Two types of muscles exist in the body, and they are voluntary or the ones that we can move and involuntary or those that move on their own like the digestive and heart muscles. Both can be made stronger and more resilient through exercise and physical activity. We’re shall focus on the voluntary muscles that move and support the spine.
When there is a lack of muscle strength and flexibility it can create an environment for back pain. The muscles connect to the bones through the tendons. When contracted the signal concentrates through the tendon, and moves the bone/s. The tendons are attached to the bones. When the tendons get inflamed, tendonitis can occur even in the spine.
Muscle layers
Some go deeper while others are more superficial and at the surface. The deeper muscles are the ones that stabilize and secure the bones. The abdominal muscles along with the hips and legs can play a part in back pain/problems.
A doctor might have told you that to have a healthy spine. That is great news, however, we all need to build a strong core, which includes the abdominal muscles, to help stabilize the entire torso. There are four types of abdominal muscles.
The Corset
The deepest is the transversus abdominis, which wraps around your body just like a corset. These muscles contract if you place your hands on your waist and cough. On the sides of your body, there are two sets of oblique muscles. The internal obliques go deeper, while the external obliques are closer to the surface. The obliques enable us to twist and bend from side to side.
The Six-Pack
And of course, there is the rectus abdominis which we all know as the six-pack. These can be sculpted into the washboard abs but they do not help in stabilizing the spine/back. The job of the abs is to pull you forward like when doing sit-ups and crunches.
They do help compress the deeper ab muscles, but to stabilize the spine, you want to strengthen the deepest ab muscles. The corset, internal obliques, and back muscles are the ones you want to work. One of the most effective ab and back workouts is Pilates. It targets all abdominal and spine muscles in a gentle way.
Flexors
Within the body are two muscles on either side of the body, called the iliopsoas muscles, or the psoas (so-as). These are the hip and thigh flexors which lift the thighs like when�walking, going upstairs.
When in a stationary position, the psoas enables you to bend forward or flex the hips. When sitting, the psoas stabilizes the spine into an upright position. It is one of the largest and thickest muscles, and it extends from your lumbar vertebrae, crosses in front of each hip, and attaches on the inside top of the thigh bone. When we sit for long periods it constricts or shortens the psoas, which causes soreness/pain when you stand.
Layers
Spinal muscles are made up of layers. The deepest are small and are attached one vertebra to another. The deepest level are the interspinalis muscles, which connect the spinous processes; thank them for helping you stretch backward.
The transversospinalis group forms a chevron pattern along the back and helps with side bending, twisting, and assists in back bending. The next layer up is the erector spinae. The main job of this group is bending, but also assist with�bending to the side . When muscle spasms occur, it’s often the erector spinae muscles.
The next level consists of the rhomboids. These are situated between the shoulder blades. Exercise or physical therapy can realign the vertebrae if there is upper back, shoulder and neck pain. The wings on either side of the back are called latissmius dorsi. These stabilize the back and help in doing all kinds of activities, like pull-ups.
Next are the trapezius (traps) muscles that extend from your neck and midback to the shoulders. These muscles help move your neck and lift the shoulder blades. When there is tension, there is a tendency to lift our shoulders, which is what makes these muscles tight and sore. It�s never too late to increase strength and flexibility. Look at activities that you and your friends/family can enjoy and turn them into a regular thing.
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A�chiropractor�is the ideal�medical professional to consult with for any unexplained pain in the musculoskeletal system. They are highly qualified professionals that their specialty is treating conditions like lower back pain and they are very affordable. If you or a loved one have pain give us a call. We�re here to help!
Digestive problems subside with rest and relaxation?
Excessive belching, burping, or bloating?
An overall sense of bloating?
Inflammation in your bones or joints?
That bowels do not empty completely?
If you are experiencing any of these situations, then you might be experiencing gut and bone tissues in your body due to a vitamin D deficiency.
There is a global epidemic that has been linked to many autoimmune diseases that have affected the human body. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to many chronic diseases like type 1 diabetes to IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) and can affect the gut microbiome. With new research studies taking a look at how high doses of vitamin D supplementation can help the gut microbiome, it is fascinating seeing what the new results show how vitamin D is a high essential to provide optimal support to a healthy body and gut.
Vitamin D and Its Benefits
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin as it can be produced by the human body through sun exposure and can boost their vitamin D intake even more through certain kinds of food and supplements. Vitamin has many beneficial properties like maintaining bone health and healthy teeth while protecting the body against diseases and conditions that can harm the body. There are more benefits that vitamin D have as well as the many multiple roles that are fantastic for the body; some include:
Supporting healthy bones and teeth
Providing support for healthy immune, brain, and nervous system
Helps regulate insulin levels and helps manage diabetes
Providing support for a healthy cardiovascular system and a healthy lung function
Can influence the gene expression that is being involved in cancer development
Vitamin D can also be in the form of sun exposure and helped the body get the needed supplement into itself. Even though everyone should at least go outside to get at least some sunlight into their body, although healthcare professionals do advise that prolonged exposure of the sun’s rays can cause skin damage and other chronic illnesses.
Studies have shown that UV light from the sun can be linked to the body’s gut microbiomes. When there is vitamin D deficiency in the body, there is a higher risk of developing diseases like IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) and multiple sclerosis. There are even more studies on how vitamin D can even affect various autoimmune diseases and provide anti-inflammatory effects on the gut. The research shows that vitamin D can help regulate gastrointestinal inflammation, especially Crohn�s disease.
The Different Studies of Vitamin D and The Gut
There was another study on how vitamin D can not only improve the gut flora in the body but also give hope to people who have metabolic syndrome. The study showed that if there is an insufficient supply of vitamin D can aggravate the gut flora, causing it to be imbalanced while also contributing to a full-scale fatty liver as well as metabolic syndrome. The research study also stated that vitamin D deficiency could decrease the body’s production of defensins, which are anti-microbial molecules that are essential to maintain healthy gut flora.
Surprisingly though, a study has found that the hormonal activity of vitamin D can be found in the cells in the human body. It can provide beneficial effects to not only the gut homeostasis and its immunity but also provide beneficial effects to the kidneys, muscles, and different organs; what is surprising, though, is limited research on how vitamin D influences the gut flora. One study shows how there is evidence about the extraskeletal effects of vitamin D have been accruing and being partially mediated through the gastrointestinal microbiome, while also being linked. While another study showed how high doses of vitamin D could affect the composition of an adolescent girl’s gut microbiome. The research shows how high dose supplementation of vitamin D can alter adolescent’s gut microbiome composition and even dampen the effects of inflammatory bowel disease in their gut as well. Vitamin D is gaining a following as a study has shown that vitamin D can help the body’s blood levels that are 60-80ng/ml and help the person have a healthy sleep pattern, which is perfect for anyone who might be suffering from insomnia.
Conclusion
Vitamin D is essential to the body since it not only promotes healthy teeth and healthy bones, but it can even help promote gut health. Even though there is limited research on how vitamin D can promote a healthy gut, studies are still being done, and the research will show how the gut microbiome and vitamin D are connected. By eating foods that are rich with vitamin D can help not only the gut but the entire body. When the body has a vitamin D deficiency, it can cause significant problems for the body due to inflammation as well as developing chronic illnesses that can harm the gut as well. Some products can provide support to the gastrointestinal system as well as making sure that it contains collagen proteins, enzymatic cofactors, hypoallergenic nutrients, metabolic precursors, and phytonutrients to support a healthy gut.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, and nervous health issues or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We use functional health protocols to treat injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We also make copies of supporting research studies available to the board and or the public upon request. To further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.
References:
Ware, Megan. �Vitamin D: Benefits, Deficiency, Sources, and Dosage.� Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 24 Aug. 2009, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161618.
Bashir, Mina, et al. �Effects of High Doses of Vitamin D3 on Mucosa-Associated Gut Microbiome Vary between Regions of the Human Gastrointestinal Tract.� European Journal of Nutrition, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, June 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26130323.
Gominak, S C. �Vitamin D Deficiency Changes the Intestinal Microbiome Reducing B Vitamin Production in the Gut. The Resulting Lack of Pantothenic Acid Adversely Affects the Immune System, Producing a �pro-Inflammatory� State Associated with Atherosclerosis and Autoimmunity.� Medical Hypotheses, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Sept. 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27515213.
Jurgelewicz, Michael. �New Study Investigates the Effect of High Dose Vitamin D on the Gut Microbiome.� Designs for Health, 14 Feb. 2020, blog.designsforhealth.com/node/1201.
Lynch, et al. �Vitamin D and the Gut Microbiome: a Systematic Review of in Vivo Studies.� European Journal of Nutrition, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 1 Jan. 1970, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00394-018-1842-7.
Tabatabaeizadeh, Seyed-Amir, et al. �The Effects of High Doses of Vitamin D on the Composition of the Gut Microbiome of Adolescent Girls.� Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb. 2020, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31987101.
Tabatabaeizadeh, Seyed-Amir, et al. �Vitamin D, the Gut Microbiome and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.� Journal of Research in Medical Sciences: the Official Journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, 23 Aug. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6116667/.
Team, Frontiers. �Vitamin D Improves Gut Flora and Metabolic Syndrome.� ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 21 Dec. 2016, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161221125439.htm.
The University offers a wide variety of medical professions for functional and integrative medicine. Their goal is to inform individuals who want to make a difference in the functional medical fields with knowledgeable information that they can provide.
Degenerative disc/s is a condition where the wearing down of the spinal discs causes pain and discomfort. All of our spines go through this, but not everybody�feels pain. Chiropractic care is a treatment option for degenerative disc disease (DDD). The first step is to determine the disc-related problem.
Chiropractic Diagnosis
During an initial evaluation, your chiropractor will review your medical history, along with a discussion about current symptoms and the possible causes.
With degenerative disc/s��the main symptom is back pain. A chiropractor will examine potential causes:
How the mechanics of the spine are operating.
Thinning discs could bulge and place added pressure on the nerves of the spine.
Spinal stenosis can also cause back and leg pain.
A physical and neurological exam can pinpoint problem areas, like:
Where joint motion is restricted
Range of motion
Abnormal spinal curvature
Muscle spasms
Trigger points
An injury like a sprain or strain
There are different reasons why your neck or back may hurt, and your examination may include some basic tests. Observance of how you walk, and overall posture. This will help to observe body mechanics and how your spine moves. Imaging tests like x-rays or MRI are common to find the problem area and cause. The chiropractor will diagnose your condition and create a treatment plan for pain alleviation.�
Degenerative Disc/s
The disc/s can lose their integrity, and begin to thin and possibly tear. This increases unwanted pressure on nerves and creates friction between the vertebrae. Degenerative disc disease can go through various stages. With the progression, the negative symptoms become more pronounced.
Stages
1
The first stage of degenerative disc disease may go unnoticed by the individual but can be identified by a chiropractor or other medical professional. The loss of the natural curvature of the spine can indicate the beginning of degenerative disc disease. Pain may not be apparent, but extra pressure is being placed on the spine which can lead to more rapid aging of the spine, nerves, joints, etc.
2
The degradation of discs becomes more apparent in the second stage. They may look thinner, and it is common to see deformations in the bone, such as bone spurs. The curvature of the spine will become more unnatural and the spinal canal may become more narrow. Stage 2 is often where you will begin to notice some pain and discomfort.
3
Stage 3 is marked by a more extreme change in the posture and curvature of the spine, along with more pain and loss of mobility. Nerve damage is common and scar tissue typically begins to form. Discs are even thinner than before, which can sometimes cause even more deformation of the bones.
4
The final stage of degenerative disc disease is the most severe and is typically considered irreversible. Discs are at their thinnest or gone altogether. The flexibility of the spine is extremely limited and pain is often considerable. Nerve damage can be severe and the bones of the spine may even begin to fuse together.
Care
Chiropractic care is a preferred treatment for degenerative disc/s disease. Because it is gentle and non-invasive, chiropractic does not create undesirable side effects like prescription meds and surgery are more prone to do. The earlier the stage of the disease, the more successful the treatment. But chiropractic can help even in the most extreme cases. The goal of chiropractic is to improve joint mechanics with improved spinal motion and reduced inflammation. The chiropractor may also work on improving the function of the intervertebral discs.
Treatments can include:
Adjustment/s
One of the most effective treatments is to ensure the spine is in proper alignment. Loss of alignment, which can happen due to injury or just regular wear and tear, puts extra stress on the spine which can accelerate disc/s degradation. Adjustments bring the body back into proper alignment.
Spinal manipulation will identify the joints that are restricted or those that have abnormal motion. They will use a gentle thrusting technique.
Flexion-distraction technique uses a gentle, non-thrusting technique that is typically used to treat herniated discs and spinal stenosis.
Instrument-assisted manipulation uses a hand-held instrument. The chiropractor or therapist applies gentle force without thrusting directly into the spine.
Therapeutic massage
A physical therapist can perform different types of massage to reduce muscle tension. Manual joint stretching and resistance techniques can also relieve pain and other symptoms.
Trigger point therapy
Here tight painful points on a muscle/s are identified and places direct pressure on these points to relieve tension.
Decompression
Spinal decompression uses gentle but firm pressure to bring space back between the vertebrae. Space allows blood flow to return and healing to happen. Decompression is an important treatment to complement adjustments.
Electrical stimulation
A low-frequency electrical current stimulates your muscles and reduces inflammation.
Ultrasound
This type can help reduce muscle spasms, stiffness, and pain with sound waves that penetrate deep into your muscle tissues. This creates a gentle heat and enhances blood circulation.
With chiropractic, prevention is the key, and therapeutic exercises can prevent symptoms from getting worse. Seek treatment for your back and neck pain now. Our team can help you feel better and educate you on living a healthier life. Your chiropractor will work hard to treat you and address all your symptoms. Chiropractors treat the whole body and not just symptoms.�
Herniated Disc El Paso, TX
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A disc can also�herniate and place pressure on the nerves that flow into the feet, and cause pain, tingling, and numbness. The wear and tear of the spine combined with a herniated disc�can pinch the nerves that go to the feet.
Metabolic syndrome is a collection of risk factors that can ultimately increase the risk of developing a variety of health issues, including heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, among other problems. Central obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, and low HDL are the 5 risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome. Having at least three of the five risk factors may suggest the presence of metabolic syndrome. Dr. Alex Jimenez and Dr. Mario Ruja explain the 5 risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome, in further detail, as they recommend diet and lifestyle modification advice and guidelines to help people with metabolic syndrome improve their overall health and wellness. From eating fiber and staying hydrated to exercise and better sleep, Dr. Alex Jimenez and Dr. Mario Ruja discuss how diet and lifestyle modifications can help improve the 5 risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome to ultimately prevent the risk of developing a variety of other health issues, including heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. – Podcast Insight
[00:00:07] And we are live. Yes, we are. Hi, this is Dr. Alex Jimenez. Today we’re gonna be talking with Dr. Mario Ruja. We’re here together today. We’re testing out a new technology of head to head conversations regarding the whole process. Mario, how you feeling, baby?
[00:00:24] Feeling incredibly metabolic, Alex.
[00:00:29] Yes, really metabolic. I’m about to go through this mic right now. That’s what I’m talking about. Hey, we’re here.
[00:00:37] Mario and I are, you know, we’re gonna be hitting you every day. Every week. Every time we can. As much as we can. We’re gonna be going through the airways. Yeah. And we’re gonna be using the new technology to discuss exactly what we’re up to. Today, we’re focusing on an interesting disorder called metabolic syndrome. Many of you have heard the word. But really, you know, tying in exactly what it is that we’re talking about requires kind of elaborate conversation. You’ve seen it in many pictures. Mario, you can pop up the picture there PIP and you can see that a lot of times people see this gut thing going on. And that’s one of the components of it. Metabolic syndrome, when you break it down is ultimately and people notice it when they go to their doctors. Doctors are very good at assessing clinical assessments at the point where they show up in the lab work. Now, metabolic syndrome is one of these issues that many people have. And when they’re diabetic, well, they are pretty much in that range already.
[00:01:39] But before it happens, the body can stray into a metabolic area where a lot of times, for example, if your blood sugar is over 100 and you’re starting to feel like really bad, your bellies are really large. We need to have some parameters to determine it. But most people end up having metabolic syndrome and just feeling like crap. So the idea behind this process and understanding what metabolic syndrome is, understanding that there are some underlying pathologies with it. So what we’re going to talk about today is we’re going to talk about issues that are related to it. Now, in the areas of diabetes, we have, you know, complicating issues such as sleep apnea, large waistline, people who take metformin, liver disorders, nonalcoholic delivered diseases that we have heard of all fall under the realm of metabolic. But we have certain criteria that we can do that actually determines what metabolic syndrome is. Now, Mario, you’ve noticed some things regarding blood pressure. Yeah. Now, if you can show the PIP and when we see this, we can actually determine if you can kind of explain that a little bit.
[00:02:44] Yeah, it’s very simple, when you’re looking at blood pressure, your whole system. When you are out of balance in terms of your sugar, Alex, and your gut is overflowing your belt and you have issues tucking in your shirt. Now that blood has to pump hard. It has to work as a turbo. So what happens is this, at that point, this is what we call the breaking point. Anything over 140. OK, and over 90.
[00:03:27] Systolic, diastolic. Now you’re running into problems that that engine has so much pressure to make up for the resistance.
[00:03:38] Yeah, OK. Yes. The overweight, the diabetic factor, the inflammatory factor. You’re talking about triglycerides over 150. You’re talking about type 2 diabetes. OK, again, type 2 diabetes, basically, you know, you’re not born with it. It’s something that you create. You create that diabetes. Where that insulin is out of balance. And now you’re talking about, again, a very large waistline, abdominal obesity. So a lot of times if you look at people, Alex, they look great.
[00:04:16] From the chest up. Yeah. And that mid-abdomen. That torso is scary. Yeah. Yeah. It’s a showstopper, as they say. OK. So this is where the high blood pressure comes in because again, that abdominal aorta, that pressure on it puts so much pressure that it goes above 140 and sometimes it goes over 180, which is like critical, critical. And again, with these characteristics, again, it creates abdominal cholesterol. It creates blood glucose over. We mentioned that over a plus 100 and again, high blood pressure connected with what stroke? So you have triglycerides.
[00:05:15] Clogging up. Triglycerides and yes, this is huge when the arteries clog up.
[00:05:21] Yeah. We have an issue with ultimately all the roads metabolically lead to the liver. Right. So one of the things that we’ve noticed is that when we assess the liver, sometimes they look pretty good and the symptoms may be highly elevated. There’s a huge range of liver enzymes. But what we’re noticing is that if we start having a blood sugar that is elevated. If we start having enzymes, if we start having disorders like what we call nonalcohol, this was a new disease that actually just came aboard. We always knew about alcoholic liver disease or cirrhosis. Now we have nonalcoholic liver cirrhosis and liver disease. Now, how did that happen? Because our sugar was too high and the triglycerides add these fats into the fat level of the liver and start actually destroying the liver. So we started having this disorder and it’s a huge issue, as you indicated, when we start having HDL levels and that which we measure, we start noticing greater levels in 40, lower levels than 40 for men and 50 for women. We start noticing little trends. We also start noticing abdominal obesity, high blood pressure. There are other areas like ovarian cysts.
[00:06:35] Mario, you’ve noticed that there are other areas that are indicated that are collaborative or even equal or what we use to determine metabolic syndrome.
[00:06:44] What are the ones you have noticed? The two major ones where we’re looking at the studies that you see. I’m going to pull this up for you. So we can kind of get a grasp on that. We’re looking at two just very simple.
[00:07:04] Let’s make things simple for the listeners and viewers. Number one.
[00:07:11] Right away. You’re talking about.
[00:07:15] Abdominal obesity. OK, that’s number one. Number two, insulin resistance. So what happens is that your whole sugar balance within your system is not tolerating, the insulin is not effective in your body. So this is where people, Alex, are always hungry and are always eating. And so what I call it. It’s almost like you’re overeating and you’re starving at the same time. Yeah. Because that sugar is in your blood vessels. Okay. And it’s not being taken into the cells. So the cells are starving. But your whole body is overeating. Does that make sense?
[00:08:01] Mario, you know, in your practice. Like, how many people? What percentage of people? Do you notice that even have metabolic syndrome?
[00:08:10] Just a scan and again, the literature says 23 percent of the population now, I would say and in our past community here, I would say at least double that to 40 to 45. And it’s really, really a point. This is why we’re here today. You know, we’re here to educate, inspire and most of all, give people simple understanding and solutions on what to do. And one thing that I can tell you with a lot of my patients, number one, increase your fiber intake. Like, eat more vegetables. You know, I tell them that. So what do you eat? Yeah. OK. You know, so, I mean, you come in and people want to get on treadmills and they want to climb mountains. They want to do burpees. It’s like, yeah, you know what? You’re 100 pounds overweight. Those burpees are going to kill you. Okay. You’re going to wake up tomorrow morning. You can’t get out of bed. So the major factor to really start to address this is not getting in and starting a workout in gyms. First, we’ve gotta handle and we need to really educate the public on, the food intake is the solution. That is the primary solution. Medicine of the body. The food is primary medicine. And this is what we’re talking about, becoming more vegetarian, increasing fiber, reducing alcohol intake. I know I’m hurting some folks right now. Yeah. Yeah. And the point is, you know, again, reducing. It doesn’t say, you know, if you want to have a beer or something, that’s great. But again, let’s be mindful. This metabolic syndrome is a beast. OK.
[00:10:07] It’s a beast that’s affecting our parents, our grandparents. And now, Alex, I can see these patterns in elementary school kids, OK? And what they’re eating, they’re eating a lot of sugars, right? They’re eating a lot of fast foods, processed foods. This is one thing like right now I’m looking at you and you’re drinking this green. Green, you know?
[00:10:32] Yeah. There you go. Yeah.
[00:10:35] It’s like a jolly green giant drink. OK. That is a live food. It’s uncooked. It’s raw. The vitamins are there. The nutrition is there. It’s not denatured. OK. Anytime we cook food, you kill it. Right. Anytime you bottle it up and you preserve it for a month and two months.
[00:11:02] I can tell you right now, you are not eating live. So the rule that I share with my patients and when I do seminars all over the nation and people invite me over, I say, look, if you want to be alive, why are you eating dead? Simply, why are you eating dead? Right. And like right now, you know, let’s make it simple. Number one, increase hydration. Right. OK. Have a gallon of water or more is a must. Excellent. That’s number one. Number two, increase live foods. Live foods are what? Vegetables. Fruits, right? Juice them. Eat them.
[00:11:38] I mean, from what I understand and what I do is that everything leads to, any sort of nutritional component, whether it’s a treatment for diabetes or a treatment for, let’s say, rheumatoid issues when there is a nutritional component, many times it’s hard getting the foods that you need. So the world has turned on smoothies. Smoothies can date different formats. And these smoothies, as we work them, ultimately have the solution. Now, what kind of smoothies? What’s the best type of approach with them? Well, we have that stuff in terms of awareness in our offices and gladly we’ll share that stuff whenever it’s necessary. However, the reason is that those inner parts of the cells, those living enzymes, those DNA molecules, those proteins, those…
[00:12:37] Actually, probiotics, even in the fiber, prebiotics, because when you do these smoothies or even do juicing that fiber you eat, that fiber that sometimes is lost while you do it juicy, juicing. This is important for the bacteria. So that helps even with disorders, such as leaky gut or intestinal dysbiosis, because they all come together. Someone who has metabolic syndrome most likely has leaky gut and vise versa. And not every single time, we can assess that, but what we want to do is we want to assess a person completely in terms of the drugs. You pretty much know that your doctor is trying to get you away from diabetes because you’re in that losing control place when you’re taking metformin.
[00:13:20] Metformin is very powerful, it’s a special medication that ultimately guides to restores the blood sugar back to where or it makes it more effective or makes you less insulin tolerant and more sensitive. So there’s a lot of things that we’re looking at that are useful for us. But one of the things is, well, what am I going to do with this?
[00:13:41] How am I going to get better? Well, diet? Diet has everything to start with. You start with your diet. You start with being vegetarian. You start with Mediterranean style foods. What kind of techniques do you use in terms of diets? Because I can go off and explain those things. But I want you to kind of get. Simple.
[00:13:56] You know, simplicity is golden. Complexity is chaos, Alex. The more complex we make it for ourselves, the more likely it is that we’re going to quit. OK. You can’t sustain complex things. We need to make them simple. So number one, as much as possible, eat raw, eat live foods. That’s number one. Number two. Number two, stop eating processed things like you’re talking about like high corn sirup, like simple, stop drinking Cokes and all of these fruity drinks and everything else, you know. And it tells you right there on the bottle, right there on a can. It’s 10 percent fruit. Do you know what 10 percent means? It’s not 100 percent. There’s a missing zero, baby. OK. It’s missing. So you know what? After a while, you’re gonna be missing off the planet. OK. You’re going to be extinct. Yeah. So, yeah. We need to get real, you know, this is real stuff. Like I can tell you, you know, I visit, I do home visits sometimes because I give back to the community and I go to families and I sit there and, you know, people are losing legs. People are losing limbs. They have wound care, you know. They have, you know, they have issues in terms of that. And that’s painful, not only for the person but for the whole family. So you know what? I take this very seriously. We take this very seriously at the show. You know, we want to make it live. We want to make it interesting. But I want to tell you right now, I’m not playing games. This is not game time. This is showtime. And so in terms of that, get off the Cokes, get off the fruity drinks, get off the candy bars. OK. You know, I think that commercial with Snickers, they need to change that. You know, instead of the Snickers satisfy, how about the Snickers gonna kick your ass? How about that one? Yeah, yeah. I said it. Thank you. I think we are physicians so we can say that word. Right. So that’s what’s happening. And then again, the lifestyle. If you’re drinking, the two things I can tell you right now. Yeah. Two things that are going to kick you in your gut, no pun intended. Metabolic boys and girls. OK. Number one is going to be smoking. And number two is going to be alcohol. You do those two.
[00:16:16] OK. And here it is. I’m going to tell you what it’s, you know, can you find that on the slide. OK. It’s gonna be the statistic. Oh, here it is. There. Bam, right there. Pull that up. Yeah, ok. Bam. OK. So if you’re looking at that, I’m going to tell you this is scary. Lifestyle factors, the two factors right there. Can you enlarge that? So we can see that. We can do that. OK. Excellent. I appreciate that. That’s all big. There it is. So now watch this. Do you see this? OK. Here it is. The number one life factor right here. Number one, is that? Yes. The one right here? OK. Now watch. I want to circle this. OK, where is it? It’s right there. Tools. I’ll get it for you. OK. Go ahead. Circle that, smoking and heavy drinking. Okay. I just want everyone to kind of take note, smoking and heavy drinking. That is one of the most destructive things that you can do right now. And guess what? Most people do them together, don’t they? Yes, sir. That’s it. So now watch, the ratio that metabolic syndrome affecting the man. OK. This is, again, something new. Mm-hmm. It’s affecting the man less than the women. Do you see that, guys? Yes, I do. Look at that. The women is 4.45. The women are affected most out of everyone. Out of everyone. And the men are at1.85. Now, the lesser evil is heavy drinking and poor diet, and the less one is smoking and physical activity. But if you really look at it, that’s what’s scary, smoking and heavy drinking. And this has really come down to a shift.
[00:18:04] You know, you used to be that men smoked and men drink. Now it’s changed, Alex. This is scary because it’s affecting, you know, momma is the boss. And to me, you know, mom is the doctor in the house. OK. And no, I don’t want to take responsibility for the man because you know what? We need to be the head, not the tail, but at the same time, who is going to take care of the kids?
[00:18:28] It’s got to be mama. You know, most of the time. Who’s going to take the kids to the doctor? Who’s gonna be wrong? So we need moms healthy. We need moms healthy. OK. We can, you know, because there’s a saying that says this, Alex. When mom ain’t happy. Dad ain’t happy.
[00:18:44] Nobody’s happy. No, thank you. Here, even the dog ain’t happy, Alex. He’s leaving now. He’s gone. He’s gone.
[00:18:52] I happen to know a lot of, I think after about 40, I think that in general there’s a tendency for the love of wine and it gets a little crazy for a wine to three a night. Yeah. This leads to metabolic syndrome. So we need to. Moderation is key. Right. Yeah. So we’re going to you know, if you’re if one of the biggest treatments is cardio, well why give yourself those extra calories and doing their process?
[00:19:19] Now one glass is fine. I understand that. But we don’t have to go crazy with the wine in the evening because it’s a more relaxing thing. You know, there’s always women’s night out, right? You know, I mean, it’s shot here, but women’s night out. You know, and when there’s women’s night out. And for many women, it’s a little bit of vino. So we need to kind of cater to those things, shall I say.
[00:19:39] And it’s woman’s night out. But it’s not all night, baby, you know?
[00:19:42] Yeah, OK. I mean, you know, there is.
[00:19:45] Exactly. I mean, you know, let’s have a glass but not the bottle, baby. Come on. Well, you know. Right. If you have 4 people a bottle is OK. OK. I said wine. Okay. I’m sorry. I lost. I lost the meaning of that. Go ahead Alex. Yeah.
[00:19:57] So the bottom line is, that we’re here to bring in awareness of this disorder, which is metabolic syndrome.
[00:20:05] Honestly, I’ve been going to school for a long time. And this is a new revelation of the last decade.
[00:20:12] The gastroenterologist is really focusing on. They’re the first to see it, the dimensions of. And here’s the thing. Crazy metabolic syndrome leads to nonalcoholic, fatty liver disease. And you were seeing this in rampant levels, literally. Gallstones. Exactly. Because the liver, the cholesterol issues, all these dynamic changes are affecting even our children. We’re having kids with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Why? Too much sugar? Too much sugar? We have to control the sugars. And there are things that we can do in our diets. Plan on bringing all those concepts.
[00:20:46] But we want to bring awareness as to what happens. Lack of sleep, cortisol raising, you know, all this kind of stuff alters the blood sugar in our system. So it’s very important to do the best we can. Exercising is awesome for this stuff in terms of cardiogenic exercises, cardiometabolic dynamics, though. That’s where we want to still focus on. We have to do a little bit of cardio. We got to, you know, eat more of vegetables, greens, juicing, those kinds of things sleep better. It’s important to sleep.
[00:21:15] Alex. Oh, OK. I want to jump in because I know we’re jumping here, you know, and people and I like the fact what you mentioned earlier, you know, we want to, you know, get some wine and some things to relax. Why don’t we do this? I encourage people to meditate. OK. And to try to create some stress management strategies. OK. Right.
[00:21:38] Like a nice, you know, nice warm cup of tea an hour before we go to sleep. You know, some chamomile tea and I mean, you know, chamomile, you know, and.
[00:21:50] Yeah. Good stuff. Yerba buena. You know, stuff like that. You heard about it? Yeah. Yeah. So.
[00:21:56] So you know, all of these things. Meditation because why? Stress levels, as you mentioned, I’m on one accord with that stress level increase cortisol, which contracts, arterial function and then decreases dopamine.
[00:22:13] OK, and oxytocin, which is like the love thing going on. OK. And so now all of this creates sleep apnea. And how many people do you know, Alex, that suffers from sleep apnea and instead of dealing with the causation? OK. So this is why chiropractic is such a beautiful thing.
[00:22:35] You know, for 25 plus years, a quarter of a century plus, you know, between both of us, we’re like, gosh, 60 plus years. Correct? Yes, 60 plus years. All right. Chiropractic and chiropractors have such a beautiful story and beautiful platform because we’re all about natural healing and helping our community and our country at very, very cost-effective.
[00:23:09] You know, we do one of the most cost-effective ways of not only treating health but preventing health. And we are ambassadors of health. I mean. And so this is where when we’re talking about, again, sleep apnea, meditation, I see so many people in my practice, they’re taking a pill to go to sleep.
[00:23:32] Every night.
[00:23:34] They suffer from depression. They suffer from anxiety. Okay. And then I look and I go, you know what? Let’s talk about your lifestyle. What are you doing? What are you doing every day to put your body in a high, intense, inflammatory system in high, intense stress? Yeah, you’re redlining. I always tell people. Right now you’re redlining it’s just like a car. You cannot maintain it. You better change gears, otherwise, you’re going to blow the engine. And this is what I see, sleep apnea. Sleep is again, all the way from athletics to life function. That is where the neuroreceptors neuroplasticity, Alex. Okay. That’s where we heal. We recover. We reset for the next fight, which is early in the morning. And if we don’t do that, we go to the next day with that fog. Yeah. You know that mental fog. Alex. Hey, you know, and this is where people say, you know, I can’t focus. I’m forgetting, you know, and I don’t know what’s happening, you know, and I’m going, you know why you’re not sleeping?
[00:24:47] Exactly. You know, we’ve done the studies and the studies specifically about sleep. If you’re a person that you need seven hours of sleep and you miss one hour, just one hour of sleep.
[00:24:58] The mind is very just speaking about just the brain fog that happens with this metabolic syndrome because it really starts disrupting everything. One hour of sleep actually diminishes your ability to be creative. Creativity. Yes, the brain is altered. And you may think that you know, 25 percent by one hour, it makes a difference. But literally two hours of sleep, you lose 50 percent of your creativity if you lose four hours of sleep. Well, no one of those when you just push it like four hours. Your creativity is so low that even just trying to figure out how to find where your keys are or creativity, how to solve problems, how to deal with issues, you go to work and someone’s got some drama. It stresses you out and metabolically and then what would a lot of people do? You go to work. You jack yourself up with some coffee and then you grab what? Many people grab the donut instantly, send in the blood sugar into chaos. This constant repetitive issue of habits leads to the disorder of metabolic syndrome.
[00:26:02] The body, the body. Alex cannot sustain us. You know, you can’t. As I mentioned before, you can’t drive that, that your car in first gear going 80 miles an hour. You cannot. And so it’s going to rip at the seams. The gasket is going to come off. The oil is going to spray out. OK. And this is what’s happening. If you really look at the body, we look at the HDL cholesterol, it’s lower than 40. They should be the highest, high density.
[00:26:33] High density should be the highest. Cholesterol, good cholesterol stuff.
[00:26:37] You know, you want, LDL should be low and the HDL should be high. You’re looking at insulin. You’re looking at strokes. You’re looking at again, you know, triglycerides over 150, you know, sleep apnea again, more than ever. Now I’m hearing about it. Polycystic ovaries. I just hear this, you know. You know, I have another surgery. You know, I have cysts.
[00:27:04] I have this with all of these things. If we really look at it, we are seeing that we are pushing ourselves over the cliff. Yeah, OK. And then I’m going to throw this in there with the onset of overuse of cell phones by adults and by youth. Now it is disrupting the cognitive pattern, the focus pattern. And it’s throwing people where they don’t go to sleep because they have a cell phone in front of them at 11 o’clock at night in bed. You know, and then you’re talking about like one hour less than two hours. Well, let me tell you, the worst thing you could do, Alex, is have your cell phone next to your head with the radiation, with the sounds every time that phone beeps. Tweaks a bell, sounds for an email or your Facebook. Guess what your subconscious in your brain does? It wakes up. It wakes up and bam, it blows up.
[00:28:11] That REM sleep you only have. What is it, Alex? What, ten, 10 minutes, less than 15 minutes, of REM sleep? Oh, there’s a lot of. What is it?
[00:28:20] What happens is the body goes into a bunch of different stages as it does. What we’ve learned over the years is that we used to believe that REM was something intermittent. It goes into these deep, deep levels throughout the night.
[00:28:31] Your body temperature, what your blood sugars at, what’s your mental state, what’s your tired levels is, what your electrolyte balance is. This matters. So sleeping is very important. So in the restoration of your body through to get it back in order. Sleep is one of the greatest ways to be able to restore the body. So it’s important to try to you know, if you go to bed at 10, push yourself to start working the process, to go to bed probably about an hour earlier or start working. And the TV is going to be there. They’re going to keep on going 24/7. But, you know, we’re the ones dealing with the issue later on in the next day where we are brain doesn’t work well.
[00:29:10] Our bodies are needing carbohydrates, our foods are. And don’t eat, you know, and put yourself on one of the things that I encourage. Again, my children and, you know, Karen and the kids. Is this. Put your cell phone in the kitchen and get a real alarm clock. I don’t think they make them anymore, do they? They don’t make alarm clocks anymore. Now, forget it. What’s an alarm clock? It’s kind of like a pager, Alex. You know what? We’re gonna get to the point where we’re going to say, hey, do you have an alarm clock? And I go, now I’ve got a pager. All right. Okay. It’s ridiculous. We need to have a phone in the kitchen. You remember back in the days with that long cord. About like 80 yards. You used to take it in your room for those private sessions, you know, with your girlfriend and all of that.
[00:29:58] Well, let me tell you, that cell phone needs to be in the kitchen. It needs to be turned off. Okay. And then you need to have an alarm clock next to your bed. You need to honor sleep. You cannot eat foods before you go to sleep. Go to sleep hungry.
[00:30:16] One of the things that I’m reading more and more in terms of research and in terms of data. Go to sleep, hunger, you’re not going to die. All right. Calm down. Well, I know what you’re talking about. Yes. Intermittent fasting. Absolutely. OK. Yeah. Yeah. You can’t. I mean, at the end, you know, let’s say 8:00. That’s enough. Put the burger down.
[00:30:35] Yeah. Look at that. You know.
[00:30:37] You know, 300 years ago, we would be we many of us were nomadic. You know, people live culturally on the sides of the earth. And the terrain was different. We got the food during the daytime. Nighttime was a time when you kind of just, you know, settled in. All right. If you did, have you had some grains, some nuts, and it was different. So just by using the sunlight in order to kind of like you, as soon as the sun comes up, you can eat and shut off at night if you get really good and you start using what we’re learning, that is a great method, which is intermittent fasting. The body has the ability to rectify itself. This is an amazing, metabolic syndrome or not. The body even activity stream has the ability to rectify itself.
[00:31:23] So if you allow the body to cleanse itself throughout the day, let’s say you do an eating cycle of only eight hours on a window, so to speak. Well, you got a good, you know, 16 hours of what period of where your body breaks things down. Well, the metabolic processes of the breakdown of usually the mitochondria, the mitochondria, as it starts working, the process needs to rest. Our bodies need to rest. I mean, if I told you to cut the grass, Mario, you know, cut the grass. And as soon as you walked in the house and you were done and I gave you some lemonade and you were just kinda, that was rough. And I said, go back and cut it again. Right. And then also you go back out and you’re like, wow, this is crazy. When what kind of guy? And then right when you’re tired and you’re shaking because you have no energy and you’re about to go to bed. All right. And you go get up because you’re gonna go cut the grass again and you never let the body rest. Eventually, your body breaks down. That’s what happens with mitochondria. If you’re constantly eating, you’re constantly going through a process, burn out, burning, burning and burning. It needs time to settle and relax, to recover. And that’s what metabolic syndrome recovery process is. Do we try to calm the body through sleep, through lifestyle changes, through blood sugar issue changes? And little by little, we’ll start getting back control of your life because otherwise you have increased steroid or what we call a cortisol steroid production, which then makes the body store fat. Right. And then that’s where you get the belly issues because one of the first indicators of metabolic syndrome is a big belly. Right. For a woman, it’s over a certain amount, over 35 inches. And for men, anywhere over 40, that’s a lot of people over 40 inches. You pretty much have a kickoff towards metabolic syndrome.
[00:33:00] And how many times have you heard in your practice, Alex? You know, people come in and go, you know, I just need to lose weight. I just need to lose weight. And, you know, I look at him and I go, you know, forget about the weight.
[00:33:14] What are you doing?
[00:33:15] Are you sleeping well? All right. Right. Exactly. I mean, first. I mean, let’s forget about the weight. The body knows how to calibrate, Alex. It knows how to calibrate. It knows the zone, the sweet zone, the target zone. It knows genetically DNA, RNA. We have an innate intelligence. OK. We learned this in school and chiropractic school.
[00:33:38] The body has innate intelligence to know how to heal, to know how to recover, to know how to grow. And to know how to survive when we put undue stress to our system, to that fiber optics, to that circuit, we blow it and then it goes a wall. And that’s what happened. So I tell people, you know, no, the answer is not for you to go to a gym for 20 hours a day. No. Why don’t you start with letting go of high corn, syrup high fructose corn, syrup drinks?
[00:34:17] Why don’t you do that first? That’s what I tell them right away. Do that first. Number two, eat more fiber. What does fiber mean? Eat more legumes. Spinach, OK. Like broccoli. And instead of cooking them. And I know most people don’t want to eat raw. Why don’t you just steam them? OK. Just kind of steam them a little bit. OK. Don’t fire. Don’t kill them. Steam them. The other thing you want to do is, you know, get up on a Mediterranean diet, you know, fresh seafood, things like that, regular exercise, just get up in the morning. The first thing that I would share with people is just make things simple.
[00:34:53] Wake up when the rest of the animals wake up, OK? Wake up. And just go for a walk.
[00:35:02] At least, you know, let’s not get on a treadmill and break a record, OK? Let’s not do that because you’re gonna do that twice. You’re gonna get hurt and you’re gonna quit for the next three months to recover. So why don’t you just get up and walk? And then next time walk a little more and walk a little faster and next time walk a little faster and jog. So we need to create that patterning, rituals. We need healthy rituals, Alex, in our lives instead of rituals that are killing us slowly. OK. And so in terms of that, I look at eating more fresh vegetables, Mediterranean, sleep better and honor that sleep. Get up earlier, get up before 5 o’clock. OK. Get up. Get into a routine that way when you when you’re not sleeping late. OK. Your body’s tired. So now you can go to sleep at nine-thirty, at ten o’clock, OK. And then create a new pattern to where you let go of the cell phone. And I would say, you know how people do like fasting or cleansing. I recommend at least two cleanses a year, two cleanses a year. You know, stop eating meats.
[00:36:15] OK. Stop eating meats.
[00:36:17] And just go vegetarian. Okay. Let your body cleanse, I know you have wonderful programs at your clinic. Alex, in terms of detox, I believe in that twice a year. You gotta do it. It’s just like flushing your car. Alex Right.
[00:36:31] From detoxing. We start we really begin the process at the intestine. So from the things we start eating. So one of the best ways to do it is to go through a detox program and the detox programs help us cleanse it.
[00:36:45] You know what? If your garage is full of mud, if you’re you know, you just open the garage, you see it’s just a mess and your body’s metabolically a wreck similar to a garage as an analogy. Well, you can have a couple of things. The first thing we do is we open up the garage and we got to plunge that garage. We’ve got to get the hose. Or you can take the broom. And you know what? Many times you’ll realize that taking the hose is probably the best thing. So when we do detox programs, we begin by helping with the colon cleanse. And we basically clean out the colon and eventually also repurpose the direction where the probiotics go. We actually add probiotics in the diet. We add the fibers, the prebiotics, the post probiotics. And we start working from the intestine out. The body instantly starts recovering. And little things that we can do in the mornings on a regular basis such as increase water, take a lemon, for example. We start with water. We start with let’s say you squeeze four or five, three lemons, just three lemons, squeeze the juice, put it in a drink that you’re gonna spend all day. Take one whole lemon to squeeze it nice and just take it as a shot. Some people use apple cider vinegar. Exactly. So what we do is we start that well, that goes into the intestines, into the stomach. It is much it just basically showers the liver with a process that begins the process of cleansing as the body starts recovering. You start eating better. You let’s say you do a fast and you begin your process of eating at around 12:00 and you stop at six or maybe seven or maybe eight. And it gives you an eight-hour window, six to eight-hour window and that’s it. And then you start recovering in that process. So early on, we start doing the changes with the beautiful thing about the body if you give it time, it’s all recoverable to do it. And if you teach the body, you don’t have to be taken metformin the rest of your life. Now, if your doctor thinks it’s appropriate, well, then, you know, you speak to your doctor. And here’s the other thing is, is that when you’re dealing with metabolic issues and you’ve got someone that’s giving you metformin and as it or other diabetes or different types of medications that help with diabetes, it is appropriate to have it under a doctor’s control. Now, the constant taking medications without, having lifestyle changes or not having dietary alterations is inappropriate. It’s malpractice, I believe, in my opinion, after being here so long, you just don’t give people pills and not change their diet. You got to have a doctor who’s willing to sit down and help you out with lifestyle changes, diet or someone that has some staff to support you or a dietician or a registered dietetic dietitian. So that can help you or a nutritionist. Sorry. Or a health coach that can help you. We have to have people that can do that. So to help you with the process, because it’s not just saying, hey, take a pill and go off on your own, that confuses a lot of people. We have to have a change and we’re here to help you with that. So as we go through this process over the next couple of weeks, Mario, as we discuss each one of these particular topics, we’re going to bring it to you. We’re going to talk about ways that you can change your diet that simple. Just make it simple and it adapts. So I know you’ve got some points you want to mention again.
[00:39:50] Absolutely. You know, with metabolic syndrome, the two things that are markers are number one, your belly fat. OK, so let’s get going in at home. Yeah. Let’s wrap it up. You know, let’s button this thing up and make it simple. First of all, it’s belly fat. So. So if your belt, when you’re buying a belt and you’re looking at the little notches and the little holes and they’re over 40 inches, OK, 40, you’re in trouble. For male. Yeah, for male. And if you’re over 35 for a female, you’ve got issues.
[00:40:24] Metabolic syndrome. Absolutely. Absolutely. And the other point is this. If you have a hard time and you can’t even wear a belt, then I don’t need to explain any further. It’s time to come in and get a coach, get a health coach, get someone to make you accountable because time is ticking. Time is ticking and we need to be proactive instead of reactive. And at the same time, when you are always hungry, you’re overeating and you keep being hungry. You cannot lose weight. Now the things are coming to fruition. And on top of that, if you have blood pressure, over 140, over 90. So let’s say 145 over 100, let’s say 150 over 105. It’s time to get real. You can do this. Just go buy a blood pressure cuff, OK? Quit playing games. Get-go. Go to Walgreens. Get a blood pressure cuff and check it tonight. And if it’s over. Check it at least. I always tell people, don’t do it once. Keep a record and do it for at least three, three to four days. OK. And take it in the morning. In the afternoon at night so you can see a cycle. Bring that over and find yourself a team. Find yourself a team that will that has a program for you to naturally empower you and give you the right tools to get back to your best life ever. It is up to you. It’s called self-responsibility. No pill is going to take the responsibility from you. And at the same time, you can enjoy your family more, enjoy your life, and be happier in the process.
[00:42:19] So I really appreciate it, Alex. And I want to thank our listeners and viewers and we look forward to continue the conversation of health and wealth. Because I want to tell you, the message for today is your health is your ultimate wealth. Thank you. And we’ll leave it there.
[00:42:38] All right, guys. Thank you.
[00:42:39] And we’ll come back tomorrow and we’ll add another health nugget, so to speak, for you guys. Two miners.
Podcast: BIA and Basal Metabolic Rate Explained
Dr. Alex Jimenez and Dr. Mario Ruja discuss basal metabolic rate, BMI, and BIA. Body mass and body fat can be measured in a variety of ways, however, several measurement tools may ultimately be inaccurate for many athletes. According to Dr. Alex Jimenez and Dr. Mario Ruja, calculating an individual’s body mass and body fat utilizing various tools is essential to determine overall health and wellness. BMI uses a person’s height divided by twice their weight. The results may be inaccurate for athletes because their body mass and body fat are different, in terms of weight, compared to the average person. Dr. Alex Jimenez and Dr. Mario Ruja demonstrate that BIA, or bioelectrical impedance analysis, and various other tools, such as the DEXA test, the Tanita scale, and the InBody, among others, can help more accurately determine an athlete’s body mass and body fat. Basal metabolic rate, BMI, and BIA are essential for parents that have young athletes as well as for the general population. Healthcare professionals that have these tools available can ultimately help provide individuals with the results they may need to maintain overall health and wellness.
Neural Zoomer Plus for Neurological Disease
Dr. Alex Jimenez utilizes a series of tests to help evaluate neurological diseases. The Neural ZoomerTM Plus is an array of neurological autoantibodies which offers specific antibody-to-antigen recognition. The Vibrant Neural ZoomerTM Plus is designed to assess an individual�s reactivity to 48 neurological antigens with connections to a variety of neurologically related diseases. The Vibrant Neural ZoomerTM Plus aims to reduce neurological conditions by empowering patients and physicians with a vital resource for early risk detection and an enhanced focus on personalized primary prevention.
Food Sensitivity for the IgG & IgA Immune Response
Dr. Alex Jimenez utilizes a series of tests to help evaluate health issues associated with a variety of food sensitivities and intolerances. The Food Sensitivity ZoomerTM is an array of 180 commonly consumed food antigens that offers very specific antibody-to-antigen recognition. This panel measures an individual�s IgG and IgA sensitivity to food antigens. Being able to test IgA antibodies provides additional information to foods that may be causing mucosal damage. Additionally, this test is ideal for patients who might be suffering from delayed reactions to certain foods. Utilizing an antibody-based food sensitivity test can help prioritize the necessary foods to eliminate and create a customized diet plan around the patient�s specific needs.
Gut Zoomer for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
Dr. Alex Jimenez utilizes a series of tests to help evaluate gut health associated with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). The Vibrant Gut ZoomerTM offers a report that includes dietary recommendations and other natural supplementation like prebiotics, probiotics, and polyphenols. The gut microbiome is mainly found in the large intestine and it has more than 1000 species of bacteria that play a fundamental role in the human body, from shaping the immune system and affecting the metabolism of nutrients to strengthening the intestinal mucosal barrier (gut-barrier). It is essential to understand how the number of bacteria that symbiotically live in the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract influences gut health because imbalances in the gut microbiome may ultimately lead to gastrointestinal (GI) tract symptoms, skin conditions, autoimmune disorders, immune system imbalances, and multiple inflammatory disorders.
Formulas for Methylation Support
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Modern Integrated Medicine
The National University of Health Sciences is an institution that offers a variety of rewarding professions to attendees. Students can practice their passion for helping other people achieve overall health and wellness through the institution’s mission. The National University of Health Sciences prepares students to become leaders in the forefront of modern integrated medicine, including chiropractic care. Students have an opportunity to gain unparalleled experience at the National University of Health Sciences to help restore the natural integrity of the patient and define the future of modern integrated medicine.
Everyday exercises that increase the strength of the abdomen/core along with the back muscles will optimize your body to resist spinal injuries.
Your spine goes through a lot each day. It provides structural support and houses the central nervous system that carries impulses from the brain throughout the body. When it doesn’t work as it is supposed to, the entire body can be affected. Chiropractic has long been praised as a way to keep the back healthy.
The spine is the primary support for the body. When it breaks down, the body suffers. Regular chiropractic care keeps the spine properly aligned, which keeps the body in proper alignment.
Chiropractic helps with joint health as well as the health of the related muscles and ligaments. Your chiropractor can also recommend stretching and strength-building exercises to help keep your spine strong and in optimal form.
Try the following everyday exercises as the day progresses.
Rotate the shoulders, forward and back.
Turn the head slowly from side to side.
Imagine an airplane taking off, just over your right shoulder. Feel the neck stretch, and follow the plane as it goes up, around and down, until it disappears behind the other shoulder. Reverse and do the same from the left side.
When there is a break or pause in your day waiting at the elevator or for a traffic light to change pull in the abdominal muscles, tighten and hold for 8 seconds without breathing. Relax and increase the count gradually when you feel ready. After a week or so, practice breathing the way you normally do with your abdomen flat and contracted. Try this when you sit, stand, and walk.
Before rising out of bed in the morning, push your head against the pillow and hold for 6 seconds. This strengthens the neck muscles and helps you wake up.
Chiropractic helps keep the spine flexible and loose to prevent injury/s. A strong flexible spine reduces the chances of a misaligned back and could experience pain.Your quality of life will greatly improve being more flexible and mobile.
Continued Everyday Exercises
As you get ready for your day, brushing teeth or shaving, pull in the abdominal muscles and hold them as hard as you can.
Make a habit of starting your day holding stomach muscles in.
In the car, waiting in traffic make the most of it, grab the steering wheel on either side of the wheel at three o’clock and nine o’clock. Try to pull the wheel apart and hold it for a few seconds. Then do the same but push inward. You can also push with your palms against the roof. Also push against your knees using the muscles in your forearms, chest, and abdomen.
Waiting for an elevator, push your toe against the bottom of a wall and hold. You should feel it in your rear, abdomen and low back.
You can strengthen your grip and arms by squeezing a solid object like an office landline phone receiver and then let go and repeat.
While talking on the phone, stand over your desk waste-basket with legs straight, squeeze in using the muscles in your legs and hips.
You can also choose to do some exercises that can be done anywhere and in public.
Chiropractic Improves Posture
Proper posture is beneficial for the entire body. Proper alignment keeps the muscles working correctly and in strong fashion. This prevents over wear and tear on the joints surface and keeps the muscles working effectively and efficiently. Good posture prevents injury and helps with organ function.
Chiropractic optimizes overall health by keeping the body balanced and in tip-top form. Many think that its only purpose is to treat back pain, but it actually focuses on total body wellness.
Reduce Excessive Foot Pronation with Custom Foot Orthotics
NCBI Resources
Having healthy body composition means�there needs to be more lean body mass i.e.�muscle mass�and less body fat.�Strength training/CrossFit�helps by raising the�metabolic rate�while lowering body fat. The increased muscle strength helps maintain correct posture and body mechanics in whatever you do.
Physical activity reduces the chance of injury while increasing physical performance like being able to climb stairs or carry groceries with added confidence.
Dr. Alex Jimenez and Dr. Mario Ruja discuss basal metabolic rate, BMI, and BIA. Body mass and body fat can be measured in a variety of ways, however, several measurement tools may ultimately be inaccurate for many athletes. According to Dr. Alex Jimenez and Dr. Mario Ruja, calculating an individual’s body mass and body fat utilizing various tools is essential to determine overall health and wellness. BMI uses a person’s height divided by twice their weight. The results may be inaccurate for athletes because their body mass and body fat is different, in terms of weight, compared to the average person. Dr. Alex Jimenez and Dr. Mario Ruja demonstrate that BIA, or bioelectrical impedance analysis, and various other tools, such as the DEXA test, the Tanita scale, and the InBody, among others, can help more accurately determine an athlete’s body mass and body fat. Basal metabolic rate, BMI, and BIA is essential for parents that have young athletes as well as for the general population. Healthcare professionals that have these tools available can ultimately help provide individuals with the results they may need to maintain overall health and wellness.
Podcast Insight
[00:00:08] All right. It’s Mario and Alex time. The two favorite chiropractors from El Paso, TX. Ok. We’re going to be… Functional medicine, Alex. That’s what we’re gonna do. It’s about functional medicine in 2020, baby.
[00:00:21] This 2020, we’re gonna be focusing on BMI and we’re gonna be focusing on everything. Mario, my awesome co-host here we’re tearing it up. We’re gonna give some points of view. We’re gonna be discussing certain things. Today our focus is going to be on anthropometric measurements and measuring the body composition rationale and its interpretation.
[00:00:46] Now I’m afraid of that. All right.
[00:00:49] I’m afraid of measurements, Alex, I’m telling you right now, I don’t want measurements around my body.
[00:00:55] Okay. Thank you. All right Mario. Yeah.
[00:01:00] Mario, we’ve got to get a little bit of knowledge here. Okay. Well, what we’re not going to do is we’re not going to try to make this boring. No. If you really want to see boring. I think we have plenty of examples of what boring looks like. Yeah. Have you seen those boring guys, Mario? You know, it’s like the measurement of what’s going on. Yeah. Here you go.
[00:01:20] Video plays in the background.
[00:01:31] You know what? I can go to sleep with that one, Alex. Now, that’s what I’m talking about Mario. I can go to sleep and just shut it off.
[00:01:40] But, you know, learning has to be fun. It has to be interactive and it has to be functional.
[00:01:47] So that’s what we’re… Absolutely I totally agree. So what we’re gonna do is we’re gonna try to bring the facts as it can be and we’re gonna try to bring it with a little bit of slapstick fun.
[00:01:56] So it’s gonna be fun. Mario, tell me a little bit about your interpretation of BMI as how people understand basal metabolic rate.
[00:02:05] Well, this is what I understand and what I hear about basal metabolic rate.
[00:02:13] Bottom line is, can you put your belt around your pants and can you tuck your shirt in? How about that?
[00:02:25] You know, that’s pretty scientific. Right. That is scientific. Yes, that is scientific. Yes. We could talk pear, we could talk apple, sizes, apple-shaped bodies types.
[00:02:33] But we’re going to get specific here because people want to know, Ok, what’s going on. Let’s start. One of the things that we can do is we can start discussing calculating energy requirements, because one of the things that we want to see, as you can see, I put up here a little bit of facts so that it can help us out a little bit in terms of figuring out what’s the best approach in terms of what we do. Now, you can tell here that sedentary, no exercise, what we want to do is talk about basal metabolic rate. Ok. So this is a measurement that has occurred by height as well as weight index. So it comes out to that number and we can start looking at calorie, caloric intake burn. But when we do a BMR and we calculate this number, we typically want to get about a 1.2. And that’s what would be normal in most situations if you’re sedentary, light activity, we start noticing that there’s an increased activity expenditure and BMR should be one point 1.375. If you are moderately active, you should start doing that. So in its interpretation…
[00:03:33] Mario, when you see these kind of things and these kind of figures, what does it bring to mind for you in terms of these numbers? As we keep on going back to this, we’ll be able to see exactly what’s going on. What’s your incentive sense of the rates and the metabolic processes?
[00:03:52] Well, again, very simple, when you look at it as the more active you are, the higher your metabolic rate is. That’s it. So at the end of the day, we want to put it in very simplistic terms to the public. We want to be more active about that. So science is supporting that, you know, park the car as far away as possible from the Wal-Mart entrance and your work. So by doing that every day, you are creating a higher function. Ok, metabolic, that’s the burn. That’s your whole system burning fuel within yourself. So it’s simple. And the studies are showing that the more active you are, the higher your metabolic rate is. It can go up to a 1.9 from a 1.2. Correct.
[00:04:50] Exactly. So what we’re looking at here is that the requirements are going to be pretty high. If you are one of those people that are very active. So ultimately, our goal is to get you as active or what you’re your lifestyle could require. So, you know, if you’re a mechanic, you say moderately active. If you’re someone who works in, let’s say, an office, your BMR is going to be calculable. Using these numbers for the body mass index, the whole idea is to try to figure out the body mass index using the BMR. So the BMR allows us to kind of give an estimate, the best estimate as to where you’re BMR should be at and then we can use the same number, this BMR to assess your body mass index. So our goal is to continue with kind of learning about this thing. And as we kind of go through that, we look at body measurement types. Now, in the past, what we’ve looked at in terms of this, we assess the body in a bunch of different ways. Historically, we’ve been able to do a weight, underwater weight assessment. Remember, Mario, we used to have like a tank and put someone in water, have them float, actually measure the oxygen consumption. Those were the old methods, the true standard way of doing our fat analysis.
[00:05:57] Pretty expensive. Sometimes, though, we use the DEXA test. The DEXA test is a similar test that is used for bone density. We can actually do that. We also have, historically the body pod test. Now, I know that you have noticed different types of tests and we’re going to put up here.
[00:06:13] What are the other tests that you’ve seen? Alex, on that one. When you’re talking about the underwater weighing and DEXA and even the body pod, those are again, more research-based, more scientific.
[00:06:30] Exactly. In that. So when you’re looking at that, I look at it from my perspective.
[00:06:38] You know what’s functional? What’s can everyone do? Exactly. Skinfold is easy. Yeah. You know, skinfold and the BIA and the Tanita scale. Yeah. I mean that one, electrical impulses going through and you’re looking at resistance and impedance. Those are simple. You can’t just buy them from Wal-Mart or anywhere and step on it. Make sure you don’t eat and make sure you don’t drink before you do your test. So do it early morning. Let’s say six, seven o’clock. Right. On an empty stomach so you can get some good readings with the scan. And also, you know, skin fold is easy.
[00:07:21] And again, with the BMI, you’re looking at weight divided by twice your height, your height squared. Exactly.
[00:07:31] So that’s kind of like a simplistic view in terms of BMI. Anyone can do this. Yes. So those are right now. Those are the standards. Those are things, most of the time, when you go to your trainer. Most of the time when you go workout in your CrossFit gym or your, you know, what I call functional gym. Now people are going into more a functional aspect of fitness.
[00:07:55] So they incorporate less wear-and-tear and trauma. Now they’re looking at skin fold and InBody. They even have the new InBody systems that are very popular that give you a nice ratio even of your hydration, which is really nice.
[00:08:13] You know, when you actually say that, when we look at this thing like the Tanita, these scales, like you said, that you can get them at home. The BIA is where it’s at. What we’re finding is that a lot of the studies are reflecting that the BIA actually shows quite a correlation with accuracy with these more complex underwater weighing as well as the DEXA test. So these standards research-based, you’d always want to maintain some sort of research-based, at least collaborative information that makes sense. Right. So now the BIA assessment machines, they can actually determine through OHMS, through impedance to fat analysis to actually measuring the electrical current of the body, a very accurate approach to weight assessment. And by, you know, basal metabolic rates. So now the studies are actually better and they’re easier for people to do. And we don’t have to do some real complex things.
[00:09:09] Yeah. And, you know, if you can show everyone the body part, I think that’s really cool. That’s like a cool thing. You know, I mean, look at that. Can you. Yeah.
[00:09:21] Yeah. That’s really cool. So when you look at a body pod. Right.
[00:09:24] This is an incredible thing. But this is not something you would want to have in your office. Right? Thirty, Forty-thousand dollars. Right. Jesus, man.
[00:09:31] Yeah, you know, it’s crazy, I mean, they’re probably looking at you like they should have you on an alien channel or something. But the simple one, if you can scroll up on the BIA, it’s a simple machine and the readings are awesome. You know, the readings are very good. They’re portable. And you can see the resistance level and you can see the phase angle, which is really nice because then you’re looking at very specific patterns and turns your metabolism.
[00:10:06] Absolutely. These tests now are available in most clinics, or at least the clinics that focus on functional fitness. We have them at the fitness centers and many fitness centers have them. And you and I are used to using these things in our offices. So as we do these things, as we assess these things, we really can give kind of the patients a quantitative point of view that really helps them figure out exactly how everything is.
[00:10:38] You’re exactly right, Alex. You know, in my work, you know, working with athletes and also what I call performance professions, where we’re talking about military S.F., Special Forces, Rangers, things like that. It’s all about performance. So in that, we use calipers. You know, those are very, very useful, easy to use. And the one that I particularly like, which.
[00:11:08] Again, with BMI, there are a lot of discrepancies, Alex, and you know, this being, you know, in the world of bodybuilding and athletics and all of our kids are athletes. I mean, they’re, that’s just part of the family structure. That’s who we are. So now you got to run, jump, catch a ball or kick a ball or do something. Right. So the point is in that what I have found out is that the BMI is not very accurate. Not very accurate at all Alex, when it comes down to athletes. Right. So this is where the discrepancy comes in, where it gets crazy because now you go to a regular assessment, a regular assessment or a regular, I don’t want to say regular doctor, but, you know, your doctor and then he’ll test your BMI and you’re gonna be off, you’re going to be high and you’re going to say, you know, you need to get your BMI lower. Yeah, the point is that the BMI is the mass, right? So again, muscle is heavier than fat. So in your environment of bodybuilding, what do you think about that?
[00:12:22] I mean because I’m sure it was crazy. Well, one of the things that I’ve been able to see over the years is that when you have someone, as we understand this, that the BMR is obviously the thing that we’re using to assess height and weight. But those numbers get skewed when you have an athlete and they don’t work well for the muscular individual, someone that’s I mean, my son, for example, he was 195 pounds, 5′ 8″. In all reality, he’s clinically obese. Right. Yet he’s shredded and ripped. And he was a national champion in wrestling. Literally had no body fat. So the caliper method, the BMR, the BMI based on height and weight has deficiencies. And that’s where the BIA came in and the body impedance assessment. That’s where the studies became very popular. And as what we see, Mario is that in essence, when we look at these situations, we find out that there are great assessment tools out there. These tools are the ones that are actually going to give us the ability to kind of come up with an accurate for a large range of individuals, whether they’re bodybuilders, whether they’re women. There’s a standard between, you know, a good 13 percent body fat and 29 percent body fat for females. Women typically have a larger number of between 18 and 29 percent body fat. At times, that’s a range that is kind of in there. Hopefully, they can stick around 22 to 24, boys in the 13 range just because the body density is different in a female. Right. So what we look at is what’s the norm? One of the things that we can do is try to calibrate people for their numbers so that they make sense for that individual and be able to work them towards it because a true athlete will be able to almost blow the BMR, BMI into the wrong number skew. And if we can get it to a nice number, we’re gonna have to use a lot of different tools. Now, what we’re going to present today are our ideas and fundamental philosophies and knowledge points that we use to determine actual true health. Right. So we’re going to be discussing those particular issues and we’re going to go over those particular areas here. Now, the BIA is the body impedance. Okay. So when we look at the bioimpedance areas, we can see that these kinds of tests are not only just affordable, but they actually determine the electrical current. And because of the body amount of muscle fat and the fat that occurs, we are using the fat as kind of like the thing that allows us to assess body dynamics as well as body density. Right. So as the more, there’s more impedance or more ohms or more resistance in the body, the greater the body fat. So it’s very important that these tests be done properly. Many of the times before you do a BIA, you’ve got to kind of, you know, you’ve got to not take, first of all, you’ve got to be dry. Ok. Because if you’re sweaty, it throws it off. Right. If you eat too much or too many fluids. So typically you try to keep away from foods, eating food prior to this and you try to get this thing to work. So resistance, as we look at it, are the things that we’re trying to measure. So one of the things that, when you look at these particular graphs, you see low resistance associated with large amounts of body fat mass, which is where the body is stored. Right. So when we look at this, this is one of the areas we can kind of put together when we look at the resistance numbers. Now, as we look at different angles, let’s say we got the phase angles. We also look at the ability. This is the new number that is assessing actually the intracellular and extracellular activity as well as the permeability of the cells. Ok. Now, as we range this. They’re looking at ranges between 0 and 20 percent. But the higher the phase angle, Ok, the higher the number where it pops, the better it is for the individual, the lower it is. It’s not as good. So what we want to do is we want to see where your phase angle is and we want to be able to assess it as it gets calculated. So one of the things that we look at, we assess this and our tools that we use, such as the BIA assessments, such as the InBody testing systems, we can actually determine the ranges that are for the individuals. But here’s where things make sense. But what we’re in general, when you look at this, Mario, what is your take from when we assess this particular type of under fundamental research technology as we can apply to athletes? Your daughters are athletes, right? And do you? What have you used in the past for this?
[00:17:07] Usually, when they go on to programs, I mean, they’re super fit, first of all. So they’re looking more at anywhere between like performance in terms of speed, agility, and sustainability. Right. Like, you know, vertical in terms of explosiveness, those types of things. In the area of recovery and energy. This is where I can tell you with the girls and even the boys, they really focused on the energy consistency. Ok. And I can see even with this, which is critical that the phase angle, again, the lower the phase angle, it shows the inability of the cell to store, you know, energy.
[00:18:09] So that’s why that storage of energy, Alex, is real critical because why that is where we get the maximum output and everyone is talking about performance and performance is about what, output. So if that cell can not store the energy, it cannot release the energy and perform. So that’s how nice these are nice markers. I would say that with the latest technology, we need to use them. We need to use them and we need to have benchmarks where it’s not just generalities. A lot of times we talk about generalities. How do you doing? I’m doing good. You know, I had a good workout. Well, what does it mean to you to have a good workout? And what does it mean to have a great workout? The difference is, show me proof. Show me results. It’s all about results. So the better, I guess a good takeaway. A good, good. Kind of, you know, assessment for people. Look at number one. Go to a professional and get your BMR and BMI done. That’s number one. And use the equipment.
[00:19:26] And the specifics so you can mark and you can assess them afterward.
[00:19:34] If you don’t have a straight baseline of pre, you will not have a post. And this is the same thing in performance. If you don’t have your electronic time and track your pre, then your post is meaningless. You really don’t know where you’re going. So for a lot of the performance, you know, to me, life is performance. You’re going to have to perform either at work or at home or you’re going to perform on the field, whatever that may be. On a mat. On a field, you know, in your sports. It’s about keeping track of markers, your pre and post. That way, you know where you’re going and you know your performance in our world. We love scores. Just imagine, go into a game and you never have a score. We don’t keep score. We just want to have fun. It doesn’t. It’s not fun anymore. Right. So.
[00:20:34] So for the things that we’re covering today in terms of the instruments, the methods of measuring body composition all the way from professional, DEXA and water displacement and body pods to skin folds, you know, everyday use, that you can just buy it at your local Wal-Mart anywhere and do the count protest.
[00:21:02] That’s a great baseline.
[00:21:06] And with a lot of the trainers, make sure that when you are training with someone, make sure that they do a baseline so you know and they know where you’re at and the performance and the programming.
[00:21:23] It’s really important to understand programming. There has to be a scaling. There has to be a periodicity in that development. And I know when little Alex was training for state, you know, in the wrestling, there has to be a periodicity. You can’t just go hard and go home like everybody says. No. You have to have your point of performance and you’ve got to have your track, your flow to that. Just like when Mia is training for nationals or international competition in tennis, there has to be a plan where she is developing to peak at that time. Is that correct? Yes, yes, yes, yes. That’s so critical. And we, you, cannot create that plan to peak at that specific if you’re in the dark in terms of having a knowledge of where you’re at. And I think for our listeners and our viewers, it’s critical and it’s very, very easy to get. I think sometimes people get lost, like all, you know, BMI. I would venture to say 80 percent of the people that are listening today. Right. That are watching this video. Have no clue what BMI means. They’ve heard about it, but they have no clue what it is. Yeah, they think it’s some scientific something. No, it’s not. All right. We want to bring it down to earth, down into your living room, where you can actually do a BMI for your kids, right? Yeah. Why don’t we do that? Why don’t we do a BMI for your kids? Do it for your husband, your wife. Make sure you know where you’re at again, with a BMI. And this, you know, refresh my memory. The target is from 19 to 20. Ok, 19 to 20. Anything beyond that is obesity. If you’re talking about 25 BMI, you’re in the obesity range. Right. If you’re talking about 30, you are morbidly obese. And the word morbidly obese means death. That should get everyone’s attention. Oh, yes. Yes, it does. It kinda like wakes you up. So what we’re looking at is, number one, understand where you are. Then measurements and then also understand that these measurements fit the profile of a person. So if you’re a bodybuilder, if you are very heavy muscle-bound. Ok. Then you already know you need to go into impedance. Not measurements. But what I have found out. A very reliable measurement is. The measurement for your waist and that’s where, Alex, I want to kind of share this with our listeners and viewers. Just a simple waist measurement is so powerful because it is actually…
[00:24:24] Some people say it’s better than BMI. It sure is. Right. I mean, actually, yes, it’s yes, it’s very much. That waist measurement gets down and makes it so simple because that abdominal mass, that abdominal fat is the one that’s gonna kill you.
[00:24:41] That’s the one that has the highest risk. Is that correct?
[00:24:44] That’s correct. And if your belly is wide. If it sticks over your belt, we got issues. Ok. So we’re noticing that if there is a certain distance between the chest and the waist, those are better measurements in general. Yeah. So as those numbers are calculated, you don’t need a high-level test. To do this. Ok. I like that. So it’s a very important component to look at. But as we advance and we’re dealing with high-performance athletes, people want to know and you can take a sport like, let’s say, just wrestling, for example, you got these individuals. Or soccer. Huge. We’re dealing with to assess a tight BMI or in a tight body mass index. You got to have body fat. You got to have body fat to be able to sustain the loads of an exercise routine. You’re going to see that during season you got some guys that got some good body fat density. Right. And let’s say their weight class is 198, for example. And the guy is about 215 pounds. Well, if he drops from 215 to 198 overnight, he’s going to be exorbitantly exhausted. And this is something that we’re going to see now if he slowly works towards the goal towards the arena of 198 over a period of two weeks. Or he is better off. But let’s assume he gets there to the exact bodyweight 198 and its 3 days before competition, right? It’s going to be exhausting. He’s gonna be tired. However, if he can get there two weeks earlier and adapt his body as his body starts getting better, it will be able to respond better during the loads that it needs.
[00:26:31] And this is what we are talking about, that it needs to be sports specific. You follow me Alex? Exactly. So that same conversation cannot be held with a soccer player. Exactly. A football player and a tennis player or anything in that what I call long aerobics exertion of over, you know, over, let’s say 10, 15 minutes. And this is what’s happening is and I love it when you said that example with wrestlers, you know, I would say the same goes towards MMA fighters, which I take care of. Yes. MMA fighters in Phoenix and in different areas that then you’re talking about also boxers. Again, they have to make weight. Yes. Ok. Though the world of making weight is a beast, that is a world where you have to be on or you’re going to die. Exactly. You either go into that fight feeling like a beast or you’re praying that it ends quickly. And so. Yeah. Yeah. You gotta pin him in the first 10 seconds. Yes. So. So this is where it’s so important that the training, the measurements, the analytics, and metrics. We’re in a world of analytics and metrics, Alex. We’re not in a world of. Oh, he looks good.
[00:28:09] No, no, we’re past that. We’re way past. No, Mario, we’re in the world of making sure that when we wait, when we compare the athlete, we can measure their changes. And every stage down the road as they compete, as they become more and more in tune to that moment of competition, their body changes, their bodies adapt, their bodies become more refined. And as the season gets better or further along in the season, towards the competitions, towards the season, towards the heavy loads. Yeah. That’s when we can kind of see how the body’s changing. So these tests can actually help us determine how the body reacts. And once these competitors have years of competing and during those years they have offseason and on the season and we need to be able to measure those things in an easy way. That’s what these tests do in terms of tennis, for example, when you’ve done these kind of things. What have you noticed in terms of, let’s say, just the athlete of tennis or even the boxers that you deal with? What have you noticed in terms of the, specifically the…
[00:29:15] Progression through the season. It’s critical, it’s critical and Alex, I can tell you this, that it’s not just performance. The other conversation that I think really needs to be. Dialed in is recovery, recovery, Alex. Ok. And the other one that fits together with recovery is the phase angle. Yes. And decreasing injuries. Exactly. That’s where it kind of gets real, real crazy because you can not have this sustainable pattern. Without recovery and without that specificity and knowing when to push it, one to max out, as they say, and when to shut it down or when to go half-speed, and these are conversations that are really, really critical for young athletes. Alex. Yeah, I see a lot of them, you know, and they’re starting nowadays. They’re starting earlier. They’re starting at six and seven years old. Six and seven. I mean, tell your body hasn’t even woke up to the conversation of sports yet. And they are practicing three times a week, having games every weekend, or some of them practice three times a week with one team and then go with another team and practice the other two days just so they can be at their best peak.
[00:30:48] What sports are you dealing with that kids are doing at six or seven?
[00:30:53] They’re running like right now. I have patients that are doing basketball and track at the same time.
[00:31:01] Yeah. And during middle school.
[00:31:05] That’s amazing. This is crazy. Yeah. So this is my question. Our question. We’re here to help the community. We’re here to help the parents because their vision is my little kid’s gonna be a superstar, right. He’s going to sign a D1 contract. UT Austin, Texas tag, guns up, baby. Yeah, guns up or U of A. You have Wildcats wildcat.
[00:31:34] No, you know walk-ins.
[00:31:35] Yes. And I’m thinking you’re not gonna make it past high school. I mean, you’re not gonna make it past Montwood or past Franklin. I mean, you are going to hit the wall so hard, so hard with repetitive traumas. Ok. And so those are the components that to me as a health care provider, as a, you know, a sports functional medicine…
[00:32:05] Cognitive.
[00:32:08] Coach, I mean, I need to teach people this, forget taking care of injuries. I want to teach you so you don’t get injured. It’s critical. And then they go into middle school and high school and there’s no season off. There is no season off.
[00:32:24] So in your opinion, what have you seen these tests do in order to help the parent or the athlete or the individual or the coach, for that matter? Understand, as a form of betterment for them? What do we get out of these tests in terms of the athlete?
[00:32:46] Very simple. There is a time to turn it on and a time to turn it off. Ok. So, you reach your goal, rest. Ok. You’ve done the tournament, recover, get the recovery, get the mind and body to recover, Alex. A lot of times we don’t even think about the mind. Yeah, the mind gets beat up in the war, in the battlefield of performance, the mind gets beat up. Yes. Ok. It affects your sleep pattern. It affects your focus. Emotions, anger management, all of those things. So what I would say is we’re here to share knowledge and tools or health. But most of all, for performance. Yes. So that way. Each child and each person, let’s say you’re not in middle school, high school. Let’s say you’re in your 20s and 30s and 40s. Well, you’re performing for life. And so let’s really invite everyone to learn more to look up BMI, BMR, all of these and incorporate them into their plan of workouts and challenge them and ask them, when’s the last time you got measured? How about that? Yeah.
[00:34:13] When’s the last time? We have to kind of teach people that these tests are not, you know, at any point. Just one test. You have to follow through these tests for a lifetime to see what’s actually going on. If you really have a center where you can go and the BIA tests are so simple now that we and the correlation between the highest level of research show that we’re very, very tight. Less than 1 percent variation from clinical research methods. So we know that the BIA works in terms of extremity inflammation, in terms of joint swelling, in terms of the metabolic processes for the mass density in the…
[00:34:56] In each extremity. So if you have one muscle that is larger on one side as a result of an injury from the other extremity, we’ll be able to see the changes.
[00:35:05] So the studies are very clear now. We use phase angles to determine health. We use fat analysis. We use the changes and the progression during a very athletic era or a very athletic season is very important to be able to determine. So that today we’re starting the children a lot younger. We’re starting them at four, five, six years old as the child has to around 4 years old, as long as he can focus is in long as he can pay attention. That’s when we start him active. So it is wise to start the process of understanding the metabolism methods that we use to calculate body mass index through their ages so that we have a measurement of what’s normal for that particular child. Because what we really have to see is what’s good for that individual. Specific gravity is another method to determine if you’re cutting down too much. But that’s another topic running. This particular issue is, particularly on the body mass index. And what we want to do is we want to bring that to the towns and to El Paso, particularly because we have those research capacities here, specifically the ones that we have liked is, you know, body mass index so InBody is one of the most top used. They use it at UTEP. They use it at the top research centers. And it’s pretty much the standard now. And, you know, and since we use it, it offers us an ability to quickly assess an individual. I’ve been at UTEP. I’ve seen the types that they use and it’s very accurate. And since we’ve seen the research said that it follows now we know that this stuff is very accurate. And specifically, now you can actually assess your own and have it online and the determinant through methods where you can keep up with your child, see what’s going on. Any other ideas, any other comments that you have, Mario, in terms of bringing this logic or this kind of approach to understanding basal metabolic indexes to the public?
[00:37:10] I would say, Alex. Number one, let’s make it very simple. You know, let’s make it very simple. So with that, this is as simple as getting on a scale to see how much you weigh. That’s it. So let’s bring that conversation to everyone so everyone gets a scan. Minimal. Minimal. I would say seasonal every season. You should get a scan. You should get a BMI. You should have you should log it in just like your weight. You know, let’s be functional. Let’s think of ourselves as important as our cars. Right. So. So I look at it as you have a little tag up on your windshield that says oil change, you know. So why don’t we do this? Why don’t we have? And I really challenge everyone listening. And, you know, we’re here because we need to take care of our community. You know, our community is probably one of the highest rates of diabetes in the nation. Ok. And all of that starts… Mario. Mario. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:38:20] I’m sorry. I don’t want to say it, but you have to. There’s a big elephant in the room. But El Paso, our town was considered the fattest, sweatiest town in the whole United States at one point. That sickened me when I heard it. It was a different town. We are much more advanced. There were very few gyms. Now we’re all about fitness. So if we’re gonna be the leaders out there and man, I gotta tell you, we got some beautiful athletes coming out of El Paso now. Absolutely. We are one of the tops. We can put our athletes against the best, even the most. Well-bred. Top schools. So as we compete in those areas, we really want to use the tools that all the other places use in order to assess our athletes, our children, and our high-performance individuals. So it’s very important we do that kind of stuff now because we have the technology. And no longer is El Paso going to be the fattest, sweetest town of the United States. That’s unforgivable. You definitely agree with that.
[00:39:23] So just bring in that and the division that I would like to share. Is that the measurement, the simplicity of just getting your weight and your height is now complemented with a BMI that you understand. You have some goals. It’s 2020. Yeah, yeah. It’s 2020, baby. You know what, 2020 means that let’s do better than last year. Let’s be healthier than last year and let us integrate and have a better understanding and better objective plan for our own health. And with this, I would say this test and the body measurement index is a word and an understanding that needs to be spread throughout families. So the family can talk about that, like, hey, what are we doing? How are we doing? Ok. And then with that, use it accordingly. Ok. Accordingly. To create positive outcomes where there is just to be able to play with your child if you have children. That’s your sport. Your sport is not to sit and watch. Your sport is to participate. Throw the ball. Kick the ball. Run with your child. Or if your child is really into sports. Give him the tools. Give her the best tools. They’re not that expensive. Now they’re available. So that way they can get training that is on point and results that are extraordinary.
[00:41:04] Exactly. I couldn’t have said it better myself. We have the technology. It’s here. This is not the six million dollar man, kind of world or this is not outside of our realm. We can give it to our kids. We can show them, parents become the educators.
[00:41:22] They are the ones that seek out the coaches. They are the ones that are the nutritionist for the children. They are the ones that are the psychologists that every aspect of developing a child requires a lot of different aspects. So those parents that have athletes, athletes that want to learn more about their bodies and the world of heavy tech research methods are over. Now, it’s simple. You get on scale really accurate methods and you can monitor your body a few times a year, two, three, four times a year, depending on your type of sport and your level of performance. These are the things we can do. And we need to provide that information so that you have tools in order to gage.
[00:42:11] You can’t get in a car without looking at a speedometer. So if don’t know how fast you’re going. You don’t know if you’ve gone too far. You don’t know if you’re having protein metabolic catabolism, which is breakdown or if you’re anabolic. So these are the tools that help us figure things out. You don’t know if certain joints or certain extremities are swollen because of just water or if it’s this protein breakdown. These tools we can actually see inside the body and monitor the improvement or changes. So the world changed. So now El Paso, we have the ability to change the way we understand our own physiology as well as the patient’s physiology and our client’s physiology. So I welcome this technology. And by no means is it limited to anything that we do. This is many providers in the town who can do this. Many hospitals have it. But for a facility, it’s within our practices as well. So we use those things. So I look forward to being able to share this with the patients as well as the town.
[00:43:15] Absolutely.
[00:43:16] I second emotion on that, Alex, and the challenge and the motivation and passion that we’re going to have this year in 2020. Absolutely.
[00:43:26] As to not only motivate and be cheerleaders for functional health and fitness, but also to educate and empower the community with the latest technology and knowledge so they can do their best.
[00:43:43] Amen, brother. This is awesome. And I look forward to being able to continue. We’re going to be coming at you often because we’re motivated.
[00:43:53] We’re parents and we want to be able to touch our El Paso and make it a better place because, you know, without getting too crazy, we’re pretty badass, as they say.
[00:44:11] They’re gonna shut me down. No, no, no, no.
[00:44:16] We won’t do that later, guys. We’ll go ahead and see the show. And it’s been a blessing. So from all of us here, we can actually see how you guys are doing. So. Blessings to you guys. Thank you, guys. Bye-bye.
Additional Topic Discussion: Chronic Pain
Sudden pain is a natural response of the nervous system which helps to demonstrate possible injury. By way of instance, pain signals travel from an injured region through the nerves and spinal cord to the brain. Pain is generally less severe as the injury heals, however, chronic pain is different than the average type of pain. With chronic pain, the human body will continue sending pain signals to the brain, regardless if the injury has healed. Chronic pain can last for several weeks to even several years. Chronic pain can tremendously affect a patient’s mobility and it can reduce flexibility, strength, and endurance.
Neural Zoomer Plus for Neurological Disease
Dr. Alex Jimenez utilizes a series of tests to help evaluate neurological diseases. The Neural ZoomerTM Plus is an array of neurological autoantibodies which offers specific antibody-to-antigen recognition. The Vibrant Neural ZoomerTM Plus is designed to assess an individual�s reactivity to 48 neurological antigens with connections to a variety of neurologically related diseases. The Vibrant Neural ZoomerTM Plus aims to reduce neurological conditions by empowering patients and physicians with a vital resource for early risk detection and an enhanced focus on personalized primary prevention.
Food Sensitivity for the IgG & IgA Immune Response
Dr. Alex Jimenez utilizes a series of tests to help evaluate health issues associated with a variety of food sensitivities and intolerances. The Food Sensitivity ZoomerTM is an array of 180 commonly consumed food antigens that offers very specific antibody-to-antigen recognition. This panel measures an individual�s IgG and IgA sensitivity to food antigens. Being able to test IgA antibodies provides additional information to foods that may be causing mucosal damage. Additionally, this test is ideal for patients who might be suffering from delayed reactions to certain foods. Utilizing an antibody-based food sensitivity test can help prioritize the necessary foods to eliminate and create a customized diet plan around the patient�s specific needs.
Gut Zoomer for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
Dr. Alex Jimenez utilizes a series of tests to help evaluate gut health associated with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). The Vibrant Gut ZoomerTM offers a report that includes dietary recommendations and other natural supplementation like prebiotics, probiotics, and polyphenols. The gut microbiome is mainly found in the large intestine and it has more than 1000 species of bacteria that play a fundamental role in the human body, from shaping the immune system and affecting the metabolism of nutrients to strengthening the intestinal mucosal barrier (gut-barrier). It is essential to understand how the number of bacteria that symbiotically live in the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract influences gut health because imbalances in the gut microbiome may ultimately lead to gastrointestinal (GI) tract symptoms, skin conditions, autoimmune disorders, immune system imbalances, and multiple inflammatory disorders.
Formulas for Methylation Support
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Proudly,�Dr. Alexander Jimenez makes XYMOGEN formulas available only to patients under our care.
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Modern Integrated Medicine
The National University of Health Sciences is an institution that offers a variety of rewarding professions to attendees. Students can practice their passion for helping other people achieve overall health and wellness through the institution’s mission. The National University of Health Sciences prepares students to become leaders in the forefront of modern integrated medicine, including chiropractic care. Students have an opportunity to gain unparalleled experience at the National University of Health Sciences to help restore the natural integrity of the patient and define the future of modern integrated medicine.
Lumbago is a term that means mild to extreme pain in the muscles and joints of the lower spine/back. The pain can be acute or chronic and affects both young and older individuals. The spine is a very intricate structure and when one component fails to function properly it can affect the entire body, causing pain and loss of mobility. Back pain costs about $100 billion in medical bills, disability, and lost workdays.
Tiny bones, known as vertebrae, are stacked on top of each other, which forms the spine. The way these bones are joined facilitates movement, flexibility, and range of motion. In between�each vertebra are small, fluid-filled discs that are the padding/cushions between the bones. When these discs become damaged, injured, or shift out of place it can affect the surrounding nerves, muscles, and ligaments causing pain and making movement difficult.
At some point, an individual will experience some form of back pain. This could be a sore back from yard work, tough manual labor or hard workout, etc. This is a normal occurrence and can be taken care of at home. If you have a sprained or strained back but not a serious injury icing can help reduce swelling, muscle spasms, and pain for the first 24 to 48 hours after the injury. After 48 hours, switch to heat to warm and relax the sore muscle tissues.
Causes
There are a variety of conditions that can cause low back pain. The more common conditions:
Herniated Disc is one of the most common spinal disc issues.
Osteoarthritis or Spondylosis
Osteoporosis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Scoliosis
Spinal Stenosis
Spinal Tumor
Factors that can contribute to back pain and can exacerbate the pain during episodes of lumbago.
Exposure to a cold damp environment
Poor posture
Sudden movement/s
Coughing
Sneezing
Lumbago Symptoms
Common symptoms of lumbago.
The pain can radiate into the buttocks, thigh/s, and the groin and can cause tingling/numbing/electrical sensations to be felt in the low back, buttocks, and legs and feet.
The pain can be aggravated when moving around. Bending forward, backward and side-to-side can limit mobility.
Spine muscle spasms can cause the back to feel stiff with a constant soreness.
The pain can affect proper posture, which causes individuals to walk bent or hunched to one side.
Lumbago rarely causes serious symptoms that need immediate medical attention.
See A Chiropractor
A chiropractor can help you create a natural, non-surgical treatment/exercise/health plan to control low back pain and prevent future episodes of lumbago. Treatments include physical therapy, chiropractic, supplements, and alternative medicine like acupuncture.
The “LIFE CHANGING” Foot Orthotics | El Paso, Tx (2020)
NCBI Resources
Everyone needs to take care of their back/spine because it is what holds us up as long as we keep it straight and strong.�Strengthening the core�can help prevent a weak and misaligned spine from getting worse�and helps to eliminate pain. Back safety should be priority one, as it affects all aspects of your life. Not only are you protecting your back, but preventing future injury.
IFM's Find A Practitioner tool is the largest referral network in Functional Medicine, created to help patients locate Functional Medicine practitioners anywhere in the world. IFM Certified Practitioners are listed first in the search results, given their extensive education in Functional Medicine