The truth: How much water you should drink each day really, truly depends on the person, Robert A. Huggins, PhD, of the University of Connecticut explained to Health. �Fluid needs are dynamic and need to be individualized from person to person. Factors such as sex, environmental conditions, level of heat acclimatization, exercise or work intensity, age, and even diet need to be considered.�
What this means is that simply listening to your thirst is the best way to gauge when to drink. Another way to monitor hydration is to look at your pee before you flush. You want it to look like lemonade; if it’s darker than that, you should down a glass.
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Drinking Water and Exercise
To gauge how much water you specifically should take in during exercise, Huggins recommends doing a small experiment on yourself.
First, before you work out weigh yourself wearing with little to no clothing. �If you can, [make sure you’re hydrated beforehand] and avoid drinking while you exercise to make the math easy,” Huggins says. But if you get thirsty, don’t ignore it: drink some and make sure to measure the amount.
After you’re done exercising, weigh yourself again. Then, take your first weight and subtract the second weight, and you�ll end up with how much fluid you lost. Convert this to kilograms (if you search it, Google will return the number for you or try a metric converter), then drink that amount in liters. (If you drank some water during exercise, subtract the amount of water you drank from your final total.)
This is your “sweat rate,” Huggins says. It’s the amount of water you should drink during or after your next workout to replace what you’ve lost. (You can also use an online calculator for sweat rate; just plug in your numbers.)
Complicated much? We agree. Huggins estimates that most people lose between one to two liters of sweat for each hour of moderate intensity exercise. But ultimately thirst should still be your guide.
Why It’s Essential to Drink the Right Amount
You already know that dehydration can be dangerous, but over-hydrating may actually be just as bad.
In fact, a new consensus report in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that many athletes are at risk of exercise-associated hyponatremia, which is an electrolyte imbalance that can be caused by drinking too much liquid. This can lead to nausea and vomiting, headaches, fatigue, and in serious cases, coma and even death.
While it was previously thought to only be a concern for long-distance athletes competing in events like marathons and Ironmans, the paper (which was funded by CrossFit, Inc.) concluded that many athletes are actually dangerously over-drinking during events as short as 10K races and even bikram yoga classes, Tamara Hew-Butler, PhD, lead author of the paper, explained to Health.
Because “it is impossible to recommend a generalized range especially during exercise when conditions are dynamic and changing, there is not one size that fits all!” she adds.
So the best method to keep you in that sweet spot between over- and under-hydrated is, as with many things, to listen to your body.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
Additional Topics: Whole Body Wellness
Chiropractic care is well-known as a safe and effective alternative treatment option utilized to improve as well as maintain whole body health and wellness. Common chiropractic treatment methods and techniques, such as spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, can be used to treat a variety of injuries and/or conditions, including neck pain and back pain. Regular chiropractic care along with a balanced nutrition and physical exercise is a natural approach to ensure the body’s overall health and wellness, restoring the individual’s original well-being.
Wondering exactly how much protein you should be consuming each day? The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), which is the minimum amount you need to be healthy, is 0.8 grams per kilogram (0.36 grams per pound) of body weight per day�46 grams for an average woman. That equals as little as 10% of daily calories. If you’re not super active, that’s likely adequate, and you’ll hit the target effortlessly if you follow a typical Western diet.
To get your personal protein “RDA,” multiple the number 0.36 by your weight in pounds. (For a sedentary 150-pound woman, that would be 54 grams.) Double it if you’re very active or aiming for “optimal protein,” which can help you maintain muscle as you age and support weight loss.
American women already eat about 68 grams a day, according to the latest data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. “There’s no reason to go out of your way to get protein,” says Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, dean of the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy. “Just eat a variety of fish, nuts, beans, seeds, and dairy, including yogurt.” However, increasing your protein well above the RDA may make sense if…
That means getting at least 35 to 40 minutes of moderate exercise four or five days a week, including resistance training two or more times a week. Consider eating 1.2 to 2 grams of dietary protein per kilogram (or about 0.5 to 0.9 grams per pound) of body weight each day, says Nancy Rodriguez, PhD, professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Connecticut. That amount is best for rebuilding muscle tissue, especially if you do a lot of high-intensity workouts, research suggests.
Protein takes longer to digest than carbs, helping you feel full, and also pushes your body to secrete the gut hormone peptide YY, which reduces hunger. “When you bring protein to about 30% of your daily calories, you’ll naturally eat less,” says Lauren Slayton, RD, founder of Foodtrainers, a nutrition practice in New York City, and author of The Little Book of Thin. “Protein decreases appetite and also, in my experience, helps you manage cravings.”
While studies are mixed about whether consuming more protein leads to weight loss, research is pretty clear that protein can help you retain more of your lean muscle as you lose fat. One 2011 study suggests amping up protein to as much as 1.8 to 2 grams per kilogram (roughly 0.8 to 0.9 grams per pound) of body weight per day to stave off muscle loss when restricting calories. Cut back on refined carbs to balance out the extra calories from adding protein.
Eating more protein as you get older may help you maintain muscle and ward off osteoporosis, “so you can stay stronger and more functional,” says Rodriguez. In a 2015 study, adults over the age of 50 who roughly doubled the RDA (eating 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram, or 0.68 grams per pound, of body weight) were better able to rebuild and retain muscle after only four days, compared with control groups eating the RDA.
Doubling the RDA gives you “optimal protein,” a concept that Rodriguez and more than 40 nutrition scientists advanced at a recent Protein Summit, the findings from which were published in 2015 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Optimal protein works out to be about 15% to 25% of your daily calories, still below the level recommended by many popular high-protein diets. Over a day, that could look like 20-30 grams per meal and 12 to 15 grams per snack, for a total of 90 to 105 grams daily.
Be sure to consult your healthcare provider on the proper nutrition and diet according to your specific needs.
For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915 850-0900 .
Additional Topics: What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic care is an well-known, alternative treatment option utilized to prevent, diagnose and treat a variety of injuries and conditions associated with the spine, primarily subluxations or spinal misalignments. Chiropractic focuses on restoring and maintaining the overall health and wellness of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Through the use of spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, a chiropractor, or doctor of chiropractic, can carefully re-align the spine, improving a patient�s strength, mobility and flexibility.
We all know to go easy on the sweet stuff, but what actually happens to your system when you indulge? Here are eight ways sugar affects the body.
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Brain Issues
Fructose�the sugar that naturally occurs in fruit and is a component, with glucose, of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and table sugar�lights up the brain’s reward center, says pediatric endocrinologist Robert Lustig, MD, of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco. But over time, a diet packed with fructose (especially from HFCS) can make it tougher to learn and remember, animal research suggests. To stay in peak mental shape, try sticking with savory snacks.
Increased Appetite
By revving the brain’s reward and appetite center, fructose can interfere with feelings of satiety, research reveals. Translation: That extra cookie may not curb your craving after all.
Faster Aging
Too much sugar can hinder the repair of collagen, the buzzed-about protein that keeps skin looking plump, studies show. A steady diet of sugary treats can result in reduced elasticity and premature wrinkles. Indulge your sweet tooth with fruit instead. Experts say it’s A-OK to eat two to four servings of the natural sugar source each day.
Pause before you slip that additional packet into your a.m. coffee. The liver has an innate capacity to metabolize sugar and use it for energy�but only to an extent, explains Dr. Lustig. The fructose that’s left over is converted into fat in the liver, raising your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Cell Damage
Fructose accelerates the usual oxidation process in our cells, says Dr. Lustig. The result? Proteins, tissues, and organs can become damaged, and our risk of health conditions, including liver disease, kidney failure, and cataracts, rises.
Addiction to Sugar
Eating sugar leads to the release of dopamine, the neurotransmitter that makes us like something and want more of it. “As dopamine receptor neurons get overstimulated, the number of receptors to bind to decreases, so you’ll need a bigger hit of dopamine to get the same rush,” explains Dr. Lustig.
Sweets can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the near term, research shows. But continue OD’ing on sugary refined carbs and your risk of insulin resistance, which stresses the body from the inside, goes up. To find your calm, sweat instead: “Exercise is the best treatment for stress. It makes you feel good and reduces cortisol,” says Dr. Lustig.
Ineffective for Energy Production
Refined carbs, like those in white bread and pasta, quickly cause a rise in glucose in the bloodstream, so you might feel extra energized�for a while. But this short-term fix can actually leave you more sluggish later on (when you eventually crash). Instead, opt for protein-rich snacks between meals, such as Greek yogurt with fresh berries or fresh veggies and hummus. They help stabilize blood sugar and keep you going longer.
For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
Additional Topics: What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic care is an well-known, alternative treatment option utilized to prevent, diagnose and treat a variety of injuries and conditions associated with the spine, primarily subluxations or spinal misalignments. Chiropractic focuses on restoring and maintaining the overall health and wellness of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Through the use of spinal adjustments and manual manipulations, a chiropractor, or doctor of chiropractic, can carefully re-align the spine, improving a patient�s strength, mobility and flexibility.
If you want to reduce the number of opioid prescriptions and pills being used, and potentially misused, you need alternative pain management. And chiropractors say that�s what they�ve been providing for decades.
�It gives people options, and that�s probably the most important thing right now is to give people options for treatment,� Dr. Mark Stagnone, president of the New Hampshire Chiropractic Association said.
At its annual meeting, the association is pointing to a trio of recent studies showing that chiropractic care cuts down on the use of opiate pain medicines.
In one of the studies, a former Dartmouth doctor analyzed 33,000 cases of lower back pain in a New Hampshire database.
�His preliminary research is indicating that there�s about a 56-57 percent reduction in opioid use when chiropractic care has been utilized in a patients treatment,� Stagnone said.
James Vara, the governor�s adviser on addiction and behavorial health, said the state needs more alternative pain management.
�It becomes a question of what insurance covers it and how long they cover it for, and that�s certainly something I�ve looked at and will continue to,� said Vara.
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The Current Insurance Model Puts Patients On A Path To Prescription Drugs
�The problem that it produces is that the average individual who�s trying to treat a condition is faced with paying a high co-pay to visit a chiropractor or paying a considerably lower one to see a primary care physician,� Stagnone said.
Changing that dynamic will require legislation that has failed in the past. But chiropractors said in this ongoing addiction crisis, it�s time for adjustment.
Chiropractic care is covered under the New Hampshire Health Protection program, or expanded Medicaid. And if the program lapses, so does that coverage.
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Painkillers Sometimes Increase Chronic Pain
We’re facing an opioid addiction crisis in America. Opioid (narcotic) pain medications killed an estimated 14,000 people in the U.S. in 2014 through overdose. A further 14,000 people overdosed on heroin, another opioid that many people turn to when they can’t access prescription painkillers.
This epidemic is why physicians and pharmacists are increasingly raising the bar on who can receive opioid medications, how much, and for how long. It’s not just the addiction risk that calls for caution when using opioids to treat chronic pain though�long-term use of opioids can actually make pain worse.
Becoming addicted to pain medication is a disease. This is because these painkillers (oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone, fentanyl) cause a change in your brain chemistry that is not under your control.
Most people who take opioids for more than 2 to 4 weeks will develop a tolerance to the medication. Tolerance means your body may need an increased dosage to feel the same effect. Opioid tolerance can cause withdrawal symptoms when the medication is stopped. This is a natural process, and it is not to be confused with addiction.
In his recent blog on the subject, Dr. Ullrich explains: “Pain medication addiction is a more complicated process. It involves manipulative behavior to obtain narcotic medications and a refusal to discontinue a medication even though it is no longer being used for a medical purpose. Some, including those at significant risk of overdosing, will go to multiple doctors to get medications.”
For those who are addicted to opioid medications, a detoxification program is often needed. Painkiller addiction is a chemical, physical disease, one that requires expert medical treatment in a safe, humane environment.
Most people know that painkillers can be addictive, but they don’t know that taking opioids over a long period of time may in fact increase a patient’s sensitivity to pain (hyperalgesia). This happens because long-term use of opiate painkillers causes a decrease in your ability to tolerate pain and an increase in sensitivity to pain. In fact, people taking opioids long term may keep having pain, or may see their pain increase, long after the original cause of pain has healed.
Stopping opioid use can solve this problem�but it may not seem as if the pain is gone at first, because the discomfort of withdrawal can mimic the original pain. Dependency is not easy to deal with, but it shouldn’t be an excuse to stay on the opioid medication and raise the risk for addiction. This is why physicians are encouraged to only prescribe opioids for short durations and be cautious when using them to treat chronic pain.
Since long-term use of opioid painkillers is a risky option for controlling chronic pain, patients are often advised to focus on other safe, proven methods for managing chronic pain, such as:
Exercise to maintain motion and release endorphins
Cognitive therapy to develop coping techniques
Relaxation and meditation techniques to distract the brain from pain
Six Things Every Chiropractor Should Know About Opioids
Men health concept. Portrait of 50s mature Asian man reading the label on bottle medicine, sitting on sofa at home.
An increase in addictions and deaths due to opioids has raised significant concern and media attention. We offer this brief overview on this important public health problem for the practicing chiropractor.
1. What Are Opioids?
Opioid medications are prescribed to reduce pain; however, they are addictive and can be dangerous. Although some suggest there is �no safe dose� for opioids, these drugs may be helpful for people with severe pain, such as those experiencing pain from cancer. However, over the past several decades, more patients have been prescribed opioids for musculoskeletal pain, such as back or neck pain, instead of being provided with nondrug therapies.
As with any drug, opioids have side effects and may �adversely affect respiratory, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, immune, endocrine, and central nervous systems.�1 �As the dose increases, the risks for overdose and health concerns also increase, including �fractures, addiction, intestinal blockages, and sedation.�1 If too high a dose is consumed or if opioids are taken with certain other drugs or alcohol, death may result.
2. Why Is Opioid Use / Overuse Problematic?
Since 1999, prescription opioid sales have increased fourfold, along with a surge in the use of opioids as a first line for pain management, rather than only for severe cancer-related pain. This trend has led to burgeoning opioid prescribing in the U.S.:2
? One in five people with non-cancer pain have been prescribed opioids.
? More than 165,000 prescription opioid-related deaths occurred between 1999 and 2014.
? An estimated 2 million people were addicted to opioids as of 2014.
3. Who Is Addressing This Health Crisis?
Currently, many professions are seeking ways to address this national epidemic. The medical profession has launched various initiatives to help medical doctors (MDs) reduce prescriptions. These include an initiative to remove pain as the 5th�vital sign, and promoting guidelines for when to prescribe and how to better manage patients in pain without the use of opioids.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has�released guidelines�to curb opioid prescriptions, with the following categories of recommendations to those who prescribe opioids: 1) determine when to initiate or continue opioids for chronic pain; 2) opioid selection, dosage, duration, follow-up, discontinuation, and assessing risk; and 3) addressing harms of opioid use.
In addition to these efforts, even more focus is needed to assist people who seek help for pain and to provide them with nonpharmacological alternatives.
4. What Can Doctors of Chiropractic Do?
Chiropractic care can be part of the solution. DCs can work with other health care providers and support policy to offer alternatives to opioids for addressing patients in pain, especially chronic non-cancer pain.
Although there are no large trials comparing outcomes of chiropractic care to opioids, we do know opioid use is associated with worse functioning in back pain patients at six-month follow-up3 �and greater disability;4 �and that injured workers whose first health care visit is to a DC have better outcomes.5 �We also know that the per-capita supply of DCs and higher use of manipulative therapy is associated with lower rates of opioid prescriptions among Medicare recipients.6
All this suggests chiropractic care may help reduce the use of and need for opioid prescriptions for back pain sufferers; and may play an important role in reducing the opioid epidemic by helping to prevent patients from ever getting an opioid prescription in the first place.
Important resources DCs should be aware of include:
? Chiropractic: A Safer Strategy Than Opioids:�www.f4cp. com/f4cp_opioid_white_paper.pdf
? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Opioid Overdose:�www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/ Six Things Every Chiropractor Should Know About Opioids By Claire Johnson, DC, MSEd, PhD, Bart N. Green, DC, MSEd, PhD and Michael Haneline, DC, MPH Reprinted with permission from Dynamic Chiropractic, Sept. 1, 2016, Vol. 34, Issue 15 (www.dynamicchiropractic.com/digital/index.php?i=1220&r=t#19)
5. What Can We Do If a Patient Is Already Taking Opioids?
Most chiropractors take a history and ask patients what medications they are taking. The first step is to recognize that the following are opioid-class drugs: hydrocodone (Vicodin), ultram (Tramadol), oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet), morphine (Kadian, Avinza) and codeine.7
Once we know a patient is taking opioids, we must first seek to understand the situation before we provide education.
Questions we can ask include:
? For what condition is the patient taking the medication?
? How long has the patient been taking opioids and at what daily dose?
? Who is the provider watching over their prescription? Is more than one provider prescribing opioids?
? When was the last time the patient saw the prescribing physician and when is the next appointment?
? Does the patient have any safety issues? For example, does the patient operate machinery? Is the patient experiencing side effects such as �sedation, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, constipation, physical dependence, tolerance, or respiratory depression�?8
? What is the patient�s level of function? Are there any psychological flags or addictive behaviors?
? Is the patient taking any other substances or drugs that may have deadly interactions, such as alcohol, benzodiazepines and/or other opioids?
As chiropractors, we can discuss treatment goals, such as reasonable functional activity; and pain goals with and without medication. We also can discuss potential adverse events, including the risks for side effects, addiction and death.
We can inform patients of other dangers they may not be aware of, such as the deadly combination of opioids when combined with other drugs that depress CNS activity (e.g., alcohol or drugs for anxiety such as benzodiazepines). We can encourage patients to contact the prescribing provider to discuss reducing and stopping opioid use, and to ask for safer alternatives for pain control, such as chiropractic care, physical therapy, acupuncture and mind-body methods. If a patient is already addicted, we can encourage the patient to seek a specialist provider and addiction care program. (Note that some patients may need to remain on opioids, such as for cancer pain or end-of-life care.)
Most importantly, we can work with the patient and their prescribing provider to offer them nonpharmacological care to help reduce their pain and help them reach their functional goals.
6. How Can We Collaborate More on Solutions?
As DCs, we can work more closely with local MDs and discuss better ways to collaborate concerning patients with pain. Remember that MDs are not the enemy, but are an essential component of the solution to this epidemic. Most MDs are also extremely concerned about the opioid epidemic, and are looking for efficient and cost-effective ways of helping their patients. We should remain professional when speaking about MDs with our patients, as our patients likely have good relations with them.
We can be part of the safety net to help reduce the number of people who become addicted or die from overdose. As we work with other health care professionals and our patients, we can remind them that the first recommendation per the CDC�s�Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain�is �Nonpharmacologic therapy and nonopioid pharmacologic therapy are preferred for chronic pain.�9 �Thus, through collaboration, the chiropractic profession can be a part of the solution.
By now you may have heard the shocking news: Subway’s �chicken� may contain just 50 percent chicken. The rest is filler, according to a report published by Time Magazine.
According to tests performed at Trent University in Canada, the company�s chicken strips and oven-roasted chicken contained just 43 percent and 54 percent chicken DNA, respectively, consisting otherwise of soy and other filler ingredients.
Subway denies the charges and has demanded a retraction from CBC Marketplace, yet admits it is �concerned by the alleged findings.� According to Subway, its chicken strips and oven-roasted chicken contain less than 1 percent soy protein.
The filler, it turns out, is a very long list of ingredients, however, a majority of it is soy protein. John Coupland, president of the Institute of Food Technologists, told Time Magazine.
�Based on the data, that is a surprisingly large amount of soy � And it�s astonishingly high for something that you�re supposed to think is a real, whole piece of chicken.�
On average, fast food chicken contains about one-quarter less protein than home-cooked chicken breast, thanks to water infusions and fillers, and up to eight times more sodium.
Moreover, as noted in the program, while you�d never expect chicken to be a source of carbohydrates, fast food chicken, such as that from Subway, contain surprisingly high amounts of refined starches and sugars.
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Soy Protein May be Linked to Health Issues
Based on these test results, there are many reasons for concern. Not only are you being ripped off, paying for chicken that turns out to be 50 percent soy, which is dirt-cheap in comparison, but you�re also eating something that could be hazardous to your health, even if you�re not outright allergic to soy.
Unlike the Asian culture, where people eat small amounts of whole, fermented non-GMO soybean products, western food processors separate the soybean into two golden commodities � protein and oil. And there is nothing natural or safe about either.
Unfermented soy foods contain anti-nutritional factors such as soyatoxin, phytates, protease inhibitors, oxalates, goitrogens and estrogens � some of which actually interfere with the enzymes you need to digest protein.
While a small amount of these anti-nutrients would not likely cause a problem, the amount of soy many Americans now eat is extremely high.
What�s worse, the vast majority of soy grown in the U.S. is genetically engineered (GE) to be herbicide resistant and contaminated with the well-documented carcinogenic herbicide, Roundup.
Soybeans are also processed by acid washing in aluminum tanks, which can leach aluminum into the final soy product, and may contain unsafe levels of manganese as well.
According to Kaayla Daniel, Ph.D., author of �The Whole Soy Story,� thousands of studies link unfermented soy to a wide range of health problems, including:
Malnutrition
Kidney stones
Breast Cancer
Reproductive disorders
Infertility
Immune system impairment
Thyroid dysfunction
Heart disease
Cognitive decline (dementia)
Brain damage
Digestive problems
Food allergies
Soy for Dinner
A recent report by Mighty Earth, highlights the environmental impact of soybeans. More specifically, the report accuses Burger King of buying soy from plantations created by burning down tropical forests.
�To examine the impact of Burger King�s operations, we focused on the ultimate source of much of their meat: the soybeans that feed the livestock that the company uses to make its meals. Soy is an important base ingredient of the world�s meat. Approximately three-quarters of the world�s soy goes to animal feed,� the report notes.
��Burger King has a lot to hide: The fast food giant has failed to adopt any serious policies to protect native ecosystems in the production of its food. Despite pressure from consumers, it continues to rank dead last among its competitors � when it comes to protecting the environment.
Companies found in Burger King�s supply chain have been linked to ongoing destruction of forests and native prairies � habitat for wildlife like sloths, jaguars, giant anteaters and other species.
Unlike many of its competitors, Burger King has repeatedly turned down requests from civil society organizations to commit to only buying from suppliers who don�t engage in destruction of forests, or to provide information about where its commodities originate � Burger King scored a zero on the Union of Concerned Scientists� 2016 scorecard of major beef sellers� deforestation profiles, significantly lagging behind other major players like Wal-Mart, McDonald�s and Wendy�s.�
Soy Is Bad, But Roundup Is Even Worse
Glyphosate � the active ingredient in Monsanto�s wide-spectrum herbicide Roundup and other pesticides � is the most widely used agricultural chemical in the world. The first glyphosate-tolerant soybeans were introduced in the U.S. in 1994. By 2015, 83 percent of the soy grown worldwide was GE soy and in the U.S. more than 90 percent of soybeans grown are GE.
Less than 1 percent are organic, with the remaining 9 percent being conventionally grown which, like GE varieties, involves the use of herbicides like Roundup. Glyphosate-contamination is in and of itself a major reason to avoid foods containing soy protein. And if Subway chicken really contains as much soy as the Canadian test suggests, it would be a significant reason to avoid it too. Remember that less than 1 percent of soy is organic and free of pesticides.
In March, 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a research arm of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the �gold standard� in carcinogenicity research, reclassified glyphosate as a �probable human carcinogen� (Class 2A). Research scientist and consultant Anthony Samsel has also reported he uncovered evidence showing Monsanto knew glyphosate promotes cancer as far back as 1981.
Based on the IARC�s determination, the California agency of environmental hazards (OEHHA) has declared glyphosate a carcinogen under Proposition 65, and will require all glyphosate-containing products to carry a cancer warning. Monsanto attempted to overturn the OEHHA�s decision, but a Fresno County Superior Court Judge ruled against it.
Where Can You Find Real, Whole Food
We like to think that we can make healthy choices while eating out and save time in our hectic schedules. Afterall, who has time to cook anymore? Well, the reality is that the wool is being pulled over our eyes. It is next to impossible to eat healthy wholesome foods at fast food chains or even upper scale restaurants. There is simply too much out of your control- from MSG, preservatives, trans fats and gluten (these are just a few of the toxins we�re exposed to).
With all the drawbacks associated with conventional agriculture, factory farmed meats and processed fast food, your best bet is to forgo restaurants and choose fresh, locally produced foods. You can also grow some of your own. Remember to choose organic, grass-fed/pasture-raised beef, poultry and dairy, in addition to organic produce. If you live in the U.S., the following organizations can help you locate farm-fresh foods:
American Grassfed Association
EatWild.com
Weston A. Price Foundation
Grassfed Exchange
Local Harvest.org
Farmers Markets
Eat Well Guide: Wholesome Food from Healthy Animals
FoodRoutes
The Cornucopia Institute
RealMilk.com
OrganicPastures.com
For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
Whole Body Wellness
Overall health and wellness can be achieved by following a proper nutrition and engaging in regular exercise and/or physical activities. While these are some of the most common ways to ensure whole body health and wellness, visiting a qualified and experienced healthcare professional can also grant your body additional benefits. Chiropractic care, for instance, is a safe and effective alternative treatment option utilized by people to maintain well-being.
After pulling out a tree root Muntathar experienced excruciating pain which forced him into a extreme hunched position. If he tried to stand up he would get terrible pain and numbness all down his leg. Despite being to emergency 9 times, he had found no help in the medical world. So as a last resort he decided to travel from America to Australia to see Dr. Ian. Watch as after 2 weeks of specific Gonstead Chiropractic care, Mun stands straight and tall once more and gets his life back. We hope you enjoy this very special case.
The video�(see at bottom of post) was posted on Reddit by user Duggerdean with the comment: �I used to be a skeptic about chiropractic care until I started watching this channel. His latest video is so amazing.�
The video they refer to is that of Dr Ian Watch, who practices at Gonstead Chiropractic in Victoria, Australia � and his teenage patient�Muntathar Altaii from the US.
Despite going to A&E nine times, he says no one was able to help him.
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Day 1
Dr Ian X-rays Mun�s back and sees one of the joints isn�t functioning properly. The measurements are also quite a long way out which suggests the sacrum (the large triangular bone at the base of the spine) has rotated.
Mun Also Has No Feeling In His Right Leg
Dr Ian makes what he calls �a very small correction� at the first appointment. After just 10 minutes, he�s already got a small amount of feeling back in his leg.
Mun then confesses he hopes to be better by his graduation � on June 17. No pressure.
Day 2
Mun Reports He�s Slept Well For The First Time In Three Months
Dr Ian identifies a huge amount of upper cervical nerve pressure in his neck. His head sits higher on one side than the other. So, Dr Ian makes another �adjustment�.
Day 4
Mun has a lot more movement. He can move his leg easily, whereas before he would have to pick it up even to walk.
Day 7
After further manipulation of Mun�s spine (with assistance to keep it stable), Mun tells Dr Ian how desperate he�d become after his injury. �At first I didn�t want to even live anymore,� he says, �because I couldn�t walk anywhere.�
Day 10
‘Now he just walks like he�s been playing too much X-Box� jokes Dr Ian.
For The First Time, Mun�s Taller Than The Doctor
Transformation In Just 10 Days Is Pretty Incredible
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Photo Mun Sent Back To His Family That Night
Before & After
Mun�s High School Graduation Picture � He Got His Wish Last Week
Mun, Second From Left, With His Dad
Now Mun Wants To Be A Chiropractor When He�s Older, Of Course!
Do you have a muscle imbalance? Muscle imbalances occur when one side of opposing muscles is stronger than the other. Many exercise enthusiasts may be getting chronic injuries because of muscle imbalances they don�t know they have. According to renowned physical therapist Dr. Kareem Samhouri, locating and correcting muscle imbalances is essential to good health, and can help cure many of the ailments people encounter daily.
Dr. Kareem is a doctor of Physical Therapy & Kinesiology and owner of Dr. Kareem F Samhouri Fitness LLC. In his practice, Dr. Kareem has rehabilitated and trained a wide variety of patients seeking help for an assortment health issues:
Improved athletic performance in Olympic and professional athletes
Joint pain in baby boomers
Balance issues in older patients
Coma victims
Spinal cord injuries
Rare diseases
Heart issues
Lung disease
Pregnancy
Stroke victims
Health issues among children and infants
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How To Fix Muscle Imbalance
Dr. Kareem has had many amazing success stories throughout his medical career. One of his favorite patients is a 112 year old women who was wheelchair bound:
�She had very little strength or coordination, but had a great spirit and was willing to work hard. The mission was to reactivate her muscles and nervous system, so we started with simple exercises such as simply lifting one foot and putting it back down.
�Once she was able to do that, we focused on squeezing her knees together and moving them apart. In the beginning she needed assistance, but over time, she was lifting her knees, rotating her shoulders and pulling herself out of her chair with little assistance.
�When she was finally able to lift herself out of the chair without help, she asked me �is there any way I can dance?� The music was turned up and after a little help, she was able to dance for the first time in years!�
Another highlight of Dr. Kareem�s career was helping save the life of a four-day old baby who was born 18 weeks prematurely. This baby was the youngest baby ever born at that hospital and doctors didn�t think this baby was going to survive.
What Dr. Kareem did was to put the baby in different positions:
�Instead of it cringing into fetal position because of all the noises, and sirens, and bells, and whistles going off in the hospital, we opened him up and let his chest breathe a little bit. We moved the baby�s arms in diagonal patterns so he could actually get more breath. We also put a little pressure on the diaphragm so the baby could take deeper breaths, then took the pressure off as the belly would expand and contract.
�All of these factors led towards the baby really just developing a little bit more easily and a little bit faster. Of course, in an infant that�s that young, you really just have to be as gentle as can be. Oftentimes, instead of a hand, it�s just barely a fingertip touch that you�re going to do. When it came to actually moving the baby�s muscles, light, little taps in the areas where the nerve ties into the muscle to say, �Hey, right here.�
�Sure enough, baby got better, grew up totally healthy, and ended up living a healthy life.�
When Dr. Kareem consults with his clients, he shares his philosophy on health: �Your body is designed to heal or decay. From now on, decide on your own health momentum. Regain control while you begin to look and feel years younger.�
Dr. Kareem started on his health journey by simply wanting to help his mother with her health issues, but soon discovered he had health issues of his own. After close scrutiny, he was able to determine that his ailments were due to a muscle imbalance, and they were all alleviated by simply straightening out his posture. He eventually graduated from Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine and became a physical therapist. Shortly thereafter, he added personal training to his resume, opening the world�s first clinic where these practices were taught all under one roof. Dr. Kareem believes the body is meant to move, and the key to good health is getting it to move correctly.
This is the basis of muscle balance therapy, and it is designed to assist the body with the following health issues:
Alleviating pain
Faster healing
Improved mood
Improved posture
Increased athleticism
Greater quality of life
� Causes of Common Muscle Imbalance
There are many causes of muscle imbalance, following are the most common:
Improper Exercise When it comes to traditional exercise, many of us tend to exercise in a one or two-dimensional way, which is primarily comprised of movements that are either forwards and/or backwards. For example, the bench press and running are two exercises that are extremely popular, but they can cause muscle imbalances if other complementary exercises are not included in the workout regimen.
In many cases, muscle imbalances mean that the larger muscles are becoming stronger at a faster rate than the smaller muscles. According to Dr. Kareem, the issues caused by muscle imbalance affects more than the disturbed area and may cause a domino effect. For example, if a person has a rotator cuff imbalance, the nerve signal that shuts down the muscle is turned on. When a muscle gets shut down, not only does it stop a person from being able to move the way they want, but it slows down their metabolism as well. This can make a person less effective at many other things, which could eventually affect their mood.
Even as adults, we are meant to play. Our bodies are designed to move in every possible direction. That�s how you would naturally hit all the different muscles. Unfortunately, many of us don�t play. We go to a gym and try to simulate the movements, yet we�re missing different diagonals, rotations, and areas that would be balanced by real life dynamic movement. Repetitive workout routines can create muscle imbalances that wreck our bodies over time.
Moreover, imbalances can lead to injury. For some exercise enthusiasts who are getting chronic injuries, it may be from an underlying muscle imbalance. A person can be big and strong in certain areas, but his smaller stabilizer muscles are not being used. As a result, the body is thrown out of balance, oftentimes creating a functional problem.
Muscle imbalances can affect people of all ages. Kids can experience overuse injuries very quickly, making them less capable of excelling in a sport. In adults of all fitness levels, muscle imbalances can have a negative impact on performance; they�ll be slower, less coordinated, and unable to learn new movements quickly. In older individuals, muscle imbalances can result in decreased coordination, decreased strength and joint pain. Many times, the pain seems to have come out of nowhere or flares up suddenly, but in reality, it was based on a long history of improper movement.
Sedentary Lifestyle
The human body was made to move, not sit at a desk or in front of the television for an extended period of time. Excess sitting can cause muscles to become tight and eventually shorter than they are designed to be. The dangers associated with the sedentary lifestyle are well documented. According to data from the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD)1
Sedentary people have the highest rate of heart attacks.
For every 2 hours a person watches television, their risk of Type 2 diabetes�increases 14%
Sedentary individuals have an increased risk of breast and colon cancer.
The risk of stroke is reduced by two-thirds in physically active men and women by 50%.
Bone loss�increases in physically inactive individuals.
Walking for sixty minutes daily can reduce a person�s risk of obesity by 24%.
A Weak Core
A strong core helps keeps the muscles and internal organs properly aligned. A weak core can cause slouching, which can lead to poor posture, which could lead to muscle imbalances. These imbalances in the core can lead to health issues such as constipation, acid reflux, and other issues.
Common Muscle Imbalance Areas
Muscle imbalances can happen throughout the body. Some of the most common imbalances include the following:
Neck flexors.�A person�s neck flexors actually end up quite stretched, while their neck extensors become compressed. This often occurs if a person is right handed and they�re always writing with their right hand, typing in a specific way, reaching for a mouse or a stapler, or just rotating their spine in a very specific pattern and shoulder in the same manner over and over again.
Tight hip flexors. Tight hip flexors are caused by sitting for extended periods of time. The human body was not designed to sit as long and as often as we do, and the result is the hip flexors become shortened. This in turn causes the pelvis to rotate or tilt downward, causing the glutes to become lengthened and weak. This will put more pressure on the hamstrings, increasing the risk of hamstring tears, strains and pulls.
Weak upper back. Another common problem is forward shoulder posture, or �upper crossed syndrome.� This is common among individuals who spend long hours in front of a computer. The head goes forward, and as people make that adjustment, chin comes up, which causes an additional strain. Another cause of the upper back imbalance is performing �pushing� exercises such as pushups and bench presses, but not doing any �pulling� exercises for the back such as bent over rows or pulldowns.
As a result of these imbalances, the trapezius and rhomboid muscles become lengthened and weak, while the pectoral muscles and anterior deltoids become tight.
Tight calves. Women who wear high heels increase their probability of having tight calves. The soleus, gastrocnemius, peroneal, and other muscles in the lower leg become tight. This muscle imbalance can lead to different foot, heel, and ankle problems such as plantar fasciitis and fallen arches.
Tight Piriformis. The piriformis is muscle in the glutes which is also part of the external rotator in the hip. A tight piriformis occurs more often in men than women because men tend to sit with their legs open more often than women. Individuals with a tight piriformis often have knee problems, while others may experience problems with sciatica, which is shooting pain from the glutes to the back of the legs.
Tight abductors. Tight abductors usually occur in women because they tend to sit with their legs crossed. If a person has tight abductors, the femur may become internally rotated, which increases the probability of knee pain.
Muscle imbalance can occur in many different ways. Not only is It important to be aware of their causes, but it�s also important to know the various ways they can harm the body.
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Dangers of Muscle Imbalance
Many people are unaware how muscle imbalances can affect their overall health. Oftentimes, I would explain to my clients how �structure affects function.� I would show them an x-ray so they can see how an imbalance could erode their discs early and cause injury. However, it was a challenge for me to get them to understand how that affects their immune system.
Dr. Kareem explains the dangers of muscle imbalance by looking at the problem from both an Eastern medicine philosophy and Western medicine philosophy. He feels both viewpoints are valid, even though they are based on different rationales.
For example, in Western medicine, it�s understood that if we don�t take care of our bodies and keep them in proper alignment, they will begin to deteriorate and become weak very quickly. Pain signals will take over instead of muscle signals and contractions. We�ll begin to lose coordination, which ultimately, means we�ll lose our mobility and become less active. We�ll be less motivated to eat right and begin to feel helpless and assume the fetal position.
When we�re stressed, we curl up in the fetal position, and that�s a position of self-defeat. This position is a sign of anxiety, depression, and tension throughout the entire body. As we begin to look at illness from this perspective, we start to branch over to the Eastern medicine philosophy: how does this affect quality of life?
As we delve deeper into the Eastern medicine philosophy, we must consider the importance of the central nervous system and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and how it relates to muscle balancing: If you have a block in CSF flow, and it gets disrupted (through your brain, through your spinal cord, and back up,) it will change the way your entire body communicates.
Dr. Kareem elaborates further: �If there�s something more critical going on in your body right now, like for example, your nervous system�s compromised because CSF flow is blocked, then it doesn�t care if you want to lose weight. It doesn�t care if you have a cut or a laceration on your skin. It�s not going to heal it as well. It certainly doesn�t care if you have wrinkles that you want to get rid of or if your energy level isn�t what you want it to be. You got to fix the root cause, the number one priority in your body, and a domino effect takes place.
�That, perhaps, linked with oral health are two of the most important foundational things you can do to improve your health, period. If you�re not taking good care of your mouth, and you�re not taking good care of the messaging system for your entire body, those are primitive areas of your body that change everything else. The body�s organized in a way where it�s going to work from the highest priority backwards.�
When it comes to health, many people are focused on the wrong things. People are concerned more about the wrinkles� and the weight loss so energy and focus goes there. They don�t realize that root canals, cavitation, and amalgam fillings�in their mouths are making them toxic. It�s important for people to understand these things can cause inflammation, accelerated aging, and other issues. Toxins do this by getting into the cells the nervous system, and ultimately the anterior head. They�re not aware how their spinal cord is stretched and interfering with their nervous system. Instead of focusing on issues like the skin and weight loss, it�s more important to look upstream�and get to the root cause of our health issues.
Dr. Kareem believes that it is important to work on the number one system first, which is the endocrine system. When the endocrine system is under stress, hormones are more important than going on a particular diet. For example, if your pelvis is out of position and it�s properly realigned, you might uncover a six-pack you didn�t know you had:
�This is one of my biggest lessons and one of my earliest personal training finds. This was an introduction for me to muscle balancing. You see, there was this girl named Lindsey, and she worked as hard as anybody could work. She wasn�t anorexic, but she was borderline at that point where she was just doing everything she possibly could in the gym. She was eating correctly, so she wasn�t really skimming off food, but she just couldn�t get that final six-pack. She just wanted a little bit of definition. She always had the four at the top of the abs, but nothing at the bottom.
�Finally, I ended up doing a postural assessment on her. I took a peek. You know what? We just needed to tip her pelvis backwards a little bit. When we tipped her pelvis backwards a little bit, lo and behold, all those folds went away. Her love handles weren�t actually there. There was no extra body fat on her body preventing her from having the body she wanted. She just needed to be in a slightly different position.
�Now, the coolest thing is not only did she end up getting the body that she wanted, but she starting moving so quickly, all her results accelerated. It was months of work to get to this point, where then all of a sudden, in the next 30 days, she hit every single one of her goals. Truth was, it only took two weeks to tip her pelvis back into position and a few simple exercises that anybody can do at home with just their body weight alone.�
Do You Have Muscle Imbalances?
Our subconscious mind knows when the body�s out of position. If we turned the lights off in the room, you know your arms are behind you. You don�t have to look over to see that. That�s because there�s these little mechanoreceptors in every muscle telling your brain, �We�re over here.�
Same with when the head is forward. The mechanoreceptors are firing, letting the brain knows it�s out of position. When something is out of position, it sucks the energy right out of the cell. This �energy drain� is disruptive to your central nervous system and, if uncorrected, your entire body over time.
The subconscious mind knows this, but the average person is unaware the imbalance is occurring. They don�t know their head is tilted forward or their hips are slightly misaligned. They look in the mirror and think they are ok. I remember when I did this type of work saying, �Look at your low shoulder,� and they would look at themselves and say, �What low shoulder?� The point is this imbalance is the norm, but it�s can be a huge performance zapper.
If a person has had muscle imbalance for a period of time, one or both of these things can happen:
Our bodies are going to balance themselves out. If your head is tilted one way, you�ll subconsciously raise your shoulder a little bit to balance.
A person may opt to take medication to try relieve symptoms of discomfort. However, medication doesn�t get to the root cause of the issue, which is the muscle imbalance. In reality, a slight adjustment may be all that is needed.
Checking for Muscle Imbalances
You can check for muscle imbalances in the comfort of your own home:
Take a string and hang it from the ceiling, or have someone hold it for you. With the string, divide your body between right and left sides. Take a picture of yourself and compare your two sides.
1. When you look closely at the picture, look for the following signs of muscle imbalance:
Is one shoulder is up a little bit more than the other?
Is your side bent a little bit?
Is your head slightly tilted?
Is one hip raised little higher than the other?
Do you have a little bit more of a love handle on one side?
Is one hip is tighter than the other?
2. Take a second picture with the string dividing the body from front to back by taking it with the string at your side.
Is your head forward?
Is your chin tipped up?
Is one shoulder a little bit higher or rounder than the other one?
Is your pelvis tipped so that your lower back is arched a bit, and your belly is sticking out?
These imbalances can affect a person in many different ways. For example, if you�re a runner or athlete you may ask yourself �why can�t I get my hamstrings stronger?� or �why can�t I get faster?� This may be a case where you�re not getting the signal because your back�s arched, and you�re tipped out of position. Identifying the imbalances with a concrete image you can reference is an excellent place to begin looking for clues.
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Correcting Muscle Imbalances
Once the muscle imbalance is found, steps can be taken to correct it. While many people have the same types of muscle imbalances, Dr. Kareem stresses that it�s also important to focus on personalized health. This simply means to tailor muscle balancing techniques based on your symmetry.
�A lot of people say, �My right bicep is stronger than my left. Should I just lift heavier on my left and try and make up for it?� No. You actually want to back down. You want to cater to the more limited side of your body. Symmetry comes first. The fastest results come from slowing down to balance your body�s strength, and then everything accelerates from there. You want to back off from your weights on both arms to match the strength of your left, and then you would increase.�
�The same thing reflects ability and mobility in tissue release. If you can raise both arms up into the air, but one of your shoulders is hiking up a little bit, don�t go quite as far. Cater to the more limited side just before your shoulder hikes up, and come back. Work on your mobility just here, opening up your chest, increasing your ability to take a deep breath through your diaphragm. Then what happens is before you know it, even just a few reps in oftentimes, you�ll start to get a little bit further. If you just keep pushing past that point of resistance, sure, the left can keep going as far as it wants, but the right�s never going to get any better. That just results in more twisting through your body.�
Dr. Kareem has devised a short, five-minute program that uses a diagonal pattern that brings the body back into alignment naturally:
1. Free Squat
Stand hip width apart or slightly wider
Exhale and slowly lower, looking straight ahead
Inhale and rise back to starting position
Repeat for 50 seconds
Notes: Keep feet firmly planted. Arms can be crossed in front of body, fingertips at your ears, or held out (as shown.)
2. Superset pushup
Start with hands close together
Exhale and lower
Inhale and rise to starting position
Move hands out to shoulder width apart
Exhale and lower
Inhale and rise to starting position
Move arms out passed shoulder width apart
Exhale and lower
Inhale and rise to start position
This is one rep.
Repeat for 50 seconds
Notes: Pushups can be modified by doing them on your knees.
3. Fast Bridges
Lay on back with your feet planted onto the ground
Keep arms on your sides for stability
Raise hips toward the ceiling and lower quickly
Repeat for 50 seconds
Notes: Keep upper back planted on floor. Make sure to raise both hips evenly. Do not tilt the body.
4. Middle Trap (Bird Exercise)
Lower body into squat position
Feet shoulder width apart
Dig heels into floor
Tuck your chin
Extend arms out to sides
Lower arms to floor
Raise arms parallel to sides
Lower
Repeat for 50 seconds
Notes: Move shoulder, not the arms.
5. Rotational Plank
Start in pushup position
Keep core tight
Exhale and slowly roll body upwards on your left side
Inhale and slowly lower body back to pushup starting position
Repeat for 50 seconds
Notes: Keep core tight at all times. Body should be rolling back and forward in one fluid motion. Keep arms in plank positions at all times. Exercise can also be done on forearms.
For more information on these exercises, go to Dr. Kareem�s website.
This exercise program is designed to stimulate the front of body, the back of body, the lower body, and the upper body. This excites all of the nerves in the body and involves the smaller muscles. As a person performs these exercises, his body will quickly learn how to challenge the smaller muscles as well.
The body will begin to balance itself out by recruiting the big muscles to send the signal to the smaller ones. The idea here is to �train a nerve, not a muscle,� and that nerve starts in your head.
Dr. Kareem recommends performing these exercises every day or every other day. 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest before you transition to the next exercise. Everything is one minute, and it�s a total of five minutes every other day.
A popular misconception is we must do a certain amount of weight or reps for an exercise to be effective. Popular opinion is we are to do three sets of 10, three sets of 15, five sets, etc. In actuality, there is no solid evidence saying that that has to be the number instead of three reps or instead of six. The reality is your body just wants the cue in the right direction and let it take over. Instead of overanalyzing, we should just let nature take its course. We can self-optimize and trigger our small cues to say, �hey, body, I want to do this now.� When we send that signal for the first time, the body will understand, and it�ll start to superimpose it onto our lives and our body.
The Power of Visualization
An important part of this exercise is visualization. When a person thinks about a movement, the body begins to respond to that movement. Elite athletes use this method to prepare for a race or athletic event. They visualize the entire race before it happens.
It�s important to watch somebody else demonstrate properly first, then picture yourself doing the same move identically. This is the fastest way to learn a movement, and your body will begin to subconsciously learn how to perform the movement as well. Visualization techniques are very effective, and have shown to increase contractile strength by 30%.
On average, it takes about six weeks for a new exercise or activity to become second nature. A good example is getting out of a chair: the average person just gets up and walks without thinking about it, but in the beginning it may have taken effort. This is often the case with babies first learning to walk or people who are going through rehabilitation. They have to learn certain things all over again until they can do them without thinking about them.
Dealing with Chronic Injuries
When dealing with chronic injuries, Dr. Kareem suggests a person back off from their current activities or lower the intensity to ensure they�re not overtraining. It�s time to allow the body to learn something new, and that can be accomplished by performing the five muscle balance exercises described above. Here are a few tips from Dr. Kareem:
Weekend warrior.�If you�re not moving at all during the week, it may be helpful to decrease the intensity on the weekend warrior activities. If you�ve been playing two hours of basketball a day, cut it down to one just for a few weeks until you get the postural piece right.�
Elite athlete.�If you�re an elite athlete, maybe you�ll cut out a little bit of the time that you�re spending in the gym weight training. What you want to do is just use these five exercises initially, and then replace them over time. Use these five exercises. Do your workout, so you�re still playing basketball, or you�ll still play your sport. Within a few weeks, you�ll notice that your posture�s improved. Do that plumb line test, and you�ll see, �Where do I stand?�
Older individuals.�If you�re an older adult, avoiding falls is going to be the number one predictor of your longevity and quality of life. Take the same five minutes and use it as your five-minute mini circuit, or five-minute circuit in anything that you�re doing to enhance your health.�
�Once you know your body�s moving the way you envisioned, you can replace the five exercises with something different and something more powerful for you. It can be coordination training, speed training, balance reaction training, etc.�
In addition to athletics, doing muscle balancing exercises can help alleviate many other health conditions as well.
Additional Benefits of Muscle Balancing
Muscle balancing therapy has shown to help many conditions including the following:
Arthritis
Speed
Chronic pain
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Muscle balancing exercises are designed to improve health on a cellular level, giving attention to cells in the body that need them most.
Improved circulation. Muscle balancing helps the circulatory system become more efficient. This is important because red blood cells carry oxygen and the oxygen mitochondria needed to create energy production for every cell in the body.
Strengthened nervous system. Muscle balancing teaches the body to contract a muscle at the right time and in the right sequence by targeting our nerves instead of our muscles. The body then creates a �pump effect� that allows the deoxygenated blood stuck in your ankles and fingertips to find its way back to your heart efficiently and easily. This allows the heart to focus on getting rich, oxygenated blood back to the rest of your body.
Muscle Balancing with Massage
Dr. Kareem believes in myofascial release, which is a method of applying gentle pressure to eliminate pain and restore motion. When a person gets a massage and they experience a �good hurt,� that can indicate they either have a muscle imbalance or a knot in the muscle.
In addition to the five exercises, a tennis ball, foam roller, or massage are all effective ways to help remove knots and eliminate muscle imbalance. By using these methods, you�re taking something that functions almost like scar tissue, and giving it more slack. When you give your body more slack, you give it more forgiveness. Ultimately, that leads to a more effective, younger-feeling body.
Muscle imbalances can affect a person in many different ways. By eliminating imbalances, a person can see quality of life improve physically, mentally and spiritually. However, fixing muscle imbalance is one piece of the puzzle to realizing optimal health. I encourage you to address any imbalance, but to get real and lasting results a Multi-Therapeutic Approach must be implemented. My MTA involves diet change and variation, proper exercise, fasting, True Cellular Detox�, emotional detox, and more. Combining multiple proven health strategies is the most surefire way I know to fix cellular dysfunction and enjoy your best life.
Drugs that treat hair loss and prostate enlargement are tied to a small increased risk of depression and self-harm, according to a new study from Canada.
The pills were not tied to an increased risk of suicide, however.
The drugs finasteride and dutasteride belong to a class of medications known as 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors (5ARIs). 5ARIs have come under increasing scrutiny in recent years by regulators in the United States and Canada because of a possible link to mental health issues, according to the researchers.
“There wasn’t a lot of good studies in this area, and it’s a very common medication for urologists to use,” said lead author Dr. Blayne Welk, of Western University and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Ontario.
Welk’s team analyzed data from 93,197 men who were at least 66 years old when they received prescriptions for 5ARIs between 2003 and 2013, plus another 93,197 similar men who had never filled a prescription for a 5ARI.
Overall, 5ARIs were not linked with an increased risk of suicide, the researchers reported in JAMA Internal Medicine.
During the first 18 months, however, the men using 5ARIs had an 88 percent higher risk of harming themselves. That risk did not extend beyond 18 months.
Men in the 5ARI group also had a 94 percent higher risk of depression in the first 18 months, compared to men not using these drugs. Beyond 18 months, the increased risk of depression fell to 22 percent.
The type of 5ARI did not appear to significantly alter the results.
Welk cautions that the actual risk of depression and self-harm is very low.
If the drugs were actually causing these side effects – which this study wasn’t design to prove – “you’d need 470 men to take this medication for a full year to have a new case of depression,” Welk told Reuters Health.
That number would have to be even higher to cause a new case of self-harm, since self-harm is less common than depression.
“It is a risk potentially and patients and physicians should be aware of it,” Welk said.
A separate study in the journal PeerJ evaluated another concern about 5ARIs – erectile dysfunction.
Drs. Tina Kiguradze and William Temps of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago and colleagues found that when erectile dysfunction occurred in men taking 5ARIs for at least 180 days, the dysfunction was more likely to last at least 90 days after stopping the medication. Erectile dysfunction, when it occurred, resolved faster in men who took the medications for shorter periods.
The proportion of men taking 5ARIs and experiencing erectile dysfunction is likely around 5 percent, according to Dr. Landon Trost, who is head of andrology and male infertility at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
But it’s not clear how many men suffer persistent erectile dysfunction after stopping 5ARIs, said Trost, who was not involved with either of the new studies.
“I think it’s important to be educated about the potential side effects,” he told Reuters Health.
Men who are already at increased risk for these potential side effects must weigh the risks and benefits of the drugs, Trost said.
He said older men taking 5ARIs for prostate problems might come to different conclusions than young men taking the pills for hair loss.
Additionally, he said, men should tell their doctors if they experience these symptoms.
Men who see more ads for low testosterone or “low T” on local television channels may be more likely to seek tests or treatments to boost their levels of the hormone, a U.S. study suggests.
Testosterone levels naturally decline with age, and some men with extremely small amounts of the hormone may be diagnosed with what’s known as hypogonadism and prescribed needed testosterone therapy, researchers note in JAMA.
Far more men take testosterone than have hypogonadism or clear evidence of a medical problem tied to low hormone levels, however. Many of them may have been convinced to seek unnecessary treatment by ads promoting “low T” as a health problem associated with issues like reduced libido or fatigue, said lead study author Bradley Layton, a public health researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“The original approval for testosterone intended it to be used only in a very narrow group of men with very clearly-defined diseases which stop the production of testosterone,” Layton said by email. “However, much of the use recently has been in men with reduced testosterone levels or some non-specific symptoms like fatigue, loss of muscle mass, reduced libido or lowered mood which may be related to normal aging or other disease conditions,” he said.
“There is very little evidence that testosterone would benefit men without a clear indication for taking it, and there are still unresolved safety concerns about testosterone that just don’t justify widespread treatment of older men with normal age-related reduced testosterone,” Layton added.
In 2014, U.S. drug regulators raised safety concerns about the potential for testosterone to increase the risk of heart problems.
For the current study, researchers examined data on testosterone ad viewership, testosterone testing and prescriptions of the hormone from 2009 to 2013. They looked at insurance claims data for 17.2 million men in 75 distinct television markets nationwide.
During the study period, more than 1 million men got new tests for testosterone levels and more than 283,000 initiated testosterone treatment, the study found.
Among men who started taking testosterone, 59 percent used gels and 36 percent got injections, while a small minority of them got patches or implants.
Prior to 2012, ads for “low T” were the most common type of marketing. Then, after two new products – Axiron and a more concentrated form of Androgel – debuted in 2011, ads for specific products became more common and promotions for “low T” started to decrease.
During some months of the study, there were no ads at all, while in other months some men might have seen as many as 14 ads on average.
The most concentrated advertising efforts occurred in the Southeast and in the Great Lakes region, the study found.
Each additional ad men saw was associated with a 0.6 percent increase in testing as well as a 0.7 percent climb in new prescriptions for testosterone. There was also a 0.8 percent increase in new prescriptions that were not preceded by testing.
Although the impact of a single ad was slight, ads were widespread and frequent during the study period and cumulative exposure was close to 200 ads in some markets, the authors note.
The study wasn’t a controlled experiment designed to prove that ads directly influence whether men get testing or treatment for low testosterone, the researchers caution. They also relied on data for prescriptions, which doesn’t necessarily reflect how often men took the drugs.
Still, the findings should put consumers on alert to be wary of ads, said Dr. Richard Kravitz, a researcher at the University of California, Davis, and author of an accompanying editorial.
“Direct-to-consumer advertising is designed to be persuasive,” Kravitz said by email. “Patients can’t really avoid this. All they can do is reflect on the fact that ads are designed primarily to increase sales, not inform and educate the public, and they should try to present their symptoms and concerns as objectively as possible to their physician.”
You add it to your morning cup of coffee or tea. You bake it into pastries, cakes, and cookies. You even sprinkle it all over your breakfast cereal or your oatmeal.
But that�s not all. It�s also hidden in many of our favorite �treats� that people consume on a daily basis, such as sodas, fruit juices, candies, ice cream, almost all processed foods, and even condiments like ketchup.
But how exactly does sugar work in our body, how much sugar is acceptable and what are the side effects of eating too much sugar on people�s health?
Contents
How Excessive Sugar Affects Your Health
Today, an average American consumes about 32 teaspoons (126 grams) of sugar per day or 134 pounds per year, based on the latest research released in February 2015.
What�s even more disturbing is that people are consuming excessive sugar in the form of fructose or high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This highly processed form of sugar is cheaper yet 20 percent sweeter than regular table sugar, which is why many food and beverage manufacturers decided to use it for their products, as it would allow them to save money in the long run.
The bad news is that the human body is not made to consume excessive amounts of sugar, especially in the form of fructose. In fact, your body metabolizes fructose differently than sugar. Fructose is actually a hepatotoxin (toxic to the liver) and is metabolized directly into fat � factors that can cause a whole host of problems that can have far-reaching effects on your health.
Effects of Consuming Too Much Sugar
Dr. Robert Lustig, a professor of Clinical Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology in the University of California and a pioneer in decoding sugar metabolism, says that your body can safely metabolize at least six teaspoons of added sugar per day. But since most Americans are consuming over three times that amount, the majority of the excess sugar becomes metabolized into body fat � leading to all the debilitating chronic metabolic diseases many people are struggling with.
Here are some of the effects that consuming too much sugar has on your health:
It overloads and damages your liver. The effects of too much sugar or fructose can be likened to the effects of alcohol. All the fructose you eat gets shuttled to the only organ that has the transporter for it: your liver. This severely taxes and overloads the organ, leading to potential liver damage.
It tricks your body into gaining weight and affects your insulin and leptin signaling.Fructose fools your metabolism by turning off your body�s appetite-control system. It fails to stimulate insulin, which in turn fails to suppress ghrelin, or �the hunger hormone,� which then fails to stimulate leptin or �the satiety hormone.� This causes you to eat more and develop insulin resistance
It causes metabolic dysfunction. Eating too much sugar causes a barrage of symptoms known as classic metabolic syndrome. These include weight gain, abdominal obesity, decreased HDL and increased LDL, elevated blood sugar, elevated triglycerides, and high blood pressure.
It increases your uric acid levels. High uric acid levels are a risk factor for heart and kidney disease and also the cause of Gout. In fact, the connection between fructose, metabolic syndrome, and your uric acid is now so clear that your uric acid level can now be used as a marker for fructose toxicity. According to the latest research, the safest range of uric acid is between 3 to 5.5 milligrams per deciliter. If your uric acid level is higher than this, then it�s clear that you are at risk to the negative health impacts of fructose.
Sugar Can Increase the Risk of Disease
One of the most severe effects of eating too much sugar is its potential to wreak havoc on your liver, leading to a condition known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Yes, the same disease that you can get from excessive alcohol intake can also be caused by excessive sugar (fructose) intake. Dr. Lustig explained the three similarities between alcohol and fructose:
Your liver metabolizes alcohol the same way as sugar, as both serve as substrates for converting dietary carbohydrate into fat. This promotes insulin resistance, fatty liver, and dyslipidemia (abnormal fat levels in your blood)
Fructose causes superoxide free radicals to form, resulting in inflammation � a condition that can be also caused by acetaldehyde, a metabolite of ethanol
Fructose can directly and indirectly stimulate the brain�s �hedonic pathway,�(addiction pathway) creating habituation and dependence, the same way that ethanol does
But if you think that�s the only way eating too much sugar wreaks havoc on your body, you�re dead wrong. Research from some of America�s most respected institutions now confirms that sugar is a primary dietary factor that drives obesity and chronic disease development.
One study found that fructose is readily used by cancer cells to increase their proliferation � it �feeds� the cancer cells, promoting cell division and speeding their growth, which allow the cancer to spread faster.
Alzheimer�s disease is another deadly illness that can arise from too much sugar consumption. A growing body of research found a powerful connection between a high-fructose diet and your risk of developing Alzheimer�s disease, through the same pathway that causes type 2 diabetes. According to some experts, Alzheimer�s and other brain disorders may be caused by the constant burning of glucose for fuel by your brain.
Other diseases that are linked to metabolic syndrome and may potentially arise because of too much sugar consumption include:
Type 2 Diabetes
Hypertension
Heart Disease
Peripheral Neuropathy
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Lipid (cholesterol) problems
Dementia (Alzheimer�s disease)
Cancer
Reducing Your Sugar Consumption
Sugar, in its natural form, is not inherently bad, as long as it�s consumed in moderation. This means avoiding all sources of fructose, particularly processed foods and beverages like soda. According to SugarScience.org, 74 percent of processed foods contain added sugar stealthily hidden under more than 60 different names. Ideally, you should spend 90 percent of your food budget on whole foods, and only 10 percent or less on processed foods.
I also advise you to severely limit your consumption of refined carbohydrates (waffles, cereals, bagels, etc.) and grains, as they actually break down to sugar in your body, which increases your insulin levels and causes insulin resistance.
As a general recommendation, I advise you to keep your total fructose consumption below 25 grams per day, including that from whole fruit. Keep in mind that although fruits are rich in nutrients and antioxidants, they also naturally contain fructose, and if consumed in high amounts may actually worsen your insulin sensitivity and raise your uric acid levels.
Remember that artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose are also a no-no, as they actually come with a whole new set of health problems that are much worse than what sugar or corn syrup can bring.
KICK THE CRAVINGS!
We continue to see emerging evidence in the literature (research) that obesity, pre-diabetes and diabetes are driving factors not only for chronic conditions like Peripheral Neuropathy, but also for a slew of other chronic diseases, including cancer. It�s important to realize that you don�t have to give up sugar completely but you must reduce it substantially in your diet. Research has shown that no one should be consuming more than 6 teaspoons of sugar per day, and this includes fruit sugar, as well.
In order to get healthy and fight off chronic illness, here are some additional dietary tips to remember:
Increase your consumptionof healthy fats, such asomega-3, saturated, and monounsaturated fats. Your body needs health-promoting fats from animal and vegetable sources for optimal functioning. In fact, emerging evidence suggests that healthy fats should make up at least 70 percent of your diet. Some of the best sources include organic butter from raw milk, (unheated) virgin olive oil, coconut oil, ghee, raw nuts like pecans and macadamia, free-range eggs, avocado, and wild Alaskan salmon.
Drink pure, clean water. Simply swapping out all the sweetened beverages like sodas and fruit juices for pure water can go a long way toward improving your health. The best way to gauge your water needs is to observe the color of your urine (it should be light pale yellow) and the frequency of your bathroom visits (ideally, this is around seven to eight times per day).
Add fermented foods to your meals. The beneficial bacteria in these healthful foods can support your digestion and provide detoxification support, which helps lessen the fructose burden on your liver. Some of the best choices include kimchi, natto, organic yogurt and kefir made from grass-fed milk, and fermented vegetables.
How to Get Rid of Your Sugar Cravings
Sugar is highly addictive and affects depency centers in the brain but it can also have an emotional component, as well. In order to squelch sugar cravings, it�s important to detox. Here at our clinic we utilize a 21 day Jump Start program. This is a great program for detoxing your body from unwanted chemicals and sugar addiction and for decreasing inflammation.
The temptation to eat or indulge in sugary foods will always be there, especially with the abundance of processed foods and fast foods everywhere. However, most sugar cravings arise because of an emotional challenge. If this is what causes you to crave sugar, the best solution I could recommend is the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). This technique is a simple and effective strategy to help control your emotional food cravings.
For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
Whole Body Wellness
Following a balanced nutrition, participating in regular physical activity and getting plenty of rest are fundamental factors for maintaining whole body wellness. While all of these can make you look and feel healthy, its also essential to address the health of your spine in order to maintain the proper function of all the body�s structures. Chiropractic care is a well-known alternative treatment option utilized by many individual�s to restore the health of the spine as well as maintain it. Chiropractic can also help prevent complications related to spinal injuries and conditions.
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