Ways to Measure Your Adrenal Stress Response

We have been discussing the adrenal stress response in our previous posts.  There are a number of ways to measure and assess the impact stress is having on your health.  There are a couple of easy things that you can even try at home.

Taking the time to "measure" your health can save you time suffering with dysfunction.

Positional Blood Pressure Changes

Do you ever feel dizzy or lightheaded when standing up from a lying position?  This could be an indicator of adrenal dysfunction.  Your body is designed to elevate your blood pressure from 6-10 points when you stand up.  Simple reason?  To ensure your brain has enough oxygen.  If your blood pressure drops when you stand you get lightheaded, or you may actually pass out.  Another sign of an abnormality is a heart rate that accelerates beyond 10 points from lying to standing.

How to Measure: 

1. You can use an automatic blood pressure cuff system and have someone help you.
2. Lie on your back for five minutes.  Apply the proper size cuff on your arm as indicated.
3. Start the machine and lie still and quiet while the blood pressure is being measured.  Have your friend record the data.
4. Stand up and have your helper start the machine again immediately upon standing.  Stand still and quiet and let the pressure be measured.  Have your friend record the data.
5. Look at your systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number) to ensure that they went up slightly when standing of only about 6-10 points.
6. Look at your heart rate and ensure that it went up only about 6-10 points and no greater.

Pupil Light Response

With low adrenal function your pupil will not be able to normally hold a contraction when light is shone into it.  A short time to fatigue can indicate brain imbalance or adrenal dysfunction.

How to Measure:

1. The only equipment you need is a small light, a mirror, a stopwatch and a dark room.
2. Darken the room and stand in front of a mirror.
3. Shine a light across one eye from the side of your head.  Do not shine directly into it.
4. Keep the light shining steadily across one eye and watch in the mirror with the other.
5. You should see your pupil (the dark circle in the center of the eye) contract immediately as the light hits your eye.
6. Your pupil should stay constricted for some time.  Fast failure of the response suggests adrenal dysfunction.

Saliva pH Lemon Juice Challenge

This is a simple test that we do in our office that measures your baseline saliva pH, provides you with an acidic challenge of lemon juice and then monitors your pH changes each minute for five minutes.  Your baseline measurement, the pH right after the lemon juice consumption, and the one minute measurement are very important for identifying the overall activity of the sympathetic nervous system.

Urinary Chlorides & Urinary Electrolytes & Urine Chemstrip

These tests are a part of the functional diagnostic tests we use in our office called the Integra Profile.  These measurements can give insight into the function of the adrenal stress response in your body.  Simply providing a first morning urine sample allows us to measure these values and track the changes after implementing appropriate treatment interventions.

Adrenal Stress Index

One of the most effective ways to measure your adrenal stress response is to actually measure your stress hormones…cortisol and DHEA.  The Adrenal Stress Index measures your cortisol at 8AM, noon, 4PM and midnight to track your daily rhythms.  Cortisol that is too high or too low is a sign of dysfunction and you can experience the symptoms of an abnormal stress response.  The test is simple, easy to collect since it uses saliva and can be done at home, and is a great clinical tool that we use quite often to guide our treatment process.

If you try some of the home tests and they are abnormal then have a more comprehensive examination performed.

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Beware of These 7 Symptoms

Are you losing the battle against stress?  Are you “sick and tired of feeling sick and tired”?  We face a constant barrage of external and internal stressors that our body and mind must be strong enough to counterbalance.  All of health requires balance.  In endocrinology it’s called “allostasis” which simply means consistency through change.

Like a see-saw, your body is always trying to maintain balance. When balance is lost...health is lost.

There are a multitude of symptoms that you may be struggling with that are clues to an underlying abnormal stress response.  However, there are 7 major symptoms of stress that are definite clues that you should evaluate the impact stress is having on your health.

7 Major Stress Symptoms

(1) Headaches

• Do you struggle with headaches when you wake up in the morning, or in the evening when you come home from work?
• Do you have a constant dull ache behind your eyes, at the base of your skull, or in your temples?

(2) Fatigue

• Are you tired when you wake up, no matter how long you slept the night before?
• Do you crash after lunch and in the late afternoon?
• Do you get a “second wind” late at night and this makes it difficult to get to bed at a decent time?

(3) Neck Pain, Midback Pain, Low Back Pain, or Pain in General

• Are your activities and hobbies affected by constant muscle pains and body aches?
• Have you been diagnosed or told you have fibromyalgia?

(4) Sleep Disorders

• Have you tried all the sleeping meds and still can’t get to sleep?
• Are you tired of counting sheep?
• Do you wake up frequently, stare at your alarm clock and hope for just a few minutes of good sleep?

(5) Digestive Troubles

• Do you take antacids and acid blockers frequently?
• Do you get gas, bloating, reflux, or indigestion symptoms?
• Do you have problems with constipation, diarrhea, or a combination of the two?

(6) Irritability and/or Mood Swings

• Do friends and family ask you “what’s wrong” frequently?
• Do you feel irritated and trivial things that you know shouldn’t upset you?

(7) Chronic Sinus or Allergy Problems

• Are you always struggling with another sinus infection that requires more antibiotics?
• Do you seem to stay sicker longer than you used to?
• Are you constantly blowing your nose, wiping your eyes, or clearing your throat?

If you are currently facing any of these symptoms then you should have your adrenal hormones evaluated and consider a program designed specifically for you and your needs to rebuild your faulty adrenal system.  Too many people are just squeaking by from day to day and not enjoying the full potential of their life.  They have been forced to believe that it’s just normal for them to feel sick and tired all the time.  Conventional medicine identifies disease, however, dysfunction precedes disease.

Listen to the warning signs, stop trying to ignore the symptoms and hope they just go away.  Take charge of your health and have a doctor on your health care team that understands how to guide you through a cleansing, nourishing and balancing of your body.  Start enjoying life again!

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Are You Setting Yourself Up for Disaster?

Planning.  Preparation.  Interventions.  Precautions.  We all do our best to take the necessary steps to make sure our life’s events flow smoothly.  No planning can prevent some of life’s curve balls, but the better prepared we are, the better able we are able to weather the storms.

The stronger you are going into a storm, the stronger you will be coming out.

You take the time to back up your computer files.  You pay your home insurance premiums each month.  You make necessary maintenance repairs on your home and vehicles to keep things working right.  You protect your valuables in fireproof safes.  You archive all of your treasured family photos.  You have thought of everything…right?

What if I asked you what you are doing about your adrenals.  Do you even know what they are?  Do you even know what they do?  Do you even know how to see if they are working right?  Probably not.  Most people don’t go around each day wondering about their adrenals, but as they face life’s stressors day in and day out the adrenal glands are taking a beating.

Your adrenal glands handle ALL of the stressors you face by balancing out the appropriate stress related hormones.  When this system works well you are healthy, pain-free, and clear thinking.  When they are not working, or are burned out, you are facing disaster.

Are you facing any of these adrenal stressors?

• Emotional triggers (anger, fear, worry, anxiety, guilt)
• Depression
• Overwork (physical or mental strain)
• Late hours / insufficient sleep
• Chronic, severe or prolonged infections
• Surgery
• Trauma / injury
• Excessive exercise
• Temperature extremes (Yes, ND counts as temperature extremes!)
• Toxic exposure
• Chronic inflammation
• Chronic pain
• Chronic illness
• Chronic / severe allergies
• Light cycle disruption (awake at night, asleep during the day)

If you are facing any of these stressors, yet you can’t answer the question, “How are your adrenals doing?” Then you are setting yourself up for disaster in the future.

This week we will be discussing signs and symptoms of adrenal stress, ways to measure the function of your adrenal system, and tips you can use to help heal an abnormal stress response.   I’d love to see your comments and questions during this week of posts.

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Improve Diet…Decrease Stress

What you are eating, and what you are not eating play major roles in your stress response.

So many people rely on artificial “pick me ups” to get through their day. Are you a user of the 5-Hour Energy, Rockstar, Red Bull drink frenzy? The Standard American Diet negatively impacts the adrenal glands, which leads to imbalanced stress responses. Greater than 60% of the population doesn’t even get one vegetable a day in consistently!

Stress depletes magnesium. Magnesium is found in green leafy vegetables which most people don’t eat often.

You do have options though. Using a greens drink each day will provide alkalizing phytonutrients, increased magnesium, and stress relieving nutrients. You can help battle an abnormal stress response and improve your health with one simple scoop a day.

I strongly encourage patients to use Dynamic Greens for their support. They taste great and cover all your bases for vegetable intake each day. So if you’re a picky eater or just don’t get 9-11 servings of veggies each day then use the Dynamic Greens.

The Reason Your Antidepressants May Be Failing You

Millions of Americans are taking anti-depressants for depression and chronic pain issues.  The unfortunate fact is that many patients are simply masking symptoms of true underlying imbalances with these medications and the problem just continues to fester and grow under the surface.  It’s like putting a piece of tape over your “check engine” light because you are tired of seeing it lit up and aren’t going to do anything about it.  That piece of tape no more fixes the root cause of your engine trouble than taking a mix of drugs to mask symptoms of something bigger going on.

You wouldn't ignore your check engine light or try to cover it up. Why would you do that when your body manifests symptoms that something is going wrong?

You are probably familiar with the “selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors” (SSRIs) that are so commonly prescribed.  Their mechanism of action is to keep the serotonin molecules in the synaptic cleft longer so their effect can be more pronounced.  The synaptic cleft is simply the small region between two nerve cells.  It is where all the communication takes place.  The first nerve cell in the chain is called the pre-synaptic neuron and it sends information to the post-synaptic neuron.

This is a typical example of a synapse between two neurons.

The problem arises when their is failure to address 3 basic physiological components of this communication system.

1. The health and integrity of the pre-synaptic neuron
2. The amount of substrate in the synaptic cleft
3. The health and integrity of the post-synaptic neuron

Failure to address all three of these aspects can lead to poor clinical outcomes.  If the pre-synaptic neuron is unable to manufacture the neurotransmitters (ie serotonin) due to low nutrient reserve then there will be a failure of substrate in the synaptic cleft regardless of whether you are taking SSRI’s or not.

There are many things that are necessary to maintain healthy neuronal integrity.  Below I will discuss a few basics that are essential to have good manufacture of the neurotransmitters, healthy transmission and reception of messages across the synaptic cleft, and healthy membranes to continue the message along the path.

1. Protein – Adequate protein is vital for healthy neuronal function.  The receptors that release and bind to the manufactured neurotransmitters are protein.  Poor protein intake can lead to receptor dysfunction.
2. Omega-3 Fatty Acids – The neuron membranes are surrounded by fatty myelin sheaths.  These allow for proper conduction and insulation of electrochemical signals.  Unhealthy diets can replace the necessary healthy fats with abnormal fats that affect neuronal health.
3. Vitamins/Minerals – The enzymes that are necessary to manufacture, convert, and reuptake neurotransmitters and nerve messages are dependent on trace minerals and vitamins.  These nutrient co-factors help to ensure that all the pathways work as they are intended.  Nutrient deficiency can lead to breakdown in proper function.
4. Amino Acids – Neurotransmitters are synthesized from amino acids which are derived from protein.  For example, serotonin requires the amino acid tryptophan to be manufactured.  Stress depletes tryptophan so it can lead to an amino acid imbalance.  This, over time, can lead to serotonin deficiency as well.
5. Vitamin D - Vitamin D deficiency leads to inflammation in the brain.  Inflammation in the brain will to poor nerve cell integrity.
6. Probiotics - The majority of your neurotransmitters are manufactured in your gut…yep, in your gut.  Irritable bowel, leaky gut, and other digestive complaints can alter neurotransmitter health.  Taking daily probiotic supplementation can keep your gut healthy and keep neurotransmitter function healthy.

Living the Magnificent Seven Lifestyle and daily supplementing with the Foundational Five are ways to keep your brain healthy, prevent depression, and keep your mind active and sharp!

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Is Stress Causing Your Pain?

Your struggle with depression, anxiety, exacerbation of eating disorders or increased sensitivity to acute and chronic pain could all be due to stress.  Stress could be the major player in your battle with pain.

Chronic stress can lead to a myriad of symptoms and leave you with pain.

I see a lot of patients each day in my practice that have suffered with chronic pain for months or years.  They have tried the novel blockbuster drugs, the injections, the surgeries, the psychoanalysis and on and on and on.  Unfortunately for these patients, many practitioners neglect to evaluate (or in some cases refuse to accept) the component of an abnormal stress response in a patient’s pain condition.

So what is the connection?  Chronic stress depletes serotonin making all of your serotonergic pathways (those biochemical pathways that require serotonin to function) ineffective.  One of the most important of these pathways is the inhibition (blocking) of pain and the ability to support good mood.  When you are stressed, your body increases its use of serotonin.  At the same time it increases the breakdown of tryptophan in the liver.  Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin.

Serotonin is also the precursor to melatonin which helps us sleep at night.  Poor sleep is very inflammatory and makes chronic pain issues worse.  So now you have this vicious cycle occurring all started chronic stress.  So in order to stop the cycle, you have to attack the start of the cycle and that is the abnormal stress response.

You can patch up the breaks in the pathways that aren’t working, but if you don’t remove the cause of the problem the patches won’t last.  Part of the benefits of 5-HTP supplementation (precursor to serotonin) is derived from the increased production of melatonin which has known antioxidant effects, supports immune function, and preserves mitochondrial function.

Serotonin plays a key role in the central processing of pain.  When serotonin is deficient you will feel pain more readily than you should.  This is one key reason that anti-depressants are used for chronic pain, however, they only work for a short time.  Tomorrow I will discuss why failing to look at the whole picture will cause your anti-depressants to fail.

So what are some steps to resolving this problem?

1. Know your Stress Subtype.  A simple questionnaire can help you identify which of 6 major stress types you are and help develop a stress management program designed for you.
2. Measure your stress hormones with an Adrenal Stress Index if necessary.
3. Take your fish oil.  Fish oil can positively impact serotonin pathways.
4. Supplement with 5-HTP and combined methyl supports.  You will want to work with a doctor knowledgeable about supplementation, dosing, and timing of supplementation to get the best results.

If you are suffering with chronic pain have your stress response evaluated and treated properly.  Stop letting stress be the source of your pain!

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Detox Tips For Home Remodelers

So you’re wanting to change the tile in the bathroom, or repaint the bedroom, or new carpet in the living room, or some other home remodeling project. You spend your day at the local “do-it-yourself” home building stores picking out the supplies you will need. You’ve thought of every detail. You have the right colors matched, the right carpet, and the perfect tile. Maybe your remodeling even includes new furniture and entertainment centers. All the details are laid out, but you may be missing one of the most important parts of any remodeling project. Failing to remember this detail could place you and your family at risk. What is this final detail? It’s your detox plan!

New carpets, paints, flooring, windows, and furniture out gasses toxic fumes for quite some time. That “new carpet smell” is actually toxic substances invading the air that you are breathing. We have two types of toxin exposures…internal and external. Remodeling significantly increases your exposure to external toxins and increases your risk of disease development. There are over 85,000 chemicals we are exposed to in the world. Toxic overload is linked to cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disease and obesity.

Allow me to give you just a few tips and supplement ideas to make your remodeling project safe for you and your family.

(Note: Pregnant women should avoid painting and other remodeling projects due to the very high level of toxin exposure. This will decrease health related issues for your child which may not manifest for years down the road.)

Open your windows

Try opening your windows to ensure adequate circulation and venting of the fumes.  Strategically directed fans can help create a current that will decrease the lingering fumes.

Filter Your Air

You should consider using a high quality air filtration system.  You want a system that cleans the air and removes particles down to a very small micron size.  I am familiar with the quality of Healthway products.  In some places you can find someone to run a filtration unit in your home for 24 hours to see what is being collected from your air.  Then they can set up a filtration system for 24 hours and then recheck what is being collected.  You would be amazed at what is in the air you breathe each day and this is dramatically increased from the dust, paint, and fumes associated with remodeling.

Wear Protective Breathing Masks

While you are actively sanding, grinding, or painting consider a good breathing mask with filter to reduce your direct exposure to the chemicals.  Consider masks with replaceable filters and ensure a proper fit.

Buy Green

There are options for flooring, carpeting, furniture, wood, and other materials that are made from materials that are more “green” and contain less volatile chemicals.  These products have less out-gassing of toxins and are safer.  While they may cost more initially, you will save on the improved health.  Also visit the site, Everyday Exposures, that will show you how many toxins you are exposed to in different rooms of your house.  They also provide safe alternatives and ways to decrease exposure.

Eat More Plants

The more toxins we are exposed to, the more plants we need to be eating.  Phytochemicals in plants have profound antioxidant performance, packed with important trace minerals, and assist in the detoxification process.  Focus on the green leafy vegetables and the cruciferous vegetables primarily.  Aim for 9-11 servings every single day to help decrease cancer risk.  You should consume every color, every day.  Consider adding a greens drink to your daily routine as well.

Wellness essentials

Everyone in your home should be on Wellness Essentials during a remodeling project.  Each packet contains a multiple vitamin/mineral with the key micronutrients necessary to aid in detoxification and elimination, prevent DNA damage, support the adrenal stress response, protect the liver, brain and kidneys, and support all of your key metabolic processes.  In addition to the multivitamin there is also a pharmaceutical-grade fish oil.  Omega-3 fatty acids are known as essential fatty acids.  These decrease inflammation, help improve blood flow and make up the cell membranes of all your body’s cells.  Think of fish oils as your body’s daily “oil change”.  The final component of the Wellness Essentials is the inclusion of  a liver detoxification support capsule.  This product will help to upregulate phase II of your liver detoxification and improve your body’s ability to eliminate, through proper biotransformation, your toxic build-up.

Dynamic Health Drink

The Dynamic Health Drink is…well, it’s just dynamic!  It contains a blend of Dynamic Greens which provides you with 20+ servings for organic fruits and greens to help alkalize your body and protect your cells from oxidative damage.  It also includes whey protein which is able to increase your body’s supply of glutathione.  Glutathione is your body’s master antioxidant.  Every molecule of toxins in your body must be bound and removed by one molecule of glutathione.  Deficiency in glutathione will lead to accumulation of toxins.  These toxins will then try to find homes in your cell membranes, your joints, your muscles and your brain.  The final component is additional fiber.  Fiber will help your bowel transit time remain normal.  Fiber also helps to bind to excess toxins in the gut and shuttle them through the digestive tract where they can be eliminated.  One scoop daily of this powerful blend of nutrients is a strong (and great tasting) way to protect yourself during a remodeling project.

Ultra Clear Plus pH or Ultra Clear Renew

If your project is an extended one, or if you are developing some sure signs of toxicity, then consider adding additional medical food support to help your detoxification pathways.  You may want to consider taking 1/4 scoop to 2 scoops once or twice each day.  Since Ultra Clear Plus pH and Ultra Clear Renew are medical foods, you can use these as meal replacements or snacks.

Watch for symptoms of toxin exposure

In 1996 the Journal of Clinical Chemistry published seven key symptoms associated with increased toxin exposure.  These seven symptoms are what we see all the time in our office and is why we spend time on addressing the stress, toxins and malnutrition components of a patient’s health.  These seven symptoms are:

1. Fatigue
2. Sleep disturbances
3. Intestinal distress
4. Headaches
5. Allergy symptoms
6. Confusion
7. Anxiety

If you are experiencing these symptoms you need to increase your detoxification support.  I would also encourage you to complete a Medical Symptoms Questionnaire (MSQ) to identify your current health score.  Complete this form and tally your score.  If you score is <20 you are doing pretty good.  If it is 20-50 then you need help.  If if it 50-100 you are sick, and if it is greater than 100 you are experiencing profound physical detriments, most likely from increased toxin exposure.  If your score is elevated, and you want help, call my office to schedule an in-office or phone appointment.

Maintain proper bowel elimination

If you are constipated, have less than one bowel movement every single day, have hemorrhoids or anal fissures, or have a lot of bloating you should be concerned for the increased exposure you have to toxic metabolic by-products in your body.  Your liver is supposed to convert your fat soluble toxins into water soluble toxins and package them for safe transit through the body so they can be eliminated.  However, if there is slowing of your transit time, or constipation, then you force these “packaged” toxins to be recirculated through your body where they place more stress on the liver and make you more toxic.

Use far infrared sauna

Far infrared sauna is one way that you can improve excretion of metabolic wastes through sweating.  There are a number of massage therapists that have access to far infrared saunas.  Many people also buy them for their own home use.  If you have one, take advantage of that and use it regularly during the remodeling process.

Epsom Salt Baths

Epsom salts baths can be enjoyable and relaxing after a long day of work. They can help reduce muscle soreness and do help assist the detoxification process, in a minimal way, by helping to increase magnesium.  Use about two cups of Epsom salt mixed in a warm bath and soak for twenty minutes.

Hopefully you can utilize these tips to stay healthy during your current or future remodeling projects.  If you, or someone you know, needs more assistance in a medically supervised detoxification program that has proven clinical safety and efficacy, then consider calling our office.  We have a variety of programs available that can be tailored to your personal and financial needs.

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This One Word Can Improve Your Health

There is one word that is so powerful it can stop diabetes dead in its track.  It can halt the degenerative brain decline associated with dementia, and even Alzheimer’s disease.  It has the ability to prevent over 90% of all cancers.  This word can reduce back pain, knee pain, joint pain and headaches.  What is this “wonder word”?  It’s simple, it’s short, but it’s powerful…NO.

Learn to say no to the wrong things at the right time...now!

Any of us that have children know that the word “NO” comes very early in our vocabulary development.  Maybe it is because our children hear us telling them “no” so often.  No, don’t touch the hot stove.  No, don’t put your hand in the electrical outlet.  No, don’t try to jump off the roof with your homemade parachute.  (Well, that last one is probably just for some of our older kids).

I was taught in elementary school to “Just Say No” to drugs.  We were made to attend the pep rally with hundreds of screaming kids as they taught us how to say no.  I would instill the same instructions to my kids today.  Say no to drugs.  Say no to things that can ruin your life physically, emotionally and spiritually.  Unfortunately, there is one drug that we are NOT telling our kids to say no to.  In fact, most parents are with their children and buy these drugs for their kids.  They pack these drugs in the lunch boxes.  They send these drugs on their field trips.  Kids exchange their drugs in the lunch room despite the watchful eye of the cafeteria monitors.

So what is this drug that is so prevalent, so rampant, and so detrimental to the health of our upcoming generations?  Sugar.  In all its derivatives…high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sugar, and the list goes on.

You think I am over-reacting?  You think that sugar is really not a drug?  Well, it is and it is the drug of choice for millions of American men, women, and children.  Consider this study with mice that showed mice were so addicted to sugar and fat that it was harder to break the addiction than cocaine!  They continued to gorge on the sugar/fat addiction despite the fact they knew they were going to be shocked.

In order for us to be brain healthy all of our neurotransmitters must be balanced.  The reward system in our body uses dopamine as its neurotransmitter.  Of course, for this reward system to properly work there must be an adequate level of dopamine receptors in your brain.  Poor lifestyle choices, addictions, stress and other things can deplete the number of dopamine receptors.  Therefore a much larger stimulation is required to activate this reward cascade in the brain.  Sex, drugs, and sugar activate these pathways, but when the receptors are low it leads to illicit sex, sex addictions, drug abuse and addictions and sugar abuse/addiction.  For mice that were addicted to cocaine, stopping the cocaine allowed their dopamine receptors to return to a normal level in about two days.  For the sugar addicted mice, however, stopping the sugar took 2 weeks to return their dopamine receptors to normal!

So the addiction can be very real, but thankfully we are not mice and have higher frontal lobe function than a bunch of rats.  As parents we need to make the executive decisions for our children, and then they can learn to make the right choices on their own.  Kids that eat healthy and avoid sugar and junk food are not deprived or neglected.  If kids see their parents complain about eating their broccoli, then guess what…they will complain too.

Learning to say no to the health detriments around you is the best way to improve your health, memory, physique, sex life, and general wellness.  You have a choice each day to make the right decisions.  The deeper you are in a hole, the harder it is to get out, but it is still not impossible.  That is why it is easiest to never fall in the hole in the first place.  This reminds me of the first law of holes.  If you find yourself stuck in a hole…stop digging!  Saying no can be hard at first, but as you regain your health and vitality it gets easier and easier to use this health-promoting word.

If you are needing help in beating sugar/fat addictions, need help with healthy eating, or want to know how to have a healthy brain then contact our office to set up an appointment.  We can see you in the office or consult over the phone, but we are here to help you find a solution for your health care goals!

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Every Reach Is A Choice

What are you reaching for?  Every time you reach for something you are making a choice.  You are determining the course of your tomorrow by what you are reaching for today.

Every reach is a choice.

We have thousands of interactions with food each and every day.  Whether that be thinking about food, smelling food, planning a menu, driving past a restaurant, or planning a company picnic…food is everywhere.  Our thinking about food and healthy food has been skewed by an industry that has more focus on dollar signs than waist lines.  While it is easier to eat unhealthy junk food, fast food and follow the Standard American Diet, it’s not impossible to reach for healthy choices each day.  Being healthy requires you to reach for your calendar to plan your menu.  You need to reach for your pocketbook to invest in better foods for better health.  You need to reach to tie your shoes for exercise.  Every reach is a choice.

It has been ingrained into our society to reach for the super-sized meals, pop machines, vending machines, donuts at the meeting, the “fourth meal” at Taco Bell, or the “heart attack” burger.  These choices will lead you to reaching for another dose of a statin drug, or diabetes med, or “water pills”, or acid-blockers.  The sad fact of the matter is that these choices will not allow you to reach all your goals.

Your goals to:

• wrestle with your kids
• wrestle with your grandkids
• fit into the pants you wore in high school
• fit back into your wedding dress
• feel better about your reflection in a mirror
• have an improved sex drive
• have better mental clarity and focus
• wake up each day with enough energy to conquer life’s challenges

You sell yourself short.  Your goals fall outside of your reach.  But guess what?  You can rewrite the end of the story starting right now!  You don’t have to follow the same path that everyone else is on.

• Reach for the salad instead of the fries.
• Reach for the water instead of the Coke.
• Reach for the stairs instead of the elevator button.
• Reach for your gym shoes rather than your house shoes.
• Reach for the broccoli rather than the donuts.

Every reach is a choice.  Small choices are cumulative and have profound consequences.  Live life to the fullest each day.  Reach for the stars!

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Wellness Week – Tips for Success

The feelings you may experience on the first day or two of a detoxification program vary from person to person.  I want to share with you a couple of problems you may face and some solutions.  These are based on my own personal experience and the advice I give to patients in my office during their Wellness Week.

With a little planning, preparation and patience you can work through most problems.

Problem: You experience headaches, mild nausea, fatigue or muscle pain.

Solution:  Having symptoms such as these is common during a detoxification procedure.  If you are a “sugar-junkie” and cut out the refined sugars and processed foods your body can go through withdrawals.  Don’t neglect to remember that sugar is a drug.  In animal studies sugar was more addicting than even cocaine!  So the feelings can be very real.  That is why we like to buffer the detoxification process with AdvaClear which can help support phase II of the transformation of toxins.

So ask you doctor to increase AdvaClear, consume plenty of pure filtered water, and drink some green tea and that can really help alleviate these symptoms and help you work through them.

Problem: Constipation or not moving bowels every single day

Solution:  Proper bowel elimination is very important during a detox process since you are trying to remove the toxins from your body.  You should have at least one bowel movement every single day.  Many are concerned when they start a detox program with proper nutrient support that they start to have looser stools.  This is your body’s mechanism to try and rid itself of toxins as quickly as possible so the toxins cannot recirculate and cause increased harm.  For constipation I recommend patients use Mag Citrate.  Each tablet is 100 milligrams of magnesium citrate which serves as a safe bowel laxative.  You can take anywhere from 2-10 at bedtime depending on your bowel movements.

Problem:  Feeling drained during the day.

Solution: Exercise.  A brisk walk, a sprint up some stairs, or some movement can improve your breathing, circulation, and help you feel more energetic on the Wellness Week.  I have also found that by taking my shakes at regular timed intervals (whether I feel like them or not), is really helpful in maintaining my energy throughout the day.  Many have relied on caffeine and other stimulants to get them going through each day.  By reducing the burden of toxins your mitochondria can actually manufacture more energy and you can feel more energized at the end of the Wellness Week.

Problem:  Feeling food cravings

Solution:  When a “craved food” is totally avoided you brain has mechanisms to turn off the craving within about a week period.  The more diligent you are with the Wellness Week the faster your cravings will disappear.  Again, I recommend consistent timing with the medical food shakes and munch on the vegetable of the day.  Also drink water!  Let your body re-establish the fact that sometimes what you perceive as hunger is really just your body’s way of signaling thirst.

Problem: You don’t like drinking water

Solution: This is one of those things where you just have to learn to like something that is absolutely vital for good health.  I recommend getting a stainless steel water bottle and keeping it full throughout the day.  Learn to sip your water throughout the day so it can be utilized by the cells.  If you need to add some lemon or lime slices to the water until you learn to like water then this is a fine choice.

Problem: You don’t like the “grittiness” of the medical food, the taste of the medical food, the consistency of the medical food…

Solution:  I use 12 ounces of cold water for my medical food and I just use a simple shaker cup with a lid.  I have found that thirty seconds of vigorous shaking is better than trying to blend, stir, or mix the shake.  That is my opinion, I know others that prefer a personal blender to mix up their shakes.  My wife likes to mix a little Dynamic Greens (strawberry kiwi or berry) in with her medical foods and this makes the taste much more tolerable and tasteful.

I think medical foods may be an acquired taste.  I have used them for years and I can honestly say that I enjoy the medical foods.  I have a six year old, a four year old and an 18 month old and they also drink  (and like) the medical foods.  I have had to tell some patients just to “stop whining and suck it up!”  :)  Of course, I am jesting, but honestly it is one week and they really aren’t that bad.  I can guarantee that a medical food is much better than preparing for a barium enema to rule out some digestive disease.

I hope these tips are helpful.  Do you have other “problems” I didn’t mention?  Leave them in the comments below and I will address them.  Please share this with your friends on Facebook and Twitter if you liked it!

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