Cohen Chiropractic Centre: Serving Buckhead, Midtown, Sandy Springs, Decatur, and metro-Atlanta.

Juicing | Cohen Chiropractic Centre

2011-12-25T09:53:00.000-05:00

Is It The Seed Or The Soil | Cohen Chiropractic Centre

2010-08-31T22:50:00.000-04:00

Is It The Seed Or The Soil | Cohen Chiropractic Centre

My Baby Won't Nurse

2010-08-22T14:08:00.001-04:00

After a baby’s first breath, the next thing it looks for is a breast. It happens quite naturally thousands of times a day. Except when it doesn’t. Several such cases have been documented in the Journal of Manipulative & Physiological Therapeutics:

Colic

A three-week-old girl had colic, flatulence and outbursts of crying for almost three weeks. A chiropractic examination revealed left foot rotation, folded left ear, restricted neck motion and jaw imbalance. Chiropractic care and CranioSacral therapy was begun. “We suspected that his posture in the womb was the contributing factor to child’s physical asymmetry and subluxation pattern,” observed the chiropractor. “By the fourth week of adjustments the baby began to breast-feed from both breasts.”

Vaccination Effects

A 15-day old emaciated male infant, suffering from colic, crying constantly and unable to breastfeed since birth was taken to the chiropractor. The mother observed that her baby would "shake, scream and vomit during and after feeding." The infant had been given a Hepatitis B vaccination within hours after birth. After the first adjustment, there was a significant reduction of crying, screaming and shaking. Three days later, the baby who had been symptom-free for five days and was given another Hepatitis B shot and the original symptoms returned.

Cervical Subluxation

A 6-month-old boy with an aversion to suckling was evaluated in a chiropractic office. An examination revealed asymmetry and fixation in the neck, signs of cervical subluxations. The suckling intolerance resolved immediately after the first office visit and did not return.

Your baby can’t tell you, “my neck hurts” or “my stomach isn’t working right.” That’s why newborns deserve a chiropractic checkup to make sure their nervous systems aren’t compromised from the birth process.

Common Questions About Chiropractic

2010-08-06T08:06:00.000-04:00

Many everyday things can cause neck pain, such as watching TV, using your computer, reading a book or falling asleep in a chair or on an airplane. The temporary pain that results usually resolves on its own, especially when the offending activity is discontinued. When it doesn't, a more serious underlying problem may be indicated.

Here are the most common questions we get about headaches and neck pain:

Q: What causes headaches?

A: The three most common causes are physical trauma, emotional stress, or chemical toxins. Sometimes there may be a combination of factors. A thorough examination process helps identify the most likely cause(s).

Q: Why would a chiropractor take pictures of my lower back?

A: Many practice members are surprised when their chiropractic examination involves other areas of their body besides the local site of their symptom(s). Some neck pain cases can be a compensation to problems in the feet, knees, hips and lower back. We see you as a whole person, not just a collection of "parts."

Q: Will I have to have neck adjustments?

A: If your problem is the result of abnormal motion or position of spinal bones in the neck, cervical adjustments can be effective. There are many ways to adjust the neck and your chiropractor has become an experienced master. Years of practice make these spinal adjustments safe and effective. Much safer than common aspirin or muscle relaxers!

Q: How long will I need chiropractic care?

A: Some practice members see quick improvement and then immediately discontinue their care. They often suffer a relapse since muscles and soft tissues have not had time to fully heal. Others discover that degenerative changes to their spines make periodic checkups a worthwhile investment. We'll make recommendations, but how long you benefit from chiropractic care is up to you.

If the weakest link in our bodies is our neck, stress shows up there. While chiropractic care cannot reduce the stress of your busy life, it can help improve your ability to handle and tolerate it. Without drugs or surgery!

What's Wellness?

2010-07-31T22:48:00.000-04:00

How do you define wellness? Is it merely the absence of disease or any condition that affects your health, or is it something more? Is it just feeling “good”?

The National Wellness Association defines wellness as “an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a more successful existence.” This is a shift away from looking at wellness as merely the absence of disease, injury or symptoms. True health involves the whole person, including our social, emotional and spiritual dimensions.

In his book, The Wellness Revolution, economist Paul Zane Pilzer predicts that wellness is becoming a major movement in health care. Instead of seeking care in reaction to a disease or condition, more and more of us are choosing to proactively safeguard our health.

Don’t confuse wellness care with the early detection strategies such as cancer screenings, pap smears and mammograms. Wellness care has more to do with making choices that help you achieve your highest potential and ensure that your body is functioning at its most optimal level.

Chiropractors are leading the wellness revolution because of our focus on maximizing the integrity of the nervous system, the underpinning of true health. By reducing subluxations that distort our ability to adapt to our environments, we each have a better foundation on which to enhance our health – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Those who want to be the best they can be are incorporating chiropractic care into their lives. Chiropractic, along with other healthy choices can help virtually anyone who wants to live life to the fullest. Do you know someone who should be seeing us?

Develop an Attitude of Gratitude

2010-07-27T21:47:00.000-04:00

Some days it’s hard to feel grateful. The bills are piling up, the house is a mess, you just had a fight with your spouse and you’ve just missed an important deadline at the office. How can anyone feel grateful under those circumstances?

This is the time of year when people traditionally give thanks. But giving thanks, and feeling grateful, shouldn’t just be confined to one day a year. An attitude of gratitude should be a part of daily living, because no matter how bad things might seem, someone has it a whole lot worse.

We often hear, “What we focus on becomes real.” Do you focus on only the negatives in your life? Do you always see the glass as half full? Change your focus. Make a gratitude list, Right now. Take out a piece of paper and a pen and write down things for which you are grateful. Your health? Your kids? Food on the table? A home to live in? A good-paying job? Living in a nice community? The raise you got? Your son’s college acceptance? Think about it, and write your list.

Then every day…add to your list. You’ll be surprised how quickly it grows when you focus on what you’re truly grateful for, rather than what you don’t have. Make it a habit to keep an attitude of gratitude and see just how much your life can change!

Joy of Walking

2010-07-25T14:06:00.001-04:00

One of the easiest exercise programs is to start walking more. Whether you’re looking for a simple aerobic workout, a low-stress approach to weight loss or a simple toning program, we recommend the simple act of walking.

How to Get the Most From Walking

1. Assume the correct posture. Look forward with your chin level and head up. Your eyes should focus on the street or track 10 - 20 feet ahead. You’ll avoid doggy doo-doo, find cracks in the sidewalk, spot potential muggers and still collect the occasional coin.

2. Take quick, short steps. Resist the temptation to lengthen your stride to go faster. Push off with your toes, using the natural spring of your calf muscles to propel you. Think of yourself as showing the bottom of your shoes as you take each step.

3. Bend your arms at 90-degree angles. This turns your arms into a shorter pendulum so they can swing faster as your steps speed up.

4. Dress properly. To prevent becoming a hood ornament, wear a mesh reflective safety vest from a local biking or running shop. Dress in layers. The inner layer should be of a fabric (not cotton) that can whisk the sweat away from your body.

5. Wear the right shoes. You want more flex than a hiking shoe and more support than an athletic shoe. A simple test: push down on the toe and the heel should rise. Push the heel down and the toe should come up.

How much walking is enough?

It depends on your goals. To maintain your health with regular physical activity, walk about 30 minutes a day most days of the week at a “talking” pace. (Not so fast that you couldn’t have a conversation at the same time.)

If your intent is weight loss, walk 45-60 minutes/day at a “purposeful/talking” pace. If your desire is an aerobic workout and cardiovascular fitness, walk three to four days a week for about 20 minutes at a very fast pace, breathing hard but not gasping.

And before starting your walking program, stop by our office for a chiropractic checkup! Make sure your exercise program doesn’t stress malfunctioning joints of your legs, hips and spine.

Atlanta Chiropractor Dr. Austin Cohen on The Weather Channel

2010-07-24T11:42:00.000-04:00

Low Tech Slimming | Cohen Chiropractic Centre

2010-07-21T08:31:00.000-04:00

Low Tech Slimming | Cohen Chiropractic Centre

Atlanta Chiropractor Dr. Austin Cohen on CNN

2010-06-13T15:17:00.000-04:00

Power of Giving

2010-05-15T18:55:00.000-04:00

Raw milk battle reveals FDA abandonment of basic human right to choose your food

2010-05-10T15:39:00.000-04:00

Raw milk battle reveals FDA abandonment of basic human right to choose your food

3 Tricks to Sleeping Properly

2009-11-26T10:37:00.000-05:00

Sleep, or lack thereof, can have a dramatic effect on your overall health in the short and long term. What can you do to ensure a good night?s sleep? Here are three simple suggestions to get you started:

Stick to a Routine: When it comes to getting a good night's sleep, conditioning your body to sleep at a certain time (and for a certain length of time) increases your chances of falling asleep quickly and waking up refreshed. Developing an evening ritual is also important in this regard: Set the stage for quality sleep with a warm bath, a good book or soft music.

Light and Darkness: Sunlight helps regulate your circadian clock, the body's 24-hour cycle, and also stimulates the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates your sleep cycle. On the other hand, when you're preparing for sleep, it's vital to limit sources of light that can make it harder to doze off. That means pulling the shades, turning off all the lights and shutting doors.

Don't Drink, Don't Smoke: There are countless reasons not to do either of these things, but in terms of sleep, drinking alcohol and smoking can have profound negative consequences. You may think alcohol will help you fall asleep, but it won't keep you asleep, not after it's metabolized. And nicotine is a stimulant - perfect for keeping you awake all night long.

Here to Serve the Atlanta Community

2009-10-16T21:08:00.002-04:00

The time is here!

On Thursday, October 22 Cohen Chiropractic Centre will open its doors of optimal health to the community of Atlanta. If you have ever thought of leveraging your health and taking it to the next level then we encourage to come by for a complimentary health screening. Many of you have been following our blog for years and finally we are able to serve you to the fullest. Please call our office this Monday at 404.355.5499 and schedule your appointment so we can get you on the journey towards optimal health.

We look forward to serving you in the future!

Chiropractic and the Immune System

2009-10-01T08:10:00.002-04:00

New Study: Chocalate is Good For Your Heart

2009-09-23T09:38:00.001-04:00

In a study of non-diabetic men and women published in the September, 2009 edition of the Journal of Internal Medicine, researchers in Sweden found evidence that people who eat chocolate have increased survival rates after a heart attack… and it may be that the more they eat, the better.

Chocolate contains flavonoid antioxidants that are widely believed to have beneficial effects on heart function. Dark chocolate is richer in these antioxidants than lighter milk chocolate.

As a result, after controlling for age, sex, obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, education and other factors, the researchers found that the more chocolate people consumed, the more likely they were to survive a heart attack.

Compared with people who ate none, those who had chocolate less than once a month had a 27% reduction in their risk for cardiac death, those who ate it up to once a week had a 44% reduction and those who indulged twice or more a week had a 66% reduced risk of dying from a subsequent heart event. The beneficial effect remained after controlling for intake of other kinds of sweets.

A co-author of the paper, Dr. Kenneth J. Mukamal, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard, said that there was considerable data from other studies suggesting that chocolate lowered blood pressure and that this might be a cause of the lower cardiac mortality found in the study.

Other possible mechanisms were considered.

BOTTOMLINE: There are many reasonable biological mechanisms for a protective effect from chocolate yet Dr. Mukamal suggested, “although this is interesting and provocative, chocolate does not come without costs. For people looking for a small snack to finish a meal, this is a great choice. But it should be supplementing healthy eating and replacing less healthy snacks.” In other words, a small dark chocolate snack may be a healthy lifestyle choice for many people.

What is Chiropractic?

2009-09-14T11:57:00.000-04:00

Another Medical Myth Hits the Dust: Your Appendix

2009-09-02T08:26:00.001-04:00

That’s right folks. We all grew up being taught that the appendix was one of those mysteries of science because it was an organ that served no purpose.
Truth is that it was a mystery of medicine because they hadn’t yet determined what the appendix’s purpose was. How many of us were told that we just didn’t need it because it didn’t do anything?

According to the online 08/12/09 issue of the Journal of Evolutionary Biology, “researchers suggest the appendix is a lot more than a useless remnant. Not only was it recently proposed to actually possess a critical function, but scientists now find it appears in nature a lot more often than before thought. And it's possible some of this organ's ancient uses could be recruited by physicians to help the human body fight disease more effectively.”

William Parker, an immunologist at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. had this to say, “the appendix still served as a vital safehouse where good bacteria could lie in wait until they were needed to repopulate the gut after a nasty case of diarrhea. Past studies had also found the appendix can help make, direct and train white blood cells.

Clearly, the appendix plays a role in immune system function. One must ask themselves the question, “why would the magnificent design of the human body include parts it did not need?” That perspective will change how you look at your body and your health forever.

BOTTOMLINE: The idea that the appendix is an organ whose time has passed has itself become a concept whose time is over. As science increases it’s ability to explain nature and the intricacies of the human body, we should take pause to remember that the wisdom that created the body from 2 cells in 9 months didn’t routinely make a mistake and add an organ with no purpose. Consider that inborn wisdom before you have other “useless” tissue removed…like your tonsils or adenoids.

As Traditional Methods Fail, More Move to Alternatives

2009-08-25T07:54:00.001-04:00

According to a recent article in HealthNews, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveyed more than 23,000 adults across the nation and determined that over one-third of American adults regularly seek the advice and use non-traditional methods so solve their health problems.

Almost always, these non-traditional approaches are sought when conventional approaches (medical) to resolve their health problem have failed. A report of this information was released in December, 2008.

The newly released report on the survey revealed that pain was the primary reason people sought massages and chiropractic care.

Approximately 35 cents of each dollar spent on non-traditional methods went for appointments with acupuncturists, chiropractors, massage therapists and other practitioners. With a total of almost $12 billion, this represents about one-fourth of what is spent on medical physicians.

The most popular supplements used were found to be glucosamine to battle against joint pain, and fish oil to reduce the risk of heart disease. A total of $15 billion, or 44 cents out of each non-traditional health dollar spent, went for such products as these and echinacea. This is about equivalent to one-third of what American consumers spend out-of-pocket for prescription drugs.

Less expensive, effective and safer. No wonder more people are embracing non-traditional approaches.

BOTTOMLINE: Interestingly, the public’s level of satisfaction was also higher with the non-traditional approaches. The likely cause of this was the attention of the practitioner, lower cost and results. As we have often said and sought to rally support for is the idea that if the public sought help from safer, more cost effective, natural and holistic approaches FIRST rather than LAST, we would not have the health or financial crisis in this country that we have today. Think about it!

Fish is GOOD But so is Meat

2009-08-07T23:45:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago, our article featured the benefits of fish in the diet and the detriments of red meat. Even though we added that balance was the key and that red meat did offer some health benefits…boy, did we get mail and questions. So, we did a little more research for you and found that…

“Including some red meat in your diet is "perfectly fine," says Tara Gidus, a nutrition performance coach and American Dietetic Association spokesperson.

She says you should pick lean cuts of meat to reduce the saturated fat content and avoid processed meat (which, in the recent study, was also associated with a higher risk of heart disease and cancer). And "don't char the heck out of it," she says. Some folks also prefer grass-fed beef, saying it not only has health benefits that grain-fed cows lack but that it tastes better and is kinder to the animals and land. In fact, why not switch to grass fed beef just for the health of it.

Most nutritionists recommend protein occupy about 25% of the area on your plate. Another 25% can come from whole-grain based foods and 50% from vegetables and fruits.”
The site www.americangrassfedbeef.com lists other benefits including:

➢ 100 fewer calories for a 6 ounce steak than grain fed beef

➢ Although low in “BAD” fat, grass fed gives you 2-6 times more “GOOD” fat called omega-3 fatty acids…which may reduce your cancer risk.

Fish is Good For Your Heart + Brain

2009-07-29T08:55:00.001-04:00

There have been many studies over the years documenting the benefits of a diet rich in fish for heart health.

A study published in the August, 2009 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that “new evidence that such a diet may ward off dementia as well.”

The researchers found that older adults in Asia and Latin America were less likely to develop dementia if they regularly consumed fish, and the more fish they ate, the lower their risk for dementia.

Basically, the research data can be summarized as follows:

“…those who ate fish nearly every day were almost 20% less likely to develop dementia than those who ate fish just a few days a week. Adults who ate fish a few days a week were almost 20% less likely to develop dementia than those who ate no fish at all.”
The senior author of the study put it in a very simple and straight-forward way. He said, “the more fish you eat, the less likely you are to get dementia.”

That’s the good news. The bad news is that the research statistics found the reverse to be true with meat-eaters. They found that, “the more meat you eat, the more likely you are to have dementia.” Other studies have shown that red meat in particular may be bad for the brain.

But, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should give up meat. Meat, like fish, has unique nutritional benefits. Balance is the key.

BOTTOMLINE: Fish has been found to be protective against dementia because it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which studies suggest may have numerous health benefits, among them anti-inflammatory properties. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce the build-up of atherosclerotic plaques and may also prevent the accumulation of plaques in the brain characteristic of Alzheimer’s Disease. Other factors in the above study were lifestyle related. No surprises here.

2009-07-25T10:57:00.001-04:00

If you have health, you probably will be happy, and if you have health and happiness, you have all the wealth you need, even if it is not all you want.

2009-07-23T08:26:00.001-04:00

Check out our Grocery Guide video at http://ping.fm/WHGYe Please feel free to forward to your friends.

2009-07-22T09:58:00.001-04:00

Meeting with the design team today to discuss the look and feel of the office!

Rationing Disease Care

2009-07-17T09:01:00.001-04:00

A NY Times Magazine article on 07/15/09 by Peter Singer paints a grim scenario when it comes to health care and who will pay for it. Here are the first 2 paragraphs of the article:

“You have advanced kidney cancer. It will kill you, probably in the next year or two. A drug called Sutent slows the spread of the cancer (hopefully) and may give you an extra six months, but at a cost of $54,000. Is a few more months worth that much?
If you can afford it, you probably would pay that much, or more, to live longer, even if your quality of life wasn’t going to be good. But suppose it’s not you with the cancer but a stranger covered by your health-insurance fund. If the insurer provides this man — and everyone else like him — with Sutent, your premiums will increase. Do you still think the drug is a good value? Suppose the treatment cost a million dollars. Would it be worth it then? Ten million? Is there any limit to how much you would want your insurer to pay for a drug that adds (at best) 6 months to someone’s life? If there is any point at which you say, “No, an extra six months isn’t worth that much,” then you think that health care should be rationed.”

Clearly, the article is discussing disease care and not health care within the current model of traditional medicine. BUT WAIT!

Wouldn’t it make more sense for all insurance, government or otherwise, to pay for people to stay healthy and to find natural means of promoting good health? We think so!

President Obama has said America’s health care system is broken which, in our opinion, is because it is not a health care system but rather a disease care system. What this country spends on disease care has been shown to be the most significant driver of America’s long-term debt and deficits. How can the US remain competitive if it continues to spend more on disease care than the rest of the world, while so many other countries spend far less but achieve better health?

Eating Tips to Fuel Proper Exercise

2009-07-12T11:37:00.000-04:00

The Times posed the question to Leslie Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and author of the new book, Sports Nutrition for Coaches published by Human Kinetics, July 2009. Here are some of her tips:

1. The two common mistakes new exercisers make with regard to food are not eating before exercising and eating too much before exercising.

2. Eat an hour before exercise. And, only eat a fist-sized amount of food. That gives the body enough food to be available as an energy source but not so much that you’ll have an upset stomach.

3. About an hour before the work-out you should have about 20 ounces of liquid. It takes about 60 minutes for that much liquid to leave the stomach and make its way into the muscle. If you have liquid ahead of time, you’ll be better hydrated when you start to be physically active.

4. Post exercise, she recommends eating something within 15 minutes. The reason for that is that the enzymes that help the body re-synthesize muscle glycogen are really most active in that first 15 minutes. The longer we wait to eat something, the longer it takes to recover.

5. If you aren’t taking fluid in you have a risk of heat injury and joint injury, and strength, speed and stamina diminish. This is an important part of any training. Put fluid back into the body during exercise depending on how much you sweat out.

BOTTOMLINE: The road to better future health is paved with the conscious health decisions we make daily. Why make unconscious health choices when our future health depends more on the conscious and informed choices we make? Choose wisely when you eat a meal, exercise, rest, maintain good posture, have a positive attitude, and work to insure a vital and healthy nervous system. And, as parents, our children’s future health depends on our healthy choices for them.

Quality vs Quantity in Healthcare

2009-06-26T07:31:00.002-04:00

According to an article in the June 29, 2009 issue of TIME magazine, the U.S. spends more on health care than any other country does. Studies have suggested that as much as 30% of that spending (~$700 billion a year) may be wasted on unneeded care, mostly routine CT scans and MRIs, office visits, hospital stays, minor procedures and brand-name prescriptions that are requested by patients and ordered by doctors every day.

The article cites research by the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice that patients in higher-spending regions of the country get more tests, more procedures, more referrals to specialists and more time in the hospital and ICU, but their clinical outcomes are slightly worse than those who did less and spent less. Indeed, there’s no proven link between more spending and better care.

Unfortunately, according to the article, “one man's unnecessary costs are another man's profits; lobbyists for drug manufacturers and medical device makers, hospitals, doctors and insurers are already fighting to make sure their slices of the more than $2 trillion health-care pie aren't nibbled by reform.”

The solution the article cites is a remote but interesting possibility where medical doctors, like those employed at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, receive salaries and are not compensated based on how many patients they treat or how many prescriptions they write or how many tests they order.

BOTTOMLINE: It’s hard to imagine the “fee for service” approach to health care disappearing anytime soon. Everyone must understand that these measures are for a SICK CARE system and not a HEALTH CARE system. Treating conditions has ALWAYS been more expensive than simply staying healthy. Perhaps if the government redirected the billions of dollars they’re planning to spend to fix the system to incentivizing citizens to grow their health, we would have a viable solution.

"TIME" - It's All About Prevention

2009-06-18T21:28:00.001-04:00

In the 06/22/09 edition of TIME Magazine, Richard Stengel (Managing Editor of TIME Magazine) starts the issue out with the statement:

“Prevention is the new watchword, and our annual health issue looks at how to avoid illness rather than just treat it.”

“It costs a lot more to fix something that’s broken than it does to prevent it from breaking down in the first place.”

“When it comes to individual health care, the model these days is not treating illness but preventing it. The prescription is prevention.”

In another article in the same issue, Cleveland Clinic CEO Dr. Delos Cosgrove says, “But while prevention — intervening in patients' lives before they get sick — has long been part of the medical lexicon, programs to educate and encourage patients to adopt healthy behaviors have never truly been embraced. Ours is a system that rewards pills and procedures and nurtures a clinical culture in which the goal is primarily to fix what goes wrong.” “I never saw a well patient in my life,” says Cosgrove of the years he spent as a heart surgeon. “They were all sick. We are in the sickness business. We need to get into the health business.”

TIME goes on to recommend some basic and common sense approaches to prevention including the standard approach of early detection.

This step in the right direction comes on the heels of the current economic situation.

BottomLine - We applaud TIME’s issue focusing on prevention. We question its accuracy and validity. The Chiropractic profession has advocated preventive measures for 50 years. Current approaches aren’t geared towards the avoidance of sickness but rather towards the pursuit of health, quality of life, happiness, productivity and the creation of wellness. TIME’s article is a step in the right direction and perhaps a necessary first step to changing America’s health paradigm and focus

What are your goals?

2009-06-14T07:37:00.004-04:00

What are your goals? What are your dreams? What do you want to accomplish in 3 years? 5 years? 10 years? I ask you these questions because 5 years ago I didn't know what my goals or my dreams were. Luckily today I have them written out and they are posted in my bathroom mirror.

It all started while I was sitting in a seminar listening to a speaker tell us how Mark Victor Hansen challenged him to recite his goals. The speaker said he could only recite a few and Mark requested he write out 101 goals. I listened to this speaker and decided to write out my own 101 goals. As I continue with my daily life I realize that I am focused on constantly achieving these goals and performing daily acts that will get me closer. One of my goals was to perform a triathlon and another was to complete an Ironman. Last year I completed a Sprint triathlon, yesterday I completed a Olympic, next year I will complete a half-Ironman and in 2011 I will achieve a BIG goal of completing the Ironman.

Many of you have have goals but how many of you have them written out. When you write them out you subconsciously store them and thats what you begin to focus on. Ever realize that when you buy a certain car you then begin to notice that everyone else on the street has that same car. That is because this is what you have begun to focus on.

Here is a sample of a few of my goals:

1. Own a house in Park City
2. Be an international speaker
3. Complete an Ironman
4. Setup missions in Atlanta
5. Go on a romantic date in Paris
6. Become CEO of large company
7. Establish box practice in impoverish area in America
8. Become a chiropractor
9. Help create DVD for Chiropractic
10. Be a Mentor
11. Own house of my dreams on the water
12. Own endless pool
13. Write a book
14. Have a healthy family that is subluxation-free
15. Live to be over 100

Here is a video of me crossing the finish line and becoming one step closer to my dream of Ironman:

Letting the Patient Call the Shots

2009-06-04T17:44:00.004-04:00

An article published in the 06/04/09 edition of the New York Times focused on a patient care concept that we chiropractors adopted 100 years ago. It seems somewhat appalling to us that it has taken the traditional medical profession so long to understand the concept of being patient-centered.

Some of the ideas put forth in the article include:

1. Medical records would belong not to clinicians but to patients, who would no longer have to get permission to look at them or call the doctor for lab results.

2. Dr. Berwick writes in the article, “[We] would all be far better off if we professsionals recalibrated our work such that we behaved with patients and families not as hosts in the care system, but as guests in their lives.”

3. Patients are trained to be passive, and passivity is not a good idea. Studies have shown that people who are trained to be proactive do better and feel stronger. They have more pride and trust in their own capabilities.

4. When you make someone helpless, in a funny way you make them sicker, even if all you cared about was just the body.

5. Medicine keeps telling patients the rules instead of asking patients about they need. What is said is, “This is how we do things here,” not “How would you like things done?”

Everyone would benefit with this approach!

BOTTOMLINE: Here’s what you can do to encourage this type of interaction with your care givers…including us: Know what is happening to you. You are a partner in your health recovery and your health development…be a good partner. If you do not understand something…ask. And if you still do not understand, ask again. Speak up. Be prepared. Write your questions down. Bring someone with you-two heads are better than one. Be pro-active and do what you know that is helpful.

Get Up! Move Around!

2009-05-30T10:30:00.000-04:00

Sitting for long periods of time, such as during long car rides and airplane trips, has been known to trigger problems with blood clots. A new study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (2008;101:237–43) provides new evidence that prolonged sitting at work is no exception.

The maximum number of hours sitting at work during a 24-hour period and the maximum number of hours sitting at work without getting up, were both linked to an increased risk for the development of blood clots in the legs…a condition known as VTE (venous thromboembolism). For every additional hour seated, the risk increased by 10%, and for every additional hour seated at work without getting up, the risk increased by 20%.

The study’s co-author, Professor Richard Beasley at the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand concluded that, “measures to reduce both of these factors may be important from an occupational health perspective.”
Here are their recommendations:

• Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water and avoid over-consumption of alcohol and caffeine.
• Wear loose clothing that does not restrict the waist or legs.
• Flex and extend the ankles regularly while sitting to encourage blood in the veins of the lower legs to continue flowing.
• Stand up and move around at least once every hour, and try to restrict total sitting to less than eight hours per day.

BOTTOMLINE: According to the Ethnicity and Disease study cited above, “exercise, as part of a comprehensive lifestyle-modification program including weight loss, low-salt diet, diets rich in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fats, has beneficial effects on blood pressure. This is what we’ve been saying for years…the cause and solution to most health problems is more related to lifestyle than to treatment. Why wait for a problem, change to a healthier lifestyle now!

Facts About Osteoporosis

2009-05-27T11:14:00.000-04:00

Boost Your Immune System

2009-05-20T21:18:00.000-04:00

We all possess the inborn ability to protect ourselves from disease. The system designed for disease prevention is the immune system.

The immune system of the human body is under the direct control of the nervous system so any attempt to boost your immune function or the immune function of your loved ones must, by definition, require a healthy and functional nervous system. It is for this reason that chiropractic patients have found that they are best able to resist the common colds and flu that plaque most other people.

The overuse of pharmaceutical drugs, over the counter drugs, over indulgence in fast food, alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, inadequate water consumption, lack of exercise and the lack of information concerning immunity boosting has left the average American's immune system at a level of serious deficiency.

In addition to having as healthy and functional a nervous system as possible by having regular chiropractic care, there are other means of naturally boosting immune function. Here are a few suggestions for you:

1. Get regular exercise
2. Drink adequate amounts of water
3. Avoid substances that reduce immune function like alcohol, tobacco, caffeine
4. Increase peace and relaxation through yoga, tai chi, meditation and massage
5. Proper nutrition including well balanced meals, Vitamin C, flax seed oil, zinc ascorbate, and cayenne pepper.

BOTTOMLINE: Exercise and immune system response has been the subject of research. An article published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine found that as little as 45 minutes of brisk walking per day was shown to lower the incidence of upper respiratory symptoms, cut the duration of illness in half and increase natural killer-cell activity in people prone to upper respiratory tract infections. If you’re concerned about the flu, get walking today and boost your immunity.

Do You Eat Soy?? If So, Think Again!

2009-05-06T08:34:00.003-04:00

by Sally Fallon & Mary G. Enig, Ph.D.

Cinderella's Dark Side

The propaganda that has created the soy sales miracle is all the more remarkable because, only a few decades ago, the soybean was considered unfit to eat - even in Asia. During the Chou Dynasty (1134-246 BC) the soybean was designated one of the five sacred grains, along with barley, wheat, millet and rice.

However, the pictograph for the soybean, which dates from earlier times, indicates that it was not first used as a food; for whereas the pictographs for the other four grains show the seed and stem structure of the plant, the pictograph for the soybean emphasizes the root structure. Agricultural literature of the period speaks frequently of the soybean and its use in crop rotation. Apparently the soy plant was initially used as a method of fixing nitrogen.13

The soybean did not serve as a food until the discovery of fermentation techniques, some time during the Chou Dynasty. The first soy foods were fermented products like tempeh, natto, miso and soy sauce.

At a later date, possibly in the 2nd century BC, Chinese scientists discovered that a purée of cooked soybeans could be precipitated with calcium sulfate or magnesium sulfate (plaster of Paris or Epsom salts) to make a smooth, pale curd - tofu or bean curd. The use of fermented and precipitated soy products soon spread to other parts of the Orient, notably Japan and Indonesia.

The Chinese did not eat unfermented soybeans as they did other legumes such as lentils because the soybean contains large quantities of natural toxins or "antinutrients". First among them are potent enzyme inhibitors that block the action of trypsin and other enzymes needed for protein digestion.

These inhibitors are large, tightly folded proteins that are not completely deactivated during ordinary cooking. They can produce serious gastric distress, reduced protein digestion and chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptake. In test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors cause enlargement and pathological conditions of the pancreas, including cancer.14

Soybeans also contain haemagglutinin, a clot-promoting substance that causes red blood cells to clump together.

Trypsin inhibitors and haemagglutinin are growth inhibitors. Weanling rats fed soy containing these antinutrients fail to grow normally. Growth-depressant compounds are deactivated during the process of fermentation, so once the Chinese discovered how to ferment the soybean, they began to incorporate soy foods into their diets.

In precipitated products, enzyme inhibitors concentrate in the soaking liquid rather than in the curd. Thus, in tofu and bean curd, growth depressants are reduced in quantity but not completely eliminated.

Soy also contains goitrogens - substances that depress thyroid function.

Additionally 99% a very large percentage of soy is genetically modified and it also has one of the highest percentages contamination by pesticides of any of our foods.

Soybeans are high in phytic acid, present in the bran or hulls of all seeds. It's a substance that can block the uptake of essential minerals - calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc - in the intestinal tract.

Although not a household word, phytic acid has been extensively studied; there are literally hundreds of articles on the effects of phytic acid in the current scientific literature. Scientists are in general agreement that grain- and legume-based diets high in phytates contribute to widespread mineral deficiencies in third world countries.15

Analysis shows that calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc are present in the plant foods eaten in these areas, but the high phytate content of soy- and grain-based diets prevents their absorption.

The soybean has one of the highest phytate levels of any grain or legume that has been studied,16 and the phytates in soy are highly resistant to normal phytate-reducing techniques such as long, slow cooking.17 Only a long period of fermentation will significantly reduce the phytate content of soybeans.

When precipitated soy products like tofu are consumed with meat, the mineral-blocking effects of the phytates are reduced.18 The Japanese traditionally eat a small amount of tofu or miso as part of a mineral-rich fish broth, followed by a serving of meat or fish.

Vegetarians who consume tofu and bean curd as a substitute for meat and dairy products risk severe mineral deficiencies. The results of calcium, magnesium and iron deficiency are well known; those of zinc are less so.

Zinc is called the intelligence mineral because it is needed for optimal development and functioning of the brain and nervous system. It plays a role in protein synthesis and collagen formation; it is involved in the blood-sugar control mechanism and thus protects against diabetes; it is needed for a healthy reproductive system.

Zinc is a key component in numerous vital enzymes and plays a role in the immune system. Phytates found in soy products interfere with zinc absorption more completely than with other minerals.19 Zinc deficiency can cause a "spacey" feeling that some vegetarians may mistake for the "high" of spiritual enlightenment.

Milk drinking is given as the reason why second-generation Japanese in America grow taller than their native ancestors. Some investigators postulate that the reduced phytate content of the American diet - whatever may be its other deficiencies - is the true explanation, pointing out that both Asian and Western children who do not get enough meat and fish products to counteract the effects of a high phytate diet, frequently suffer rickets, stunting and other growth problems.20

Soy Protein Isolate: Not So Friendly

Soy processors have worked hard to get these antinutrients out of the finished product, particularly soy protein isolate (SPI) which is the key ingredient in most soy foods that imitate meat and dairy products, including baby formulas and some brands of soy milk.

SPI is not something you can make in your own kitchen. Production takes place in industrial factories where a slurry of soy beans is first mixed with an alkaline solution to remove fiber, then precipitated and separated using an acid wash and, finally, neutralized in an alkaline solution.

Acid washing in aluminum tanks leaches high levels of aluminum into the final product. The resultant curds are spray- dried at high temperatures to produce a high-protein powder. A final indignity to the original soybean is high-temperature, high-pressure extrusion processing of soy protein isolate to produce textured vegetable protein (TVP).

Much of the trypsin inhibitor content can be removed through high-temperature processing, but not all. Trypsin inhibitor content of soy protein isolate can vary as much as fivefold.21 (In rats, even low-level trypsin inhibitor SPI feeding results in reduced weight gain compared to controls.22)

But high-temperature processing has the unfortunate side-effect of so denaturing the other proteins in soy that they are rendered largely ineffective.23 That's why animals on soy feed need lysine supplements for normal growth.

Nitrites, which are potent carcinogens, are formed during spray-drying, and a toxin called lysinoalanine is formed during alkaline processing.24 Numerous artificial flavorings, particularly MSG, are added to soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein products to mask their strong "beany" taste and to impart the flavor of meat.25

In feeding experiments, the use of SPI increased requirements for vitamins E, K, D and B12 and created deficiency symptoms of calcium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, copper, iron and zinc.26 Phytic acid remaining in these soy products greatly inhibits zinc and iron absorption; test animals fed SPI develop enlarged organs, particularly the pancreas and thyroid gland, and increased deposition of fatty acids in the liver.27

Yet soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein are used extensively in school lunch programs, commercial baked goods, diet beverages and fast food products. They are heavily promoted in third world countries and form the basis of many food giveaway programs.

In spite of poor results in animal feeding trials, the soy industry has sponsored a number of studies designed to show that soy protein products can be used in human diets as a replacement for traditional foods.

An example is "Nutritional Quality of Soy Bean Protein Isolates: Studies in Children of Preschool Age", sponsored by the Ralston Purina Company.28 A group of Central American children suffering from malnutrition was first stabilized and brought into better health by feeding them native foods, including meat and dairy products. Then, for a two-week period, these traditional foods were replaced by a drink made of soy protein isolate and sugar.

All nitrogen taken in and all nitrogen excreted was measured in truly Orwellian fashion: the children were weighed naked every morning, and all excrement and vomit gathered up for analysis. The researchers found that the children retained nitrogen and that their growth was "adequate", so the experiment was declared a success.

Whether the children were actually healthy on such a diet, or could remain so over a long period, is another matter. The researchers noted that the children vomited "occasionally", usually after finishing a meal; that over half suffered from periods of moderate diarrhea; that some had upper respiratory infections; and that others suffered from rash and fever.

It should be noted that the researchers did not dare to use soy products to help the children recover from malnutrition, and were obliged to supplement the soy-sugar mixture with nutrients largely absent in soy products - notably, vitamins A, D and B12, iron, iodine and zinc.

Marketing The Perfect Food

"Just imagine you could grow the perfect food. This food not only would provide affordable nutrition, but also would be delicious and easy to prepare in a variety of ways. It would be a healthful food, with no saturated fat. In fact, you would be growing a virtual fountain of youth on your back forty."

The author is Dean Houghton, writing for The Furrow,2 a magazine published in 12 languages by John Deere. "This ideal food would help prevent, and perhaps reverse, some of the world's most dreaded diseases. You could grow this miracle crop in a variety of soils and climates. Its cultivation would build up, not deplete, the land...this miracle food already exists... It's called soy."

Just imagine. Farmers have been imagining - and planting more soy. What was once a minor crop, listed in the 1913 US Department of Agriculture (USDA) handbook not as a food but as an industrial product, now covers 72 million acres of American farmland. Much of this harvest will be used to feed chickens, turkeys, pigs, cows and salmon. Another large fraction will be squeezed to produce oil for margarine, shortenings and salad dressings.

Advances in technology make it possible to produce isolated soy protein from what was once considered a waste product - the defatted, high-protein soy chips - and then transform something that looks and smells terrible into products that can be consumed by human beings. Flavorings, preservatives, sweeteners, emulsifiers and synthetic nutrients have turned soy protein isolate, the food processors' ugly duckling, into a New Age Cinderella.

The new fairy-tale food has been marketed not so much for her beauty but for her virtues. Early on, products based on soy protein isolate were sold as extenders and meat substitutes - a strategy that failed to produce the requisite consumer demand. The industry changed its approach.

"The quickest way to gain product acceptability in the less affluent society," said an industry spokesman, "is to have the product consumed on its own merit in a more affluent society."3 So soy is now sold to the upscale consumer, not as a cheap, poverty food but as a miracle substance that will prevent heart disease and cancer, whisk away hot flushes, build strong bones and keep us forever young.

The competition - meat, milk, cheese, butter and eggs - has been duly demonised by the appropriate government bodies. Soy serves as meat and milk for a new generation of virtuous vegetarians.

Marketing Costs Money

This is especially when it needs to be bolstered with "research", but there's plenty of funds available. All soybean producers pay a mandatory assessment of one-half to one per cent of the net market price of soybeans. The total - something like US$80 million annually4 - supports United Soybean's program to "strengthen the position of soybeans in the marketplace and maintain and expand domestic and foreign markets for uses for soybeans and soybean products".

State soybean councils from Maryland, Nebraska, Delaware, Arkansas, Virginia, North Dakota and Michigan provide another $2.5 million for "research".5 Private companies like Archer Daniels Midland also contribute their share. ADM spent $4.7 million for advertising on Meet the Press and $4.3 million on Face the Nation during the course of a year.6

Public relations firms help convert research projects into newspaper articles and advertising copy, and law firms lobby for favorable government regulations. IMF money funds soy processing plants in foreign countries, and free trade policies keep soybean abundance flowing to overseas destinations.

The push for more soy has been relentless and global in its reach. Soy protein is now found in most supermarket breads. It is being used to transform "the humble tortilla, Mexico's corn-based staple food, into a protein-fortified 'super-tortilla' that would give a nutritional boost to the nearly 20 million Mexicans who live in extreme poverty".7 Advertising for a new soy-enriched loaf from Allied Bakeries in Britain targets menopausal women seeking relief from hot flushes. Sales are running at a quarter of a million loaves per week.8

The soy industry hired Norman Robert Associates, a public relations firm, to "get more soy products onto school menus".9 The USDA responded with a proposal to scrap the 30 per cent limit for soy in school lunches. The NuMenu program would allow unlimited use of soy in student meals. With soy added to hamburgers, tacos and lasagna, dieticians can get the total fat content below 30 per cent of calories, thereby conforming to government dictates. "With the soy-enhanced food items, students are receiving better servings of nutrients and less cholesterol and fat."

Soy milk has posted the biggest gains, soaring from $2 million in 1980 to $300 million in the US last year.10 Recent advances in processing have transformed the gray, thin, bitter, beany-tasting Asian beverage into a product that Western consumers will accept - one that tastes like a milkshake, but without the guilt.

Processing miracles, good packaging, massive advertising and a marketing strategy that stresses the products' possible health benefits account for increasing sales to all age groups. For example, reports that soy helps prevent prostate cancer have made soy milk acceptable to middle-aged men. "You don't have to twist the arm of a 55- to 60-year-old guy to get him to try soy milk," says Mark Messina. Michael Milken, former junk bond financier, has helped the industry shed its hippie image with well-publicized efforts to consume 40 grams of soy protein daily.

America today, tomorrow the world. Soy milk sales are rising in Canada, even though soy milk there costs twice as much as cow's milk. Soybean milk processing plants are sprouting up in places like Kenya.11 Even China, where soy really is a poverty food and whose people want more meat, not tofu, has opted to build Western-style soy factories rather than develop western grasslands for grazing animals.12

FDA Health Claim Challenged

On October 25, 1999 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided to allow a health claim for products "low in saturated fat and cholesterol" that contain 6.25 grams of soy protein per serving. Breakfast cereals, baked goods, convenience food, smoothie mixes and meat substitutes could now be sold with labels touting benefits to cardiovascular health, as long as these products contained one heaping teaspoon of soy protein per 100-gram serving.

The best marketing strategy for a product that is inherently unhealthy is, of course, a health claim.

"The road to FDA approval," writes a soy apologist, "was long and demanding, consisting of a detailed review of human clinical data collected from more than 40 scientific studies conducted over the last 20 years. Soy protein was found to be one of the rare foods that had sufficient scientific evidence not only to qualify for an FDA health claim proposal but to ultimately pass the rigorous approval process."29

The "long and demanding" road to FDA approval actually took a few unexpected turns. The original petition, submitted by Protein Technology International, requested a health claim for isoflavones, the estrogen-like compounds found plentifully in soybeans, based on assertions that "only soy protein that has been processed in a manner in which isoflavones are retained will result in cholesterol lowering".

In 1998, the FDA made the unprecedented move of rewriting PTI's petition, removing any reference to the phyto-estrogens and substituting a claim for soy protein - a move that was in direct contradiction to the agency's regulations. The FDA is authorized to make rulings only on substances presented by petition.

The abrupt change in direction was no doubt due to the fact that a number of researchers, including scientists employed by the US Government, submitted documents indicating that isoflavones are toxic.

The FDA had also received, early in 1998, the final British Government report on phytoestrogens, which failed to find much evidence of benefit and warned against potential adverse effects.30

Even with the change to soy protein isolate, FDA bureaucrats engaged in the "rigorous approval process" were forced to deal nimbly with concerns about mineral blocking effects, enzyme inhibitors, goitrogenicity, endocrine disruption, reproductive problems and increased allergic reactions from consumption of soy products.31

One of the strongest letters of protest came from Dr Dan Sheehan and Dr Daniel Doerge, government researchers at the National Center for Toxicological Research.32 Their pleas for warning labels were dismissed as unwarranted.

"Sufficient scientific evidence" of soy's cholesterol-lowering properties is drawn largely from a 1995 meta-analysis by Dr James Anderson, sponsored by Protein Technologies International and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.33

A meta-analysis is a review and summary of the results of many clinical studies on the same subject. Use of meta-analyses to draw general conclusions has come under sharp criticism by members of the scientific community.

"Researchers substituting meta-analysis for more rigorous trials risk making faulty assumptions and indulging in creative accounting," says Sir John Scott, President of the Royal Society of New Zealand. "Like is not being lumped with like. Little lumps and big lumps of data are being gathered together by various groups."34

There is the added temptation for researchers, particularly researchers funded by a company like Protein Technologies International, to leave out studies that would prevent the desired conclusions. Dr Anderson discarded eight studies for various reasons, leaving a remainder of twenty-nine.

The published report suggested that individuals with cholesterol levels over 250 mg/dl would experience a "significant" reduction of 7 to 20 per cent in levels of serum cholesterol if they substituted soy protein for animal protein. Cholesterol reduction was insignificant for individuals whose cholesterol was lower than 250 mg/dl.

In other words, for most of us, giving up steak and eating vegieburgers instead will not bring down blood cholesterol levels. The health claim that the FDA approved "after detailed review of human clinical data" fails to inform the consumer about these important details.

Research that ties soy to positive effects on cholesterol levels is "incredibly immature", said Ronald M. Krauss, MD, head of the Molecular Medical Research Program and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.35 He might have added that studies in which cholesterol levels were lowered through either diet or drugs have consistently resulted in a greater number of deaths in the treatment groups than in controls - deaths from stroke, cancer, intestinal disorders, accident and suicide.36

Cholesterol-lowering measures in the US have fuelled a $60 billion per year cholesterol-lowering industry, but have not saved us from the ravages of heart disease.

Soy And Cancer

The new FDA ruling does not allow any claims about cancer prevention on food packages, but that has not restrained the industry and its marketers from making them in their promotional literature.

"In addition to protecting the heart," says a vitamin company brochure, "soy has demonstrated powerful anticancer benefits...the Japanese, who eat 30 times as much soy as North Americans, have a lower incidence of cancers of the breast, uterus and prostate."37

Indeed they do. But the Japanese, and Asians in general, have much higher rates of other types of cancer, particularly cancer of the esophagus, stomach, pancreas and liver.38 Asians throughout the world also have high rates of thyroid cancer.39 The logic that links low rates of reproductive cancers to soy consumption requires attribution of high rates of thyroid and digestive cancers to the same foods, particularly as soy causes these types of cancers in laboratory rats.

Just how much soy do Asians eat? A 1998 survey found that the average daily amount of soy protein consumed in Japan was about eight grams for men and seven for women - less than two teaspoons.40 The famous Cornell China Study, conducted by Colin T. Campbell, found that legume consumption in China varied from 0 to 58 grams per day, with a mean of about twelve.41

Assuming that two-thirds of legume consumption is soy, then the maximum consumption is about 40 grams, or less than three tablespoons per day, with an average consumption of about nine grams, or less than two teaspoons. A survey conducted in the 1930s found that soy foods accounted for only 1.5 per cent of calories in the Chinese diet, compared with 65 per cent of calories from pork.42 (Asians traditionally cooked with lard, not vegetable oil!)

Traditionally fermented soy products make a delicious, natural seasoning that may supply important nutritional factors in the Asian diet. But except in times of famine, Asians consume soy products only in small amounts, as condiments, and not as a replacement for animal foods - with one exception. Celibate monks living in monasteries and leading a vegetarian lifestyle find soy foods quite helpful because they dampen libido.

It was a 1994 meta-analysis by Mark Messina, published in Nutrition and Cancer, that fuelled speculation on soy's anticarcinogenic properties.43 Messina noted that in 26 animal studies, 65 per cent reported protective effects from soy. He conveniently neglected to include at least one study in which soy feeding caused pancreatic cancer - the 1985 study by Rackis.44 In the human studies he listed, the results were mixed.

A few showed some protective effect, but most showed no correlation at all between soy consumption and cancer rates. He concluded that "the data in this review cannot be used as a basis for claiming that soy intake decreases cancer risk". Yet in his subsequent book, The Simple Soybean and Your Health, Messina makes just such a claim, recommending one cup or 230 grams of soy products per day in his "optimal" diet as a way to prevent cancer.

Thousands of women are now consuming soy in the belief that it protects them against breast cancer. Yet, in 1996, researchers found that women consuming soy protein isolate had an increased incidence of epithelial hyperplasia, a condition that presages malignancies.45 A year later, dietary genistein was found to stimulate breast cells to enter the cell cycle - a discovery that led the study authors to conclude that women should not consume soy products to prevent breast cancer.46

Phytoestrogens: Panacea Or Poison?

The male species of tropical birds carries the drab plumage of the female at birth and 'colors up' at maturity, somewhere between nine and 24 months.

In 1991, Richard and Valerie James, bird breeders in Whangerai, New Zealand, purchased a new kind of feed for their birds - one based largely on soy protein.47 When soy-based feed was used, their birds 'colored up' after just a few months. In fact, one bird-food manufacturer claimed that this early development was an advantage imparted by the feed.

A 1992 ad for Roudybush feed formula showed a picture of the male crimson rosella, an Australian parrot that acquires beautiful red plumage at 18 to 24 months, already brightly colored at 11 weeks old.

Unfortunately, in the ensuing years, there was decreased fertility in the birds, with precocious maturation, deformed, stunted and stillborn babies, and premature deaths, especially among females, with the result that the total population in the aviaries went into steady decline.

The birds suffered beak and bone deformities, goiter, immune system disorders and pathological, aggressive behavior. Autopsy revealed digestive organs in a state of disintegration. The list of problems corresponded with many of the problems the Jameses had encountered in their two children, who had been fed soy-based infant formula.

Startled, aghast, angry, the Jameses hired toxicologist Mike Fitzpatrick. PhD, to investigate further. Dr Fitzpatrick's literature review uncovered evidence that soy consumption has been linked to numerous disorders, including infertility, increased cancer and infantile leukemia; and, in studies dating back to the 1950s,48 that genistein in soy causes endocrine disruption in animals.

Dr Fitzpatrick also analyzed the bird feed and found that it contained high levels of phytoestrogens, especially genistein. When the Jameses discontinued using soy-based feed, the flock gradually returned to normal breeding habits and behavior.

The Jameses embarked on a private crusade to warn the public and government officials about toxins in soy foods, particularly the endocrine-disrupting isoflavones, genistein and diadzen. Protein Technology International received their material in 1994.

In 1991, Japanese researchers reported that consumption of as little as 30 grams or two tablespoons of soybeans per day for only one month resulted in a significant increase in thyroid-stimulating hormone.49 Diffuse goiter and hypothyroidism appeared in some of the subjects and many complained of constipation, fatigue and lethargy, even though their intake of iodine was adequate.

In 1997, researchers from the FDA's National Center for Toxicological Research made the embarrassing discovery that the goitrogenic components of soy were the very same isoflavones.50

Twenty-five grams of soy protein isolate, the minimum amount PTI claimed to have cholesterol-lowering effects, contains from 50 to 70 mg of isoflavones. It took only 45 mg of isoflavones in premenopausal women to exert significant biological effects, including a reduction in hormones needed for adequate thyroid function. These effects lingered for three months after soy consumption was discontinued.51

One hundred grams of soy protein - the maximum suggested cholesterol-lowering dose, and the amount recommended by Protein Technologies International - can contain almost 600 mg of isoflavones,52 an amount that is undeniably toxic. In 1992, the Swiss health service estimated that 100 grams of soy protein provided the estrogenic equivalent of the Pill.53

In vitro studies suggest that isoflavones inhibit synthesis of estradiol and other steroid hormones.54 Reproductive problems, infertility, thyroid disease and liver disease due to dietary intake of isoflavones have been observed for several species of animals including mice, cheetah, quail, pigs, rats, sturgeon and sheep.55

It is the isoflavones in soy that are said to have a favorable effect on postmenopausal symptoms, including hot flushes, and protection from osteoporosis. Quantification of discomfort from hot flushes is extremely subjective, and most studies show that control subjects report reduction in discomfort in amounts equal to subjects given soy.56 The claim that soy prevents osteoporosis is extraordinary, given that soy foods block calcium and cause vitamin D deficiencies.

If Asians indeed have lower rates of osteoporosis than Westerners, it is because their diet provides plenty of vitamin D from shrimp, lard and seafood, and plenty of calcium from bone broths. The reason that Westerners have such high rates of osteoporosis is because they have substituted soy oil for butter, which is a traditional source of vitamin D and other fat-soluble activators needed for calcium absorption.

Birth Control Pills For Babies

But it was the isoflavones in infant formula that gave the Jameses the most cause for concern. In 1998, investigators reported that the daily exposure of infants to isoflavones in soy infant formula is 6 to11 times higher on a body-weight basis than the dose that has hormonal effects in adults consuming soy foods. Circulating concentrations of isoflavones in infants fed soy-based formula were 13,000 to 22,000 times higher than plasma estradiol concentrations in infants on cow's milk formula.57

Approximately 25 per cent of bottle-fed children in the US receive soy-based formula - a much higher percentage than in other parts of the Western world. Fitzpatrick estimated that an infant exclusively fed soy formula receives the estrogenic equivalent (based on body weight) of at least five birth control pills per day.58 By contrast, almost no phytoestrogens have been detected in dairy-based infant formula or in human milk, even when the mother consumes soy products.

Scientists have known for years that soy-based formula can cause thyroid problems in babies. But what are the effects of soy products on the hormonal development of the infant, both male and female?

Male infants undergo a "testosterone surge" during the first few months of life, when testosterone levels may be as high as those of an adult male. During this period, the infant is programmed to express male characteristics after puberty, not only in the development of his sexual organs and other masculine physical traits, but also in setting patterns in the brain characteristic of male behavior.

In monkeys, deficiency of male hormones impairs the development of spatial perception (which, in humans, is normally more acute in men than in women), of learning ability and of visual discrimination tasks (such as would be required for reading).59 It goes without saying that future patterns of sexual orientation may also be influenced by the early hormonal environment.

Male children exposed during gestation to diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic estrogen that has effects on animals similar to those of phytoestrogens from soy, had testes smaller than normal on manturation.60

Learning disabilities, especially in male children, have reached epidemic proportions. Soy infant feeding - which began in earnest in the early 1970s - cannot be ignored as a probable cause for these tragic developments.

As for girls, an alarming number are entering puberty much earlier than normal, according to a recent study reported in the journal Pediatrics.61 Investigators found that one per cent of all girls now show signs of puberty, such as breast development or pubic hair, before the age of three; by age eight, 14.7 per cent of white girls and almost 50 per cent of African-American girls have one or both of these characteristics.

New data indicate that environmental estrogens such as PCBs and DDE (a breakdown product of DDT) may cause early sexual development in girls.62 In the 1986 Puerto Rico Premature Thelarche study, the most significant dietary association with premature sexual development was not chicken - as reported in the press - but soy infant formula.63

The consequences of this truncated childhood are tragic. Young girls with mature bodies must cope with feelings and urges that most children are not well-equipped to handle. And early maturation in girls is frequently a harbinger for problems with the reproductive system later in life, including failure to menstruate, infertility and breast cancer.

Parents who have contacted the Jameses recount other problems associated with children of both sexes who were fed soy-based formula, including extreme emotional behavior, asthma, immune system problems, pituitary insufficiency, thyroid disorders and irritable bowel syndrome - the same endocrine and digestive havoc that afflicted the Jameses' parrots.

Dissension In The Ranks

Organizers of the Third International Soy Symposium would be hard-pressed to call the conference an unqualified success. On the second day of the symposium, the London-based Food Commission and the Weston A. Price Foundation of Washington, DC, held a joint press conference, in the same hotel as the symposium, to present concerns about soy infant formula.

Industry representatives sat stony-faced through the recitation of potential dangers and a plea from concerned scientists and parents to pull soy-based infant formula from the market. Under pressure from the Jameses, the New Zealand Government had issued a health warning about soy infant formula in 1998; it was time for the American government to do the same.

On the last day of the symposium, presentations on new findings related to toxicity sent a well-oxygenated chill through the giddy helium hype. Dr Lon White reported on a study of Japanese Americans living in Hawaii, that showed a significant statistical relationship between two or more servings of tofu a week and "accelerated brain aging".64

Those participants who consumed tofu in mid-life had lower cognitive function in late life and a greater incidence of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. "What's more," said Dr White, "those who ate a lot of tofu, by the time they were 75 or 80 looked five years older".65 White and his colleagues blamed the negative effects on isoflavones - a finding that supports an earlier study in which postmenopausal women with higher levels of circulating estrogen experienced greater cognitive decline.66

Scientists Daniel Sheehan and Daniel Doerge, from the National Center for Toxicological Research, ruined PTI's day by presenting findings from rat feeding studies, indicating that genistein in soy foods causes irreversible damage to enzymes that synthesise thyroid hormones.67

"The association between soybean consumption and goiter in animals and humans has a long history," wrote Dr Doerge. "Current evidence for the beneficial effects of soy requires a full understanding of potential adverse effects as well."

Dr Claude Hughes reported that rats born to mothers that were fed genistein had decreased birth weights compared to controls, and onset of puberty occurred earlier in male offspring.68 His research suggested that the effects observed in rats "...will be at least somewhat predictive of what occurs in humans.

There is no reason to assume that there will be gross malformations of fetuses but there may be subtle changes, such as neurobehavioral attributes, immune function and sex hormone levels." The results, he said, "could be nothing or could be something of great concern...if mom is eating something that can act like sex hormones, it is logical to wonder if that could change the baby's development".69

A study of babies born to vegetarian mothers, published in January 2000, indicated just what those changes in baby's development might be. Mothers who ate a vegetarian diet during pregnancy had a fivefold greater risk of delivering a boy with hypospadias, a birth defect of the penis.70 The authors of the study suggested that the cause was greater exposure to phytoestrogens in soy foods popular with vegetarians.

Problems with female offspring of vegetarian mothers are more likely to show up later in life. While soy's estrogenic effect is less than that of diethylstilbestrol (DES), the dose is likely to be higher because it's consumed as a food, not taken as a drug. Daughters of women who took DES during pregnancy suffered from infertility and cancer when they reached their twenties.

Question Marks Over GRAS Status

Lurking in the background of industry hype for soy is the nagging question of whether it's even legal to add soy protein isolate to food. All food additives not in common use prior to 1958, including casein protein from milk, must have GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status. In 1972, the Nixon administration directed a re-examination of substances believed to be GRAS, in the light of any scientific information then available.

This re-examination included casein protein that became codified as GRAS in 1978. In 1974, the FDA obtained a literature review of soy protein because, as soy protein had not been used in food until 1959 and was not even in common use in the early 1970s, it was not eligible to have its GRAS status grandfathered under the provisions of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.71

The scientific literature up to 1974 recognized many antinutrients in factory-made soy protein, including trypsin inhibitors, phytic acid and genistein. But the FDA literature review dismissed discussion of adverse impacts, with the statement that it was important for "adequate processing" to remove them.

Genistein could be removed with an alcohol wash, but it was an expensive procedure that processors avoided. Later studies determined that trypsin inhibitor content could be removed only with long periods of heat and pressure, but the FDA has imposed no requirements for manufacturers to do so.

The FDA was more concerned with toxins formed during processing, specifically nitrites and lysinoalanine.72 Even at low levels of consumption - averaging one-third of a gram per day at the time - the presence of these carcinogens was considered too great a threat to public health to allow GRAS status.

Soy protein did have approval for use as a binder in cardboard boxes, and this approval was allowed to continue, as researchers considered that migration of nitrites from the box into the food contents would be too small to constitute a cancer risk. FDA officials called for safety specifications and monitoring procedures before granting of GRAS status for food.

These were never performed. To this day, use of soy protein is codified as GRAS only for this limited industrial use as a cardboard binder. This means that soy protein must be subject to premarket approval procedures each time manufacturers intend to use it as a food or add it to a food.

Soy protein was introduced into infant formula in the early 1960s. It was a new product with no history of any use at all. As soy protein did not have GRAS status, premarket approval was required. This was not and still has not been granted. The key ingredient of soy infant formula is not recognized as safe.

The Next Asbestos?

"Against the backdrop of widespread praise...there is growing suspicion that soy - despite its undisputed benefits - may pose some health hazards," writes Marian Burros, a leading food writer for the New York Times. More than any other writer, Ms Burros's endorsement of a low-fat, largely vegetarian diet has herded Americans into supermarket aisles featuring soy foods.

Yet her January 26, 2000 article, "Doubts Cloud Rosy News on Soy", contains the following alarming statement: "Not one of the 18 scientists interviewed for this column was willing to say that taking isoflavones was risk free." Ms Burros did not enumerate the risks, nor did she mention that the recommended 25 daily grams of soy protein contain enough isoflavones to cause problems in sensitive individuals, but it was evident that the industry had recognized the need to cover itself.

Because the industry is extremely exposed...contingency lawyers will soon discover that the number of potential plaintiffs can be counted in the millions and the pockets are very, very deep. Juries will hear something like the following: "The industry has known for years that soy contains many toxins.

At first they told the public that the toxins were removed by processing. When it became apparent that processing could not get rid of them, they claimed that these substances were beneficial. Your government granted a health claim to a substance that is poisonous, and the industry lied to the public to sell more soy."

The "industry" includes merchants, manufacturers, scientists, publicists, bureaucrats, former bond financiers, food writers, vitamin companies and retail stores. Farmers will probably escape because they were duped like the rest of us. But they need to find something else to grow before the soy bubble bursts and the market collapses: grass-fed livestock, designer vegetables...or hemp to make paper for thousands and thousands of legal briefs.

Extracted from Nexus Magazine, Volume 7, Number 3 (April-May 2000)

About the Authors:

Sally Fallon is the author of Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats (1999, 2nd edition, New Trends Publishing, tel +1 877 707 1776 or +1 219 268 2601) and President of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Washington, DC (www.WestonAPrice.org)

Mary G. Enig, Ph.D., a nutritionist widely known for her research on the nutritional aspects of fats and oils, is a consultant, clinician, and the Director of the Nutritional Sciences Division of Enig Associates, Inc., Silver Spring, Maryland.

She received her PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1984, taught a graduate course in nutrient-drug interactions for the University's Graduate Program in Nutritional Sciences, and held a Faculty Research Associateship from 1984 through 1991 with the Lipids Research Group in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Dr. Enig is a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition, and a member of the American Institute of Nutrition. Her many years of experience as a "bench chemist" in the analysis of food fats and oils, provides a foundation for her active roles in food labeling and composition issues at the federal and state levels.

Dr. Enig is a Consulting Editor to the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition" and formerly served as a Contributing Editor to "Clinical Nutrition." She has published 14 scientific papers on the subject of food fats and oils, several chapters on nutrition for books, and presented over 35 scientific papers on food and nutrition topics.

She is the President of the Maryland Nutritionists Association, past President of the Coalition of Nutritionists of Maryland and was appointed by the Governor in 1986 to the Maryland State Advisory Council on Nutrition and served as the Chairman of the Health Subcommittee until the Council was disbanded in 1988.

COMMENT:

Sally Fallon and Dr. Enig are to be highly commended for this much needed soy update. Together they have compiled the most definitive document to date on why one should avoid soy. This is a MAJOR work and I am hoping to promote it for the national media attention that it deserves.

Another article on How Much Soy Asians Actually Eat

ENDNOTES:

1. Program for the Third International Symposium on the Role of Soy in Preventing and Treating Chronic Disease, Sunday, October 31, through Wednesday, November 3, 1999, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC.
2. Houghton, Dean, "Healthful Harvest", The Furrow, January 2000, pp. 10-13.
3. Coleman, Richard J., "Vegetable Protein - A Delayed Birth?" Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society 52:238A, April 1975.
4. See www/unitedsoybean.org.
5. These are listed in www.soyonlineservice.co.nz.
6. Wall Street Journal, October 27, 1995.
7. Smith, James F., "Healthier tortillas could lead to healthier Mexico", Denver Post, August 22, 1999, p. 26A.
8. "Bakery says new loaf can help reduce hot flushes", Reuters, September 15, 1997.
9. "Beefing Up Burgers with Soy Products at School", Nutrition Week, Community Nutrition Institute, Washington, DC, June 5, 1998, p. 2.
10. Urquhart, John, "A Health Food Hits Big Time", Wall Street Journal, August 3, 1999, p. B1
11. "Soyabean Milk Plant in Kenya", Africa News Service, September 1998.
12. Simoons, Frederick J., Food in China: A Cultural and Historical Inquiry, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1991, p. 64.
13. Katz, Solomon H., "Food and Biocultural Evolution: A Model for the Investigation of Modern Nutritional Problems", Nutritional Anthropology, Alan R. Liss Inc., 1987, p. 50.
14. Rackis, Joseph J. et al., "The USDA trypsin inhibitor study. I. Background, objectives and procedural details", Qualification of Plant Foods in Human Nutrition, vol. 35, 1985.
15. Van Rensburg et al., "Nutritional status of African populations predisposed to esophageal cancer", Nutrition and Cancer, vol. 4, 1983, pp. 206-216; Moser, P.B. et al., "Copper, iron, zinc and selenium dietary intake and status of Nepalese lactating women and their breastfed infants", American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 47:729-734, April 1988; Harland, B.F. et al., "Nutritional status and phytate: zinc and phytate X calcium: zinc dietary molar ratios of lacto-ovovegetarian Trappist monks: 10 years later", Journal of the American Dietetic Association 88:1562-1566, December 1988.
16. El Tiney, A.H., "Proximate Composition and Mineral and Phytate Contents of Legumes Grown in Sudan", Journal of Food Composition and Analysis (1989) 2:6778.
17. Ologhobo, A.D. et al., "Distribution of phosphorus and phytate in some Nigerian varieties of legumes and some effects of processing", Journal of Food Science 49(1):199-201, January/February 1984.
18. Sandstrom, B. et al., "Effect of protein level and protein source on zinc absorption in humans", Journal of Nutrition 119(1):48-53, January 1989; Tait, Susan et al., "The availability of minerals in food, with particular reference to iron", Journal of Research in Society and Health 103(2):74-77, April 1983.
19. Phytate reduction of zinc absorption has been demonstrated in numerous studies. These results are summarised in Leviton, Richard, Tofu, Tempeh, Miso and Other Soyfoods: The 'Food of the Future' - How to Enjoy Its Spectacular Health Benefits, Keats Publishing, Inc., New Canaan, CT, USA, 1982, p. 1415.
20. Mellanby, Edward, "Experimental rickets: The effect of cereals and their interaction with other factors of diet and environment in producing rickets", Journal of the Medical Research Council 93:265, March 1925; Wills, M.R. et al., "Phytic Acid and Nutritional Rickets in Immigrants", The Lancet, April 8,1972, pp. 771-773.
21. Rackis et al., ibid.
22. Rackis et al., ibid., p. 232.
23. Wallace, G.M., "Studies on the Processing and Properties of Soymilk", Journal of Science and Food Agriculture 22:526-535, October 1971.
24. Rackis, et al., ibid., p. 22; "Evaluation of the Health Aspects of Soy Protein Isolates as Food Ingredients", prepared for FDA by Life Sciences Research Office, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20014), USA, Contract No. FDA 223-75-2004, 1979.
25. See www/truthinlabeling.org.
26. Rackis, Joseph, J., "Biological and Physiological Factors in Soybeans", Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society 51:161A-170A, January 1974.
27. Rackis, Joseph J. et al., "The USDA trypsin inhibitor study", ibid.
28. Torum, Benjamin, "Nutritional Quality of Soybean Protein Isolates: Studies in Children of Preschool Age", in Soy Protein and Human Nutrition, Harold L Wilcke et al. (eds), Academic Press, New York, 1979.
29. Zreik, Marwin, CCN, "The Great Soy Protein Awakening", Total Health 32(1), February 2000.
30. IEH Assessment on Phytoestrogens in the Human Diet, Final Report to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, UK, November 1997, p. 11.
31. Food Labeling: Health Claims: Soy Protein and Coronary Heart Disease, Food and Drug Administration 21 CFR, Part 101 (Docket No. 98P-0683).
32. Sheegan, Daniel M. and Daniel R Doerge, Letter to Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305), February 18, 1999.
33. Anderson, James W. et al., "Meta-analysis of the Effects of Soy Protein Intake on Serum Lipids", New England Journal of Medicine (1995) 333:(5):276-282.
34. Guy, Camille, "Doctors warned against magic, quackery", New Zealand Herald, September 9, 1995, section 8, p. 5.
35. Sander, Kate and Hilary Wilson, "FDA approves new health claim for soy, but litte fallout expected for dairy", Cheese Market News, October 22, 1999, p. 24.
36. Enig, Mary G. and Sally Fallon, "The Oiling of America", NEXUS Magazine, December 1998-January 1999 and February-March 1999; also available at www.WestonAPrice.org.
37. Natural Medicine News (L & H Vitamins, 32-33 47th Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101), USA, January/February 2000, p. 8.
38. Harras, Angela (ed.), Cancer Rates and Risks, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, 1996, 4th edition.
39. Searle, Charles E. (ed.), Chemical Carcinogens, ACS Monograph 173, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 1976.
40. Nagata, C. et al., Journal of Nutrition (1998) 128:209-213.
41. Campbell, Colin T. et al., The Cornell Project in China.
42. Chang, K.C. (ed.), Food in Chinese Culture: Anthropological and Historical Perspectives, New Haven, 1977.
43. Messina, Mark J. et al., "Soy Intake and Cancer Risk: A Review of the In Vitro and In Vivo Data", Nutrition and Cancer (1994) 21(2):113-131.
44. Rackis et al, "The USDA trypsin inhibitor study", ibid.
45. Petrakis, N.L. et al., "Stimulatory influence of soy protein isolate on breast secretion in pre- and post-menopausal women", Cancer Epid. Bio. Prev. (1996) 5:785-794.
46. Dees, C. et al., "Dietary estrogens stimulate human breast cells to enter the cell cycle", Environmental Health Perspectives (1997) 105(Suppl. 3):633-636.
47. Woodhams, D.J., "Phytoestrogens and parrots: The anatomy of an investigation", Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand (1995) 20:22-30.
48. Matrone, G. et al., "Effect of Genistin on Growth and Development of the Male Mouse", Journal of Nutrition (1956) 235-240.
49. Ishizuki, Y. et al., "The effects on the thyroid gland of soybeans administered experimentally in healthy subjects", Nippon Naibunpi Gakkai Zasshi (1991) 767:622-629.
50. Divi, R.L. et al., "Anti-thyroid isoflavones from the soybean", Biochemical Pharmacology (1997) 54:1087-1096.
51. Cassidy, A. et al., "Biological Effects of a Diet of Soy Protein Rich in Isoflavones on the Menstrual Cycle of Premenopausal Women", American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1994) 60:333-340.
52. Murphy, P.A., "Phytoestrogen Content of Processed Soybean Foods", Food Technology, January 1982, pp. 60-64.
53. Bulletin de L'Office Fédéral de la Santé Publique, no. 28, July 20, 1992.
54. Keung, W.M., "Dietary oestrogenic isoflavones are potent inhibitors of B-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase of P. testosteronii", Biochemical and Biophysical Research Committee (1995) 215:1137-1144; Makela, S.I. et al., "Estrogen-specific 12 B-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase type 1 (E.C. 1.1.1.62) as a possible target for the action of phytoestrogens", PSEBM (1995) 208:51-59.
55. Setchell, K.D.R. et al., "Dietary oestrogens - a probable cause of infertility and liver disease in captive cheetahs", Gastroenterology (1987) 93:225-233; Leopald, A.S., "Phytoestrogens: Adverse effects on reproduction in California Quail," Science (1976) 191:98-100; Drane, H.M. et al., "Oestrogenic activity of soya-bean products", Food, Cosmetics and Technology (1980) 18:425-427; Kimura, S. et al., "Development of malignant goiter by defatted soybean with iodine-free diet in rats", Gann. (1976) 67:763-765; Pelissero, C. et al., "Oestrogenic effect of dietary soybean meal on vitellogenesis in cultured Siberian Sturgeon Acipenser baeri", Gen. Comp. End. (1991) 83:447-457; Braden et al., "The oestrogenic activity and metabolism of certain isoflavones in sheep", Australian J. Agricultural Research (1967) 18:335-348.
56. Ginsburg, Jean and Giordana M. Prelevic, "Is there a proven place for phytoestrogens in the menopause?", Climacteric (1999) 2:75-78.
57. Setchell, K.D. et al., "Isoflavone content of infant formulas and the metabolic fate of these early phytoestrogens in early life", American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, December 1998 Supplement, 1453S-1461S.
58. Irvine, C. et al., "The Potential Adverse Effects of Soybean Phytoestrogens in Infant Feeding", New Zealand Medical Journal May 24, 1995, p. 318.
59. Hagger, C. and J. Bachevalier, "Visual habit formation in 3-month-old monkeys (Macaca mulatta): reversal of sex difference following neonatal manipulations of androgen", Behavior and Brain Research (1991) 45:57-63.
60. Ross, R.K. et al., "Effect of in-utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol on age at onset of puberty and on post-pubertal hormone levels in boys", Canadian Medical Association Journal 128(10):1197-8, May 15, 1983.
61. Herman-Giddens, Marcia E. et al., "Secondary Sexual Characteristics and Menses in Young Girls Seen in Office Practice: A Study from the Pediatric Research in Office Settings Network", Pediatrics 99(4):505-512, April 1997.
62. Rachel's Environment & Health Weekly 263, "The Wingspread Statement", Part 1, December 11, 1991; Colborn, Theo, Dianne Dumanoski and John Peterson Myers, Our Stolen Future, Little, Brown & Company, London, 1996.
63. Freni-Titulaer, L.W., "Premature Thelarch in Puerto Rico: A search for environmental factors", American Journal of Diseases of Children 140(12):1263-1267, December 1986.
64. White, Lon, "Association of High Midlife Tofu Consumption with Accelerated Brain Aging", Plenary Session #8: Cognitive Function, The Third International Soy Symposium, November 1999, Program, p. 26.
65. Altonn, Helen, "Too much tofu induces 'brain aging', study shows", Honolulu Star-Bulletin, November 19, 1999.
66. Journal of the American Geriatric Society (1998) 46:816-21.
67. Doerge, Daniel R., "Inactivation of Thyroid Peroxidase by Genistein and Daidzein in Vitro and in Vivo; Mechanism for Anti-Thyroid Activity of Soy", presented at the November 1999 Soy Symposium in Washington, DC, National Center for Toxicological Research, Jefferson, AR 72029, USA.
68. Hughes, Claude, Center for Women's Health and Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA.
69. Soy Intake May Affect Fetus", Reuters News Service, November 5, 1999.
70. "Vegetarian diet in pregnancy linked to birth defect", BJU International 85:107-113, January 2000.
71. FDA ref 72/104, Report FDABF GRAS - 258.
72. "Evaluation of the Health Aspects of Soy Protein Isolates as Food Ingredients", prepared for FDA by Life Sciences Research Office, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) (9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20014, USA), Contract No, FDA 223-75-2004, 1979.

Worried About the Swine Flu: GET ADJUSTED!

2009-04-27T21:25:00.007-04:00

With all this over coverage on the swine flu and scare the media is trying to instill upon us, I felt it is necessary to voice my thoughts. If anyone of you are worried about this then all I can say is keep your immune system strong and the number 1 way is through Chiropractic adjustments.

The nervous system has a direct immune system effect through the nerve supply to the important immune system organs. One of the most important studies was performed by Ronald Pero, Ph.D., chief of cancer prevention research at New York’s Preventive Medicine Institute and professor of medicine at New York University. It showed the positive effect that chiropractic care can have on the immune system and general health.

Dr. Pero measured the immune systems of people under chiropractic care as compared to those in the general population and those with cancer and other serious diseases. His initial three-year study was of 107 individuals who had been under chiropractic care for five years or more. The chiropractic patients were found to have a 200% greater immune competence than those people who had not received chiropractic care, and they had 400% greater immune competence than those people with cancer and other serious diseases. The immune system superiority of those under chiropractic care did not appear to diminish with age. Dr. Pero stated:

"When applied in a clinical framework, I have never seen a group other than this chiropractic group to experience a 200% increase over the normal patients. This is why it is so dramatically important. We have never seen such a positive improvement in a group…"

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!! Need help finding a great chiropractor then e-mail me about your location at ACohenDC@Gmail.com.

1) Pero R. “Medical Researcher Excited By CBSRF Project Results.” The Chiropractic Journal, August 1989; 32.

Abnormal Function Of Spine and Body

2009-04-26T17:44:00.000-04:00

We made it! For the past 4 weeks we have been discussing the different components to what happens when the spine misaligns. Here is a recap:

1) Abnormal motion
2) Abnormal nervous system function
3) Abnormal muscle function
4) Abnormal soft tissue function

Our body is brilliant and designed to keep our health at an optimal state. The curve in our neck is designed to look like a C-curve that can absorb the devastating affects that gravity puts upon it. Through sitting on the computer, car wrecks, and other related accidents our spine loses its C-curve and slwoly turns into a reverse C-curve. People are always wondering why they develop arthritis and how it affects their joints. Some blame it on genes, luck, or chance, but the primary reason people develop arthritis is due to improper biomechanics. As the spine reverses its C-curve it becomes tougher to handle the devastating affects of gravity. The spine wants more support to carry the weight of our head so it builds more bone for extra support. As it builds more bone it begins to fuse the vertebra above to the one below. This is what some doctors would call arthritis but in reality it is poor alignment. There is a law called Wolff's Law that states bone in a healthy person or animal will adapt to the loads it is placed under. The more stress you put on your spine and the more you take it out of alignment then the more bone that it will build around the joint to adapt to the stressful loads it is placed under.

If you look at the picture above then you will notice that bone is beginning to form at the end of the lower vertebrae. This is an example of how Wolffs' Law works.

At Cohen Chiropractic Centre we will offer traction, mirror image exercises, and many other postural techniques to bring your body back to its proper alignment.

Abnormal Soft Tissue Function

2009-04-22T20:43:00.000-04:00

We are now in week 4 discussing the 5 components that happen when you have a spinal misaligned spine. Lets recap the first 3 issues: 1) Abnormal motion in the spine 2) Abnormal functioning nervous system 3) Abnormal muscle function.

If you have not read the previous posts then please look them up from the past 3 Fridays.

Today we are going to talk about the 4th component to a misaligned spine which is the soft tissue does not function properly. When I talk about soft tissue I am referring to the discs, ligaments, tendons, and other tissues in the body. When the spine moves out of its proper juxtaposition it opens up the spinal joint leading to inflammation and a rise in temperature around the vertebra.

If you lay out in the sun for 5 hours and do not wear any sunscreen then 10 out of 10 times you will sunburn. If your shoulders become sunburned then the soft tissue (muscles, tendons, and ligaments) become inflamed and increase in temperature. This relates to a misaligned spine because a stress is put on the body and starts the inflammatory process. Fortunately for a sunburn the inflammation will go away over time. Unfortunately for a spinal misalignment the problem will not go away on its own. You must visit a chiropractor to thoroughly analyze your spine and determine where the spinal misalignments are. Then through a gentle and specific adjustment he will correct the problem.

If this is anyway confusing please e-mail me at Doc@CohenFamilyWellness.Com.

At Cohen Chiropractic Centre we will be well diversed in many chiropractic techniques so that we can accommodate everyone ranging from babies to geriatric patient with osteoporosis.

How Strong Are Your Muscles?

2009-04-18T06:52:00.002-04:00

Over the past 2 weeks we have been listing the 5 components to a misaligned spine and how detrimental it can be to somones health. The first week we talked about abnormal motion and how when the spine loses its proper alignment it does not have its full range of motion. Last week we talked about how a misaligned spine can rub, irritate, pinch, or choke a delicate nerve. This pressure causes interference to the the nervous system.

This week we will discuss the 3rd component to a misaligned spine which is abnormal muscle function. When the spine misaligns the muscles supporting it can weaken, become tight and then go into spasm. We commonly find this in people who have desk jobs and are constantly in front of their computer. They have their head forward so much that they weaken their neck muscles and tighten their back muscles. Unfortunately, scar tisssue and adhesions penetrate these malfunctioning muscles, changing their elasticity.

EXAMPLE: If you ever went to camp and played tug war then you are aware that there is always a strong team and a weak team. If the strong team constantly pulls the rope then eventually the other side will lose. The spasmodic or overdevloped muscles on one side of our spine can cause individual spinal bones to twist and lose their proper function.

This is why at Cohen Chiropractic Centre we will not only correct your misaligned spine but we will work together in strengthing your spinal muscles. This will be done on site in our state of the art facility beginning August 2009.

Abnormal Function Of Spine and Body

2009-04-11T10:33:00.003-04:00

For the next few weeks we are going to be discussing the 5 components to spinal misalignments. Last Monday we discussed the first component which was abnormal motion. This week we are going to discuss the second component to spinal misalignments which is neuropathophysiology (abnormal nervous system function).

Looking at the picture to the right, you can see the nerves that run between each vertebra. These nerves are called spinal nerves. These nerves go to all cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems in the body. When the spinal bones move out of its proper alignment it not only reduces motion but it can rub, irritate, or pinch the delicate nerves. This can impair the function of the tissues, organs, and organ systems.

EXAMPLE:

If you are driving down Interstate 85 at 6:00 AM then there is smooth flowing traffic. If your destination is 20 miles away then it will usually take 20 minutes. Unfortanetly at 8:00 AM people begin to drive sloppy and wrecks begin to occur. When the wreck happens then traffic congestion begins to build up at the site of the accident. If your destination is 20 miles away and there is an accident then it will take almost an hour.

If there is compression of the nerves from spinal misalignments then just like the traffic on a highway the nerves will not flow properly. When the spine is in its proper alignment then the nerves can flow freely without any congestion or compression.

In August 2009, Cohen Chiropractic Centre will be offering postural checks at no expense to determine if there are spinal misalignments in your spine.

5 Components To An Unhealthy Spine

2009-04-06T07:26:00.002-04:00

Many of my friends and family know my passion for health and chiropractic. They are constantly asking me questions about the dangers of a misaligned spine and how it relates to their health. I figured that if they are having so many questions on a poorly aligned spine, then the rest of the public has the same questions. For the next 5 weeks we are going to discuss what happens to your body when misalignments in the spine occur.

5 Issues With Misaligned Spine

1) Spinal Kinesiopathology
2) Neuropathophysiology
3) Myopathology
4) Histopathology
5) Pathophysiology

Do not worry about the words right now because over the next 5 weeks we will explain what each means.

SPINAL KINESIOPATHOLOGY

Spinal kinesiopathology is improper movement of the spine. Whether its improper lifting, car accidents, sports related injuries, poor sleeping habits, or sitting in front of a computer all day, each one of these events will cause physical trauma to our spine. The physical trauma leads to misalignments which leads to improper movement in the spine. Improper movement can restrict you from performing daily activities, getting full exercise, or decrease your overall energy by tightening muscles.

Turn your head to left without moving your shoulders. Now turn your head to the right without moving shoulders. Did you notice that one side felt restricted? It is not uncommon for people to turn their head to one side further but this is not normal. I have never been one to compare myself to what is common because then I would probably be on 10 different medications, overweight, and unhappy with myself. We must never compare ourselves to the general public and only focus on what is normal but not common. The restriction you felt in your neck is most likely caused from misaligned vertebrae. This is brilliant of our body.

Why is reduced motion brilliant?

Your body is aware that a joint is under stress and not properly aligned. Therefore it does not want to move the joint continuously while its out of alignment. This would only destroy our bodies even more. If you bought tires that were supposed to get 50,000 miles and you never aligned your car, what would happen? You may get 35,000 miles but you will never get 50,000. This is why it is critical to have a properly aligned spine so you can enjoy full range of motion, less restrictions, and abundant health.

In August 2009 when Cohen Chiropractic Centre opens we will be offering corrective care plans as a way to restore your range of motion to normal and properly align your spine.

How Much Sleep is Good For You? Part 2 of 2

2009-04-02T17:44:00.001-04:00

Last week, we discussed the role of sufficient sleep in your good health. We presented research on the role of sleep in children developing ADHD, making poor food choices, diabetes and auto accidents. But wait, there’s more. Some additional research for you:
5. An old study, back in 2003, found that heart attacks were 45% more likely in women who slept for 5 or fewer hours per night than in those who got more.
6. A 2007 study in the Journal of Gerontology found that Seniors who have trouble falling asleep and who wake up at night, or are drowsy during the day could be 2 to 4.5 times more likely to sustain a fall.
7. According to a 2006 (IOM) Institute of Medicine report, people who sleep less than 7 hours a night, had a greater likelihood of being obese. Insufficient sleep appears to tip hunger hormones out of whack.
8. According to 3 large studies published in the journals Sleep and the Archives of General Psychiatry, people over age 30 who slept 5 hours or less per night had approximately a 15% greater risk of dying, regardless of the cause.
9. And, all people, regardless of age, who chronically had inadequate amounts of rest, were more prone to depression reporting more mental distress, alcohol use and depression.
Make sure you get the rest that you deserve!!!

BOTTOMLINE = Why does being diagnosed with a serious health condition prompt middle-aged or older people to make healthy behavioral changes? According to findings published in the 02/09/09 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, people newly diagnosed with health problems were more likely to change their health habits than those without a new diagnosis. Our position is, why wait? Why aren’t people more motivated to stay healthy than they are to try and fix a problem?

How much sleep is good for you? Part 1 of 2

2009-03-30T08:25:00.001-04:00

Scheduling a good night's sleep could be one of the smartest health priorities you set for yourself and your family. Documented potential health consequences of getting too little or poor sleep involve the cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, and nervous systems. In addition to letting life get in the way of good sleep, between 50 and 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep disorders that affect daily functioning and negatively impacts health. Here’s some research:

1. The 04/08 issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine found that children with insomnia or short sleep duration are more likely to have behavioral issues like ADHD.

2. Oddly enough, you may also make bad food choices. A 10/15/08 study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that people with restless sleep patterns ate a diet higher in cholesterol, protein, total fat, and total saturated fat. Women were especially affected.

3. Diabetes may become more likely. A 2005 study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that people getting 5 or fewer hours of sleep each night were 2.5 times more likely to be diabetic, while those with six hours or fewer were 1.7 times more likely.

4. A 2007 report in the New England Journal of Medicine noted that ~20% of serious car crash injuries involve a sleepy (independent of alcohol) driver.

BOTTOMLINE: Lifestyle is in the Health News again and again and again. The importance of living a healthy lifestyle to both avoid unnecessary illness and to promote health and wellness seem to be in the news on a daily basis. Yet, the decision or personal choice to change one’s life by changing one’s lifestyle seems to continue to take second place to “I’ll deal with the problem after if occurs.” This approach has led to a deterioration of our individual and family health status.

Americans Becoming Increasingly Stressed Out

2009-03-26T09:27:00.001-04:00

As the world economy was increasingly in the news during the last 4 months of 2008, many Americans became increasingly stressed out and experienced worsened mental health. This trend continues today, according to a recent poll released last week (March 16, 2009).

Here are some of the main points of the poll:

1. Stress shot up over 2008, peaking in the fall and winter. The 10 least happy days of 2008 all were in the last quarter.
2. Emotional well-being overall dropped.
3. Americans' moods were ultra-sensitive to economic news. Well-being plunged on days when the Dow lost big.
4. Those 30-55 years old may be suffering most from the bad economic news.
5. While the economic news has been hardest on working families, many therapists treating more upscale patients are hearing about more money-related traumas and pleas for reduced rates.
6. Stress has risen across the board.

The poll concludes with, “when someone is in despair over economic problems, give them support and see that they get help for mental health problems. "This is the time to be our brother's keeper."
While this is a humane and caring approach to dealing with the symptoms of stress, we suggest that you do what you can to be as resistant to stress as possible. As with germs; its not just the germ but your resistance to it that determines whether you get sick or not.

BOTTOMLINE: Indeed, during these times of high stress, insuring that you are able to properly cope with stress is a smart approach. What we have found over the years is that the reason so many people, with so many different kinds of problems, respond so positively to chiropractic care is that what we do tends to widen one’s range of adaptability to stress. And, in so doing, increases our resistance to both stress and germs in much the same way. Improve your ability to cope by calling on us!

Confessions of a Pharmaceutical Rep

2009-03-23T06:40:00.000-04:00

Active Year Round

2009-03-19T20:47:00.000-04:00

How do we stick to an exercise program? Not by adopting the latest exercise craze or program promising to magically give you the results you want. And not by beginning a Spartan workout schedule that keeps you in the gym for hours on end every day. It's only by learning fundamental tools that you can start down the path of consistent exercise. Once you do that, you will be well-prepared to begin a lifelong journey toward better health. But in order to get there, we first need to figure out why we don't always stay consistent.

"I don't have the time," "I'm in too much pain," and "It's not working." These are the three most common excuses people use to avoid exercise. None of these excuses is good enough, not if you understand how important exercise is to improving your health and avoiding chronic disease and other conditions attributable to a sedentary lifestyle. Here are a few easy ways to stick with an exercise team for the long term:

Break up your workout. You don't need to exercise in a single block of time to see results. Simply take the stairs at work, park farther away from wherever you happen to be going (work, school, the grocery store, etc.), or walk over to a colleague's desk rather than phoning them, etc. Did you know you can potentially burn just as many calories throughout the day doing this as you would from huffing and puffing at the gym for hours?

Start small. Most people tend to overdo it when they first start an exercise program. We get so motivated that we start going to the gym every day. We try to do more than we can. Guess what happens? We get so sore or so burned out that we actually start hating it. Start off slow and pace yourself. This will always keep you going over the long haul.

Try new activities. The best way to prevent exercise boredom is to always seek new activities you can do during the year. Some activities that can give you a great workout just as well as conventional exercise include salsa or ballroom dancing, golf, swimming, or even an activity such as sightseeing around town.

Write down your goals. Did you know one of the best predictors of success is writing things down? It's as simple as spending a minute at the start of each day writing down what you are going to do that day. This type of activity provides reinforcement that you have goals to achieve. Always follow the SMART rules of goal setting. This means each goal should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.

No matter what your fitness level, time availability or motivation, taking simple steps to staying active is within your reach. Not only will you be able to do more, but you'll also have better overall health and a better ability to combat the stresses of everyday life. All it requires is a bit of your time in outlining your goals and what you will do to achieve them. Once you do, write down what you're going to do every day – and then do it! Only by committing to exercise on a consistent basis can you hope to follow through on a consistent basis.

Staying Young = The Pursuit of Healthy Lifestyle Choices

2009-03-17T21:20:00.002-04:00

While there's no stopping time, there's plenty you can do to foil the aging process. How well you age depends largely on your lifestyle. Your chronological age doesn't necessarily correlate with how old your body thinks it is. According to Michael Roizen, coauthor of YOU: Staying Young, "there are about 191 things that go into calculating your real age and 149 of those things are within your control to change." You can, for example, quit smoking, cultivate strong social support, receive regular chiropractic care to insure a healthy immune system, get regular exercise and eat right.

Regardless of your lifestyle up until this point, making healthful changes today can turn back the clock—or at least slow it down.
When healthy eating and proper exercise are added to a healthy lifestyle, research shows that you may wind up lowering excess blood sugar levels, even if you're not diabetic. This, in turn, could help you maintain your memory.

Fighting the current trend of an unconscious lifestyle and the expectation that modern medicine will someday find an answer is difficult and certainly requires a significant degree of commitment. But, as Roizen says, “the promise of enjoying a 25-year-old's energy well into your 60s is pretty strong motivation” to adopt a healthy lifestyle now.

In the HealthTip of the Week, we have documented the role of diet, exercise, attitude, chiropractic and lifestyle in the active pursuit of health…the only way true health happens.

BOTTOM LINE: All the studies this week point to the importance of developing and sustaining healthy lifestyle habits if we are to live a healthy life. And, certainly one factor in being able to enjoy a healthy level of energy throughout one’s life, is getting adequate sleep. In addition, we often hear in the office that new practice members almost always experience improved sleep and more energy following their first series of adjustments. Let’s include chiropractic in your healthy lifestyle.

Easing Arthritis Pain:Think Natural

2009-03-11T13:43:00.002-04:00

Arthritis actually refers to more than 100 different diseases affecting areas in and around the joints, but regardless of which type you have, two things are fairly certain: Pain is an ongoing problem and drugs are an all-too-common treatment option. Why settle for drugs that come with potential side effects and adverse reactions when there are natural, nontoxic approaches to ease your arthritis pain? Here are a few simple suggestions to consider.

Moderate Activity: Regular exercise helps strengthen the muscles around your joints, increases flexibility and combats fatigue. Any movement can help, but range-of-motion exercises in particular seem to reduce joint stiffness and pain. The type of arthritis and the involved joints will determine which exercises are ideal and which may actually increase your pain.

Good Food: What you eat may play a role in reducing arthritis pain or doing just the opposite making the pain even worse. Some arthritis patients seem to experience relief when eating a nutritious, well-balanced diet (oily fish, fruits, vegetables and whole grains) and a flare-up when eating simple carbohydrates and fatty foods. Bananas, sweet peppers and soy products also may help.

Proper Body Mechanics: Body positioning during everyday movements can have a profound effect on joint stress and resulting pain. To minimize the stress on your joints throughout the day, maintain good posture, bend at the knees when picking things up, and ensure your work space provides adequate support for your neck, back, forearms and upper legs.

For more information about how to prevent and treat arthritis naturally, talk to your doctor and visit www.arthritis.org.

Jerry Rice Praises Chiropractic

2009-03-09T06:47:00.000-04:00

Jerry Rice played in the National Football League for 20 years , which is an accomplishment in and of itself, considering the average NFL career spans only 3.5 years. Widely touted as the best receiver to ever play the game, his spectacular career included 16 seasons and three Super Bowl wins as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, followed by three seasons with the Oakland Raiders. (He was on the roster of the Seattle Seahawks when he retired in 2005). Rice was named to the Pro Bowl 13 times, winning the Pro Bowl MVP award in 1995, and received the Super Bowl MVP award in 1988. He held an amazing 38 NFL records at the time of his retirement.

Not one to rest on his laurels after retirement, Rice signed on with the hit TV show "Dancing With the Stars" for the 2005-2006 season. Paired with dancer Anna Trebunskaya, Rice finished second in the grueling competition, losing to Drew Lachey (who, along with brother Nick, sang in the pop group 98 Degrees) and dance partner Cheryl Burke. If you think the show was all smoke and mirrors, consider that participants, many of whom had little or no dance experience, formal or otherwise, had approximately six days to learn a new dance routine before each week's competition. According to reports, that sometimes meant practicing for up to five hours a day.

As much attention as Jerry Rice has received for his dazzling catches and amazing abilities, on and off the field, he has an important message to share about how to maximize health and wellness, regardless of whether you're an elite athlete, a weekend warrior or anywhere in between. Rice believes chiropractic has helped him tremendously over the years and wants others to experience the same results. Obviously, going to the chiropractor may not make you the world's best receiver (or dancer), but it can certainly help you live a happier, healthier life free from pain.

"Chiropractic care has been instrumental in my life, both on and off the field, and I am excited to share this with the American public," says Rice. "I have been blessed with a long and healthy career as a professional athlete, and as I move forward into the next stage of my life, chiropractic care will continue to be an important part of my game plan."

Rice credits chiropractic care in terms of his achievements on the gridiron, the dance floor and life in general. "Optimal health has been a key to the success of my athletic career, my dancing experience and my ability to enjoy my life to the fullest. Chiropractic care is an important part of my game plan for healthy living."

Jerry Rice is such a big supporter of chiropractic care that he recently became the official spokesperson for the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (FCP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the value of chiropractic care to the public. The foundation is using Rice's image and message about the value of chiropractic care in various ways, including a full-page advertisement you may have seen recently in print. The ad already has appeared in the Dec. 15, 2008 issue of ESPN The Magazine, the January 2009 issue of Sports Illustrated, the Jan. 16/17 issue of USA Today, the February 2009 issue of Men's Fitness and the January/February 2009 issue of Women's Health.

How to Help Your Child From Growing Up Fat

2009-03-04T20:28:00.002-05:00

Growing up "fat" is easy to do when 20 percent of all children eat more than three times a week at a fast-food establishment, 13 percent of their average daily calories come from soft drinks, and the average person consumes approximately 140 pounds of sugar every year. According to the latest estimates, 9 million children in the United States are obese, and this disturbing trend is repeating itself in other countries that embrace a Western diet and sedentary lifestyle.

While childhood obesity cannot be attributed to any one particular influence, studies have shown there are several modifiable factors including inadequate physical activity, sedentary behavior and poor eating habits. These factors are all easily modified when parents recognize how influential they are in these areas, both directly and indirectly. These factors are all easily modified when parents recognize how influential they are in these areas, both directly and indirectly. For example, a parent has direct influence by providing an environment that nurtures physical activity and good eating habits in their child(ren), and has indirect influence through modeling - leading by example.

Encourage Physical Activity: Pick an aerobic physical activity like bicycling, tennis, soccer, etc.; something your entire family will enjoy. Make it a weekly outing at first and then increase it to at least two times a week. If you pick up your children from school, take a few minutes each day and walk a few laps around the school track with them before coming home. (By the way, that's also a good time to talk about their school day and anything else they may have on their mind.) And if you are a working parent who works out at a gym, check to see if they will allow your 12-year-old (or older) child to at least use the treadmill. Whatever physical activity you choose, pick one the entire family can enjoy. Sometimes, if a child is very active and participates in school sports or Little League, the family may consider game time as family/activity time. This actually can be detrimental to other children in the family, since they may end up sitting ! in the stands the entire time, usually consuming unhealthy food items.

Encourage Good Eating Habits: When making choices to help your child(ren) avoid obesity, consider this: Kids who are physically active and have a diet of fresh vegetables, fruit and healthy protein sources are almost never obese. Here are some ways to create a healthy eating environment:

* Plan times when you prepare foods together as a family. Children enjoy participating and can learn about healthy cooking and food preparation.

* Avoid rushing to finish meals. Eating too quickly does not allow enough time to digest the food and achieve a sense of fullness.

* Avoid other activities during mealtimes such as watching TV or reading.

* Have snack foods available that are low-calorie and nutritious. Fruits, vegetables and raw nuts (almonds, cashews, etc.) are good examples.

*Avoid serving portions that are too large and thus encourage overconsumption.

*Avoid forcing your child to eat if they are not hungry, but do not give in later by allowing them to eat snack foods instead of their regular meal.

*Limit fast-food consumption to no more than once every two weeks.

*Avoid using food as a reward or the lack of food as punishment.

With all the negative influences out there these days, it's certainly not easy to establish healthy lifestyle behaviors in your children, but it's important enough to their health (and yours) to make the effort. As us for more suggestions to keep your entire family healthy.

Chiropractic Care for Kids

2009-03-02T07:12:00.001-05:00

The Detox Diet

2009-02-23T05:42:00.000-05:00

Less than 150 years ago, chemical use was quite limited. These days, each successive generation is exposed to a limitless supply of unnatural chemical toxins that accumulate in our tissues and organs. These toxins, many of which may be originating from our food/water supply, include unnatural fats and cholesterols, xenobiotics (organic toxins), inorganic chemicals, and heavy elemental metals, to name a few. All of these toxins can severely affect the operation of the body's organ systems over time and cause significant health problems.

How do these synthetic toxins wind up in our foods? In addition to the contaminants that coat our food sources from rainwater, the soil is loaded with fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, etc. These toxic chemicals seep into the soil directly and are absorbed through both the leaves and roots. Logic tells us these chemicals then end up in the fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds we consume every day.

The good news is that many of these toxic accumulations can be halted and even reversed. An overall healing plan must be initiated to remove stored-up toxins. A colon cleanse is simply not enough, since nearly every cell can be affected. In order to detoxify our bodies and prevent or reverse illness, a proactive, multi-pronged attack must be mounted, one that includes exercise, fresh air (less toxic exposure), clean water, limited sun, and a healthy diet.

So, what kinds of foods help our bodies to detoxify and heal? Examples of cleansing foods are (organic) green teas, which serve to induce detoxifying enzymes for chemoprotection (chemical protection) or cytoprotection (cell protection). Cruciferous vegetables such as kale, collard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and turnips are all excellent for energizing and cleansing the liver, your body's built-in detox center. Lemons, watercress, garlic, oregano, sesame seeds, and fruits also are powerful detoxifying foods that not only aid in colon-cleansing, but also possess anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-parasitic properties.

However, the primary growing regions of this country continue to use the same soil repeatedly to grow crops. This overuse eventually causes the earth to become depleted of essential organic complexes, nutrients and minerals, which means less is taken up by the plants. The best way to combat this unfortunate deficiency and ensure complete nutrition is to supplement. Just like our foods, the type of supplement is very important. Ideally, one should look for organically complexed (carbon-bound) supplements derived from whole foods that are minimally processed and made from the highest quality ingredients obtainable.

Strolling to Safety

2009-02-20T21:39:00.002-05:00

We all want to include our young children in our outdoor activities, whether it's biking, jogging or just walking in the park. There is a seemingly endless array of strollers, baby joggers, carriers and bike trailers that allow us to do this. But keep in mind that these baby carriers are not without their potential risks to both child and adult.

According to the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, spinal cord injuries are more likely to occur in developing children, especially in those under the age of 12 months. According to Dr. Gerard Clum, spokesperson for the foundation, "Parents should always be aware of how a device positions a child's neck or spine, and follow the manufacturer's safety instructions when using a stroller or comparable equipment." Here are a few other tips from the foundation:

Make sure the child is always properly secured in the device. In addition, check to be certain that the child's head is not bobbing around. This is why backpack-type carriers are not ideal; you can't see if your child's head is stabilized. Front-carriers are preferable, particularly for very young children. In addition, consider the size, weight and age of the child when selecting your carrier or stroller; it should be appropriate for the activity in which you wish to include the child.

Also be aware of your own safety when selecting a device or maneuvering your child in or out of it. Avoid carrying or pushing anything that may be too heavy for you, and always practice with the device before attempting to use it with the child. When lifting children to place them from a car into a carrier, don't bend from the waist, stay as close to the car seat as possible, and place them into the carrier without reaching, stretching or twisting. The farther the child is from your body, the greater the strain on your spine.

Email me about the best way to protect your child's developing spine and potential problems you should be on the lookout for. Ensuring your child's health is worth every effort.

Danger and Opportunity

2009-02-18T13:37:00.001-05:00

Today’s economy and economic climate and forecast have stressed out many Americans, even those who still have jobs, according to a recent USA Today story. Though people are concerned about their finances and even with money based fears, the demand for therapists increased 40% during the last 6 months of 2008. And, surveys from the American Psychological Association released last fall showed nearly half of Americans said they were more stressed than a year ago, with one-third rating their stress level as "extreme."

As we have repeatedly pointed out…it’s not just the stress but your ability to adapt to the stress that’s important. And, it's when stress beyond your ability to adapt becomes chronic that all systems of the body are affected.

Further, it’s how you react to stress that can make all the difference. One reaction is to be calm and consider that this too will pass and everything, ultimately, will be alright. That would be a healthy reaction.

An unhealthy reaction would be to have thoughts that this is all a catastrophe and that nothing will ever be right again. This, of course, is highly unlikely.

This is indeed a crisis. However, the Chinese symbol for crisis contains two elements:

1. Danger
2. Opportunity

Be aware of the danger but also look for the opportunities that also exist. You’re not being punished so what is there to learn from all of this? How can you use this to grow?

BOTTOM LINE --> Truly, the bottom line for this week’s healthtip is that it is not the stress of the current economic environment that is the problem. Rather, it is our perception of the crisis and our individual ability to constructively adapt to the stress that is the issue. Chiropractic are does not remove stress from one’s life…only a person’s lifestyle can do that. What chiropractic does is widen your ability to adapt to the stress that’s in your life. If we address both…people get well.

11 Ways to Change the World Cont.

2009-02-13T01:26:00.000-05:00

6. Do what's right rather than what's easy. Being a great person isn't a popularity contest. Many of the greatest leaders were disliked because they refused to bend to the winds of public opinion. That's called Strength of Character

7. Care for your health. You elevate the world by elevating yourself and your health really matters. Why be the richest person in the graveyard?

8. Tell your kids they are geniuses - and how much you adore them. Each of us are born geniuses but lose that gift within the first 6 years of our lives as we adopt the fears and limiting beliefs of those around us. Your kids are the leaders of the future. Grow their potential. Now.

9. Learn something new every day. As you grow, you begin to see possibilities you didn't have the eyes to see before. Read from an inspiring book, listen to an audio program, visit a good blog, go to a powerful workshop or have a conversation with an elder. One idea is all it takes to transform your life.

10. Keep your life simple. Please. The secret to success and happiness is building your life around a few important things. The person who tries to do everything accomplishes nothing. As I recently mentioned on my blog, "What's the point in being busy doing the wrong things?"

11. Remember that life is a mirror and we receive what we give out. To get more joy, give more joy. To have more respect, give more respect. To realize your dreams, help others realize theirs.

11 Ways to Change the World

2009-02-12T01:24:00.000-05:00

Keeping up with the theme of the week, I decided to show you 11 ways to change the World by a mentor of mine named Robin Sharma. Robin has written several books on personal development and each one is filled with useful information to transform your life.

1. You be the change you dream of seeing (Thanks Mahatma Gandhi). "If everyone of us would sweep their own doorstep, the whole world would be clean," observed Mother Teresa. She was right.

2. Make time every day to reconnect to your highest ideals and boldest dreams. Without hope, people perish.

3. Leave every person you meet better than you found them. Life's too short to withhold encouragement and kindness.

4. As I wrote in 'The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari", see every setback as a stepping stone and every problem as a blessing in disguise. Contrary to what critics might say, these are NOT corny aphorisms. They are timeless truths of humanity. (And critics are just people too scared to grow their dreams anyway - pay no attention to them. The world needs more people lifting people up rather than putting people down).

5. Go the extra mile in everything you do - you don't need a title to be a leader. And on your deathbed, you'll never regret expressing the best within you

6-11 will be posted tomorrow, so be sure to look out for that.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-02-11T06:59:00.003-05:00

Last week while at a friends parents house I picked up one of their books on birthdays and what it means to be born on certain days. When I looked at the February 11 birthday and read the definition it seemed almost parallel to my life. It said that people born on February 11 feel like they have a purpose to serve and better the lives of those around them. Wow! This couldn't be more accurate!

Since the beginning of chiropractic school in October of 2005 I have begun to realize that I was put on this earth to serve others. I wasn't put here to wear certain clothes, drive a certain car, or live in a certain house. I was put here on a mission and that mission is for the betterment of my community and society. For those who are my patients would most likely testify and say that this is 100% true. When I am with them I am 100% focused, prepared, and ready to make a difference. I couldn't imagine living a life of pain, suffering, and more importantly without hope. That is why I strive each day to live the chiropractic lifestyle. The lifestyle is more than just getting adjusted but it is the way I shop for food, how I prepare meals, how I train my mind for victory each morning, the way I train my body for races, the way I communicate with my loved ones, and the way I give back to my community. The lifestyle is more than just the adjustment but the adjustment it where it all begins. To have a body that has a perfectly aligned spine with no interference is the greatest joy and birthday gift I could have ever asked for. Unfortunately it took me 24 years to figure this out but it is amazing how some people go their whole lives without even experiencing what I have experienced.

I have been fortunate to have found this and for those who are interested in this life of prosperity please never hesitate to contact me.

Hidden Dangers in Common Foods

2009-02-10T01:28:00.002-05:00

You may have heard this before, but it deserves repeating: Many prepackaged and processed foods contain non-nutritious chemicals and food additives, including one or more of the following three ingredients: refined grains, trans fats and refined sugars. If we remove these three ingredients, we automatically remove many others simply by association.

Dangerous foods can be defined as nutritionally deficient, frequently consumed and advertised to have "health benefits." The following foods have been chosen because in many cases, they contain refined grains, trans fats and/or refined sugars, and are consumed as daily "staples" by far too many people:

Breakfast Cereals: Most people start their day with some brand of cereal that may advertise numerous health benefits on the front of the box or package. When the list of ingredients is closely examined, you'll find as many as 32 items. Among these ingredients, usually in the first few listed, are the refined grains, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and refined sugars.

Margarine and Butter Substitutes: Margarine is partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. This trans fat was advertised heavily for several decades as a healthy alternative to butter. Most of today's new butter replacements are not much better.

Breads, Bagels, Croissants: Most commercial breads are made with enriched wheat, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and refined sweeteners such as high-fructose corn syrup. The lengthy list of ingredients includes the isolated synthetic ingredients also found in breakfast cereals.

Salad Dressings: A number of salad dressings contain high-fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. The low-fat dressings are often higher in refined sugar.

Pasta: Pasta comes in many shapes and sizes. It is most often made out of enriched wheat. The vegetable pastas are made out of durum semolina, which is not whole wheat.

What have we learned? All of these foods can contain superior nutrition if they include whole grains, healthy fats and non-refined sugars, but unfortunately, most don't. Truly superior nutrition requires returning to a diet that excludes prepackaged foods and convenience or fast foods. It requires taking the time to read through a list of ingredients to know what you are eating, and choosing whole foods. Talk to your doctor for more information.

Inspirational Obama Clip

2009-02-09T08:53:00.000-05:00

Whether you are a democrat or republican, you cannot help but to be inspired by this 3 minute clip.

Babies Know: A Little Dirt is Good For You

2009-02-06T01:55:00.002-05:00

Ask mothers why babies are constantly picking things up from the floor or ground and putting them in their mouths, and chances are they’ll say that it’s instinctive — that that’s how babies explore the world. But why the mouth, when sight, hearing, touch and even scent are far better at identifying things?

When my young sons were exploring the streets of Brooklyn, I couldn’t help but wonder how good crushed rock or dried dog droppings could taste when delicious mashed potatoes were routinely rejected.

Since all instinctive behaviors have an evolutionary advantage or they would not have been retained for millions of years, chances are that this one too has helped us survive as a species. And, indeed, accumulating evidence strongly suggests that eating dirt is good for you.

In studies of what is called the hygiene hypothesis, researchers are concluding that organisms like the millions of bacteria, viruses and especially worms that enter the body along with “dirt” spur the development of a healthy immune system. Several continuing studies suggest that worms may help to redirect an immune system that has gone awry and resulted in autoimmune disorders, allergies and asthma.

These studies, along with epidemiological observations, seem to explain why immune system disorders like multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma and allergies have risen significantly in the United States and other developed countries.

Training the Immune System

“What a child is doing when he puts things in his mouth is allowing his immune response to explore his environment,” Mary Ruebush, a microbiology and immunology instructor, wrote in her new book, “Why Dirt Is Good” (Kaplan). “Not only does this allow for ‘practice’ of immune responses, which will be necessary for protection, but it also plays a critical role in teaching the immature immune response what is best ignored.”

One leading researcher, Dr. Joel V. Weinstock, the director of gastroenterology and hepatology at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said in an interview that the immune system at birth “is like an unprogrammed computer. It needs instruction.”

He said that public health measures like cleaning up contaminated water and food have saved the lives of countless children, but they “also eliminated exposure to many organisms that are probably good for us.”

“Children raised in an ultraclean environment,” he added, “are not being exposed to organisms that help them develop appropriate immune regulatory circuits.”

Studies he has conducted with Dr. David Elliott, a gastroenterologist and immunologist at the University of Iowa, indicate that intestinal worms, which have been all but eliminated in developed countries, are “likely to be the biggest player” in regulating the immune system to respond appropriately, Dr. Elliott said in an interview. He added that bacterial and viral infections seem to influence the immune system in the same way, but not as forcefully.

Most worms are harmless, especially in well-nourished people, Dr. Weinstock said.

“There are very few diseases that people get from worms,” he said. “Humans have adapted to the presence of most of them.”

Worms for Health

In studies in mice, Dr. Weinstock and Dr. Elliott have used worms to both prevent and reverse autoimmune disease. Dr. Elliott said that in Argentina, researchers found that patients with multiple sclerosis who were infected with the human whipworm had milder cases and fewer flare-ups of their disease over a period of four and a half years. At the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Dr. John Fleming, a neurologist, is testing whether the pig whipworm can temper the effects of multiple sclerosis.

In Gambia, the eradication of worms in some villages led to children’s having increased skin reactions to allergens, Dr. Elliott said. And pig whipworms, which reside only briefly in the human intestinal tract, have had “good effects” in treating the inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, he said.

How may worms affect the immune system? Dr. Elliott explained that immune regulation is now known to be more complex than scientists thought when the hygiene hypothesis was first introduced by a British epidemiologist, David P. Strachan, in 1989. Dr. Strachan noted an association between large family size and reduced rates of asthma and allergies. Immunologists now recognize a four-point response system of helper T cells: Th 1, Th 2, Th 17 and regulatory T cells. Th 1 inhibits Th 2 and Th 17; Th 2 inhibits Th 1 and Th 17; and regulatory T cells inhibit all three, Dr. Elliott said.

“A lot of inflammatory diseases — multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and asthma — are due to the activity of Th 17,” he explained. “If you infect mice with worms, Th 17 drops dramatically, and the activity of regulatory T cells is augmented.”

In answer to the question, “Are we too clean?” Dr. Elliott said: “Dirtiness comes with a price. But cleanliness comes with a price, too. We’re not proposing a return to the germ-filled environment of the 1850s. But if we properly understand how organisms in the environment protect us, maybe we can give a vaccine or mimic their effects with some innocuous stimulus.”

Wash in Moderation

Dr. Ruebush, the “Why Dirt Is Good” author, does not suggest a return to filth, either. But she correctly points out that bacteria are everywhere: on us, in us and all around us. Most of these micro-organisms cause no problem, and many, like the ones that normally live in the digestive tract and produce life-sustaining nutrients, are essential to good health.

“The typical human probably harbors some 90 trillion microbes,” she wrote. “The very fact that you have so many microbes of so many different kinds is what keeps you healthy most of the time.”

Dr. Ruebush deplores the current fetish for the hundreds of antibacterial products that convey a false sense of security and may actually foster the development of antibiotic-resistant, disease-causing bacteria. Plain soap and water are all that are needed to become clean, she noted.

“I certainly recommend washing your hands after using the bathroom, before eating, after changing a diaper, before and after handling food,” and whenever they’re visibly soiled, she wrote. When no running water is available and cleaning hands is essential, she suggests an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Dr. Weinstock goes even further. “Children should be allowed to go barefoot in the dirt, play in the dirt, and not have to wash their hands when they come in to eat,” he said. He and Dr. Elliott pointed out that children who grow up on farms and are frequently exposed to worms and other organisms from farm animals are much less likely to develop allergies and autoimmune diseases.

Also helpful, he said, is to “let kids have two dogs and a cat,” which will expose them to intestinal worms that can promote a healthy immune system.

Developing Perfect Posture

2009-02-05T01:18:00.000-05:00

If you don't have good posture, what do you have? Poor posture can lead to a variety of health problems over time, and yet too many people have bad postural habits. Let's focus for just a moment on the characteristic aspect of posture, the basic form we take while standing or walking. The human body is designed to stand with the eyes level with the horizontal plane of the Earth. Viewed from the front, the shoulders and hips are level and the spine is vertical. From the side view, the ear is over the shoulder, the shoulder is over the hip and the hip is over the knee, which is over the ankle.

The most common signs of postural stress are one ear being higher than the other and unlevel shoulders or hips. You can also detect postural stress from the side if the ear looks as if it has moved forward of the tip of the shoulder or if the hips appear to have moved forward.

The foundation of posture is actually the feet. It is very common for there to be slight differences in the arches of the feet, which create a slight imbalance. This imbalance can cause a chain reaction all the way up the spine, affecting postural balance. One sign of foot imbalances is when one foot flares out more than the other. Both feet should point forward with only the slightest outward flare when you walk.

Here are a few things you can do to ensure ideal posture and correct any postural problems you may be experiencing:

Get checked – If your posture is breaking down as a result of improper foot balance, it is important to have your feet examined to determine if a custom-made, flexible shoe orthotic will be beneficial. Orthotics create a solid foundation for your pelvis and spine by limiting excessive motion in the feet.

Improve flexibility – This is important because postural stress causes some muscles to work harder than others, creating tension and stiffness. Mirror image exercises are stretching and strengthening exercises designed to restore muscle balance by stretching in the direction away from the postural imbalance. If you are looking in a mirror and one shoulder is higher than the other, you will want to stretch and strengthen in the direction that makes the shoulders level. The same concept works for the lower back.

Work with your chiropractor – Be sure to work closely with your chiropractor in developing a plan of action, and then check your progress with a postural analysis. It is important to remember that the body works best when it is in balance, so that should be the goal of all of your stretching and strengthening exercises

11 Benefits of Being Positive

2009-02-04T06:18:00.000-05:00

From a mentor of mine, Jon Gordon. Check out his site at JonGordon.com and be sure to look at his books. I have read "Energy Bus", "No Complaining Rule", and "Energy Addict and would highly recommend them to anyone who has not read his material. He also has free posters online to print out and put around your office or home.

Over the years I've done a lot of research on the positive effects of being positive and the negative affects of being negative. The research is clear. It really does pay to be positive and the benefits include enhanced health and longevity, happiness, career advancement, athletic performance, team building and financial success. Being positive is not just a nice way to live. It’s the way to live. In this spirit here are 11 benefits of being positive.

1. Positive People Live Longer - In a study of nuns, those that regularly expressed positive emotions lived on average 10 years longer. (The Nun Study)

2. Positive work environments outperform negative work environments. (Daniel Goleman)

3. Positive, optimistic sales people sell more than pessimistic sales people. (Martin Seligman)

4. Positive leaders are able to make better decisions under pressure. (Heartmath.org)

5. Marriages are much more likely to succeed when the couple experiences a 5 to 1 ratio of positive to negative interactions whereas when the ratio approaches 1 to 1, marriages are more likely to end in divorce. (John Gottman)

6. Positive people who regularly express positive emotions are more resilient when facing stress, challenges and adversity. (Several Studies)

7. Positive people are able to maintain a broader perspective and see the big picture which helps them identify solutions where as negative people maintain a narrower perspective and tend to focus on problems. (Barbara Fredrickson)

8. Positive thoughts and emotions counter the negative effects of stress. For example, you can't be thankful and stressed at the same time. (Several Studies)

9. Positive emotions such as gratitude and appreciation help athletes perform at a higher level. (Heartmath.org)

10. Positive people have more friends which is a key factor of happiness and longevity. (Robert D. Putnam)

11. Positive and popular leaders are more likely to garner the support of others and receive pay raises and promotions and achieve greater success in the workplace. (Tim Sanders)

Childhood Stress Impacts Their Immune System

2009-02-03T13:04:00.002-05:00

According to a recent study conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, “early emotional environments are a key to later physical health.” The study found that teens who experienced physical abuse or stressful home environments as children had clear indicators of having a compromised immune system later on.

The findings, published in the January, 2009 online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that “children's emotional environments are having widespread repercussions on their health.”
According to the lead researcher, "even though these children's environments have changed, physiologically they're still responding to stress. That can affect their learning and their behavior, and having a compromised immune system is going to affect these children's health.”

“The immune system is not pre-set at birth,” noted fellow author Chris Coe, a psychology professor and expert on the association between stress and immunity. He further stated that, “the cells are there, but how they will develop and how well they'll be regulated is very much influenced by your early environment and the type of rearing you have.”
As we have always said, “it’s not the stress but your range of adaptability to that stress that determines whether the stress impacts health. One’s range of adaptability to stress is governed by the nervous system.

BOTTOM LINE: We agree with Professor Coe because how the immune system develops is governed by the child’s environment as well as the health of the child’s nervous system. As we have seen over and over again with our practice members, response to care is not a result of chiropractic taking stress from their lives but rather they improve because chiropractic care has widened their range of adaptability to the stress in their lives so the stress no longer has a negative impact.

Latest Research On Statin Drugs That You Will Probably Not Hear About

2009-02-02T13:53:00.003-05:00

ScienceDaily (Jan. 29, 2009) — A paper co-authored by Beatrice Golomb, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and director of UC San Diego's Statin Study group cites nearly 900 studies on the adverse effects of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), a class of drugs widely used to treat high cholesterol.

The result is a review paper, currently published in the online edition of American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs, that provides the most complete picture to date of reported side effects of statins, showing the state of evidence for each. The paper also helps explain why certain individuals have an increased risk for such adverse effects.
"Muscle problems are the best known of statin drugs' adverse side effects," said Golomb. "But cognitive problems and peripheral neuropathy, or pain or numbness in the extremities like fingers and toes, are also widely reported." A spectrum of other problems, ranging from blood glucose elevations to tendon problems, can also occur as side effects from statins.
The paper cites clear evidence that higher statin doses or more powerful statins – those with a stronger ability to lower cholesterol – as well as certain genetic conditions, are linked to greater risk of developing side effects.

"Physician awareness of such side effects is reportedly low," Golomb said. "Being vigilant for adverse effects in their patients is necessary in order for doctors to provide informed treatment decisions and improved patient care."
The paper also summarizes powerful evidence that statin-induced injury to the function of the body's energy-producing cells, called mitochondria, underlies many of the adverse effects that occur to patients taking statin drugs.
Mitochondria produce most of the oxygen free radicals in the body, harmful compounds that "antioxidants" seek to protect against. When mitochondrial function is impaired, the body produces less energy and more "free radicals" are produced. Coenzyme Q10 ("Q10") is a compound central to the process of making energy within mitochondria and quenching free radicals. However, statins lower Q10 levels because they work by blocking the pathway involved in cholesterol production – the same pathway by which Q10 is produced. Statins also reduce the blood cholesterol that transports Q10 and other fat-soluble antioxidants.

"The loss of Q10 leads to loss of cell energy and increased free radicals which, in turn, can further damage mitochondrial DNA," said Golomb, who explained that loss of Q10 may lead to a greater likelihood of symptoms arising from statins in patients with existing mitochondrial damage – since these people especially rely on ample Q10 to help bypass this damage. Because statins may cause more mitochondrial problems over time – and as these energy powerhouses tend to weaken with age—new adverse effects can also develop the longer a patient takes statin drugs.

"The risk of adverse effects goes up as age goes up, and this helps explain why," said Golomb. "This also helps explain why statins' benefits have not been found to exceed their risks in those over 70 or 75 years old, even those with heart disease." High blood pressure and diabetes are linked to higher rates of mitochondrial problems, so these conditions are also clearly linked to a higher risk of statin complications, according to Golomb and co-author Marcella A. Evans, of UC San Diego and UC Irvine Schools of Medicine.

The connection between statins' antioxidant properties and mitochondrial risk helps explain a complicated finding that statins can protect against the very same problems, in some people, to which they may predispose others – problems such as muscle and kidney function or heart arrhythmia.

This paper was funded in part by a Robert Wood Johnson Generalist Physician Faculty Scholar award to Dr Golomb.

Looks Like a Great Movie

2009-01-30T00:48:00.000-05:00

As funny as some of these comments are it is actually very sad the crisis that our country is in. We have become one of the sickest countries in the World and our numbers are falling each year.

What are you going to do about it?

Inspirational 2-Minute Clip

2009-01-29T09:48:00.000-05:00

Man Wakes Wife Up In Coma With Kiss

2009-01-28T07:17:00.002-05:00

Some might call Emma Ray a real-life “Sleeping Beauty.”

The 34-year-old from the U.K. suffered a heart attack nearly two weeks after giving birth to her son and failed to regain consciousness.

Her husband, Andrew, spent two weeks by her bedside waiting for her to wake up from a coma – but her condition did not improve until he leaned over and asked her for a kiss, the Daily Mail reported Monday.

“What happened next was beyond my wildest dreams,” he told the newspaper. “She turned her head towards mine, puckered up her lips and gave me a little kiss.”

“I couldn't believe it. My heart felt like it was going to leap from my chest — it suddenly felt like a huge weight had been lifted.”

Ray collapsed while shopping with her husband 10 days after giving birth. She was taken to the hospital where doctors were able to restart her heart, but warned she could remain in a coma indefinitely.

Despite waking up after the kiss, Ray still had a long road ahead of her.

The heart attack left her with short-term memory loss — and as a result she’s had to undergo extensive brain injury rehabilitation.

Now, nearly two years later, Ray is back at home where her family is grateful to have her.

“She can walk quite well holding hands now, and at least our kids still have a mother and I still have a wife,” her husband said.

Doctors believe her heart attack may have been caused by a blood clot after her son was delivered by Caesarean section.

GET MOVING!

2009-01-27T11:33:00.001-05:00

Sitting for long periods of time, such as during long car rides and airplane trips, has been known to trigger problems with blood clots. A new study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (2008;101:237–43) provides new evidence that prolonged sitting at work is no exception.

The maximum number of hours sitting at work during a 24-hour period and the maximum number of hours sitting at work without getting up, were both linked to an increased risk for the development of blood clots in the legs…a condition known as VTE (venous thromboembolism). For every additional hour seated, the risk increased by 10%, and for every additional hour seated at work without getting up, the risk increased by 20%.

The study’s co-author, Professor Richard Beasley at the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand concluded that, “measures to reduce both of these factors may be important from an occupational health perspective.”

Here are their recommendations:

• Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water and avoid over-consumption of alcohol and caffeine.
• Wear loose clothing that does not restrict the waist or legs.
• Flex and extend the ankles regularly while sitting to encourage blood in the veins of the lower legs to continue flowing.
• Stand up and move around at least once every hour, and try to restrict total sitting to less than eight hours per day.

BOTTOM LINE: According to the Ethnicity and Disease study cited above, “exercise, as part of a comprehensive lifestyle-modification program including weight loss, low-salt diet, diets rich in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fats, has beneficial effects on blood pressure. This is what we’ve been saying for years…the cause and solution to most health problems is more related to lifestyle than to treatment. Why wait for a problem, change to a healthier lifestyle now!

3 Tips to Improve Your Memory

2009-01-26T12:56:00.003-05:00

Memory is the ability to store, retain and recall information, and too many of us have a short memory, a selective memory, or a plain old bad memory. Are you one of those people in need of ways to improve your memory? Before we forget, here are a few simple suggestions:

1 Play games, particularly ones that require you to remember previous moves and conceptualize future moves and combinations. Chess is a great example.

2 Pay attention to details wherever you go, particularly when the situation involves multiple stimuli. See how many details you can remember after a quick scan of your environment.

3 Teach while you learn. Whether you're helping a friend study for a test or reading to your children, you're more likely to retain information the more you repeat it.

Hospitals Resistant to Checklist that Reduces Deaths

2009-01-23T08:40:00.001-05:00

Doctors worldwide who followed a checklist reduced the death rate from surgery by almost half and complications by more than 1/3 in a study published in the 01/09 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine..
U.S. hospitals have been required since 2004 to take some of these precautions. But, the 19-item checklist used in the study was far more detailed than what is required or what many institutions do.

The researchers estimated that implementing the longer checklist in all U.S. operating rooms would save at least $15 billion a year.

"Most of these things happen most of the time for most patients, but we need to make it so that all these things happen all the time for all patients, because each slip represents an opportunity for harm," said one of the study's authors. The checklist was developed by the World Health Organization and has clearly demonstrated its effectiveness.
Before the checklist was introduced, 1.5% of patients in a comparison group died within 30 days of surgery at the eight hospitals studied. Afterward, the rate dropped to 0.8%, a 47% decrease.

The 19-point checklist is already being adopted. Ireland, Jordan, the Philippines and Britain have recently established nationwide programs to have the checklist used in all operating rooms.

In the U.S., the Joint Commission, which accredits most hospitals, said it is considering adopting more of the steps.

BOTTOM LINE: Why the resistance? Pilots follow a detailed checklist before every takeoff, including checking the controls and walking around the plane to make sure everything is ship-shape. In an article published in the 01/17/06 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, Lucian Leape, M.D. stated that, “Both medicine and aviation are high risk industries. Aviation has a better safety record because the pilot goes down with the plane.” And followed a checklist we might add.

NO to drugs, YES to nutrition

2009-01-22T09:49:00.002-05:00

Research is increasingly demonstrating the value of natural, nontoxic, nutritionally-based preventive approaches and interventive therapies, particularly for the purpose of prolonging a healthy, productive lifespan. Let's review recent study findings that validate the safety and efficacy of various nutritional supplements for the prevention and treatment of aging-related diseases.

Don't run short on vitamin D: At Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, researchers have completed a study suggesting that low blood levels of vitamin D are associated with a 26 percent increased risk of death from any cause. Vitamin D also may help prevent type 2 diabetes, according to a recent study. Good food source of vitamin D include salmon, cod liver oil, fortified milk.

Remember your omega-3: Following on two studies published in April 2007 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that reported regular consumption of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids was effective in preventing age-related cognitive decline, Chih-Chiang Chiu, from Taipei City Hospital (Taiwan), and colleagues found that omega-3s actually provide therapeutic benefits for the condition. Another study suggests increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids also slashes the risk of age-related macular degeneration. Good food sources of omega-3 fatty acids include oily fish (mackerel, herring, sardines, etc.).

Reduce the pressure with potassium: A study led by Mark C. Houston, MD, reports that increased intake of potassium, (and possibly magnesium and calcium) by dietary means may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and decrease blood pressure in people with hypertension. High intake of these minerals also may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Good food sources of potassium include sweet potatoes, soybeans and bananas. Good sources of magnesium include pumpkin seeds, spinach and unrefined grains.

A little dark chocolate for the heart: In a recent study, researchers collected subjects' dietary habits via food surveys and measured serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a blood marker of inflammation. The team determined that CRP levels were 17 percent lower in subjects who consumed dark chocolate as compared to those who did not consume any at all.

Calcium -- not just for strong bones and teeth: Mitsumasa Umesawa, from the University of Tsukuba (Japan), and colleagues followed 41,526 Japanese men and women (ages 40 to 59 at the study's start) for 13 years. Men and women who consumed the highest calcium from all dietary sources lowered their risk of stroke by 30 percent, reported the study, published in the July 17, 2008 issue of Stroke. Good food sources of calcium include plain yogurt and cheese.

To learn more about the many benefits of sound nutrition and how you can design a nutritional program that's right for you and your family, send me an e-mail at Doc@CohenChiropracticCentre.Com

Chiropractic and ADHD

2009-01-20T07:51:00.002-05:00

Ritalin? Adderall? All of these drugs are only one element away from cocaine and I like to call this "kiddy cocaine". Unfortunately it is not funny as there are millions of children on these drugs today. Chiropractic is safe, gentle, and proven to help with not only ADHD but many other issues. I currently get adjusted 1x a week for maintenance and preventative care so that as I age, I age as a healthier person. I have not taken a pill, potion, or lotion in years and plan to continually share the message of staying healthy with all my patients and entire community.

Tame Inflammation With Whole Grains

2009-01-19T08:57:00.000-05:00

Swapping refined grains for whole ones could lower your levels of a protein linked to heart disease and diabetes, suggests a new study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. For 12 weeks, 50 obese adults ate low-fat dairy, lean protein, five daily servings of fruits and veggies, and either whole or refined grains. Both groups lost an average of 8 to 11 pounds, but only study members on the whole-grain-rich diet had a decrease in C-reactive protein, an inflammation marker associated with a number of diseases.

By cooking a pot of brown rice, barley, or quinoa each week and refrigerating it, you can add whole grains to every meal, says Robin Asbell, author of The New Whole Grains Cookbook. Serve grains with scrambled eggs, stir into soups, and reheat with leftover vegetables for a quick stir-fry.

Still Drinking Soda?

2009-01-16T07:08:00.002-05:00

Research published in the January, 2009 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people are now drinking almost 50 additional calories of sweetened beverages daily compared to 20 years ago, for an average of about 300 calories daily coming from such drinks. Even with the exact same diet as you had 20 years ago and with the same activity level, those seemingly harmless 50 extra daily calories could cause you to pack on an extra five pounds every year.

The researchers reported that, "one 12-ounce can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, and most people are drinking more than 12 ounces." The principle author of the study said that she realizes it can be hard to make a change. "When you drink something that Research published in the January, 2009 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people are now drinking almost 50 additional calories of sweetened beverages daily compared to 20 years ago, for an average of about 300 calories daily coming from such drinks. Even with the exact same diet as you had 20 years ago and with the same activity level, those seemingly harmless 50 extra daily calories could cause you to pack on an extra five pounds every year.

The researchers reported that, "one 12-ounce can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, and most people are drinking more than 12 ounces." The principle author of the study said that she realizes it can be hard to make a change. "When you drink something that tastes good and gives you an energy boost, it's awfully hard to make a connection between those feelings and the fact that those drinks can contribute to overweight, obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease."

The article advised that people should limit their daily intake of sugar-sweetened drinks and, to provide an incentive, why not take the money typically spent on those drinks and save it in order to do something fun or HEALTHY for yourself or your family.

Indeed, why not look at what you are spending weekly on soda, caffeine, tobacco products, fast food, over-the-counter drugs, alcohol and snack foods? You may just save your health and a bunch of money at the same time!

Top 10 Healthiest Foods Under $1

2009-01-15T08:17:00.000-05:00

From Mercola.Com:

You can’t tune into the news today without hearing about the rising cost of living, be it gas for your car, heat for your home, or food for your family. Many baby boomers are giving up -- or at least stretching out -- food luxury items such as those coveted fancy coffees, because their pocketbooks are thinning, along with their hairlines.

In this report, I will give you some ideas for selecting delicious, nutritious items that won’t empty out your bank account.

In 2007, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all food rose by 4.0 percent, the highest annual increase since 1990. The CPI for food is forecast to increase another 4.5 to 5.5 percent in 2008 as retailers continue to pass down higher commodity and energy costs to consumers in the form of higher retail prices.[i]

Most of you are aware of how the skyrocketing cost of oil is driving food prices rapidly skyward, but you might not be aware of the huge role biofuels have played in this increase. According to a confidential World Bank report, biofuels alone have forced global food prices up by 75 percent.[ii] According to an Iowa State University study published in May 2008, food prices have climbed an average of $47 per person since last July due to the ethanol surge alone.[iii]

Of course, you don’t need me to tell you that your food bill has gone through the roof. Is there anything you can do to stretch your food dollar, without having to sacrifice nutrition?

Fortunately, you can still find many affordable, nutritious foods at your farmers market or local nutrition store, or even at the corner grocery. With a little creative use of your dollar, you can enjoy the best foods while getting the most “bang for your buck”.

Below are ten excellent, nutrient-packed food choices that you can still find for around $1 per serving.

1. Two Cage Free Organic Eggs: $0.84

Eggs can be one of the most healthful foods in the world. However, not all eggs are equal. There is mounting evidence of a monumental nutritional difference between true free-ranging chicken eggs and commercially farmed eggs. This is a result of the diets eaten by the two groups of chickens.[iv]

Commercially farmed hens subsist mostly on corn, soy and cottonseed whereas hens that forage in a pasture for seeds, green plants, insects and worms receive a smorgasbord of other nutrients. Remember: garbage in, garbage out. It applies equally to hens, cattle, and people.

Don’t be fooled by the egg industry’s double-speak definitions of what free-range really means. The UDSA defines “free-range” as chickens that have “access to the outside”. This does not specify whether the “outside” is a field for foraging or a cement courtyard and does not define their diets.

It is always best to obtain your eggs from a local farmer whose methods are known. To find free-range pasture farmers, ask your local health food store or refer to www.eatwild.com or www.localharvest.com. Many people are finding it rewarding to raise their own eggs. You can read about this at Mother Earth News.

If you must get your eggs from the grocery store, your best bet is to look for free-range organic.

Avoid all omega-3 eggs since they are actually less healthful for you. Typically, these hens are fed poor quality omega-3 fat sources that are already oxidized.

It is best to eat your eggs raw. Yes, you read that correctly. Raw.

Eggs are often one of the most allergenic foods, but this is because of the changes that take place in the cooking process. Eating eggs raw also helps preserve many of the highly perishable nutrients such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which are powerful agents in preventing macular degeneration. Raw eggs are not a likely cause of salmonella poisoning. For more about this, read my 2002 article.

2. Raw Organic Milk, 8 oz: $0.62

Despite the bad press that raw milk has received, it is one of the best foods out there for nutrient value. The downside is that it remains a bit difficult to come by, depending on where you live. Not only does raw milk taste better than pasteurized milk, it contains more nutrients that are beneficial because they haven’t been destroyed by heat.[v]

Why has the FDA selected raw milk as its whipping boy? The reason is likely far more political than nutritional. Just like the drug industry, the dairy industry has strong lobbying powers. And when I say “dairy industry”, I’m not referring to the small farmer who provides your raw milk.

If raw milk really caught on, big commercial dairy farmers would have to clean up their acts -- raise healthier cows, provide pastures, etc. This would cost them a lot of money. So they use their substantial weight to shine raw milk in a negative light, making it appear as unappealing or dangerous as possible.

Raw milk is neither unappealing nor dangerous and is far better for you than pasteurized milk. Its popularity is growing all the time.[vi] To find a site near you, go to the Real Milk website. Not only does it give you links to raw milk farmers but also provides excellent information on the nutritional benefits of raw milk.

3. Raw Nuts and Seeds:

Sunflower seeds, raw, 1 oz. = $0.82

Mixed raw nuts, 1/2 oz. = $1.00

Nuts are a good substitute protein for meat, for those of you preferring a vegetarian diet, as long as they aren’t eaten in excess. The reason for moderation is that, except for walnuts, almost all nuts are top heavy in omega-6 fats and can upset the omega 6/omega 3 ratio. The average American has an omega 6:3 ratio of 15:1. It should be 1:1. Therefore, any amount of omega-6 fat is not a good thing for most Americans.

You need to be cautious with the quantity of nuts you eat, especially if you have high levels of insulin. Nuts are not your best choice if you suffer from high blood pressure, excess weight, high cholesterol, or diabetes.

My favorite nuts are pecans, walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts. I normally avoid peanuts because they are one of the most pesticide-laden foods you can eat. Most peanuts are also contaminated with aflatoxin, a carcinogenic mold.

Seeds are similar to nuts in that they are relatively high in omega-6 fats. They have fewer carbohydrates than nuts, so they are a little less problematic. Two exceptions are flax seeds and chia seeds, which are higher in the desirable omega-3 fats.

The best way to obtain flax is not from the oil but to grind fresh flax seeds. A coffee grinder will do this very nicely. This way, you will also get the benefits from the lignin fiber in the seeds and obtain the freshest (i.e., least oxidized and damaged) fats.

To summarize then, raw nuts and seeds can be an economical, healthful addition to your diet if eaten in moderation, particularly walnuts, flax and chia seeds.

4. Berries: 1 cup fresh organic blueberries = $0.95

Berries are among the best fruits on the planet. Not only do they taste great, they are densely packed with a variety of potent phytochemicals that can do wonders to normalize and improve your health. They are high in fiber and low in sugar, so they won’t cause drastic insulin swings if eaten in moderation.

The best way to eat berries is in their raw, natural state, since heating and freezing can damage some of the antioxidants. The different varieties of berries contain different types and levels of antioxidants, so berries have a range of health benefits.

Blueberries are one of the most powerful antioxidant-rich foods on the planet. Researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Center (HNRCA) have ranked blueberries #1 in antioxidant activity when compared to 40 other fresh fruits and vegetables.[vii] One of the beneficial phytochemicals is anthocyanin, which is what gives blueberries their deep blue color. They also contain vitamins A and C, zinc, potassium, iron, calcium and magnesium.

Blueberries offer many health benefits, including protection against urinary tract infections, cancer, age-related health conditions and brain damage from strokes. The European blueberry, or bilberry, is known to prevent and even reverse macular degeneration.

Cranberries are also loaded with antioxidants and are famous for treating and preventing urinary tract infections. In addition, they offer protection against cancer, stroke and heart disease. Cranberries are rich in polyphenols, which might inhibit the growth of human breast cancer cells and reduce the risk of gum disease and stomach ulcers.

The best way to eat cranberries is to eat them raw and whole. Commercially prepared cranberry juice is loaded with sugar, which undoes any health benefits of the fruit. Whole, fresh cranberries are especially good when added to vegetable juice.

Strawberries came in second to blueberries in the USDA’s analysis of antioxidant capacity of 40 common fruits and vegetables. They are rich in fiber, manganese, folic acid, potassium, and contain more vitamin C than any other berry. Among strawberries’ antioxidants are anthocyanins and ellagic acid, a phytochemical that has been shown to fight carcinogens.

Raspberries are another one of nature’s little health-packages. They are rich in anthocyanins and cancer-fighting phytochemicals such as ellagic, coumaric and ferulic acid. They contain calcium, vitamins A, C, E, fiber and folic acid. Raspberries are thought to offer protection against esophageal and other cancers.

As with all fruits, berries should be eaten in moderation and should be washed well before eating. Keep in mind that too many at one time can spike your insulin level.

5. Watermelon: One-pound slice = $0.59

On a hot, summer day, who can resist a big, juicy slice of watermelon at the family picnic? As it turns out, this universally loved melon has health benefits as well, and it won’t break the bank.

Like berries, watermelon is loaded with phytochemicals, including lycopene, beta-carotene, and citrulline. When citrulline is consumed, it is converted to arginine. Arginine is an amino acid that has beneficial effects on the heart and circulatory system, as well as the immune system. Arginine boosts nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels, leading to another beneficial side benefit of watermelon ... a Viagra-like effect without the hazards of a toxic drug!

Watermelon -- an aphrodisiac? Who knew?

Arginine also helps the urea cycle by removing ammonia and other toxic compounds from your body.[viii]

6. Coconut Milk: 7 ounces = $0.98

Coconut is quite nutritious (unless your primary source is macaroons). The oil in coconut is one of the best oils for your body because of its medium chain fatty acids, or triglycerides (MCT’s). MCT’s have many health benefits, including raising your body’s metabolism and fighting off pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and fungi.

Coconut milk is quite versatile -- ask anyone who has been doing vegetarian cooking for a while. It can be used as a milk substitute and is delicious in sauces and dressings, as well as baked goods. Coconut milk has been a staple in the Thai diet for centuries.

Coconut is nature’s richest source of MCT outside of human breast milk. Coconut oil is very stable and does not oxidize and break down quickly like other oils, and it has a shelf life of more than two years. It is absolutely the best oil for cooking.

Your body needs fat but it needs the right kinds of fat to function optimally. Coconut fat is one of those fats. People have actually lost weight by incorporating coconut into their diets. This is because the MCTs promote thermogenesis, increasing your body’s metabolism, producing energy. Coconut has also been found to be helpful to thyroid function, as well as digestion.[ix]

Fresh coconut is delicious although a little difficult to find sometimes, but there are now some good canned coconut varieties available. More and more research is emerging all the time about the health benefits of coconut.

7. Spinach: 5 oz. fresh organic spinach = $0.95

Popeye was correct. Spinach is extremely good for you! Regardless of your nutritional type, eating more vegetables is recommended for everyone. Spinach is high in antioxidants and has a very high ORAC score. ORAC is Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, which is a measurement of a food’s ability to destroy the free radicals that cause your body damage.

The higher the ORAC score, the better a food is for you. Your own body’s ORAC can also be measured as an indication of how many antioxidants you have working for you.

Spinach’s ORAC score is surpassed only by prunes, raisins, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and kale. Of course, you should not overdo fruits due to the high carbohydrate content, but there is no such risk of eating too many leafy greens. Some research has shown that it might be the “brain food” needed to help avoid memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease.

In one study, women given 10 ounces of fresh, raw spinach saw their ORAC score go up more than when they took 1,250 mg of vitamin C daily. In a study involving rats, a daily serving of spinach prevented the memory loss and slowdown in learning capacity usually seen as the animals age. Rats given spinach or vitamin E from the age of six months were less likely to forget where things were as they got older than rats given nothing extra, or rats that got strawberries.

Spinach is also rich in folic acid, which can help lower blood pressure. In addition, it is rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, which can lower the risk for age-related macular degeneration.

8. Garlic: 2 cloves = $0.05

Whether you are dodging vampires, hypertension or cancer, garlic should be on your menu daily. Garlic boosts your body’s natural abilities to protect you from hypertension and osteoporosis, and research is mounting that it decreases your risk for various forms of cancer. It is a potent antimicrobial as well, working as a natural antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitic agent.[x]

Garlic’s main active ingredient is allicin, but this agent vanishes about an hour after you cut into it. This is why you must eat garlic fresh! You can’t swallow cloves whole -- they must be crushed first. Taking a garlic pill is a waste of time.

You can add 1-2 cloves to your vegetable juice to cut down on the pungent taste. The chlorophyll in the juice also tends to cut down on the potentially offensive garlic odor.

9. Wild Rice: One serving = $0.99

Contrary to its name, wild rice is not a rice at all but a grass. Wild rice is really the annual aquatic seed Zizania aquatica, mostly found in the upper freshwater lakes of Canada, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

Wild rice towers over other grains when it comes to nutritional content. It is higher in protein, fiber, minerals, B vitamins, folic acid, and complex carbohydrates. It is particularly rich in niacin, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. If you are going to choose a grain, you just can’t do better than this.

This versatile grain can be used to make a pilaf, a breakfast “cereal,” stuffed into a bell pepper or a tomato, or tossed with fruit and nuts and made into a salad.

10. Krill Oil: Two capsules = $0.84

There was a time when I would have placed fish on this list as one of the top ten foods, but unfortunately, today, the dangers of eating fish outweigh the benefits due to the toxic mercury levels they now contain, with very few exceptions. Fortunately, I have discovered a cost effective way for you to receive all of the benefits of fish without the danger of heavy metal contamination.

There is a pure marine oil from Neptune krill that is loaded with powerful antioxidants and essential omega-3 oils, with NO heavy metal contamination. Krill are small shrimp or prawn-like creatures that feed the world’s most mammoth animals—the great whales. Toothless great whales gulp down huge quantities of krill to provide the energy they need to fuel their massive bulk. A blue whale eats up to 8,000 pounds of krill each day!

There are many ways krill oil can help you. These are just a few:

A healthy heart
Healthy joints
Fighting aging
Supporting your brain and nervous system
Stabilizing your cholesterol levels
Optimizing your mood
Keeping your skin healthy
This unusual oil boasts a very comprehensive set of necessary antioxidants not seen in fish or cod liver oil, and it is stable and well absorbed with a good deal of research to back it up. Generally, I am not a huge fan of supplements, but this is one important exception.

I hope that you have found these suggestions helpful in making the most of your food dollar in these economically challenging times. I am sure you will come up with many other excellent ideas as you become familiar with your local farmers market and nutrition stores. It might take a little more effort, but I am confident you will discover ways to eat within your budget, without having to sacrifice your health.

[i] USDA Economic Research Service: Briefing Rooms, Food CPI, prices, and expenditures, http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/CPIFoodAndExpenditures/ (Accessed July 28, 2008)

[ii] The Guardian July 4, 2008, Aditya Chakrabortty, Special report: Biofuel caused food crisis: Internal World Bank study delivers blow to plant energy drive, http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/03/biofuels.renewableenergy (Accessed July 28, 2008)

[iii] Bloomberg.com, July 23, 2008, John F. Wasik, Forget the ethanol myth—Avoid biofuel bubble, http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/03/biofuels.renewableenergy (Accessed July 28, 2008)

[iv] Mercola.com, November 8, 2007, What are the best type of eggs to get? http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/11/08/what-are-the-best-type-of-eggs-to-get.aspx

[v] Mercola.com, September 7, 2006, The “experts” are wrong about raw milk, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2006/09/07/the-expert-are-wrong-about-raw-milk.aspx

[vi] Mercola.com, May 1, 2008, Demand for raw milk continues to grow, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/05/01/demand-for-raw-milk-continues-to-grow.aspx

[vii] Mercola.com, September 24, 2003, Berries—the best overall fruits for your health, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/09/24/berries-health.aspx

[viii] Science Blog, Watermelon may have Viagra-effect, http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/watermelon-may-have-viagra-effect-16792.html (Accessed July 28, 2008)

[ix] Mercola.com, Cherie Calbom, M.S. and Brian Shilhavy, How to help your thyroid with virgin coconut oil, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/11/08/thyroid-health-part-two.aspx

[x] Mercola.com, March 17, 2001, RAW garlic for parasites and viral infections, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/03/17/garlic-infections.aspx

Breakfast Is For Champions

2009-01-14T08:56:00.000-05:00

Breakfast eaters are champions of good health. Research shows people who have a morning meal tend to take in more vitamins and minerals, and less fat and cholesterol. The result is often a leaner body, lower cholesterol count, and less chance of overeating.

"That one act [of eating breakfast] seems to make a difference in people's overall weight," says Melinda Johnson, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). She says breakfast can hold off hunger pangs until lunchtime and make high-calorie vending machine options less enticing.

Not only that, researchers at the 2003 American Heart Association conference reported that breakfast eaters are significantly less likely to be obese and get diabetes compared with nonbreakfast eaters.
Another study in the International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition showed that people who consumed breakfast cereal every day reported feeling better both physically and mentally than those who rarely ate cereal in the morning.
For kids, breakfast appears to enhance alertness, attention, and performance on standardized achievement tests, reports the ADA.

To get the full benefits of breakfast, the Mayo Clinic recommends a meal with carbohydrates, protein, and a small amount of fat. They say that because no single food gives you all of the nutrients you need, eating a variety of foods is essential to good health.
Yet, even with so much scientific support that breakfast does the body good; many people still make excuses not to eat in the morning. They include not having enough time and not feeling hungry. For these people, Johnson suggests tailoring breakfast to the day.

Fruit Juices Are Not As Healthy As You Think

2009-01-13T06:53:00.002-05:00

Preschoolers who are already on the heavy side and drink one to two sweet drinks a day might be at greater risk of becoming obese. Some of these sweet drinks include Kool-Aid with sugar and all-natural apple juice. This finding might come as a surprise to parents who make a point of buying fruit drinks without added sugars for their children.

Nutritionists and the new U.S. dietary guidelines both agree on the same recommendation: it is better to eat whole fresh fruit than to consume fruit juice.

Research revealed that 3 and 4 year olds who carried extra weight and consumed one to two sweet drinks a day were at double the risk of becoming seriously overweight one year later.

In order to study the effects of sweet drinks researchers followed over 10,000 Missouri children who were divided into three groups: normal and underweight, those at risk of becoming overweight and those who were already overweight.

Some of the components of the study included comparing children's heights and weights and parents' reports of what their children ate and drank over the course of a four week period.

The study uncovered a link between sweet drinks and being overweight among all three weight categories of the participants, however the statistics weren't as significant for those children who fell into the normal and underweight category.

Other factors such as ethnicity, birth weight and high-fat diets didn't change any of the effects of sweet drinks.

Pediatrics

Berries, Berries Everywhere

2009-01-12T20:33:00.001-05:00

The next time you toss a handful of berries into your morning smoothie, reach for freeze-dried instead of fresh or frozen. Science now indicates that freeze-dried berries, specifically black raspberries, inhibit cancer development by restoring hundreds of cancer-altering genes to their normal state.

"There are certain genes that play a role in the development of cancer, and while most cancer treatments only target one gene at a time, the berries have a 'genome-wide' effect, meaning they target many cancer-causing genes at once." says lead researcher Gary D. Stoner, professor of pathology, human nutrition, and medicine at Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Berries are about 90 percent water and freeze-drying them removes the water while leaving the structure intact. This concentrates the cancer-preventive compounds-vitamins, minerals, phenols, and phytosterols, about ten times, explains Stoner. He adds that fresh and frozen berries are probably protective as well, but we'd have to eat a lot more of them to get the same benefits. Also, keep in mind that some nutrients are lost when the fruit is heated or cooked, so it's best to eat your berries (freeze-dried or fresh) just as they are.

Food Journal Can Help You Lose 2x As Much Weight

2009-01-11T19:48:00.002-05:00

ScienceDaily (July 8, 2008) — Keeping a food diary can double a person's weight loss according to a study from Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research. The findings, from one of the largest and longest running weight loss maintenance trials ever conducted, will be published in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health, the study is one of the few studies to recruit a large percentage of African Americans as study participants (44 percent). African Americans have a higher risk of conditions that are aggravated by being overweight, including diabetes and heart disease. In this study, the majority of African American participants lost at least nine pounds of weight, which is higher than in previous studies.
"The more food records people kept, the more weight they lost," said lead author Jack Hollis Ph.D., a researcher at Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore. "Those who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records. It seems that the simple act of writing down what you eat encourages people to consume fewer calories."

In addition to keeping food diaries and turning them in at weekly support group meetings, participants were asked to follow a heart-healthy DASH (a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low-fat or non-fat dairy, attend weekly group sessions and exercise at moderate intensity levels for at least 30 minutes a day. After six months, the average weight loss among the nearly 1,700 participants was approximately 13 pounds. More than two-thirds of the participants (69 percent) lost at least nine pounds, enough to reduce their health risks and qualify for the second phase of the study, which lasted 30 months and tested strategies for maintaining the weight loss.

"More than two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. If we all lost just nine pounds, like the majority of people in this study did, our nation would see vast decreases in hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and stroke," said study co-author Victor Stevens, Ph.D., a Kaiser Permanente researcher. For example, in an earlier study Stevens found that losing as little as five pounds can reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure by 20 percent.
The Kaiser Permanente Care Management Institute's Weight Management Initiative has recommended food journaling as a strategy for losing weight since 2002. The Weight Management Initiative unites clinicians, researchers, insurers, and policymakers to identify practical, effective, non-surgical approaches for the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity.

"Keeping a food diary doesn't have to be a formal thing. Just the act of scribbling down what you eat on a Post-It note, sending yourself e-mails tallying each meal, or sending yourself a text message will suffice. It's the process of reflecting on what you eat that helps us become aware of our habits, and hopefully change our behavior," says Keith Bachman, MD, a Weight Management Initiative member. "Every day I hear patients say they can't lose weight. This study shows that most people can lose weight if they have the right tools and support. And food journaling in conjunction with a weight management program or class is the ideal combination of tools and support."

The study, coordinated by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, also was conducted at Duke University Medical Center, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and Johns Hopkins University. In addition to Hollis and Stevens, the Kaiser Permanente research team included William M. Vollmer, Ph.D.; Cristina M. Gullion, Ph.D.; Kristine Funk, M.S.; and Daniel Laferriere, MR. Other study co-authors included Phillip J. Brantley, Ph.D. and Catherine M. Champagne, Ph.D. at Pennington; Jamy D. Ard, MD, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; Thomas P. Erlinger, MD, MPH, at the University of Texas; Lawrence J. Appel, M.D., and Arlene Dalcin at Johns Hopkins; Pao-Hwa Lin, Ph.D., and Laura P. Svetkey, MD, at Duke University; Carmen Samuel-Hodge, Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Catherine M. Loria, Ph.D., at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and National Institutes of Health.

What's in the flu shot?

2009-01-10T01:53:00.000-05:00

If you joined us this morning on our weekly radio talk show then here is the video that I was talking about when it came to the ingredients of the flu. See you next week!

Breaking News For All You Mother's

2009-01-09T10:36:00.003-05:00

We have, for years, spoken about the critical and important role mother’s play in the health and health development of all members of the family. Recently, Bearnadine Healy, MD, writing for US News and World Report on January 2, 2009 said:
“As dedicated as public-health efforts have been in making prevention a national goal, it's fair to say that making it happen needs a major boost. What's missing, I think, is an all-out effort to mobilize moms. Mothers, not doctors or public-health experts, are the nexus of prevention. However weighty a burden this may seem, Mom is the figure everywhere in the world best positioned to influence the behavior of those she loves, and that's the influence we need to reverse the dismal trend in America's health status.” She adds:
“This is not to diminish the importance of fathers, of course, or the mom who lurks in many dads. But it is Mom who has the babies and who usually spends the most time with them as they grow up. Mothers largely set the nutritional tone of the household; mothers oversee the healthcare of the family, young and old, husbands and children; and mothers are the biggest consumers of health information in print and on the Web. And, mothers are positioned to be the lever that pushes detached public-health preaching into personal action.
We agree. That’s why when we open our office in August it will often seem like a pediatrician’s office. Moms bringing their children for a lifetime of good health!

ADVICE FOR MOMS: An article on breast feeding in the 01/09 issue of the medical journal, Thorax, reported that the lungs of children who were breast fed for 4 or more months were stronger than the lungs of children who were bottle-fed. The researchers noted no beneficial effects on lung function from breast feeding for less than 4 months.

Healthy Bacteria, Healthy Life

2009-01-08T09:30:00.003-05:00

It sounds somewhat disturbing, but there are many types of bacteria that are essential to good human health. Humans co-evolved with beneficial intestinal bacteria, and we live in a symbiotic relationship with them. The intestinal environment is a perfect habitat for bacteria; they have a constant supply of food, warmth and moisture. In return, the "good bacteria" provide us with valuable health benefits.

Most of these microbes live in a harmonious balance with each other and with us much of the time. However, sometimes this balance is disrupted by factors such as stress, antibiotic therapy or poor diet. Populations of good bacteria may decrease or disappear, depriving the intestine of the benefits they provide and often leading to overgrowth of pathogenic microbes that can then do us harm. Prebiotics and probiotics help restore and sustain a healthy microbial balance.

Prebiotics: If you eat a healthy, whole-food diet with lots of fiber-rich fruits, vegetables and nuts, you are consuming prebiotics all the time. They occur commonly in many plant foods such as onions, bananas, wheat, artichokes, garlic, almonds, and other whole foods. The beneficial bacteria thrive when we eat many of these foods. This is part of the reason why eating a fruit- and vegetable-rich diet is so beneficial to health.

Probiotics: Probiotic is not the same thing as a "live culture," which is a microorganism added to food primarily as a fermenting agent. While some live cultures are probiotics (yogurt cultures, for example), many organisms are never used as food additives, such as certain species of E. coli. As with prebiotics, there are plenty of common foods that contain probiotics. Yogurt, some cheeses and fermented milk products, such as kefir, are examples. The most common commercial probiotics found in foods are species of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria, and occasionally the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

What's the take-away message here? In short, prebiotics and probiotics are useful in supporting the growth of beneficial microbes that can promote health and prevent disease. So, for generally healthy people, foods rich in pre- and probiotics may suffice to improve nutritional status, GI function, resistance to illness, and overall health. For people with certain health conditions, supplementation with specific strains of probiotic organisms may offer additional benefits beyond diet. If you have take a lot of antibiotic drugs in the past then this may very beneficial to you as it will reload your gut with healthy bacteria.

E-mail me at Doc@CohenChiropracticCentre.Com if you have any questions about this or a good brand to purchase.

Are You Still Committed to Your Resolutions

2009-01-07T13:59:00.000-05:00

The question is, why don't most people stick to their resolutions? I think it is because of the same reason why most people don't stick to most plans. They don't have a crystal clear written statement of exactly what they want. Next is to have a specific date of achieving this goal. Following this you need to have the reasons and benefits of achieving this goal. The hardest part of the process is next, writing down the action steps to achieve your written goals and then taking consistent action on it. Lastly, you must celebrate on your accomplishments along the way.

The list of the most common resolutions is very vague and non specific. Instead of saying I want to lose weight, say I am so excited to weigh xyz pounds on July 1, 2009. I will jog for 30 minutes during my lunch break on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday's as well as drink water instead of coke with meals, etc.... The benefits will be: increased energy, feeling better, better confidence and self image, and overall sense of accomplishment. To celebrate I will eat chocolate and ice cream on July 1, 2009. No, No ,No, not that kind of celebration, go out and buy a new pair of jeans since your old ones are getting to baggy.

The key is consistent discipline. Also if you need help, don't be afraid to get a coach or have a close friend or family member support you. Good Luck in 2009.

Easy, Safe, & Inexpensive Way to Lose Weight in 2009

2009-01-06T09:40:00.005-05:00

Are you ready to take your health to the next level? Are you tired of people looking at you differently? Are you embarrassed when you walk into a big room? Do you ever think that people are staring at you?

Unfortunately when I asked these questions at my last weight loss seminar, the common answer was "Yes" to all of them. I think its unfair and I am committed to helping those who are ready to become dedicated in making a difference in their lives. I have been helping hoards of people with a program called Take Shape For Life and my success rate is currently 100%. My favorite part is that not only did these people lose weight but they have kept it off, If you are ready to take the next step then I encourage you to read about Phase 1 of my plan:

PHASE 1

The Take Shape For Life 5 & 1 Plan for Weight Loss is as simple as eating 5 Medifast Meals and 1 Lean & Green Meal every day.
No counting calories and no cooking complicated meals... it's easy!
5 Medifast Meals
Choose from over 60 nutritionally balanced Medifast Meals — shakes, bars, drinks, oatmeals, chili, soups, pudding, scrambled eggs and more. Any combination of 5 Medifast Meals* may be used on your 5 & 1 Plan. *Limit to one bar per day.

1 Lean & Green Meal
Lean: 5-7 ounces of cooked lean meat (e.g., chicken, turkey, fish, beef, pork, lamb, shellfish). Always choose meats that are grilled, baked, broiled or poached (not fried). The serving size will vary depending on the type of meat you choose — see the links below to our helpful tables. Salt, pepper, herbs and spices may be added if desired. You may also use 1-2 teaspoons of condiments such as ketchup, mustard or barbecue sauce.
Green: Any 3 servings from our Vegetable List, such as broccoli, spinach, eggplant, or tomatoes — see the links below for our helpful meal option charts and information.

PHASE 2

This is when I guide you into eating healthy on your own and how to properly workout. There are different techniques of working out for each individual and I customize your workout plan to fit you. This phase is where you learn how to keep weight off and stay healthy for the rest of your life.

What now?

If this sounds interesting to you than I encourage you to click on my website. Read more about the program and when you are ready to commit please call me at 843.345.1033 or e-mail me at ACohenDC@Gmail.com

Food Additives: What You Don't Know May Hurt You

2009-01-05T01:26:00.002-05:00

Every day we are bombarded with ads on TV, radio and in magazines and newspapers trying to sell us the latest and greatest processed cuisine and "fake" foods. The ads promote great taste, low fat, added nutrients, attractive appearance and a host of other reasons to choose their product. There are even chemical concoctions marketed as better than real food, such as egg replacer products, nondairy dairy foods, fake meats and cheeses, and butter substitutes.

Are these products really good for you? You've undoubtedly heard it before, but it's worth repeating: To determine the healthfulness of any product on the market, you must first read the label. Here are some of the more common ingredients to watch out for.

*Aspartame, also known as Equal, NutraSweet or Spoonful, is an artificial sweetener used in many diet beverages, sugar-free foods, gum, candy, OTC medications, nutritional supplements and certain prescription drugs. Consumption of products containing aspartame has been associated with 92 different adverse reactions, from headaches, dizziness and difficulty breathing to memory loss, seizures and death.

*MSG (monosodium glutamate) is in almost all processed foods and most restaurant meals. It's even in some foods that say "No MSG" or "No Added MSG." Even some restaurants that say they do not use MSG have it in their food, and they may not even be aware of it. MSG can be hidden in a variety of ingredients you wouldn't expect to contain MSG. For example, certain ingredients that always contain MSG include amino acids, autolyzed yeast, calcium caseinate, gelatin, any kind of hydrolyzed protein, textured protein and yeast extract.

Some of the ingredients that may contain MSG include barley malt, bouillon, broth, stock, carrageenan, any kind of flavors or flavoring including natural flavors, maltodextrin, any kind of protein such as soy protein, plant protein, pea protein, corn protein, whey protein, anything that is protein fortified, protein concentrates and protein isolates, seasonings, and anything that is ultra-pasteurized.

*Other dangerous ingredients: artificial sweeteners, saccharin, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, artificial colors or FD&C colors, nitrates and nitrites, BHA and BHT, and caffeine.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. There are more than 3,000 different chemicals purposefully added to our food, and new ingredients are added every year. Here's a general rule of thumb when checking ingredients on food labels: If the list of ingredients is long, there are probably a lot of chemical additives in the product, and you're risking your health by eating it. If the list of ingredients is short, it may or may not contain harmful additives, so you need to read the label carefully before you purchase it.

That's the most important point: Be an informed shopper. Look at what you're buying before you and your family eat it. Your health is that important.

Turn Your Resolutions Into Reality

2009-01-02T10:12:00.003-05:00

We wish all of you a very happy and healthy new year…a year that ends with you healthier than you are right now!
This past year, something interesting happened in our practice-did you notice?

There were times when the office felt like a pediatrician’s office. More children than ever were brought in by their parents. Not because they had back pain but because their parents wanted their children to be as healthy as they could be now, and for the rest of their lives.

Because patterns of nervous system stress tend to run in families, the parents of many of the children you see in our office are looking to grow their kids healthy rather than have them grow up with the kind of health problems that they, or for that matter, their parents, had.

And, so while we have a fabulous success record in helping adults overcome their health problems through natural chiropractic care, we see children to help them grow up healthy!

What about you and your family? Start the new year healthy for everyone in your family rather than wait for them to develop a problem before consulting us. Doesn’t it make much more sense to work to grow their health rather than simply try and “fix” them after they have broken down? Of course!

We strongly believe that it is far better to grow healthy kids than repair damaged adults. We can help you grow your kids healthy.

Call our office to schedule appointments to have their nervous systems checked so that they can be healthier for the rest of their lives!

BOTTOM LINE: According to Dr. Steve Hoffman, there is a formula to help change and improve your health. The first step is to envision what ideal health for you would look like. Next would be to acquire the ability to accomplish what you envision. The third step would be to acknowledge how you and those you love the most would benefit. Step four is to acquire the necessary resources to do what needs to be done. Step five is the creation of a plan of action and step six is following it!

The At-Home Athlete

2008-12-30T18:20:00.000-05:00

When it comes to getting in shape, there are several Golden Rules: train smart, not hard; rest and recovery are critical; intensity is more important than duration; and proper nutrition is vital. Notice what's not on the list: expensive gym memberships, fancy pieces of equipment and time.

It's possible to sculpt a better body with simple, inexpensive equipment, smart training and fast-paced, intensity-focused routines that take minimal time. The problem for most people embarking on a home fitness routine is learning where to begin, how often to work out and what equipment to use. Here are 10 recommended tools for an all-inclusive full-body workout. Some are inexpensive pieces of equipment; others are simple methods of training. You don't need all 10 before starting. Choose one and slowly build your fitness foundation.

1. Light dumbbells
2. Body-weight training
3. Stability ball
4. Weighted fitness bar
5. Plyometrics
6. Medicine ball
7. Jump rope
8. Chin-up bar
9. Resistance bands
10. Kettlebell

Not sure what all of these are or how to incorporate them into your fitness program? E-mail me for more information, and remember these general rules: start off gently, increase your workout intensity gradually over several weeks, don't hold your breath, try to keep strict form, stay under control, and stop immediately if you feel dizzy, faint or in pain.

2008-12-29T09:40:00.001-05:00

Vitamin D: The Most Important Supplement To Date

2008-12-22T22:09:00.003-05:00

First and foremost, almost everyone always recommends eating in moderation and we do too. Here are some healthy eating alternatives for the holidays:

1. Keep vegetables as close to raw as possible and steamed vegetables are healthier and tastier!

2. Consider a salad.

3. Use spices and herbs on veggies instead of butter or a creamy sauce.

4. Trim as much fat as possible from meat before cooking.

5. Serve some fresh fish or seafood.

6. Use wholegrain breads for stuffing.

7. Cook stuffing separate to the meat so it doesn’t soak up fats during cooking.

8. Buy or bake some pita bread to use with dips instead of chips. Add vegetable strips for variety.

9. Salad dressings can liven up a salad without adding major amounts of fat or calories. Try lemon juice, vinegar and fresh
herbs.

10. Water fills you up, has no calories or side effects, is cheap and will help you rid your body of toxins.

11. Only put out some of the available food so people don’t over stuff themselves. More can always come out as required.

12. With alcohol, moderation is the key.

Happy Holidays!!!

Bottom Line: Healthy actions are not found in resolutions and healthy eating alone. Healthy actions result from a health oriented mentality and the development of healthy lifestyle habits and what better time to begin? Healthy actions include stopping bad health habits before starting new healthy ones. How about making commitments to drinking an adequate amount of water, wearing your seat belt, taking your nutritional supplements and being regular with your chiropractic care?

Polyphenols to a Longer, Healthier Life

2008-12-15T18:19:00.000-05:00

What are polyphenols?

Polyphenols are naturally-occurring chemicals in plants and recent studies have concluded that polyphenols have antioxidant characteristics that may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and various types of cancer.
Professor Gary Williamson, Professor of Functional Foods at Leeds in Britain, lectures on the idea that foods maximize a person’s chances of living a longer life, as well as increasing the quality of life by reducing the possibilities of incurring certain diseases.
Dr. Williamson list a number of foods that are especially healthful. Some of his list include:
1. Apples
2. Berries…including blackberries, blue berries, strawberries, raspberries
3. Black and green teas
4. Oranges, peaches and plums
5. Broccoli
6. Cereal bran
7. Cherries
8. Spinach
9. Red Grapes
10. Red Onions
11. Cherry tomatoes

While, like anything else, all of these should be consumed in moderation. Williamson noted. “Epidemiology studies support the protective effects of polyphenol-rich foods. Lack of these components in the diet, because of low intake of fruit and vegetables, increases the risk of chronic disease.”

Bottom Line: The fiber and protein in nuts make you feel full longer and likely lead to eating less later. Some studies have suggested nuts may slightly increase your body’s ability to burn calories, and as much as 17% of the fat in nuts passes out of the body undigested. Again, as with the foods rich in polyphenols, moderation is always the word of the day. Is there a common denominator to these stories? Other than tea, all of the best foods for you are raw fruits, vegetables and nuts!!!

Aggressive Drug Marketing and Your Health

2008-12-08T18:05:00.000-05:00

An article published in the December 2, 2008 edition of the British Medical Journal by David Kao, a fellow in cardio-vascular medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center entitled, “What can we learn from drug marketing efficiency?” found that: “quicker drug approvals and sophisticated marketing campaigns may be putting more patients at risk of dangerous side effects but the same techniques might be put to use to protect them.”

Kao said the 1992 Prescription Drug User Fee Act, which authorizes fees from companies to beef up the FDA and speed drug approvals, cut the time needed to review a new drug by half from 1986 to 2002. The revenue from the fees collected accounts for 43% of the FDA budget for drug oversight. There’s no way this process could be helping drug safety. Kao also stated, “the closer to deadline that a new drug is approved, the more likely it is to later need strong safety warnings or to be withdrawn.”

An example Kao cites is a relatively new drug by Merck for diabetes. "Once approved, the drug maker began a multifaceted marketing campaign…the product web site was functional within 90 minutes of approval, and within 8 days, Merck had reached 70% of target doctors and made first deliveries to pharmacies. Within 14 days, discussions were completed with managed care organizations covering 73% of the insured U.S. population."
Kao said he was not implying that the drug will endanger any patients.

Madison and Autism

2008-12-04T09:21:00.001-05:00

This is a must-see!

What happens 1 hour after drinking soda?

2008-12-01T13:26:00.000-05:00

Do you want to be healthy? Drinking soda is bad for your health in so many ways; science can’t even state all the consequences. Here’s what happens in your body when you assault it with a Coke:

Within the first 10 minutes:

10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake, and the only reason you don’t vomit as a result of the overwhelming sweetness is because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.

Within 20 minutes:

Your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.

Within 40 minutes:

Caffeine absorption is complete; your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.

Around 45 minutes:

Your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin, by the way.

After 60 minutes:

You’ll start to have a sugar crash.

Sources:
Nutrition Research Center October 24, 2007

Chiropractic May Lower Your Blood Pressure

2008-11-28T08:15:00.000-05:00

Maintain An Active Lifestyle For Good Health

2008-11-25T09:26:00.000-05:00

An active lifestyle is an essential ingredient in the recipe for life-long health. It should come as no surprise that active seniors have better metabolism than those that are not active. A new study, published in the Quarterly Journal of Medicine (2008;101:713–21) found that older people are less likely to have the cluster of markers that indicate metabolic syndrome—excess abdominal body fat, poor blood sugar control, high triglyceride levels, and low HDL (”good”) cholesterol levels—as well as better insulin sensitivity when they maintain an active life.

Scientists think that the individual components of metabolic syndrome are likely to have a single cause: insulin resistance.
In people with insulin resistance, insulin’s signal that blood sugar levels are high is not picked up by the cells. Disruption in this critical feedback mechanism results in chronically elevated insulin levels (and sometimes high blood glucose levels), which then contribute to increased fat deposition in the abdomen, increased triglycerides, negative changes in blood lipids, and atherosclerosis.

“Our study demonstrates that physical activity is inversely associated with insulin resistance and several related risk factors, and that low leisure-time activity is a predictor of metabolic syndrome in the elderly,” the study’s authors said in their conclusion. They added that preventing insulin resistance could lead to multiple simultaneous benefits for active seniors, including lower risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

BOTTOM LINE: Preventing metabolic syndrome requires both an active lifestyle and a healthy diet. Some of the dietary habits that will help people of all ages avoid insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome include:
• Eating lots of fruits and vegetables
• Making fish like salmon, herring, and tuna part of your diet 1-2 times each week
• Avoiding excessive animal fats and hydrogenated oils
• Choosing high-fiber, whole-grain carbs like brown rice, barley, quinoa, and multigrain cereals.

What You Need To Know About Cholesterol Lowering Drugs

2008-11-24T11:25:00.000-05:00

The January 28, 2008 edition of Business Week focuses on the drug, Lipitor and asks the question, “do cholesterol drugs do any good?”

The basic premise that statin drugs are worth the risk is taken into question and, by and large, research suggests that the benefits of statins such as Lipitor are overstated.

James Wright is a professor at the University of British Columbia and is the director of the government-funded Therapeutics Initiative, whose purpose is to pore over the data on particular drugs and figure out how well they work. He found that for those patients without active heart disease (the majority of patients prescribed drugs like Lipitor), there was no benefit in people over the age of 65, no matter how much their cholesterol declines, and no benefit in women of any age. There was no overall reduction in total deaths or illnesses requiring hospitalization—despite big reductions in "bad" cholesterol. "Most people are taking something with no chance of benefit and a risk of harm," says Wright.

In clinical trials of statins, side effects were relatively rare which may be a result of biased reporting. In the real world, approximately 15% of patients suffer side effects. After muscle aches, common complaints include cognitive problems ranging from mild confusion to loss of memory.

One clinical trial also showed a relationship between statin use and cancer risk but that trial was considered not worth considering by the guidelines author (paid by drug maker Pfizer.

BOTTOM LINE: The safety of statins in long-term use "is an incredibly important question for which we have very little data," says Dr. Beatrice Golomb of the University of California at San Diego. Steve Hoffman, a chiropractor in San Diego reports that though prescribed Lipitor years ago, refused and transformed his “dangerous” cholesterol levels with food combining for his metabolic type, regular chiropractic adjustments and nutritional supplementation…all with NO side effects!

Foods to Help With Diabetes

2008-11-21T13:33:00.000-05:00

Diabetes rates have doubled in the past 10 years. Current research suggests that following a healthy diet pattern is a positive way to reduce the risk of diabetes.
New research published in Diabetes Care (2008;31:1777–82) found that, along with maintaining a healthy body weight and exercising regularly, diet can be a powerful ally in the fight against diabetes.

• Make those grains whole. When shopping for bread and cereals, avoid products with the word “enriched” in the ingredient list. These grains are refined, not whole.

• Snack on fruit and nuts. The combination of carbohydrates from fruit plus protein and healthy fat in nuts can satisfy your urge to snack.

• Sprinkle some seeds. Try a tablespoon or two of flaxseeds or sunflower seeds in your yogurt and cereal.

• Stick with low-fat dairy. Skim or 1% milk, part-skim mozzarella cheese, and low- or no-fat yogurt are good choices. Limit whole milk, cream, and ice cream to special occasions.

• Go for the greens. Add kale, chard, or other green leafy vegetables to soups and stews.

• Enjoy coffee… in moderation. 1-2 cups per day may lower diabetes risk. Any more than this and you may run into trouble with side effects such as insomnia and rapid heart rate.

• Choose healthy proteins. Try for more fish, chicken, or soy products and other lean proteins. Limit red meat to 1-2times per week and stick to a 3-ounce serving.

"Green" Approach Towards Health

2008-11-14T22:29:00.000-05:00

With today’s quickening pace of life and their accumulated stress levels, more people find themselves troubled by conditions related to their mental health. Many report getting tired easily and with pain centered on the back and neck both with and without attendant headaches.

Yet, when these same people go to a hospital and have a physical, their MD often reports finding nothing wrong with them physically. If the MD finds nothing wrong then he/she has little to offer. This is when people might consider turning to what might be the “GREENEST” approach to good health, namely chiropractic.

We consider Chiropractic “GREEN” because it is one of the safest, drug-free and non- invasive therapies available. While nothing is put in the body that may be toxic, nothing is removed from the body either. Chiropractic respects the internal environment of the person much the same way as the “GREEN movement” is respectful of out external environment says Dr. Steve Hoffman, an acknowledged expert in this field.

Additionally, many find chiropractic after other, more traditional, more invasive and more dangerous and toxic approaches have failed. And, it is on these people, failed by the medical establishment, that chiropractic has survived and thrived for over 100 years.

While most patients feel immediate relief following chiropractic care, the important thing to note is to seek chiropractic first!

BOTTOM LINE: The “GREEN” movement is about sustainability and being environmentally conscious. We see how the overuse of drugs is now polluting our water. How many drugs and hormones are we, and our children, absorbing from our own water supply. Chiropractic has never prescribed drugs and has never contributed to this problem. If more people were to take a responsible and sustainable approach to their health, both our internal and external environments would benefit.

How to Fit in Fitness

2008-11-11T10:16:00.000-05:00

Current exercise recommendations call for 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity, five days per week. Sound impossible? Not when you consider there are 1,440 minutes in a day. Can't you take a mere two percent of your time and devote it to staying in shape? If you think it's not that easy, think again.

Timing is everything. Monitor your daily activities for one week, and then identify at least three 30-minute time slots per day that you could devote to physical activity.

Support makes sense. Make sure your friends and family know you are dedicated to consistent physical activity, and ask for their support. You can recruit others to join you, too, which will make it much easier to stay focused.

Rest your brain (and bank account). There are plenty of activities that don't require particular skill or cash, such as walking, cycling, jumping rope or swimming.

Don't be afraid to multitask. No, that doesn't mean you should try to do the bills or plan the family holiday party during your designated 30-minute exercise window. It does mean you can jump rope while watching TV, wrestle with the kids, take a family bike ride (which is good exercise for everyone), or do housework or gardening.

So, now that you know how to fit in fitness, what are you waiting for? Find the time, stay on course and enjoy a healthier, happier life. There's no better time than now to start. Your doctor can help outline an exercise program suitable to your needs.

What Your Body Needs!

2008-11-10T10:10:00.000-05:00

Many people think nothing of eating a double cheeseburger, medium fries and a medium cola. If you dissect this "meal," you'll find that on average, it contains an unbelievable 68 grams of fat (17 teaspoons), almost half of which are saturated; 15 grams of trans fatty acids; 150 mg of cholesterol; 1,200 mg of salt; and 20 teaspoons of sugar (all from the cola)! If you factor in that the fries were probably cooked in hydrogenated cottonseed oil, one of the most heavily pesticide-laden crops in the world, and that the meat, if overcooked, could contain carcinogens, or if undercooked, could result in food poisoning from E. coli, you may agree it's time to find a new all-American meal.

The Bad Guys: High levels of saturated fat are consistently linked with elevated blood cholesterol levels, heart disease, insulin resistance and several forms of cancer. Most Americans eat about 40 grams of saturated fat every day, which is twice as much as is considered healthy. Animal products are the greatest source of saturated fats in the Western diet.

For many years, trans fatty acids were considered a relatively minor player in health and disease. Although their impact on total cholesterol is not quite as profound as it is with saturated fats, the overall damage to heart health is worse. Trans fatty acids not only raise total cholesterol, but also lower LDL cholesterol ("good" cholesterol) and potentially increase triglycerides. Gram for gram, the adverse effect of trans fatty acids is estimated to be two to four times greater than that of saturated fatty acids. The most common sources are crackers, cookies, granola bars, chips and other snack foods, baked goods, margarine, shortening and deep-fried fast foods.

Cholesterol is made by animals, not plants; all animal foods contain cholesterol, while plant foods are all cholesterol-free. The next time you buy any plant-based food like peanut butter that says "no cholesterol" on the label, realize that is just a sales gimmick. There are several concerns about eating too much cholesterol because it can cause blood cholesterol levels to rise, increasing the risk of blood clots, heart attack and stroke. The recommended daily intake of cholesterol is less than 200 mg, which is a little less than the amount of cholesterol in one egg yolk.

The Good Guys: Science has known for a very long time that vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds are healthful foods. Researchers assumed that the substances that made these foods so good for us were the vitamins, minerals and fiber. They were right, but only partly. In the past 20 years, scientists have discovered a whole new set of protective compounds packed within every whole-plant food: phytochemicals and antioxidants. Phytochemicals are natural substances that protect plants against attacks from insects. When we eat plants, these same powerful little protectors go to work on our behalf, with remarkable human health benefits.

Many phytochemicals are strong antioxidants, neutralizing destructive free radicals. Some phytochemicals provide anticancer support, helping the body rid itself of potent carcinogens. Others protect against cardiovascular disease by helping to reduce the formation of cholesterol, lower blood pressure, decrease blood cholesterol levels, reduce blood clot formation, open blood vessels and decrease damage to blood vessel walls. The list of significant beneficial activities of phytochemicals includes anti-inflammatory, anti-yeast, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and immune-enhancing benefits. Which foods are the most efficient phytochemical factories? Vegetables and fruits stand out as being particularly important, although legumes (beans), grains, nuts and seeds are also excellent sources. Choosing a wide variety of colorful, whole-plant foods is the key to a phytochemical-rich diet.

Hopefully this gives you a good starting point for improving your health. Limit your intake of saturated fat, trans fatty acids and cholesterol, and eat more whole foods, including seven to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables every day to maximize your phytonutrient and antioxidant protection. Talk to your doctor for more information.

Relationships

2008-11-06T16:58:00.000-05:00

I want to start off by saying how sorry I am for not posting in the past week. I was in Orlando at a seminar listening to Robert Kiyosaki, who wrote Rich Dad, Poor Dad and Joseph Micheli, who studies successful companies and writes about the experience they create in their business. You can guess that this past week has been powerful and I have never been as proud as I am today about the direction I am taking with my life. Inspiring, motivating, and empowering people to make the right health choices for themselves and their families is what my dream and vision is all about.

There has recently been one aspect of my life I have especially focused on and that is building relationships. I have on average been meeting a new person every hour and making sure to remain in contact with them to see how I can best serve them. When I offer my service to them I have noticed that they are willing to serve me back just like the law of give and receive. I have met people in PR, media, real estate, graphic design, accounting, healthcare, consulting, and more recently a man who teaches Spanish to employees of an airline company. Every single one of these people are driven, focused, and dedicated to helping anyone who is willing to learn and keep an open mind.

If you are looking to meet more people and expand your network than just say the proverbial "hello" to anyone who will listen. This interaction doesn't only happen at networking groups but it happens every second we walk by someone on the street.

I am writing this because at some recent networking events I have been to there are so many people focused on sell, sell, sell. My focus is to just open up relationships. I find that when I do this the quality of the people I meet increases even though the quantity is not as high.

How many people do you meet a day? Are you getting follow-up contact information? Are you serving for the sake of serving and giving for the sake of giving? Do you uplift people when you talk to them and find out how you can benefit their lives?