Chiropractic Wellness

New "Cure" for Type II diabetes

2010-11-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

Always intrigued by mainstream media articles that promise "cures" for chronic disease, when I saw the link on MSN last week for an article detailing a "cure" for Type II diabetes, of course I had to read it.

The ever-hopeful part of me thought perhaps this time they got it right. That the article would be about the importance of diet & exercise in managing this insidious disease. Maybe it would even detail a new way of helping diabetics make better food choices. Or ,*gasp* detail strategies for identifying these patients earlier, when diet & exercise are more effective treatment protocols.

However, what I read nearly made me fall out of my chair.

The supposed, new "cure" for Type II diabetes is bariatric surgery.

Uh, does this sound barbaric to anyone else? "You have Type II diabetes, so we're going to open you up, staple your stomach so that you can barely eat, severely disrupt your body's digestive process so you become protein & vitamin deficient causing your body to waste away and everything will be all better!" That's not even taking into account the common and often horrendous side effects and complications of the surgery.

A further consideration is the cost. No wonder health care is so expensive in this country when we are recommending procedures that cost into the tens of thousands of dollars. Sure, the cost would be justified if that were the only solution, but its not.

The simple, but not so elegant truth, is that food is the cause of Type II diabetes and so must the remedy be.

Type II diabetes is not a disease that happens overnight or comes out of the middle of no where. Currently, the standard for diagnosing diabetes is two consecutive blood glucose readings of 120 or higher. The normal range for blood glucose is 85-100. However, measures of blood glucose alone can't reliably tell us if diabetes is developing because glucose levels can be effected by many things including what you ate recently and what your stress level may have been when your blood was drawn.

Blood sugar goes hand-in-hand with blood fats, namely measures of your cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL and LDL. This is because high levels of glucose in the blood can damage the linings of the blood vessels. Normally, the body tries to prevent clotting in the blood vessels because clots and plaques imped blood flow. But once the lining is damaged, the body goes into full-on repair mode. Cholesterol is actually the spackle used to patch the holes created in the lining of the blood vessels. Some triglycerides get incorporated too. You may have heard of LDL being called the so called "bad" cholesterol. Part of its bad reputation is because it brings cholesterol from the liver to the site of the damage in the blood vessels. HDL, often called the "good" cholesterol, shuttles cholesterol from the blood back to the liver.

Now that you have a basic primer on the relationship between blood sugar & blood fats, you can understand that by looking at cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL & LDL, we can see if a blood glucose reading of 110 is the beginning of insulin resistance, aka 'pre-diabetes', or if its just because you got into a minor fender-bender on the way to the lab and stress hormones have mobilized blood sugar for a flight-or-flight response. If you fasted before the blood draw, your cholesterol should be under 200, your triglycerides should be about half of your cholesterol number and HDLs should be about half of your number of triglycerides. When I see patient with triglycerides & HDL numbers approaching their cholesterol number, I definitely suspect insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance develops when blood sugar has been slightly high for a prolonged period of time. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas that stimulates cells to take in sugar (glucose). Yes, we need glucose too make energy, but you can have too much of a good thing. Over time, the cells start refusing to take in so much sugar and insulin becomes less effective, hence 'insulin resistance.' If you keep eating carbohydrates, especially simple ones, glucose begins to accumulate in the blood where it can damage the lining of the vessel walls.

The good news is that with a few dietary changes aimed at leveling blood sugar levels and possibly the use a few herbs and/or supplements, the development of insulin resistance into Type II diabetes can be significantly slowed or even halted. Since this strategy has many benefits beyond just blood sugar regulation, I'll take that as a 'cure' over a barbaric surgery any day.

Heart disease is a gut-immune-hormone disease

2010-09-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

This is another article from Dr. Kharrazian's Blog, which you can read more of here.

"An ancient surgical procedure, called trepanation, consisted of drilling a hole in the head and removing a piece of the skull. It is thought this practice was used to release evil spirits that caused mental illness, migraine headaches and other ills. Nowadays, however, if you went to your naturopath with complaints of headaches and she pulled out her drill, you would bolt from her office in horror.

Sadly, when it comes to heart disease, it seems we haven’t advanced all that much. When future humans look back to 2010 and the way we treat heart disease, they will shake their heads in disbelief. Much of heart care today, in both conventional and alternative medicine, ranges from harmful to hopelessly misguided.

Although cancer recently took the top spot, heart disease has long been the leading cause of death since the advent of processed foods almost 100 years ago, and it’s no wonder. The root of disease almost always begins in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, with problems compounding in the immune and endocrine (hormone) systems, which in turn stress the heart. That gut health and immunity status affects the heart is lost on most conventional doctors, including many holistic ones.

These days we see two extreme viewpoints of cholesterol, both of which are incomplete. In conventional medicine, cholesterol is the defining marker for heart disease. While your local MD’s approach to treating high cholesterol has been seriously questioned and successfully challenged by reputable science, the standard of treatment — low-fat diets and Lipitor, for example — hasn’t budged. And when this model fails to prevent heart disease, as it often does, doctors simply blame the patient for not toiling long enough in the prison of low-fat diets.

In holistic medicine, on the other hand, cardiovascular health is often dismissed when symptoms are lacking, and high cholesterol is brushed away. Although the nutritional model is safer (for statin drugs can have devastating side effects), it too falls short when it doesn’t address the risk of high cholesterol levels.

Consider inflammation

As always, the answer lies in the middle of these two extremes. Conventional doctors miss the mark when they look at cholesterol levels in isolation, as do holistic doctors when they hardly consider it at all. The truth is, high cholesterol is a risk when inflammation is present.

When looking at what causes heart disease and how to treat it, atherosclerosis, the formation of plaque within the arteries, is the bottom line. But it’s shortsighted to simply blame atherosclerosis on high cholesterol. Rather, atherosclerosis comes from an immune response. The immune response creates inflammation, with this inflammation gradually worsening into lesions in the arterial walls. Since the body’s priority is to stay alive now, even if means self-sabotage in the long run, it speedily delivers cholesterol to the lesions to patch them up, hence causing atherosclerosis.

The key for the practitioner then is not simply to lower cholesterol, leaving the arterial walls more vulnerable to failure, but rather to ferret out what’s driving the inflammation. This is where the skill and ongoing education of the practitioner come in. For instance, newer research shows that some people develop atherosclerosis due to an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks it’s own arterial wall tissue. Is a prescription for either Lipitor or CoQ10 going to do much for these folks? Obviously not.

The sleuthing for inflammation starts by understanding that atherosclerosis starts where the gastrointestinal, hormonal, and immune systems meet (and yes, they do meet!). But for the sake of simplicity, lets look at each individually.

The gut connection to heart disease

Although many practitioners understand that poor digestion creates inflammation, a couple of problems specific to the GI tract can trigger atherosclerosis. For instance, bile secreted by the gallbladder escorts cholesterol out of the body. However, with dysbiosis — when there is more bad bacteria than good bacteria in the gut — this process falters or fails. The result is a rise in cholesterol (not to mention estrogen and various toxins). In this case, a simple gut detox and inoculation with beneficial bacteria lowers cholesterol.

Also critical is the link between helicobacter pylori infection and atherosclerosis. H.pylori, a bacterium unique in its ability to survive the highly acidic environment of the stomach, is best known for causing peptic ulcers, gastritis, and duodenitis. What’s less known, however, is that H.pylori also destroys vascular tissue; autopsies are turning up H.pylori in the lesions of stroke and heart attack victims.

Our gut is exposed to many pathogens, including H.pylori, daily. A healthy stomach sufficient in hydrochloric acid (HCl) destroys pathogens as soon as they enter. It’s estimated that 90 percent of Americans are deficient in HCl, and that H.pylori can be found in 50 percent of the world’s population, so it’s easy to see why this may be the most common infectious disease worldwide. Not to mention that most, if not all, chronic users of antacids harbor excess H.pylori.

So why hasn’t medicine launched a full-scale attack? Because an H.pylori infection is asymptomatic, quietly wreaking havoc before more telltale signs such as gastric ulcers enter the picture. And since most practitioners, both conventional and natural, practice based on symptoms, it can easily go unnoticed until it’s too late.

I do not like using the serum antibody test for H.pylori. A retest will not show whether we have successfully treated the infection, for the antibody levels stay elevated for up to a year after treatment. The breath test is more useful diagnostically. Because this bacteria is so contagious (by saliva), I have found treating an individual for H.pylori does not have lasting success unless the entire family is treated. I once had a patient whose H.pylori infection kept rebounding, despite treating his family. It was when he sheepishly brought in his mistress for treatment that we were finally able to kick the infection for good.

The immune system and the heart

We typically don’t think of a weak immune system as having much to do with heart health, but as with H.pylori, undetected viruses and other antigens can prey on the cardiovascular system. Although I am wary of making diagnoses based on symptoms, my patients who complain of chronic pain and fatigue are often suspects for chronic viruses. Most often they are the ones I screen for antibodies to antigens associated specifically with atherosclerosis: Cytomegalovirus, coxsackievirus, chlamydia pneumonia and porphyromonas gingivitis (for this last one, proper oral hygiene is key). I then track the treatment with follow-up tests that look at antibodies and the viral load, even if patients report they are feeling wonderful. Sometimes nutritional support helps relieve symptoms tremendously, but the virus persists and we either need to dig deeper or find a more effective treatment. Asking, “How do you feel?” to treat your patients is a standard for failure.

Natural medicine offers the most effective treatment against viruses, compared to the prescription drug Interferon, which has caused more suicides than all other drugs combined throughout history. The goal, along with correcting the patient’s diet and digestion, is to boost the natural killer cells to combat the virus. This can be done quite nicely with a synergistic combination of botanicals.

When considering heart disease and immunity, one also needs to consider liver function, especially when running tests for C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and homocysteine. CRP is made in the liver as a response to inflammation. If your patient’s CRP comes back normal while other markers for atherosclerosis are present, it could be due to fatty liver, the use of multiple drugs, or other issues that impair liver function. When the liver is impaired, it simply won’t crank out the CRP like it should, and lab levels for CRP will come back normal. Likewise, statin drugs lower CRP and produce a kosher lab panel, but this is rather like removing the engine light instead of fixing the engine.

Another heart culprit is the amino acid homocysteine, which destroys arterial walls and promotes atherosclerosis. Most people understand high homocysteine levels to be related to B vitamin deficiencies, but hypochlorhydria (too little stomach acid), and the use of estrogen creams and birth control pills can also raise homocysteine. A lesser-known culprit is poor liver function, when the liver’s methylation pathway is not functioning. Therefore this pathway should always be supported in conjunction with the usual homocysteine-lowering therapies. Methyl-B12 and Metacrin DX both support clearing the liver’s methylation pathway.

Hormones and the heart

When we think of hormones, we typically think of the sex hormones and how clumsily they function for many people. What most provokes atherosclerosis, however, is a less glamorous but exceptionally touchy hormone that we tend to abuse: Insulin. After years of a high-carb, sugar-laden diet that calls on the pancreas repeatedly to flood the system with insulin, the body’s cells become insulin resistant. This leaves excess amounts of insulin circulating through the bloodstream, leading to high blood pressure, thicker blood (which can gum up the cardiovascular system), and an increase of the enzyme activity that elevates cholesterol. In men, testosterone protects the cardiovascular system, just as estrogen does for women. In cases of insulin resistance, however, we see men becoming estrogen dominant (developing “breasts”) and women becoming testosterone dominant (growing “beards”), and we know cardiovascular destruction is well under way. These are the folks who fatigue after meals, whose fasting blood sugar is over 100 and who typically show high LDL and triglyceride levels. For these folks, regulating dysglycemia is imperative to heart health.

Thyroid health also plays an important role in cholesterol levels and heart health. When a person’s thyroid is under functioning, he or she makes fat more quickly than it is burned, which drives up triglycerides, cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Hypothyroidism also makes the liver and gallbladder sluggish, which contributes to high cholesterol.

The autoimmune or neurological connection to the heart

There are times when I have exhausted all the possibilities, and still arterial inflammation and high cholesterol persist. It is then that I suspect autoimmune disease, when the body is attacking it’s own arterial walls, hormones or environmental compounds such as heavy metals, that in turn lead to high cholesterol and atherosclerosis. At that point we run an immune panel for direction in taming the autoimmune response. This information is vital in knowing specifically how to treat each autoimmune case, as the wrong approach can exacerbate the condition. Additionally, an understanding of functional neurology is important. When brain degeneration is accelerated due to autoimmune disease, insulin surges, nutrient deficiencies and other factors, autonomic function can begin to fail. Knowing how to assess and address neurological function can aid in heart health.

For ideas on how to modulate an autoimmune condition, see my book Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? Although it addresses the thyroid, the autoimmune mechanics are the same for any tissue being affected.

To lower or not to lower cholesterol?

As long as we are addressing the source of inflammation, I still feel it is prudent to lower overly high cholesterol in order to put the brakes on artery-clogging atherosclerosis. I do this with compounds that contains red yeast rice extract, which studies show to be more effective than statin drugs, while absent of the dangerous side effects. (This compound proved so beneficial that the FDA banned it, citing it was “too effective to be a natural agent.” When the ban was lifted and it came back on the market, the pharmaceutical industry successfully bankrupted about half the manufacturers through expensive litigation.) If cholesterol levels refuse to lower with these compounds, I then look for gallbladder congestion. As mentioned earlier, bile escorts cholesterol from the body, so a sluggish and congested gallbladder will hamper this mechanism.

Doing the work

Like other practitioners, I also prescribe sufficient essential fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamin D on top of specific therapies. Healing cardiovascular damage naturally requires patience, dedication and thoroughness, not only from the practitioner, but especially from the patient. As all practitioners know, noncompliance can sabotage the best of care. When my patients present with inflammation markers and poor cardiovascular health, I always ask them, “How deep do you want to go? Here are 10 steps I’d like to take with you,” and I outline what I have presented in this article. In the end it’s up to them whether they want to do the work, but it’s only when I give them all their options that I can sleep at night. I need to know I have done more than the modern equivalent of drilling a hole in their head."

Red Light, Green Light

2010-09-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

"Red light!" "Green light!" "Red light!"

We all remember playing that game as children. It was a fun way to pass the time. Personally, I always wanted to know what happened to the yellow light.

Oddly enough, as a doctor, I find myself asking the same question- where's the yellow light???

The yellow light, of course, is a caution, a warning light- 'slow down! the light is changing to red soon!' While listening to a lecture about blood chemistry the other day, it occurred to me- there's no yellow light in medicine.

When your doctor sends you for blood work and then reviews the results, your lab values are compared to a laboratory reference range. The limits of this range are viewed much like a cliff: you are either safely on top of the cliff or at the bottom. You're either sick or you're not. You need a prescription or you're 'perfectly healthy.' Green light or Red light. What happened to the yellow light?

You don't need to go to medical school to know that things are going wrong in the body before a full-blown disease develops. No one is perfectly healthy one day and suddenly wakes up with diabetes or heart disease the next. These diseases develop over time, after many months or even years of physiologic processes gone amuck. Its one of the reasons why we refer to them as chronic diseases. So again, where's the yellow light to say 'caution! if you don't change some things, you're going to develop diabetes or heart disease or fill-in-the-blank?'

This is the reason to use functional ranges instead of laboratory ranges. The functional ranges are based more on what the body needs to functional optimally, opposed to 'not be sick.'

At this point, you may be asking yourself right now, 'If functional ranges are based on what the body needs to functional optimally, then what the heck are those laboratory ranges based on?'

Good question.

In general, laboratory ranges are based on the average value for all the people who have had a given test done in whatever particular time frame. Lab ranges vary from lab to lab and can even vary by region for the same lab. For instance, one common test is TSH, thyroid stimulating hormone. The laboratory range for this test is approximately .45 to 5.0. (To give you an idea, according to the American Endocrine Society, the functional range for TSH is 1.8- 3.0). Why is the lab range so much bigger? Well think about who is having their thyroid function tested- people with thyroid problems! So when your doctor says 'your tests are normal' what that really means is 'your tests aren't nearly as bad the other people who have had this test.'

Not exactly a good way to go about creating health! This is also why so many people don't feel well, but aren't getting answers as to why they feel so bad either.

So back to our yellow light. If we look at the blood tests a different way, with a functional range within a laboratory range, we can see our green, yellow and red lights. The green light is within the functional range; the yellow light is between the functional range and the laboratory range and the red light is of course, outside of the laboratory range.

Now with the yellow light we can begin to see areas of physiology that aren't working quite right, but aren't bad enough to be full-blown disease either. Even better then seeing them of course, is that we can begin to do something about them before they become full-blown disease. After all, isn't that the point of healthcare?

What is Functional Medicine anyway?

2010-08-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

Maybe you have heard the term 'functional medicine' and then again, maybe you haven't.

Even if you haven't, you probably have a good idea what it means- medicine focused on proper function of the human body, not just treating diseases.

The fact that we have such a term is strong evidence that we have gotten away from true healthcare. What many of us take for granted in our drug- & disease-oriented culture is that the human body actually has many complex mechanisms for regulating and healing itself. You know this intuitively- when you get a cut on your finger, it heals on its own. Well guess what? Your body also has mechanisms for regulating it's pH, blood sugar, blood pressure, energy production- even searching out & destroying cancer cells before they become invasive tumors.

What this means to you is that once you have developed a disease like diabetes, heart disease, or even cancer, your body's physiology has been out of whack for so long that it can no longer regulate itself. This can take years to develop, but once it does, it is very difficult for the body to effectively regulate itself again. This is when pharmaceuticals become necessary to manage the fall-out from these non-existent control mechanisms.

But what if there was a kind of doctor who could 'catch' these things before they developed in to full-blown, chronic disease? What would this doctor use to see this future cascade? Tea leaves? A crystal ball?

Or how about a basic blood test?

Yes, the very same thing your doctor is already using to tell you about your current state of health can also be used to 'predict' your future state of health. The difference is a matter of perspective.

There is essentially two different lenses with which to view this information. One lens, the one most commonly employed is what I call the 'disease lens' while the other is what I call the 'functional lens.' Here's an example of these two lenses at work: You have annual blood work done and your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) is 3.8. The 'normal' range is usually .45 to 4.0, so 3.8 looks good right? You are judged to be free of the disease of hypothyroidism.

But just because you are proclaimed disease-free doesn't mean you are healthy. What if you feel tired, sluggish and are cold all the time? You certainly don't feel healthy. This is one of the reasons why I use a functional lens to look at these measures. The functional range for TSH, a range that supports health, not just the absence of disease, is 1.8-3.0. Through this lens, a TSH of 3.8 would indicate the early stages of hypothyroidism. And if you were having the symptoms described above, this would be further evidence of hypothyroidism. If the cause of the hypothyroidism is determined earlier enough, the need for synthetic replacement hormones may be avoided. Imagine- preventing the need for life long medications!

Functional medicine and its practitioners are dedicated to finding and reversing problems before they become disease. If that wasn't exciting enough, the even better news is that when problems are found early enough, they can generally be corrected with diet, exercise, and herbs. So in the future, you may want to look for a functional medicine practitioner to add to your healthcare team.

The Effects of Hashimoto's and hypothyroidism on brain health

2010-08-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

This is article written by a colleague, Dr. Datis Kharrazian, who has been doing brilliant research into the widespread effects of mistreated hypothyroidism.

February 17th, 2010 | Author: Dr. Datis Kharrazian

Do you need to take the Leaky Brain Challenge? Read on to find out.

The most disturbing thing I see in regards to Hashimoto’s is that although people’s TSH may be managed with thyroid hormones, their immune dysregulation goes unchecked. This leaves other areas of the body vulnerable to attack, the most profound being the brain.

There are three ways Hashimoto’s can affect the brain. First, many people with Hashimoto’s also have an autoimmune attack against their nervous system. On a blood test this can be identified by positive antibodies to neurological tissue. Second, unrelated to an autoimmune attack against the nervous system, the inflammatory response generated by Hashimoto’s can activate the brain’s immune system, hence promoting inflammation in the brain. Third, Hashimoto’s can lead to low thyroid hormones, which are necessary to dampen the brain inflammation caused by the previous two factors.

Depression, fatigue, and brain fog

It’s important to know that we all experience brain degeneration on an ongoing basis. A more common term for accelerated brain degeneration is simply known as aging. The trick is to prevent the brain from degenerating any faster than it has to.

Unfortunately, it is very common to see advanced brain degeneration in long-term, unresolved Hashimoto’s cases, with the most common symptoms being depression (from decreased firing of the frontal cortex), fatigue (from brain fatigue due to neurodegeneration), and brain fog (from brain inflammation).

True, these are also symptoms of hypothyroidism, but in some cases, particularly when the condition is long standing or still persistent despite successful management of thyroid levels, the impact of an unresolved thyroid condition on the brain should be investigated.

How Hashimoto’s affects the brain’s immune system

The brain is made up of two types of cells: neurons and microglia cells. Neurons are responsible for communication within the brain and everything we associate with brain activity, such as our intelligence, emotions, and the ability to automatically breathe, digest or maintain a heartbeat.

The microglia cells are the brain’s immune cells. It’s their job to react to foreign invaders, clean up debris and plaque, and dissolve dead neurons. The microgia are necessary for optimal neuronal communication and healthy brain function.

Although microglial cells function as the brain’s immune system, they are unlike the immune system in the rest of the body. When a virus or bacteria invades your body, the body’s immune system orchestrates a comlex and multi-faceted response, as described briefly in Chapter Three of my book. For instance, once an antigen (a foreign invader) is successfully dispatched, the immune system’s T-suppressor cells call off the attack and send the troops home.

Not so with the brain’s immune system. If an antigen makes its way into the brain, there is no complex orchestration, but rather an all-out assault by the brain’s microglial cells on the invader and, as a consequence, inflammation and degeneration of surrounding brain tissue. What’s worse is that there are no T-suppressor cells to call off the attack, and the glial cells, in their unrestrained assault, create brain inflammation and chew up brain tissue in a degenerative cascade.

Hashimoto’s is a double whammy for the brain

Unfortunately, Hashimoto’s activates microglia cells in two ways. First, thyroid hormones are integral to brain health, and Hashimoto’s can lead to low thyroid hormone status. Thyroid hormones dampen overactivity of the microglial cells, thus preventing or slowing down this cascade that causes inflammation and degeneration in the brain.(1-8)

Second, the inflammatory response caused by Hashimoto’s increases the activity of the brain’s microglia cells, hence promoting brain inflammation.(9)

So failing to address the autoimmune attacks of Hashimoto’s is a double whammy on the brain — the inflammation caused by Hashimoto’s increases microglial activity, while low thyroid hormone status fails to adequately dampen the microglial cells.

The effect of Hashimoto’s on the blood-brain barrier

The microglia cells not only make up more than half of the total mass of the brain, but they also make up the blood-brain barrier, a thin barrier that lines the brain and allows necessary, nano-sized substances to pass through. The blood-brain barrier is important for keeping antigens (foreign invaders, such as viruses or bacteria) and environmental toxins out of the brain.

Unfortunately, the blood-brain barrier can develop “leaks” for a variety of reasons, including poor blood-sugar stability (particularly insulin resistance),(10) chronic stress,(11) chronic inflammation,(12) poor gut health, poor diet with unhealthy fats,(13) and unchecked autoimmune activity, such as Hashimoto’s disease (alcohol and high homocysteine are other recognized factors(14-16)). If you are familiar with leaky gut, as discussed in the book, then you’ll understand leaky brain, as both the gut and the brain are immune barriers vulnerable to the same problems.

When the blood-brain barrier develops leaks, bad guys get in, the microglial cells go nuts, and a whole lot of brain tissue gets chewed up. This creates inflammation, which in felt in some as “brain fog,” and leads to accelerated brain degeneration.

The Leaky Brain Challenge

How do you know if your blood-brain barrier is leaky? A simple and easy way to find out is to do Blood-Brain Barrier Challenge. To do this, simply take 1000 mg of straight GABA (not GABA precursors such as theanine).

GABA is a neurotransmitter synthesized in the brain and is responsible for calming or inhibiting over activity. Although some companies sell GABA supplements, the reality is the GABA molecule is too large to pass through an intact blood-brain barrier. The fact that this supplement sells so well is a testament to the integrity of the average American’s blood-brain barrier.

So, if several hours after taking 1000 mg of GABA, you feel calm, relaxed or sleepy, you know that GABA, a molecule too large to pass through the blood-brain barrier, has nevertheless made it into your brain and is performing its calming duties. This means your blood-brain barrier has become compromised and your brain is highly susceptible to the immune rampages I discussed above.

Some people, instead of feeling relaxed, will find GABA makes them feel more anxious or jittery. There are other reasons for this that will be discussed in my next book, however any reaction at all indicates a leaky brain barrier.

If you felt no change after taking GABA, that is a good sign that your blood-brain barrier is intact and functioning well. (For accurate results, be sure to take this test during the day and not at bedtime.)

What to do about a leaky brain barrier

Addressing the areas that helped cause a permeable blood-brain barrier is the best place to start if you want to restore integrity. First make sure your diet is strictly void of gluten. Then do an Elimination/Provocation diet, as explained in my book, to determine whether other foods, such as dairy or eggs, are also provoking the immune system.

Continue on with the other strategies explained in the book: Balancing blood sugar, addressing gut health and gut infections, and supporting adrenal health so your adrenal hormones are neither too high or too low. All of these will help quench inflammation, a notorious saboteur of brain health. Also, ask your practitioner about the supplements I have created specifically for blood-brain barrier integrity, brain inflammation and increased blood flow to the brain (which will be discussed in my next book). Other strategies include enhancing the liver’s methylation pathway (Chapter Eight of the thyroid book) and supplementing with alpha-lipoic acid.

Modulating your autoimmune disease is a vital step to protecting the integrity of your blood-brain barrier and the health of your brain. The longer Hashimoto’s or any autoimmune disease goes on unchecked, the more vulnerable your brain is to autoimmune disease, degeneration, and inflammation.

References

1 Pumirat J. Prog Neurobiol. 1992;39:281-294.

2 Limr FRS, et al. J Endocrinol. 1997;154:161-175.

3 Gomes FCA, et al. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1997;429:99-108.

4 Mallet M, et al. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1997;429:99-108.

5 Dobbertin A, et al. J Neuroscie. 1997;17:5305-5315.

6 Bernal J, et al. Thyroid hormones and brain development. Eur J Endocrinol;133:390-398.

7 Calza L, et al. Thyroid hormone-induced plasticity in the adult rat brain. Brain Res Bull. 1997;44(4):549-57.

8 Flavin RSL, et al. Regulation of microglial development: A novel role for thyroid hormones. The Journal of Neuroscience. 2001;21(6):2028-2038.

9 Flavin RSL, et al. Regulation of microglial development: A novel role for thyroid hormones. The Journal of Neuroscience. 2001;21(6):2028-2038

10 Kamada H et al. Influence of hyperglycemia on oxidative stress and matrix metalloproteinase-9 activation after focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in rats. Stroke. 2007;38:1022-1049.

11 Espositie, P, et al. Acute stress increases permeability of the blood-brain barrier through activation of brain mast cells. Brain Research. 2001;888(1):117-127.

12 Haroh J, et al. Oxidative stress activates protein tyrosine kinase and matrix metalloproteinases leading to blood-brain barrier dysfunction. J neurochem. 2007;22(1).

13 Jali C, et al. Cyclooxygenase inhibition limits blood-brain barrier diruption following intracerebral injection of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the rat. JPET. 2007;323(2):488-498.

14 Haorah J, et al. Alcohol0induced oxidative stress in brain endothelial cells causes blood-brain barrier dysfunction. Journal of Leukocyte Biology. 2005;78:1223-1232.

15 Atul F, et al. Elevated levels of homocysteine compromise blood-brain barrier integrity in mice. Blood. 2005.

16 Homocysteine attenuates blood-brain barrier function by inducing oxidative stress and the junctional proteins. FASEB. 2008;22:734-7.

Do you take Synthroid? Armour? Cytomel?

2010-08-17T17:16:00.000-07:00

Synthroid is the 4th most prescribed medication in the United States, so there are probably many of you who said yes.

How do you feel???

Did you initially feel really great and then many of the symptoms- the tiredness, weight gain and irritability, crept back in?

Have you been bouncing back and forth between different medications and dosages trying to find the one that will relieve your symptoms and give you your life back? Have you found it yet?

If you haven't, here's something to consider: 90% of patients with hypothyroidism have a subset of hypothyroidism called Hashimoto's Autoimmune Thyroid.

What's that????

Hashimoto's is a condition where the body makes antibodies to its own thyroid tissue. Your body for some reason thinks your thyroid is a foreign invader and needs to be destroyed.

Since Hashimoto's in an immune problem and not a thyroid problem, thyroid-hormone replacement medications like Synthroid are a stop-gap measure, making up for the deficient thyroid hormone, but not addressing the immune system dysfunction that is causing the thyroid hormone to be low in the first place. This is why many people on these drugs bounce back & forth between different formulations & dosages, but don't seem to get any lasting relief.

How do you know if you have Hashimoto's? If you feel worse on bio-identical hormone formulations, like Armour, you may be making antibodies to your thyroid. Symptom-wise, a strong clue that you may have Hashimoto's is if you have hyper AND hypothyroid symptoms. Do you sometimes have heart palpitations, insomnia, night sweats, nervousness or inward trembling and other times feel tired, sluggish, have cold hands & feet, gain weight easily, are constipated and feel depressed with lack of motivation?

A diagnosis of Hashimoto's can also be confirmed with a blood test. If antibodies to the thyroid are found, this confirms a diagnosis of Hashimoto's. However, because it is an immune disorder, the presence of antibodies depends on how well the immune system is functioning at the time of the blood test. It can sometimes take 2-3 tests over the course of a couple months to confirm the diagnosis of Hashimoto's one way or the other.

Once Hashimoto's is diagnosed, what can you do to feel better? Well the good news is that this condition can be managed well completely naturally. Stay tuned for my next article where I will talk about this in more detail.

Spare tire? Change it now!

2010-06-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

Spare tire. Pudge. Beer belly. Muffin tops. No matter what you call it, we're talking about the same thing- abdominal fat.

Perhaps you've heard lately that this type of fat is more dangerous then the fat we tend to put on in our hips, butt or thighs. We know that the more abdominal fat a person has, the greater their cardiovascular risk. But that's not the whole story of belly fat.

We also know that increased belly fat indicates insulin resistance, an indicator of pre-diabetes. Don't forget that insulin is a hormone and the pancreas, the organ that makes and secretes insulin, is an endocrine gland. The endocrine (hormone) system is complex and we are still learning about the myriad of interactions between hormones and the tissues they affect. One thing is for sure, if one hormone is out of balance, others usually are too.

With this in mind, its no surprise that insulin resistance comes with increased levels of DHEA & testosterone. At first, that might not seem like a big deal, but consider that this trifecta of insulin resistance, high DHEA & high testosterone causes Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in women. The facial hair growth typical of PCOS is caused by the higher-then-normal levels of testosterone.

These hormone imbalances can also lead to adrenal fatigue, as the overworked adrenals struggle to keep up with the increased demand for cortisol, DHEA and sex hormones (estrogen & testosterone). How do you know if you have adrenal fatigue? I tell my patients if you're sick & tired of being sick & tired, if you need caffeine and sugar to get through your day, or if you are absolutely flat-line after lunch, you have adrenal fatigue.

Insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, PCOS, and adrenal fatigue can all therefore, be traced back to a common source- hormone imbalance.

So, how does one fix this hormone imbalance?

It's starts with testing. But it has to be the right test. Blood tests for hormone levels are inaccurate because most of the hormones in the blood travel around bound to proteins. Since we can't measure them accurately when they are bound this way, blood tests are inaccurate. Salivary testing has been shown to be a more accurate test for cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and DHEA levels. And its a simple as spitting in to a test tube.

If you're ready to get rid of that spare tire, see a health care practitioner who can properly evaluate you for the hormone imbalance that may be causing the abdominal fat in the first place.

The Pill: Good or Bad?

2010-05-10T07:20:00.000-07:00

May 9th marked the 50th anniversary of the FDA's approval of "the Pill" for birth control use. Such a little thing, yet such a big deal. Nancy Gibbs, in an article for TIME marking this historic anniversary, states that this little pill has "rearranged the furniture of human relations in ways we've argued about ever since."

The TIME article is a fascinating review of just how this little pill has changed women roles and, arguably men's roles too, as well their access to opportunities since its approval and widespread use in the 60s. But what I couldn't help but wondering about is the widespread impact to women's health.

Gates sites a study released in March of this year that followed 46,000 Pill users for over 40 years. The finding? That women on the Pill are less likely to die prematurely from any cause.

But is this effect from the Pill or could it be due to sociologic factors? An alternate take on this finding is that women on the Pill demonstrate more motivation to seek preventative healthcare then those not taking the pill.

But sociologic retrospectives aside, has the Pill made us more healthy? The debate over the Pill's effect on breast cancer still lacks decisive evidence. We also know that the Pill can increase the risk of thrombosis- clots in the blood vessels that break-off, float through the blood and end up where they shouldn't- in the heart, lungs or brain. Changes in potassium levels caused by the birth control Pill "Yaz" have caused fatal arrhythmias in young, 'healthy' women. There has also been a rash of premature deaths from blood clots caused by "the Patch."

And for pill users who survive these life-threatening conditions, what are the side effects? Consider this: we know that hormonal birth control pills can down-regulate thyroid receptor sites on the outside surface of the cell. This means that less thyroid hormone can be admitted to the cell to govern metabolic processes. Effectively, the body begins to express symptoms of hypothyroidism, not because not enough thyroid hormone is being made, but because not enough thyroid hormone is having any effect.

Interestingly enough, many of the "side-effects" of the Pill are very similar to the symptoms of hypothyroidism- weight gain, decreased libidio, fatigue and overall sluggishness. Most disturbing of all is that most of the medical profession is still only looking at blood levels of TSH to assess for hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism caused by taking hormonal birth control will general not affect TSH levels unless it has been allowed to progress untreated for a long time. This means that many women are suffering from these symptoms without getting any real help.

Hormones are extremely potent molecules within the body. Everyday, we learn more about they affect the body. Because of this, patients should carefully weigh the risks and benefits of any hormone replacement protocol.

Carbs are the Real Culprit

2010-05-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

We have been told over the last 50 years that fat- especially saturated fat- is the culprit behind heart disease. We have dutifully ridded our diets of butter in favor of margarine, eat more chicken and less red meat, get our cholesterol checked regularly and take medications if our cholesterol is too high. And the other reason we do this of course, is because we have been told that fat makes us fat. Yet, in the time that we have been following the low-fat recommendations, the rate of obesity has more then doubled; diabetes has tripled.

Back in March, a meta-analysis study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at the daily food intake of over 350,000 people. These people were followed for a period of 5 to 23 years and their cardiovascular risk assessed. The study's finding? That there is no association between the amount of saturated fat consumed and heart disease risk.

And what about cholesterol? We know that high cholesterol leads to heart disease, and if saturated fats raise cholesterol, saturated fats must lead to heart disease, right?

Wrong.

The belief that saturated fat increases cholesterol is really just that, a belief. It has been based largely on extrapolations, not on any real data.

So if saturated fats and cholesterol aren't bad, what is causing the alarming increases we are seeing in obesity and diabetes? The research is finally showing what many of us have known all along: refined carbohydrates are what is really responsible.

Consider just these two examples. A 1997 study published in JAMA looked at 65,000 women and found that the 20% who ate the most digestible and readily absorbed carbohydrates (high glycemic index carbohydrates) had a 47% increased risk of developing Type II diabetes over the 20% with the lowest glycemic index scores. And in 2007, a Dutch study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology followed 15,000 women and found that those who were overweight and in the quartile that consumed meals with the highest glycemic load were 79% more likely to develop coronary artery disease when compared to overweight women in the lowest quartile for consumption of high glycemic carbohydrates.

That refined carbohydrates are the real culprit behind heart disease actually fits better with our understanding of how arteries respond to damage and how they get damaged in the first place. Cholesterol, in addition to being a precursor for Vitamin D, estrogen, testosterone and cortisol, among other things, is a repair molecule. It doesn't build up in the arteries for no reason; on the contrary, it is the foundation of 'plaques' the body makes to repair holes in the lining of the arteries, known as the endothelium. We also know that insulin can have a protective effect on the endothelium, but when our diet is too dependent on high glycemic carbohydrates for too long, the insulin mechanism is disrupted leading to the development of diabetes.

So tomorrow morning when you are deciding what to have for breakfast, consider that eggs, fried in a little butter is a better choice then a bagel, muffin or even cereal.

Soy: Health Food or Health Hazard?

2010-02-18T01:25:00.000-08:00

Ah soy, the miracle food of the health conscious. Whether you intend to or not, you probably eat more soy then you think. It is second only to corn in terms of how much of it is grown each year in the U.S. Soybean oil is in just about any food that comes in a box, a bag or a can it seems, and if not the oil, soy lecithin really is in just about every thing in the supermarket. In fact, I challenge anyone reading this this to find a packaged/processed food that does not contain soy lecithin.

So, soy in some form, seems to be in just about anything we eat these days. The question of the day is whether or not this a positive thing for our health.

In a word, no.

You may find that answer surprising. You've probably heard that foods like tofu and soy milk are great alternative protein sources to animals foods, which have been vilified for their saturated fat content. If you have heart disease, you may have been told by your doctor to consume more soy products in order to lower your cholesterol. Or perhaps you have been told that soy foods will ease menopausal symptoms. If you are a committed vegetarian or vegan, soy foods probably form a large part of your diet. But here are a few of the main problems with increasing your consumption of soy:

1. Phytic Acid. This a chemical that can be found in pretty much all grains and legumes. Phytic acid helps prevent these seeds from germinating before they have found a suitable habitat in which to do so. This is accomplished by binding up minerals that enzymes in the seed need to begin the growth process. The problem is that phytic acid does a similar thing in your gut- binding with minerals and preventing their use and absorption by your body. This is the main reason why any and all grain products and legumes should be soaked for a period of time before their use and consumption. Soy, a legume, has one of the highest phytic acid contents of any plant food. We think of soy as being largely consumed by Asian cultures, but it did not become a dietary staple until it was discovered that by fermenting soy, the phytic acid content could be drastically reduced. The forms of soy traditionally consumed in the East are fermented soy products like tofu, natto, miso and traditionally brewed soy sauce or shoyu, NOT things like soy milk or soy-based meat imitations.

2.) Goitrogens. Goitrogens are chemicals that can suppress thyroid function. The thyroid is a gland in the front of your neck that regulates your metabolism. Goitrogens can be found in several families of plants, including brassicas like kale, broccoli, and cabbage, but are also found at very high levels in soy. This has been well documented since at least the 1930s but has been effectively suppressed by the soy industry lobby.

3.) Phytoestrogens, aka isoflavones. These are found at very high levels in soy also. In fact, you have probably been told that these are good for you and that they will lower your cholesterol and ease your hot flashes. But the fact is that they are exotic estrogen compounds- they are close enough to our own forms of estrogen that they can attach themselves at the same places our estrogen does, but they are different enough that the end result can be very different. For women going through menopause, the phytoestrogens can help ease symptoms by acting like the body's own estrogen, which is declining during this period. In general however, these phytoestrogens may actually wreak havoc in the body by causing hormonal imbalance. For instance, certain types of breast cancer are estrogen sensitive. Excess estrogen can stimulate the growth of the cancer cells. Or consider this: the average age when girls hit puberty is 2 years earlier then it was 20 years ago. This has been blamed on growth hormones in milk, but I personally believe the increased use of soy products in the food supply is a more likely culprit because it means that girls are being exposed to more estrogen. And for my male readers who may be thinking, "I'm a guy, I don't have estrogen, so this doesn't effect me," first of all, know that you do have some estrogen in your body, not as much as females of course. Secondly, Chinese monks use to consume large amounts of soy (tofu) not only because it was a vegetarian protein, but also because it decreased their libido and enabled them to better adhere to their vow of celibacy. So men, unless you are trying to be celibate and/or not have children, dosing yourself with phytoestrogens by eating increased amounts of soy may not be the best idea.

So, the verdict: Soy may be good for a lot of things, but food is not one of them!

Further reading:
http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/avoid_soy.htm
The Whole Soy Story by Kaayla Daniel, Ph.D.

The solution to our healthcare crisis: less sick people

2010-01-27T09:07:00.000-08:00

There has been a lot of talk and energy as of late surrounding our need for a health care overhaul in America. Many "solutions" have been proposed, some viable, some not. But they all seem to have one thing in common- they just treat the symptoms of the problem instead of fixing the actual problem.
Given that we are talking about fixing a system that generally operates on symptom-based model instead of a problem-based model, this is no surprise. So what is the actual problem and how do we fix it?
The real problem is this: too many people are sick.
Sounds too simple right? When put that way, it almost sounds as if more medical coverage for more people will fix the problem. However, when we say "sick," we're not talking about sore throats and fevers that a course of antibiotics can fix up in a week. In this case, we're talking about chronic illnesses, things like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Illnesses that take a lot of time and money to fix.
Furthermore, these are considered preventable diseases. Most of us know that by making better food choices and staying active, we can significantly decrease our risk of developing heart disease or diabetes as well as the myriad of complications that can arise from such degenerative diseases.
However, just a brief look at the statistics will show that though we may think we know how to stay healthy, few us actually are. Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans. Over 60% of the adult population in the U.S. is now considered obese. The treatment of Type II diabetes is now costing us over 1.4 billion a year. And when you think about how much money is spent year after year treating more and more citizens with these diseases, its no wonder that our premiums for health insurance are growing exponentially while covered services are cut drastically and pundits are predicting the eminent bankruptcy of Medicare.
We need less sick people in this country. But if we know what we should be doing to stay healthy, but aren't doing it, how do we get to a place where we have less sick people and more money to take care of those who are sick when they are sick? Stay tuned as we look as some solutions for creating health and wealth for our future.

Up and at 'em with B vitamins

2010-01-04T08:07:00.000-08:00

Read below and see if any of these ring a bell:

heart disease
hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
neuritis/neuralgia (nerve pain)
depression and/or anxiety
weakness & fatigue
exhaustion after eating a meal
poor or lack of appetite
cravings for sweets
headaches, noise sensitivity
insomnia
nervousness
forgetfulness
severe apprehension/uneasiness
unusual fear, rage, or hostility
hallucinations
a constant and almost debilitating fear that something terrible is going to happen

You may be asking what these things could possibly have in common. Well, I'll tell you. They are all symptoms of B-complex deficiency syndrome (BCDS).

We take for granted that in our culture of abundance, people could suffer from such a seemingly archaic syndrome. Everything is fortified with B vitamins right??? But that is also the problem. B vitamins are co-factors (helpers) for many enzymes in the body. No B vitamins, no properly working enzymes. Highly processed foods often leave the body with a negative B vitamin balance because they require B vitamins to be digested, but then put nothing back in to your system. It's like overdrawing your bank account. The chemically-synthesized versions that are added back into the food during the fortification process are not the same as the naturally occurring versions of these vitamins. In fact, some of the B vitamins, like B4, cannot be synthesized.

So if you ate a lot of junk food or drank a lot of alcohol this holiday season, that sluggish, anxious or depressed feeling you're having may be more than just a case of the "Mondays." That feeling may be your body's way of saying "I need REAL food! I need REAL B vitamins- STAT!"

An interesting note here is the children are especially sensitive to insufficient amounts of B vitamins and it often shows up first as mental and emotional instability. If you have a teenager, you know this full well. So if your child starts to show symptoms like those above, good food and a quality B vitamin supplement, like that from Standard Process, may be warranted before a prescription for powerful psychoactive drugs.

The information in this article is intended for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or treat any symptoms you may be having. Consult your physician before stopping or starting any medications or natural supplements.

Advice from your Chiropractor on dealing with holiday stress

2009-12-17T12:05:00.000-08:00

The holidays are here again! At this time of year, many people get overwhelmed by the stress of all there is to do, and that can take its toll emotionally and physically. So how do you maintain some semblance of sanity this season?
Well , first of all, remember that stress is stress and that it has the same physical effects on the body, no matter what time of year it is. Use the same strategies that are beneficial to you in managing stress at other times of the year. The caveat being that the increased demands on your time can make it harder to take care of yourself. Just remember, you’ll be healthier and happier this holiday season if you make relaxation a priority!
Make time to exercise. Yoga or a similar type activity would be great for most people as it both gets the body moving and directs focus to the breath, which can effectively deal with a lot of holiday stress. The bonus too is that it can be done indoors, so bad weather does not have to be a factor.
It’s also a good idea to make sure you drink plenty of water. Due to the heat, indoor air can be very dry in the winter. This can dry out the mucous membranes of the nasal passages and sinuses. One of the main functions of the mucous membranes is to trap foreign material, including bacteria and viruses, in the air we breathe and prevent it from getting into the lungs. So by keeping the mucous membranes moist and functioning properly, they can better do their job of helping to prevent you from getting sick.
Nourish your nerves with proper nutrition. B vitamins and minerals like calcium and magnesium help relax nerves and muscles and counteract the effects of stress. So don’t forget to eat plenty of veggies in between those holiday cookies, cakes and pies. Also bear in mind that B vitamins are used to digest and assimilate all that sugar, but are not replaced by it. So eating too much sugar can deplete B vitamins in the body and make us more susceptible to the affects of stress.
Stress can inhibit immune system function, so at this time of year, using immune boosting herbs like echinacea or astragalus can be helpful. Just don’t forget to consult with your doctor or health care provider first! Some herbs can interact with medications you may be already taking.
Make time for some bodywork- get a massage, have acupuncture done, or get adjusted. These can help relax the body and take stress off the nervous system.
And lastly, don’t forget to make time for the things that truly bring you joy- time with friends or family, a hike in the snow, maybe even time spent with a pet.

More than just healthy bones

2009-12-07T11:47:00.000-08:00

We all know, or have heard by now, that the mineral calcium is essential for strong bones and teeth. Since we were little, we have been exhorted to "drink your milk" and eat plenty of dairy products in order to ensure plenty of calcium in our diet and to have strong bones for the future.

But what you may not know is the multitude of other functions calcium performs in the body. Too many to list here, an important one for you to know is that calcium is vital for proper muscle function. Your muscles need calcium in order to contract and relax. For that reason, calcium can be really helpful to take for muscle cramps or spasm.

I've successfully helped patients in my office get relief from painful muscle spasms with calcium supplementation. Calcium supplementation before, during and after athletic events can also prevent cramps and muscle soreness from the increased exertion. I've also read reports of alternative doctors successfully treating restless legs with calcium.

An important caveat though before you run to the store to buy some calcium, is that not all calcium supplements are created equal. For one, you absolutely need Vitamin D and Magnesium to absorb calcium. Second is that calcium is most effectively absorbed in an acidic environment. (That's why trying to get your calcium from an antacid remedy is useless and a waste of money.) But most importantly, the form calcium is in can effect how much will be absorbed. Calcium carbonate is a very common form often made from crushed rocks or shells. It is very cheap to make, hence it is so common in most supplements. However, very little, if any, of this form is absorbed by the body. A highly absorbable form of calcium is calcium lactate.

You should also note that effective calcium absorption requires fatty acids (like omega-3s) and iodine. In fact, one of the risk factors for osteoporosis (brittle bones) is being thin! Not all, but alot of people who are too thin, do not have adequate amounts of fat in their diet. Without these vital nutrients, the bones suffer as well as many other tissues in the body.

I want to go back to that "drink you milk for strong bones" message really quickly. That was largely started by the dairy industry to keep people drinking milk, especially in a time where more and more people were starting to have intolerances to dairy. While milk and cheese do have calcium in them, cup-for-cup, dark leafy greens like spinach and kale have more calcium in them then milk. And the vegetable form of calcium is generally more absorbable. So, really, for strong bones and relaxed muscles, the message should be, "Make sure to eat your dark, leafy greens, and don't forget a bit of butter or olive oil on top!"

This article is for information only and is not to be construed as medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your supplemental or pharmaceutical regime.

The Key to a Healthy Heart

2009-12-02T10:45:00.000-08:00

If you've ever been to a health food store or vitamin shop, you've probably seen or have heard of a nutrient called CoQ10. This nutrient is revered for its rejuvenating properties and is even featured in fancy facial products as a skin toner & revitalizer. Many people feel a new sense of energy after taking CoQ10 internally.

This is because CoQ10, also known as ubiquinone because it is ubiquitous in the cells of the body, is an enzyme that makes energy out of the fats and sugars that you eat. The importance of this enzyme is further evidenced by the fact that some of the highest concentrations of CoQ10 occur in heart muscle tissue- tissue that needs lots of energy because it never stops working!!!!

Interestingly enough, the cholesterol-blocking drugs known as statins, also block the action of CoQ10. This why one of the major side effects of taking statins is muscle weakness and/or muscle cramping. Muscles need energy both to contract AND relax. If CoQ10 is blocked and therefore, no energy is being created, muscles may be unable to contract (weakness) or relax (cramping). Mostly, this side effect is seen in the smallest muscles, like those in the hand or foot. But it can effect ALL muscles. And your heart is one big muscle.

For this reason, if your doctor prescribes you a statin drug to help control cholesterol, it is really important to talk to him or her about CoQ10 supplementation. Otherwise, what is the point of taking a statin to prevent cardiac events while at the same time starving the heart muscle of energy that may possibly lead to a cardiac event??

Let's Talk about FOOD!

2009-11-18T08:39:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and so are the rest of the holidays. And besides the gifts, for most of us, the holidays are about FOOD.

Now I'm sure most of the articles that you will read this season about food are going to be full of tips to keep from overeating and packing on the pounds. So hopefully this article will be unique in that I want to tell you about the importance of DIGESTING your food. Properly.

Most of us take digestion for granted. Food goes in, it taste good, it goes through, comes out the other side and with the flush of the toilet, its gone, never to be seen again. But what if this process doesn't happen to smoothly?

For some, digestive disorders can become a daily struggle. People suffering from Irritiable Bowel Syndrome, colitis, Crohn's, Celiac disease, or diverticulitis can experience intense pain, diarrhea or constipation if they ingest the wrong foods. Ulcer sufferers can also experience intense pain and may develop complications from internal bleeding if not treated.

But what about the rest of us? Poor digestion can takes its toll, even if you don't have one of these conditions.

Let's look for example at the stomach. The stomach has a pH of about 2. That's very acidic. It's supposed to be that acidic to be able to destroy bacteria, parasites or yeast that may contaminent the food we eat. The acidity of the stomach triggers the release of intrinsic factor, needed for B12 absorption, aids in the absorption of minerals that trigger the release of insulin and other pancreatic enzymes, and allows for the secretion of enzymes that break down proteins. That last one is key because undigested proteins that wind up in the small intestine can lead to a myriad of problems. They cause inflammation, which can then lead to leaky gut syndrome, chronic allergies, constipation and/or diarrhea and inflammatory bowel disease. There's even evidence to suggest that H. pylori infection are caused by too little stomach acid.

So really, good digestion is about having enough stomach acid. Taking a Tums or Prilosec will only make matters worse and may cause the development of ulcers (from H. Pylori infection), inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes (lack of pancreatic enzyme secretions), leaky gut syndrome, food allergies and inflammation, anemia due to B12 deficiency and disorders such as thrombocytopenia and ankylosing spondylitis because of inproper mineral absorption.

For good health this holiday season, if you overeat at a meal, instead of reaching for the Tums, may you should reach for a digestive enzyme supplement instead.

The above recommendations should not be construed as actual medical advice. Consult your doctor before making any changes to your medication regime.

Diabetes In Your Cup

2009-11-03T18:02:00.000-08:00

The surge in new cases of Type II diabetes has reached epidemic proportions. Many things have been blamed for this but at the end of the day, it all comes down to what we put in our mouths.

One interesting food product that has been getting alot of heat for this dramatic increase is soda. Specifically, the high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) it contains. Nutritionists point out that because soda is a liquid, it doesn't create the same feelings of fullness as solid food, so we unintentionally suck down more calories then we need, which becomes extra fat. Aside from the extra calories, fructose subverts an enzyme that naturally regulates how much energy we make from carbohydrate. Fructose is a naturally occurring sugar in fruits, something that was a delicacy to our ancestors. Our un-evolved biochemistry just can't handle a glut of fructose.

The link between soda and diabetes is much propagandized, but has less evidence behind it then another cause of diabetes lurking in your cup...MILK.

Now, first let me say, I am not going to villify ALL milk. I like milk. Alot. In fact, I prefer mine raw, with lots of cream on top. My husband, who didn't eat diary for years because of lactose intolerance, regularly drinks and enjoys raw milk. For some people, it can be a miracle food. But the key here is that not all milk is created equal.

Something that is little known here in the U.S.A., but seems to be more widely acknowledged in New Zealand, Australia and Europe is the difference between A1 and A2 milk. A1 and A2 milk comes from A1 and A2 cows respectively. The A1 and A2 designations refer to a variant of the casein protein in the milk. Now, we know that some people have problems digesting this casein molecule. In fact, there are diets the have been designed for autistic children that are based on removal of casein, along with gluten, from the diet. What we have learned so far about A1 and A2 milk explains why.

When A1 milk is digested, a string of 7 amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) known as BCM7 is released. BCM stands for Beta-caseinomorphate. If you saw the root of the word morphine in there, give yourself a gold star! This BCM7 molecule has a certain structure that allows it to pass through the blood-brain barrier and bind to opiate receptors in the brain. These receptors relate to pain control and autonomic nervous system function and are the same receptors stimulated by powerful narcotics like morphine, opium, heroin, etc. A2 milk, though still containing casein, does not contain a casein molecule that releases BCM7 when digested.

As if altering brain chemistry weren't bad enough, this BCM7 molecule can be particularly dangerous in young children, whose digestive systems are more permeable than a healthy adult's. Pediatricans generally don't recommend giving cow's milk to children under one year of age because of a significant risk of developing Type I diabetes. The difference in A1 versuse A2 milk explains this correlation. In cross-country epidemiological studies, the countries that had the highest intakes of A1 milk had the highest rate of Type 1 diabetes.

And heart disease. And rates of autism and suicide from schizophrenia. Remember the ability of BCM7 to cross the blood-brain barrier and bind to receptors in the brain? That's how milk, specifically A1 milk is related to autism & schizophrenia. The connection to heart disease is more theoretical at the moment, but the thought is that the BCM7 molecule damages the arteries and leads to inflammation.

So how do you get A2 milk and not A1? Well, its going to take some work. Most of the diary cows in the U.S. are Holsteins, an A1 cow. Breeding programs can switch them over to A2 cows in about 10 years, but trust me, the diary industry is not going to do this voluntarily. Until then, your best bet (and in my opinion, what is always your best bet) is to find a small local farmer who is milking Jerseys, Guernseys or some Asian or African breed like the Devon. Of course, there is no guarantee that this milk is A2 milk either, unless the cows have been genetically tested. These breeds are traditionally A2 cows, but if they have been crossed at some point in time with a Holstein or other A1 cow, some of the cows may be A1 cows. Ask your farmer if he or she knows which type their cows are. Show them this article so they can know why its important. Encourage them to get their cows genetically tested. In short, you have to ask so that they know there is the demand for A2 milk over A1 milk. But for the sake of you health, and the health of your family, it is worth it to demand A2 milk.

5 Fun Facts for your Friday

2009-10-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

1. According to the forty-year Framingham study, forced vital capacity (the maximum volume of air that a person can exhale after a maximum inhalation) is the primary predictor for longterm health and vitality. So its good to be full of hot air!

Source: www.nih.gov, www.buffalo.edu/news/4857

2. Your latte has less caffeine then the same size of regular drip coffee. An 8 oz latte has 75 milligrams of caffeine whereas 8 oz of regular coffee has 95 milligrams of caffeine. Part of this has to do with the roasting process- the longer the bean is roasted the less caffeine. The other part of this is that espresso is concentrated and typical is drunk in smaller amounts, so a small latte may only contain a 2 oz shot of espresso, the rest of the liquid is steamed milk.

Source: Starbuck Corp., 2007, USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, 2007., personal communication with Jane at Morning Brew.

3. During the 1918 flu epidemic, physicians using solely homeopathic means had a mortality rate of only 1.05% of 26,000 cases while convential physicians (using primarily aspirin) had a mortality rate of 28.2% of 24,000 cases. A report by Dr. Frank Wieland of Chicago stated that of 8,000 employess in the plant where he worked, they only had one death from the flu. No aspirin or vaccines were used, just the remedy Gelsemium.

Source: Perko, Sandra, The Homeopathic Treatment of Influenza: Surviving Influenza Epidemics and Pandemics Past, Present and Future with Homeopathy, Benchmark Homeopathic Publishing, 2005.

4. Not all milk is created equal. A genetic mutation in cows that arose somewhere between 5,000 and 10, 000 years ago, leads some cows to have A1 beta-casein (a type of protein in the milk that some people cannot tolerate) while other cows have A2 beta-casein. When A1 beta-casein is broken down in the human digestive system, it creates a small peptide known as BCM7, that can cross the blood-brain barrier and bind with opiate receptors in the brain. Solid research also shows that BCM7 is linked with higher rates of Type I diabetes, heart disease, autism and schizophrenia. No detectable BCM7 is released from A2 milk. A2 type cows include Jersey and Guernseys, and other Asian & African cattle breeds. Most cows in the U.S. are Holsteins, an A1 type cow.

Source: Woodford, Keith, The Devil in the Milk: Illness, Health and the Politics of A1 and A2 Milk, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2009.

5. Between 1959 and 2004, researchers published at least 50 articles seeking to prove a connection between fat intake or serum cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease. None could find a positive correlation. (See Fun Fact #1, even the repudited Framingham Heart Study found that it was forced vital capacity, not a low-fat diet, that was the best predictor of long-term health & vitality!)

Source: Joel Kaufmann, PhD, Professor of Chemistry Emeritus

Beat Fatigue

2009-10-14T11:10:00.001-07:00

Is this you? Feeling like your get-up-and-go has got-up-and-left without you?
You're in good company: the number one reason people visit their doctor is for fatigue.

Sometimes fatigue, especially if it seems to come out of nowhere, can be a sign of scary things like cancer. But more often then not, fatigue is a symptom of our way-too-busy, overly stressful modern lives. However, this is not to say that the way you are feeling is all in your head, or that you have to become a Buddhist monk in order to feel better.

Less than 100 years ago, the concept that emotional-level stress could cause actual, physical-level disease was quite foreign to doctors. Thanks to the work of pioneering researcher Hans Selye, we now know that stress- physical or emotional- causes real, measurable changes in the body. In particular, Dr. Selye found that stress can be particularly detrimental to something called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. These are three major glands of the body that regulate many body functions. The hypothalamus is responsible for things like temperature regulation and sleep. It does so by stimulating the pituitary, which in turn stimulates more specific glands, like the thyroid, ovaries/testes, adrenals, etc.

When you go to your doctor with a complaint like fatigue, he or she will probably order bloodwork. Providing the bloodwork provides no other clues, except for say,low thyroid hormones, a patient will probably be prescribed synthetic thyroid hormone like Synthroid, and that will be that. But what if you still feel terrible? Or maybe you've been to a few doctors and were eventually diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia? How do you find hope to ever feel better?

The key to addressing any of these things is, of course, to look at the person as a whole and to look for the cause, not just the symptoms. The thyroid might be underfunctioning, but why??? A person may not have enough energy, but why should that be when every cell of the body is equipped with an immaculate mechanism for energy generation? The answers will very with each individual, but I promise you this, the thing that will always be a common factor is diet.

Five Fast Fun Facts for your Friday

2009-10-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

1. In a study by Yudkin, people of Spain & Portugal were found to have the highest dietary fat consumption in the world. People of Argentina and Venezuela were found to have the highest consumption of sugar in the world. Guess who had that highest rate of heart disease? If you guessed Argentina & Venezuela you would be WRONG!

Source: Yudkin J. The Lancet, 11, 155-62, 1957; Yudkin J and others. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 30(4), 261-66, 1986; Yudkin J and others. Sugar: Chemical, Biological and Nutritional Aspects of Sucrose, 1971, Daniel Davey, Hartford, CT; Lopez A. Ammerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition 18:149-53, 1966

2. Those men with early stage prostate cancer with the highest levels of vitamin B6 demonstrated increased survival rates compared to those prostate cancer patients with the lowest levels.

Source: One-carbon metabolism–related nutrients and prostate cancer survival

3. Older adults with insufficient levels of vitamin D die from heart disease and all-cause death at greater rates than those with adequate levels of the vitamin, according to a recent study.

Source: Prospective Study of Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Level, Cardiovascular Disease Mortality, and All-Cause Mortality in Older U.S. Adults

4. Women with thyroid hormone levels in the lowest 10% of "normal" ranges have a 69% increased risk of heart attack.

Source: Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D.

5. Consumption of trans fatty acids causes levels of Lp(a) [a type of cholesterol] to rise while consumption of saturated fats lowers blood levels of Lp(a).

Source: Khosla, P Hayes KC. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 15, 325-339, 1996; Clevidence, BA and others. Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 17, 1657-1661, 1997

So, take your cod liver oil (Vitamin A, D, saturated fats), eat your whole foods and put down that donut!

Swine Flu: Redux

2009-10-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

I hadn't intended to write a Part II about the swine flu. I thought it would enjoy its 15 minutes of fame like the bird flu and slide off the front pages into oblivion. Unfortunately, now that flu season is upon us, so is the hype about the swine flu. In fact, you know that a story has reached a certain cult status when you find yourself in line to use the ladies' room and after you sneeze, the woman next you comments, "That's not H1N1, is it?"

Yesterday morning, I heard a news story on the radio about how with the threat of swine flu, more people are considering getting the regular flu vaccine this year. Now, please, there are two things to bear in mind about the flu vaccine. For one, it won't protect you against the swine flu as they are different strains. Furthermore, whether or not the flu vaccine will protect you against the flu depends on how well they have managed to match the strain in the vaccine with the strain that is actually go around. Complicated computer modeling is used as well as keeping tabs on what strains are starting to pop up in Asia to predict what strain of the flu will make its debut that year. When it works, it can be 70-90% effective for individuals with healthy immune systems. When the prediction is wrong, well you'll probably get the flu AND might risk complications of the flu vaccine for not a whole lot of protection.

The second thing to bear in mind about the flu vaccine relates to the caveat italized above. It is generally recommended that the flu vaccine be given to seniors, young children, healthcare workers and those with compromised immune systems. Three of those above categories, seniors, children and the immuno-compromised, are advised to get the flu shot because their own immune system may not be strong enough to fight off the flu itself. The problem with this however, is that in order for a vaccine to work, the immune system must recognize and mount an appropriate response to the weakened or dead organism in the vaccine. The idea being that when the person is exposed to the actual, live organism or virus, the immune system will already be familar with how to fight it. It begs the question though, if we are giving this vaccine to patients with compromised immune systems, how can we be sure that their immune system is going to respond to the vaccine properly? That's why the 70-90% effective rate quoted above is for patients with healthy immune systems. If your immune is not healthy, well good luck, as the vaccine will be less effective for you.

For this reason, I still maintain, as I did in Part I about the swine flu, that the best defense against H1N1 or any other flu is a healthy, strong immune system. How do we get this? Its really all about diet. Saying no to processed food and sugar (sugar has been shown to immediately reduce the activity of white blood cells that are the first line of defense), choosing instead real, nutrient-dense whole foods, and supplementing with traditional superfoods like cod liver oil and coconut oil. Incidently, the lauric acid in coconut oil stimulates the immune system.

If you need further evidence that vaccination is not the way to go, check out this article that made msn.com this morning. Make sure you read page 2 about the complications from a mass swine flu vaccination campaign in the 70s. The swine flu vaccine that you may get this month was only made and approved for human use this summer. It has not been extensively tested before going into production and being sent out all over the country. So if you choose to get the swine flu vaccine this fall, know that you are participating in the first, large-scale human clinical trial of this vaccine. Personally, I'm going to stick with my cod liver and coconut oil.

Children need better food in school

2009-09-07T15:26:00.000-07:00

Today I participated in the Time for Lunch nationwide eat-in. This fall, Congress will be voting on the Child Nutrition Act, the bill that provides for the National School Lunch Program. One of the more sobering things I learned today was that the USDA currently reimburses the School Lunch Program a mere $2.57 for each student receiving a free lunch. Of that pitiful little sum, only about a dollar goes to buying food for our children. One dollar! Crunched for cash, our cafeteria managers have little choice but to buy the cheapest foods they can find. Most of us know however, that while these foods may be cheap in their upfront costs, they are extremely costly when one begins to factor in future health care costs from treating the obesity, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure caused by eating these foods. It saddens me greatly that in a country where we can find the money to bailout irresponsible corporations or help people buy new cars, we can't seem to find the money to feed our children decent, nutritious food.
During the eat-in today, I helped people write letters to their senators and representatives to ask them to approve the Child Nutrition Act and to appropriate an extra dollar per student per day to spend on real food. By spending a little more now, we can give our children real, nutritious foods that will actually help them learn better and grow stronger. Some schools have even found that behavior problems decrease when children are fed whole foods instead of food-like substances that contain a plethora of preservatives and additives, which have recently been linked to various hyperactivity disorders. By changing how we feed our kids, we can also have a drastic affect on rising health care costs- an urgent issue. Currently, one in four American children are obese. Study after study has shown that children are at an increased risk of just about everything as they get older, but especially chronic, degenerative diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. As these kids get older and start developing these conditions at earlier ages, it can only mean one thing- a COLOSSAL increase in health care spending. In comparison, a dollar per student per day is much less costly.
We also campaigned today to have Congress finally appropriate money for the Farm to School initiative that would help get locally grown, fresh foods in to our schools. This food may come from the farmer down the street, or may even be grown in a garden at the school by the students themselves. What a wonderful, multi-purpose learning lab! A schoolyard garden could do double duty as an interactive biology lab. With a little creativity, students could also use such a garden to learn about art, literature or even math! Most of all, they could learn about how to feed themselves for a lifetime. "But kids hate vegetables!" you say. When the Obamas planted a garden on the White House lawn this year, Michele Obama observed that the fifth graders who helped her tend to it were much more interested in eating vegetables and trying new ones when they had grown them themselves. Maybe we could get really crazy and teach school child how to cook vegetables properly so they are tasty and appelling!
In the event that a schoolyard garden isn't possible, or cannot supply the needs of the entire school's lunch program, with the help of local farmers, we could get fresh produce into our student's lunches. Not only does this support the health of our students, but it supports the health of our local economies by keeping money in our local communities. And of course, we need to support our farmers because No Farms = No Food. It's a win-win, but these programs needs funding to get started. Once rolling, they could be designed to be largely self-sufficient. Congress has actually approved this initiative, but without appropriating any funding for it, it lanquishes in a Pergatory so to speak.
Even though the eat-in was today, the campaign is far from over. It really takes very little time to go to www.house.gov or www.senate.gov, look up your representatives and give them a call. Or send them an email. If you really want to make it clear to them that you care about this issue, write them an old-fashioned letter. (hint: send it to their local office instead of their Washington D.C. office as there are less restrictions and therefore more chance of your letter getting to the hands of the people who will act on it- quickly.) Please take the time to do this today for the sake of our children and their future.

Positively Green

2009-08-27T10:50:00.001-07:00

Positively Green

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Entertaining AND True

2009-08-18T14:13:00.001-07:00

I cam across this article today and found it both entertaining and very relevant. Humor yourself with a read. I bet it will be the best 10 minutes you spend on the internet all day today.
10 Amazing Truths you already suspected.

Creating a New Economy

2009-08-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

I had a chance this weekend to read a couple of wonderful articles in Yes! Magazine. Essentially the jist of these articles was that, yes, times are tough and the economic crisis has affected everyone one of us, but we can choose to see this crisis as a gift; a chance to start now to restructure our economy instead of waiting until oil runs out and the Earth is in shambles to begin this inevitable restructuring.
I really would encourage all of you to peruse their website and read the articles for yourself. Contrary to what one might think, they were actually inspiring. That we can, with a little creativity and alot of effort, create intentional, supportive and sustainable local economies that will help insulate us from the ups and downs of far-flung markets, is an idea who's time has definitely come. As I read through several of these articles, I began thinking about myself and my little slice of this economic pie and how I might begin to create a stronger local economy.
For those people who know me and know my family, we do feel that the most important vote we make is not the one that happens every four years, but the one that we make every day, with every dollar we spend. We do our best to support local farmers, artisans and merchants, knowing that when we spend our money with them, opposed to a large-chain store, our money stays in our local community alot longer. And to a certain extent, we have a better idea where that money goes & what it supports. If I shop with Big Box store, their profits might get invested in companies that willfully poison our environment or support weapson manufacture, etc. I certainly wouldn't give my money knowingly to such companies, so why would I give it to someone else to give to them?
As I thought about this a little further, I thought more about my chiropractic practice and the choices I have made regarding how I accept payment for services. Currently, my patients pay cash at the time services are rendered. Mnay people don't understand why I am not in network with the local insurance providers. First and foremost, I firmly believe that I can give my patients better care this way. But another advantage of working this way is that it keeps more money in our community. You support a local business, I support a local business. And by extension more of your money stays here in our community instead in the portfolio of some mega-insurance company based out of who-knows where.
Now, I am not suggesting that everyone should get rid of their health insurance altogether because it might support pollution or violence. Health insurance, like any insurance, can be a life-saver (pardon the pun) should you be in an accident or develop a serious life-threatening disease like cancer. But when is comes down to the care we use to support the everyday maintainence and function of our bodies, I am suggesting that to the extent that we can, we should make other decisions about who or whom is supported by our money.
So the next time you see a sign that says "shop local," I hope you not only think of buying good & services locally, but also of paying for them locally too.

Heartburn & Hip fractures

2009-07-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

Not many people would think that the two are related, but a study in a 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that long-term use of proton-pump-inhibitors (medications like Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid) leads to increased rates of broken bones & hip fractures, especially in those prone to osteoporosis. Even better, the longer one takes these types of drugs, the higher the risk of fracture. This is truly disturbing since many doctors recommend that patients stay on these medications FOR LIFE! Even without such a recommendation from their doctor, many people stay on these drugs because they find that if they try to stop them, their heartburn comes back with a vegenance. Hence, "the little purple pill" has earned the nickname "Purple Crack."
This, of course, is because the medications DO NOT CURE THE CAUSE of the heartburn but rather only MASK THE SYMPTOMS. If you remember from Chemistry 101, acids are characterized by the presence of the H+ ion, which is a hydrogen ion, also known as a proton. I'll spare you the biochemistry, but all these heartburn medications do is block the enzyme in the cells of the stomach lining that make this proton, hence they are called proton-pump inhibitors. Think of these enzymes like an assembly line in factory where there is a certain quota of product to make in a specific time frame. If the factory has to stop the assembly line temporarily, once it starts back up again, it will have to run faster for a bit in order to turn out more product and make up for the lost time. This is essentially what happens when a person tries to stop taking these drugs. The body gets the message that there is not enough acid to digest the food, so the cells of the stomach start turning out acid protons double-time to make up for it. When the heartburn pain comes back, the patient goes right back to the meds.
As for how this leads to broken bones & hip fractures, you have to know that calcium needs an acidic environment to be absorbed. Read that again. Yes, this means that if you are taking Tums, an antacid, for calcium you are just wasting your money. It also means that if you take a medication that blocks the manufacture of stomach acid you won't be able to absorb calcium, hence the inceased risk of broken bones & hip fractures. This is also why the longer you take these meds, the bigger your risk.
The greater irony in all of this however, is what causes heartburn in the first place. Heartburn is not caused by too much acid, but rather too little acid. You need this acid to digest your food. It is completely normal for our levels of acid to decrease as we age. If, as we get older, we reach a critically low level of acid in our stomachs, we do not digest our food fully and it can be left to essentially rot and putreify in our bodies. This process produces a variety of organic acids that may in turn cause the burning and refluxing experienced as 'heartburn.'
The good news is that this problem can be treated at its root. Taking a supplement of digestive enzymes with a meal, like Zypan from Standard Process, is a great place to start. Also, having your zinc levels checked can be important as your stomach cells need zinc in order to be able to make acid in the first place. In some people, a hiatal hernia, where parts of the stomach begin to come up through the diaphragm, may cause heartburn symptoms. In very bad cases these can be seen on x-rays and need surgery to be repaired, but more times then not, this will not show up on any tests. These less obvious hiatal hernias can be treated through a simple manual manipulation.
With these simple remedies, there is no reason to stay stuck in the wheel when dealing with heartburn. Heartburn doesn't have to lead to a lifelong script for meds and then another lifelong script for osteoporosis medications. Its cause can be easily and effectively treated.

Our Daily Meds

2009-06-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

Review by Katherine Czapp of Our Daily Meds: How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs by Melody Peterson.

"One way to assess the current state of health care in United States is to look back just a couple of decades to world longevity statistics. A sixty-five-year-old American woman in 1980 could expect to enjoy a longer life span than could her contemporary in most others places in the world. By 2002, however, a sixty-five-year-old woman, with access to the nearly unlimited supply of the newest and most expensive drugs the American pharmaceutical industry has to offer, had slipped from her comfortable spot in expected life expectancy. Among longevity spans determined for thirty countries in that year, the American woman would come in seventeenth. American men have fared even worse, and a sixty-five-year-old American man today can expect a shorter life than a man his age in Mexico."
"No one can seem to account for the dismal showing of Americans in international longevity comparisons...even though the United States spends more per person on medical care than any other nation on earth. How much more? More than do all the people of Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina combined. In 2005, that was an average of $6.700 for each person per year; $26,800 for a household of four. More money than was spent on housing, food, transportation, or anything else."
"In 1980, Americans spent $12 billion on prescription drugs. By 2003, that figure had risen to $197 billion. In the same time period, Americans had doubled what they paid for cars, and tripled what they paid for clothing, but their spending on pharmaceuticals had increased seventeen times."
"Then there is another personal cost paid every day by Americans who are the customers of the pharmaceutical industry. In 2006...the average American collected twelve prescriptions; the average senior citizen took home more than thirty. And today nearly 65 percent of the entire American population daily takes at least one prescription medication."
"'There is a problem, however,...one that the drug companies and doctors prescribing the medicines do not like to talk about. Experts estimate that more than one hundred thousand Americans die each year not from illness but from their prescription drugs. Those deaths, occurring quietly, almost without notice in hospitals, emergency rooms, and homes, make medicines one of the leading causes of death in the United States...Prescription medicines, taken according to doctors' instructions, kill more Americans than either diabetes or Alzheimer's disease.'" On a daily basis that is two-hundred-seventy people-one every five minutes-killed by prescription drugs."
"Hand in hand with these dismal facts of death and destruction wreaked by prescription drugs comes what is really a macabre American success story. All that aggressive marketing works...'America...has become the world's greatest medicine show.' And the drug merchants have become American's most powerful industry."
"Drug marketers pitch their wares to the public via every means available and in every niche into which they can insinuate themselves, such as state fairs, shopping malls, churches, NASCAR races, on television, billboards, scoreboards, and through nonprofit foundations whose 'outreach' activities are funded by drug companies."
"It might comes as a surprise that even though drug advertising is everywhere and directed at everyone from young children to their grandparents, the vast majority of the industry's marketing dollars is actually reserved for physicians. Cynically viewed as the trusted 'gateway' to new customers, physicians are aggressively and lavishly courted by drug company sales reps. 'In 2004 the industry employed an army of 101,000 sales representatives to call on those doctors-two and a half times the size of its sales force in 1995. There is now one drug salesperson for every six physicians, each with an expense account that let him or her shower doctors with gifts and cash. Surveys show that virtually every American physician now takes these handouts.' In return, of course, the doctors are expected to provide 'scripts' (that is, more customers) and most do."
"Since only about ten percent of the sticker price of most brand name prescriptions is needed to cover the cost of raw materials and manufacturing costs, the industry is rolling in dough while taxpayers are emptying their pockets. 'With their hoards of cash...the companies have readily handed money to patient groups, hospitals, universities, medical schools, physician societies, government agencies, and just about any organization they want on their side. Harvard, for one, has a lecture hall named for Pfizer in building names for Mallinckrodt, another company.' Industry money influences academia, and what new 'blockbuster' drugs will receive money from research. Whether this new drug will help or harm people is not important as long as it will increase profits for company shareholders."
"Are there no checks and balances? What about the Food and Drug Administration or Congress? 'The drug companies' chain of influence is so complete that there are few people left to look objectively at the effects of their products on the nation's health or the consequences of their power for society...Washington is the axis of the industry's power. The pharmaceutical companies spent more on lobbying between 1998 and 2004 than any other industry. By 2004 the companies employed a legion of lobbyists so large that there were more than two for each member of Congress. By using their wealth to buy influence, the drug companies have repeatedly squelched attempts to regulate their prices and promotional practices.'"
"The pharmaceutical industry has won other laws that allow the companies to profit from research and medical discoveries made by taxpayers-funded scientists; to prolong their patent protection periods by years; and to win lucrative tax credits which allowed them to pay far lower taxes than other industry groups."
'There is a kind of madness in it. The drug companies pay hundreds of millions of dollars in government fines for promoting their products illegally and hundreds of millions of dollars more to the families of the victims who suffered or dies, then raise their prices and promote their products even harder.'"

Chiropractic: A Proven, Safe Alternative for ADHD

2009-06-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

Watch CBS Videos Online

"Medicine is about disease and what makes people die; chiropractic is about life and what makes people live." BJ Palmer

Some thoughts on "health"care reform...

2009-06-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

Maybe "health" is the wrong word

There has been a lot in the news lately about so-called "health"care reform. First of all, I think we should call it what is- SICK CARE. The current system is based on a model of treating people once they get sick instead of helping them to not get sick in the first place. This model can work when you're treating people for self-limiting illnesses like a cold or a sinus infection. It can also work really well in traumatic cases like getting hurt in a car accident or a broken bone. But it doesn't work very well when it comes to degenerative disease like arthritis, diabetes, heart disease or cancer because the best way to treat these illnesses is to not develop them in the first place.
The medical establishment would have you believe that these are inevitable signs of aging, but they are not! Good health is your birth right! Think about it- there has been an alarming trend of these diseases showing up in younger and younger individuals over the past 30 years. If such diseases were unavoidable signs of aging then 1.) why are they becoming more prevalent in younger individuals and 2.) how would humans have survived this long if each generation became increasingly susceptible to these diseases at a younger age?
So what's the answer? The answer is that we need to change the model.
We need to move from a sick-care model to a real healthcare model- one that actually prevents chronic disease!!!!
Unfortunately, It doesn't look like the politicians have grasped this concept yet. Mandating insurance coverage for the 33 million uninsured Americans is only going to make the problem worse, and with Big Pharma pulling the purse strings, of course Washington isn't going to have the guts to truly reform the system. So that leaves it up to you and I I'm afraid. What to do? Opt out.
What?!?! Did I really just suggest that you opt out of healthcare insurance? Well, yeah.
They say that money is power, right? So when you pay money to your health insurance company, who are you giving the power to to decide what kind of healthcare your receive? That's right, your insurance company. They decide what quality of healthcare you receive by what services they will or won't cover. Ever wonder why you wait 30 minutes to see your doctor for 30 seconds??? It's economics. The insurance company keeps cutting the services it will pay for (to increase their profits), so your doctor has to squeeze more people into the schedule to make enough money to stay in the business of helping people.
You don't have to participate in this broken system. There is a way for you to keep the power to decide what quality of care you receive. And it's as simple as paying cash for it.
When you pay for healthcare services directly, you and your healthcare provider decide what is the best care for you, not some faceless person sitting in a cubicle in a big, windowless office building in some random place like Des Moines, Iowa. The advantage of this is clear- because you have a relationship with the person treating you, they are going to treat you like a human being, not just another policy number. Of course, the caveat to this is that you must find a practitioner who is also brave enough to opt out of the insurance rut. I've had many people ask me why we don't take insurance. The answer is simply that I want to give my patients the best possible care I can give them, not just what their insurance company will pay for.
Yes, this requires a bit of sacrifice on your part, initially, but it pays off in the long run. It pays off when you reach retirement and don't have to take 5-9 different prescriptions for "maintainence" drugs to manage high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, etc. It pays off when you only have to see you doctor for a yearly check-up because you just don't get sick anymore. It pays off when you don't have to take time off of work to go to endless doctor's appointments, or have numerous tests or procedures done. And most importantly, it pays off when you still have the energy and vitality to enjoy life.
So go ahead and have insurance for the "God-forbid" scenarios. But just remember that as with anything in life, you get what you pay for.

Swine Flu invades Ulster County!

2009-06-08T12:17:00.000-07:00

OK, so maybe "invades" is an over-dramatization, but last week the first verified case of swine flu in Ulster County was announced. Just as I thought the swine flu's 15 minutes of fame were just about up.

It's here, so what can you do about it? How can you protect yourself from it?

First of all, STAY CALM! It might help to remember that the plain-ol', regular flu kills more people every season than this thing has to date, by a magnitude of a 1000. Despite the horrific headlines, this thing is not particularly deadly. Just like the regular flu, infants, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems are the most at risk.

Which brings us to the second word of advice- SUPPORT YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM. Yes, you could wear a mask to work. Yes, you could live in a bubble until the swine flu scare passes. Or, you could remember that Mother Nature has bestowed upon us this wonderful thing called an immune system. If you've ever had the opportunity to learn in depth the inner workings of this system, you would know that it is trully a marvel. For one, it has a general division who's job it is to respond to any given threat with overwhelming force- be it a bacteria, a virus, a grain of pollen or even a certain food protein. But it also has a smart division- a division that has a memory. It learns to recognize foreign invaders and prepares the body to launch a more lethal attack should these specific wee beasties get any ideas about trying to invade your body again.

Many things can compromise the ability of your immune system to do an effective job of protecting you from getting sick. Most people know of the ability of certain disease states like cancer or HIV infection, or of certain medications to be a drain on one's immune system. Too few of us however, remember that the immune system is also adversely affected by lack of sleep, poor diet, too much stress, lack of exercise and nutrient depletion. Fortunately, these are all factors over which you have direct control!

Lack of sleep and lack of exercise have fairly obvious solutions, so I won't sport with your intelligence on those subjects. What I would like to remind you of however, is the effect of diet on overall immunity. Many people already know about the role of Vitamin C and zinc in supporting the immune system. Some of the less glitsy, but still vital nutrients include Vitamin A and saturated fats like conjugated linoleic acid and lauric acid.

Before antibiotics, most kids were forced to take a daily dose of cod liver oil. Why? Because this superfood is a potent source of Vitamins A & D as well as essential omega 3 fats like DHA and EPA. Vitamin A has been shown to help prevent upper respitatory infections.
Saturated fats are also important immune boosters. One particularly potent one is lauric acid, found abundantly in coconut oil. Use 2-3 tablespoons a day of high-quality, unrefined coconut oil a day to keep the swine flu at bay.

As always remember to eat a balanced of diet of nutrient-dense, high quality whole foods. Taking supplements is also essential since the food we eat today generally has 30-50% less vitamins and minerals in it than it did just 100 years ago. Immunplex and Congaplex from Standard Process are two products that I have had wonderful experiences with in terms of supporting the immune system.

One final word- find ways to keep stress to a minimum. Stress, no matter where it comes from is extremely harmful to your adrenal glands, whose job it is to secrete powerful hormones to stimulate the immune system. Chronic stress inhibits their ability to do this, with the end result being physical and mental exhaustion as well as increased susceptibility to infection. Look for a future blog post to help you recognize the signs and symptoms of adrenal exhaustion as well as how to use nutrition to correct and repair adrenal damage.

Are you suffering from a statin deficiency?

2009-05-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

We didn't think so either...

"Medicine is far from having decreased human sufferings as much as it endeavors to make us believe. Indeed, the number of deaths from infectious diseases has greatly diminished. But we still must die in a much larger proportion from degenerative diseases."

That was written by Dr. Alexis Carrel more than 70 years ago- even before antibiotics were discovered. Interesting that it is as true today as it was then. We know more today about the intricacies of heart disease, diabetes and cancer then at any other time in history and yet the most important thing, which medicine doesn't seem to know about these diseases, is how to prevent them. You can be sure that this has more to do with profit margin then sheer ignorance. This is because heart disease is not caused by a statin deficiency, its not even caused by too much cholesterol. Its 100% caused by a diet that is too high in trans fats, rancid vegetable oils and refined sugars and is sorely deficient in adequate amounts of essential vitamins and minerals.

That cholesterol is the cause of heart disease is a myth. Age, weight, smoking and family history are all stronger predictors of heart disease than cholesterol. The truth is that cholesterol is a repair molecule, acting like putty to fill in holes in the arteries. So what actually does cause damage to the lining of the arteries? Trans fats, homocysteine and elevated blood sugar. To say that cholesterol causes heart disease is like saying that a paramedic caused the accident, simply because they were one of the first people on the scene.

Trans fats are in most processed foods. When the label lists "partially hydrogenated" or "hydrogenated" anything, you can be sure that it contains trans fats. The problem is that natural occurring fats are in the "cis" form. Therefore, the enzymes that breakdown fats can't really handle the man made trans form. Without a way to break them down and process them, these fats can accumulate and wreak all kinds of havoc in the body, damaging arteries, stressing the liver and increasing rates of cancer. The food that has traditionally contained the most trans fats is margarine. How ironic that we have been told to eat margarine instead of butter for the sake of our hearts, and here we've been doing even more damage!

Homocysteine has been proven to be the number one predictor of heart disease. What is homocysteine? Well the long and short of it is that it is an intermediary molecule. A once useful molecule that needs to be turned into something else to be excreted by the kidneys, this process requires adequate levels of several key B vitamins including B6, B9 and B12. Meat and dairy are rich sources of these vitamins. In the case of B12, the active, usable form is only found in animal foods. Lack of quality meat and diary foods in the diet along with too much refined sugar, which takes B vitamins to be processed, leaves very little, if any, of these crucial vitamins available to process the breakdown of homocysteine. It accumulates in the blood and damages the endothelial lining of the arteries. The body tries to repair the damage and uses, among other things, cholesterol as a sort of spackle to repair the damage, hence cholesterol took the rap for causing atherosclerosis.

Another interesting note about cholesterol, is that in addition to being the precursor to Vitamin D, all the sex hormones and immune-modulating corticosteroids, it protects cognitive function as we age. Yes, your total cholesterol level is supposed to creep up as you age. Elevated cholesterol levels can also help prevent certain types of stroke. This is probably why a study looking at cholesterol, statin use and cognitive function in older adults actually found that subjects who had taken statin drugs for several months and then discontinued use, had the highest levels of cognitive function compared to controls who never took statins and a group who took statins without discontinuing use. Both of these groups had lower total cholesterol levels, hence less protection of brain function.

Nobody ever died of a statin deficiency. In fact, the irony is that statins inhibit the function of enzyme CoQ10. This enzyme is found in all tissues of the body, especially heart muscle tissue, because its job is to convert the products of glucose metabolism into ATP- the body's energy currency. Without ATP, muscles can neither contract or relax. This is why muscle weakness and/or spasm is one of the most common side effects of statins. So in taking a medication to prevent heart disease, all one really succeeds in doing is starving the heart muscle of energy to function.

If you want to have a healthy heart and prevent other degenerative disease, real, nutrient-dense foods are your answer. Start with real butter from grass-fed cows. Eat beef from grass-fed cows. Toss any vegetable oils except for maybe high quality, first cold-pressed olive oil. Avoid processed foods that contain partially hydrogenated fats and refined sugars like the plaque they are.

Did my breakfast cause my back pain?

2008-11-22T12:22:00.000-08:00

The simple answer is, quite possibly, yes. Maybe not just this one breakfast, but most of us have a routine, so whatever has been the menu for awhile may be the culprit.

What did you have for breakfast this morning? Coffee and a danish? Perhaps a bagel with cream cheese. Maybe even doughnut or a cereal bar. Unfortunately, these are all part of the Standard American Diet (S.A.D. for short) that generally contains too many simple carbs, trans fats and refined grains that are devoid of any nutrients and all to often lead to many degenerative diseases rampant today- diabetes, heart disease, cancer and yes, back pain.

Consider this. It is estimated that more than 80% of adults will experience at least one episode of dehabilitating back pain in their lifetime.

Most people can't afford to be laid up for several days after an episode of back pain. There are bills to pay and mouths to feed and the stress of those things certainly doesn't help.

But there is something you can do to help prevent such an episode from occurring. And its as simple as what you eat everyday.

Eat less sugar and refined grains. Let's face it- sugar and refined carbs are literally killing us. Sugar and white flour are so refined they have no nutrients left, so when we digest them, it actually takes nutrients, like B vitamins to do so creating a negative balance within the body of these essential vitamins. B vitamins are necessary for your body to make energy. Lack of B vitamins may also play a key role in heart disease. The latest research shows that blood levels of a chemical called homocysteine, are the strongest predictors of heart attack risk, NOT cholesterol or triglycerides as previously thought. B vitamins, specifically, B6, B9 and B12 are needed to break this homocysteine molecule down so it can be eliminated from the body. Without adequate amounts, homocysteine builds up in the blood, damages arteries and leads to artherosclerosis.
As for your back pain, carbohydrates are needed to provoke insulin secretion. Fat and protein do not cause insulin to be secreted. Insulin will cause excess carbs to be stored as fat, particularly abdominal fat (this type of fat is also known as an insulin meter. The more of it you have, the more likely you are to have insulin resistance and hyperglycemia. Remember its called a beer gut, not a Filet Mignon gut.) As the abdominal fat increases, it changes the center of gravity within the body and thus changes body mechanics. The curve of the low back increases as the muscles on either side of the spine become short and tight, trying to counterbalance the increased weight in the front so as to maintain an erect posture. The abdominal muscles are stretched out and weakened, leaving the lumbar spine without support and vulnerable to injuries, especially from twisting. In short, the muscles that use to have the job of stabilizing the low back can no longer do their job effectively, leaving the joints of the spine vulnerable to injury.

Get more essential fats. You know, the ones you hear about all the time in the news. Omega 3 fatty acids like DHA and EPA. The optimal ratio for human nutrition is a ratio of 2:1 Omega 6s to Omega 3s. But in the S.A.D. this ratio is more like 20:1. Even though Omega 6s are essential fats too, they tend to work in pathways that create inflammatory mediators, whereas Omega 3s decrease inflammation. In addition, Omega 3s give flexibility to cell membranes and positively effect low HDL/high LDL and cholesterol and have been shown to protect against heart disease. Most people known that Omega 3s are in food like cold water fish, walnuts, and flax seeds. The problem however is what Omega 6s are in- everything. Corn and soybean oil are the biggest culprits as well as cottenseed oil which are in just about every food that comes in a package. Avoid them.

Fiber is you friend. Think about it, your large intestine lives directly in front of you lumbar spine. When the moves are bound up or moving slowly, extra fluid tends to accumulate around them in an effort to detoxify the toxic excrement. The spongy cartilage discs between the lumbar vertebrae are not well supplied with blood, so they get food and drop off their waste through the opening and closing of the spaces between the vertebrae (think of an accordian). When there is too much fluid in the general vacinity because the bowels are moving too slowly, the discs can take up some of this excess fluid and swell. This can lead to back pain. So, not only does fiber lower your risk of colon cancer, but can also decrease back pain through the same mechanism- helping move waste out of the body faster.

And last but not least....

Drink more water. That coffee you're addicted too every morning? Well, caffeine is dehydrating. It causes your body to secrete extra water. Over time, this cause your body to have deficient of water. One of the things that makes the discs in between the vertebrae soft and able to absorb shock is water. If your body is dehydrated, the discs will be too. When the discs lose water, we say they are "dessicated" and all kinds of fun things happen then. Without enough water, the discs will loss their height and the vertebrae will begin to get closer to each other. This changes the joint mechanics and in short, leads to arthritis in the spine.

So tomorrow morning instead of that coffee and danish, why don't you try some free-range eggs and a mug of herbal tea instead? Your back will thank you.