. Knee pain can be a tricky condition because proper motion depends on the functioning of the hips and ankles.

What you can do: Stand on the edge of a step with the balls of your feet. Make sure you have something to hold on to for balance. Keep a slight bend in your knees and let your heels drift downward towards the floor, so your toes are higher than your heels. Sink the heels downward as far as you can and hold for 5 seconds. You can progress to one foot at a time for increased intensity. Return to the starting position and repeat 10 times.

If you experience sharp pain on the outside of your elbow when trying to twist open a jar or grasping something with your hand, it may be tendonitis of the forearm muscles. This injury became known as tennis elbow because players would get elbow pain after hitting repetitive backswings in tennis.

What you can do: Stand sideways against a wall. Bend your arm 90 degrees at the elbow with the thumb facing up. Place a tennis ball between the top of the forearm and the wall, with the opposite hand press against the inside of your forearm, putting additional pressure into the ball. Move the forearm back and forth in a circular motion on the tennis ball, searching for tender spots. Spend between 30-60 seconds on each tender spot until the pain begins to fade; then search for other tender areas. Do this three to five times per day.

The most important point to remember is that no exercise should make your pain worse. Soreness and discomfort are acceptable and expected; however, increased pain and dysfunction is not. It takes time for an injury to properly heal. Talk to your doctor for more information about what you can do to keep pain away the natural way.

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How Nutrition Can Help Eczema

There are three main objectives in the treatment of eczema: reducing inflammation, relieving itching of the skin, and moisturizing dry patches. As most alternative health practitioners know, certain dietary practices and various supplements can help to accomplish these objectives in many cases of eczema that seem to be resistant to standard medical treatment. The most evidence-based lifestyle, dietary and supplementation strategies shown to improve cases of eczema are as follows:

Dietary and Lifestyle Considerations: Avoid any known dietary or environmental irritants or allergens. Reduce the build-up of the polyunsaturated fat arachidonic acid within skin cells, as it is the direct building block of inflammatory prostaglandin hormones. To accomplish this, reduce the intake of the following foods: high-fat meat and dairy products; corn oil, sunflower seed oil, safflower seed oil, and mixed vegetable oils; alcohol, hydrogenated fats (e.g., margarine, commercial peanut butter, shortenings).

Replace the above foods with the following: chicken, turkey, fish, Cornish hen, 1 percent milk or yogurt, low-fat cheese (3 percent or less milk fat), olive oil, canola oil, or peanut oil (for salad dressings, to sauté vegetables or stir fry only).

Important Supplements: Omega-3 fats provide the building block for the production of prostaglandin hormones that reduce the inflammatory activity of skin cells. They also reduce the build-up of arachidonic acid in skin cells by blocking the enzyme that converts linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid to arachidonic acid. Examples of omega-3 fats of importance to skin health include EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). EPA is found in fish and fish oils, and ALA is found primarily in flaxseed oil. Clinical trials have shown that omega-3 fats can be effective in the treatment of eczema.

Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) has also been shown to help in cases of eczema. Studies reveal that many patients with eczema lack the enzyme to convert linoleic acid to gamma-linolenic acid. As gamma-linolenic acid is the building block of an important anti-inflammatory prostaglandin hormone, supplementation with an oil that is high in gamma-linolenic acid, such as borage, black currant or evening primrose oil, has been shown to favorably affect cases of eczema.

A number of B vitamins (especially B₆ and niacin) are necessary co-factors to speed up the enzymes that produce anti-inflammatory prostaglandins in the skin. Vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and zinc are also required to support various enzymes within skin cells that promote the formation of prostaglandins, which reduce skin inflammatory conditions, including eczema. I recommend a high-potency multivitamin/mineral supplement that contains a B-50 complex along with boosted levels of antioxidants.

In many cases, once specific allergies have been ruled out, the medical profession is at a loss to provide eczema sufferers with any meaningful treatment options. For this subgroup of patients, specific dietary and supplementation practices outlined in this article can provide significant improvement of their condition in many cases. Your doctor can tell you more about the connection between diet and skin health.

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Lower Sugar, Lower Blood Pressure

Sounds pretty simple, right? Except in a society overwhelmed by processed foods loaded with added sugar, keeping your sugar (or blood pressure) in check can be a major challenge.

But let’s leave the topic of limiting sugar consumption from all sources for another day, and instead focus on sugar from a single source: sugar-sweetened beverages. According to a study published in the June 2010 issue of Circulation (a journal of the American Heart Association), a reduction in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption of one serving per day reduced systolic blood pressure in adults by 1.8 mg Hg and diastolic blood pressure by 1.1 mg Hg over 18 months. (If your blood pressure is 120-75, for example, your systolic blood pressure is 120 and your diastolic blood pressure is 75.) Diet beverage consumption and caffeine intake did not appear to be associated with blood pressure.

Remember, even a small reduction, particularly if all you have to do is drink less sugar-sweetened beverages, can make a big difference. In fact, it might save your life. Your doctor can tell you more – much more – about the considerable dangers of sugar and high blood pressure.

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When we walk or run, our body goes through a complex set of steps that makes movement seem smooth and easy. It’s actually a complex cycle called the “gait” or walking cycle. A smooth walking or gait cycle means that the forces from the ground should be absorbed by your heels and feet each time you take a step. Energy from the ground and healthy movement is transferred through the feet up into ankles, knees, hips and into the spine, all the way up to the head.

Foot anatomy also plays an important role in foot function. For example, do you know how many arches each foot has? If you answered one, you answered like 95 percent of people do – incorrectly. Each foot actually has three arches: one on the inside of the foot, one on the outside and one across the ball of the foot. These arches are all important and must all be functioning properly to facilitate healthy movement and weight-bearing.

When our feet do not have the arch support we now know to be so important, our bodies can start having problems. These problems can start innocently enough, but the consequences can be severe. Here are a few of the common problems that can affect your feet:

If your arches are too high or over-supported, we call this “excessive supination.” A more common occurrence is something called “excessive pronation,” which means the arches actually fall toward the floor or flatten out. More serious conditions attributable to foot dysfunction include plantar fascitis (inflammation of the thick tissue on the bottom of the heel), Achilles tendinitis (inflammation of the Achilles tendon), Morton’s neuroma (thickening of nerve tissue between the third and fourth toes, causing sharp pain on the ball of the foot), anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, arthritis, and hip and lower back pain.

There are many factors that affect your feet (for better or worse). Here are a few:

Genetics: You cannot outrun your genes. Flat feet or excessively pronating feet run in families. Parents pass it on to their children. If one parent has flat or collapsed arches, their children will have it also to some degree. If both parents have overpronated feet, their kids will absolutely have flat feet as well. I check children for this around age 7.

Surfaces: Concrete and stone are the worst surfaces for the feet. Generally, the harder the surface, the more stress on the arches and the faster they will collapse. Dirt, rubber tracks, carpeting and grass are all softer surfaces that offer some cushion to the feet and help to reduce strain and shock.

Shoe types: If you look inside almost every shoe, sandal, flip-flop, boot, etc., you will notice that there may be some inner arch support. Hardly any shoe has outer arch support or support for the arch under the ball of the foot. For this reason, looking for “good” shoes is often a myth.

We spend much of our lives taking our feet for granted – if we are lucky. If we’re not, we suffer one or more of the painful, often debilitating conditions that can affect the feet. That’s why your feet are so important and why you need to take care of them. Talk to your doctor about the importance of foot health and what you can do to ensure the stability of your foundation- your feet.

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The Power of Nutrition

Several health issues predominate in men as they age including the metabolic syndrome, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, depression, erectile dysfunction, prostate hypertrophy (enlargement) and cancer, and loss of muscle mass and vitality. In many cases, medications are prescribed for these conditions, even though in general they cannot correct the problem, because the problem is caused by overeating and a lack of exercise.

The good news is that the correction simply requires doing what we already know is good for us. That is, we need to exercise more and eat better, and research has demonstrated that the combination of exercising and eating nutrient-rich foods that are low in calories can lead to rapid fat loss and a reduction of chronic inflammation.

The best foods to focus on when pursuing an anti-inflammatory diet are fish, lean animal proteins, vegetables, fruits, sweet potatoes, and nuts. Certain supplements are also beneficial for reducing chronic inflammation, especially magnesium, omega-3 fish oil, and vitamin D.

Many men notice a positive change in their health status within a week if they adhere to the dietary and supplemental changes, and as time goes on, many who are taking medication for one or more of the above conditions are able to discontinue their medication. The focus should be on pursuing an anti-inflammatory lifestyle and letting your body respond as it sees fit.

It’s actually a simple process: Before preparing, ordering or eating a food, test yourself by asking the following question: “Will this food increase or decrease inflammation?” If it increases inflammation, you may want to avoid it or certainly limit consumption. If it decreases inflammation, then dig in! Talk to your doctor for more information.

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3 Ways to Stick With It

Stick with what, you ask? Well, whether you’re trying to lose weight, beginning an exercise program or doing just about anything else to maximize health and wellness, you need to “stick with it” or you’ll end up frustrated and fail to accomplish much of anything. Here are three considerations to, well, consider as you pursue your health and wellness goals:

Slow & Steady: When it comes to health, you have to be in it for the long haul. Health is a lifetime pursuit, which is the challenge and the opportunity. Whether you’re committing to a better diet, a consistent exercise program, etc., recognize that lasting changes start slow and stay the course. Jump in without proper planning or pacing, and you’ll find yourself jumping right back out again.

Break Time: Your body and your mind both need a rest if you’re going to stick with a diet and exercise program for more than few weeks or months. If it’s diet, designate a “cheat” day once a week and indulge (don’t overload) on one or two of your favorite less-than-healthy foods. With exercise, avoid working out on consecutive days, and take a whole week off every 6-8 weeks and rejuvenate.

Goal in Sight: Without a goal, you can’t achieve it, and to achieve lifelong health and wellness, you need short-, medium- and long-term goals. It could be losing 5 pounds this month or 25 pounds this year, improving your cholesterol or body-fat percentage by next year’s physical (and the one after that), fitting into a smaller size, running a longer distance; you name it. Set it and then work to achieve it.

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“You can tell that fall is in the air,” commented one of the staff. “With the cool rainy days, many of our arthritis patients are showing up for their pre-fall tune-ups.”

With the noticeable drop in temperature and increased moisture in the air, the common complaint with these patients is that for months they’ve felt great and now those re-occurring aches and pains are back.

When confronted with the question of why many of us ache worse in cold, damp weather I offer the following answer: “Who the heck knows!”

Researchers are unable to agree that osteoarthritis aches and pains vary with thermal or barometric changes. They often attribute these complaints of winter aches to psychological sequelae of shorter days and grey weather rather than physiologic changes (they obviously haven’t talked to enough of Canada’s snowbirds).

In my humble experiences with hundreds of snowbirds, I’ll fearlessly challenge these researchers, throw caution to the wind and offer a definitive medical opinion.

Cold winter weather bothers some patients physically, some mentally and some not at all. I’ve been told that I’m riding the fence on this issue. At any rate our office certainly gets busy when the weather turns nasty. I’ll share some of our advice to deal with this problem.

Stay active year round. Your body needs to be stretched, strengthened and active 12 months of the year. There will be days when it’s wet and cold and you won’t feel like going outside. Go to the mall and walk, walk on a treadmill, walk up and down some stairs, go to the gym, swim laps at the pool, or better yet, invest in a good raincoat and umbrella and head outside. The fresh air will help to invigorate you as well. If you turn into a couch potato in winter your body will hurt as much or more as a springtime couch potato.

Try to eat whole natural foods focusing on fresh veggies, fruit, legumes, nuts, seeds and good cuts of meat and fish. Try to stay away from empty calories in refined breads, pastas, rice and pastries. There is more recent research linking excess refined and poor quality simple and complex carbohydrate intake to increased inflammatory exudates (swollen joints).

Try some of the arthritis supplements on the market if you haven’t already. There is some support for glucosamine sulphate, MSM, a good antioxidant formula, a good calcium/magnesium/vitamin D formula and salmon oil capsules that are high in Omega 3 fatty acids.

Chondroitin sulphate has not done well in recent clinical trials in terms of efficacy so you should probably save your money. Do not take glucosamine or chondroitin if you have sulfa allergies — remember the full compound is glucosamine sulphate. Also, be careful if you have diabetes as the glucose in glucosamine may increase your blood glucose levels temporarily.

If you begin to experience back or joint pain, chiropractic treatment may help. Chiropractic is a safe and effective way to relieve pain in the joints, muscles and nerves along the spinal column. For more information on chiropractic care, preventing and treating back injuries in your family, contact Dr. Stacey Rosenberg on 604-886-7080 or find a family chiropractor at: www.bcchiro.com.

[Source: From: Alberni Valley Times; Byline: Dr. James Tilsted, DC, Dr. Brent Manson, DC and Dr. Cobi Bothma, ND]

Score each item from 1 (almost always) to 5 (never) according to how much of the time each statement applies to you:

1. I eat at least one hot, balanced meal a day.
2. I get seven to eight hours sleep at least four nights a week.
3. I give and receive affection regularly.
4. I have at least one relative within 80 km. on whom I can rely.
5. I exercise to the point of perspiration at least twice a week.
6. I smoke less than half a pack of cigarettes a day.
7. I take fewer than five alcoholic drinks per week.
8. I am the appropriate weight for my height.
9. I have an income adequate to meet basic expenses.
10. I get strength from my religious beliefs.
11. I have one or more friends to confide in about personal matters.
12. I have a network of friends and acquaintances.
13. I regularly attend club or social activities.
14. I am in good health (including eyesight, hearing, teeth).
15. I am able to speak openly about my feelings when I am angry or worried.
16. I have regular conversations with the people I live with about domestic problems, including chores, money and daily living issues.
17. I do something for fun at least once a week.
18. I am able to organize my time effectively.
19. I drink fewer than three cups of coffee (tea, soda/pop) a day.
20. I take quiet time for myself during the day.

Total:   To find your score, add up the figures and subtract 20. Any number over 30 indicates a vulnerability to stress. You are seriously vulnerable if your score is between 50 and 75, and extremely vulnerable if it is over 75.  Regular chiropractic adjustments help to naturally reduce stress on the nerve system and enable the body to return to a normal, healthy state. The healthiest people on the planet choose chiropractic! Talk to Dr. Stacey about strategies to decrease stress and maximize your life and see the attached article below.

DID YOU KNOW THAT 60-90% OF ALL DOCTOR VISITS ARE FOR STRESS-RELATED ILLNESSES?

Stress is costly in terms of your health, relationships and performance. When you are affected by too much stress your body wears down and you get sick. Highly disorganized people seem to be more susceptible to sickness as they are always under extreme pressure, running from one disaster to another.

What many people fail to realize is they constantly repeat the same mistakes by not addressing the fundamental issues that are the cause of their problems and guess what this is? Their own personal disorganization!

Here is what you can do to dramatically decrease the stress in your business and your life:

GET ORGANIZED

Learn how to manage yourself and your time. This includes how to plan and prioritize. You can do it yourself (good luck, because if you knew what to do, then why aren’t you doing it?) or you can accelerate your results by getting coached attending seminars or reading or listening to material to learn how to improve your effectiveness.

EXERCISE REGULARLY, EXERCISE DAILY

Try swimming, running or walking.  Your body needs regular activity. “Use it or lose it”.

EAT HEALTHY

Feed yourself healthy food and drink 6-8 glasses of water a day and you will triple your output.

LEARN TO SAY “NO”

Become more discerning about what activities you are prepared to do or participate in. If you are already overloaded, let people know.

DELEGATE OR OUTSOURCE

Do what you do best and get rid of the rest. This applies to work and home.

AVOID PROCRASTINATION

Stop worrying about what may or may not happen if you make a decision, just take action.

THE FINAL WORD

I bet you probably knew all this, didn’t you? Well my questions is, if you’re continually running from one crisis to another, disgruntled with the results you’re getting in your life then what actions are you going to take to rectify your situation?

Are you like the old man and his dog? There was an old man sitting on his porch in his rocking chair. Next to him was his dog. A stranger walks past and says “Why is your dog whining and howling?” The old man says “he’s sitting on a nail”. The stranger replies “then why doesn’t he get off it?”

The old man responds “He isn’t in enough pain yet”

Don’t wait until this is you!

From: ChiroACCESS ; Published on April 29, 2010

It is well documented that low back pain is the most common presenting complaint in a chiropractic office.  A growing body of evidence has elevated the importance of the sacroiliac joint in low back pain and suggested a reduction in the role of the lumbar spine as likely the most common cause.  This April 2010 study was supported by the Arthritis Society and conducted at Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College.  Radiographs of 315 patients ages 18-60 with chronic low back pain greater than 3 months duration were included in the study.  Two radiologists read the films and categorized the SI joint as normal, degenerative or inflammatory.  The authors found that “a significantly large proportion of the cohort (23.8%) had degenerative changes in the SI joint.  Degenerative change in the SI joint has received little attention in prior investigations and is clinically under-recognized…it appears unrelated to concurrent OA in the lumbar spine.”

A clinical review was created for ChiroACCESS that provides great detail related to the prevention, diagnosis and management of SI joint conditions.  That review can be found here http://www.chiroaccess.com/Conditions/Biomechanical-Sacroiliac-Joint-Pain.aspx.

Inflammatory and degenerative sacroiliac joint disease in a primary back pain cohort.

Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2010 Apr;62(4):447-54.

O’Shea FD, Boyle E, Salonen DC, Ammendolia C, Peterson C, Hsu W, Inman RD.
Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of sacroiliac (SI) joint abnormalities in a primary low back pain population remains unresolved. The aims of our study were to define the prevalence of SI joint disease in this cohort, and to identify clinical features that might accurately predict radiographic changes in the SI joint and spine.

METHODS: Lumbar spine and anteroposterior pelvis radiographs taken over a 3-year period for the evaluation of back pain at a major chiropractic college were scored for the presence of inflammatory or degenerative features. Data were subsequently extracted by means of a predetermined template from the clinical notes. The outcomes were correlated using Spearman’s correlation coefficients.

RESULTS: We identified 315 patients (173 men, 142 women), ages 18-60 years. Of these, 100 patients (31.7%) demonstrated SI joint abnormalities: 75 (23.8%) degenerative, 25 (7.9%) inflammatory. Sex was strongly associated with type of SI joint pathology; degenerative disease was predominantly found in women (68%), whereas inflammatory disease was predominantly found in men (63%). In women there was no correlation between degenerative SI joint abnormalities and degenerative changes in the lumbar spine. Of the clinical descriptors evaluated, none were associated with the radiographic findings with the exception of buttock pain, which was associated with inflammatory sacroiliitis. Neither being overweight nor pregnancy history was associated with degenerative changes in the SI joint.

CONCLUSION: In a primary back pain cohort, degenerative SI joint disease may be an under-recognized clinical entity. It is strongly influenced by sex but is unrelated to degenerative changes in the lumbar spine. Currently proposed clinical discriminators performed poorly in correlating with radiographic changes in the SI joint.

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Dr. Stacey: This study proves what I’ve been finding clinically and saying for years – the SI joint is just as, if not more important than the lumbar spine in cases of lower back pain and sciatica! Hence why I utilize the technique that I do!