Foods to Avoid

One of my favorite sites for health information lured me in with an article titled, “The Foods You Shouldn’t Touch with a Ten Foot Pole.”  Turns out, none of the foods on the list should come as a surprise to anyone out there, but the reasons why to avoid these foods was compelling.  As I’ve discussed in the past, the key to changing behavior is to change the belief that drives that behavior and changing beliefs comes from knowledge like this.

The foods we should all avoid include all sodas (especially diet drinks), doughnuts and pastries, French fries, breakfast cereals, and all processed snacks or junk food.  This should be a familiar list to everyone, but this time, the reason to quit these foods is not just the trans-fats, the sugar, the additives and preservatives, or the genetically modified grains.  A recent study has shown that a diet rich in these junk foods will cause a deficiency in the normal balance of bacterial flora in our own system – meaning that we will be lacking the healthy bacteria that help to prevent illness.  Lacking these “good guy” bugs has been found to be linked to a weakened immune system, increased bad bacteria, poor digestion, and a general inability to absorb vitamins/minerals and eliminate dangerous toxins.  Worse than this, many believe that this imbalance of bacteria is a major cause to ailments such as eczema, asthma, various allergies, inflammatory conditions, and autoimmune disease.  If you’ve followed this column very long, you know that all disease is linked to inflammation in some manner and that normal bacterium of your intestine is one of the first lines of defense we have as part of our immune system -- they say 80% or our immune function is in our gut.

Knowing this, what should you do?  First, avoid the above listed foods as much as possible.  Secondly, be conservative when taking antibiotics or using antibacterial soaps that kill not only the bad guys, but also the good guys.  Eat foods that replenish healthy bacteria such as organically grown fruits and vegetables and fermented dairy products such as real yogurt (not the sugary kind) or Kefir.  Lastly, as I have recommended in the past, take a high-quality probiotic supplement regularly to reseed the gut with these vital microorganisms.  

Giving Thanks

As a chiropractor, I’m always challenging people to look to the cause of their pain, ailment, or illness because unless you uncover the cause, you’ll always be treating and managing the symptoms.  The World Health Organization has reported that the ultimate cause of any loss of health is excessive amounts of physical, chemical, and/or emotional stress beyond the body’s natural ability to adapt.  Research suggests that emotional stress is the single biggest factor of these different stressors.  In my discussions with people, I certainly find that many are dealing with excessive amounts of this emotional stress resulting with increased pain, sleep disorders, anxiety and depression, digestive disorders, amongst other health problems.  In preparation for Thanksgiving, I wanted to share a reminder of a strategy on how to reduce the effects of our daily stress.

First of all, I’d like to emphasize that we weren’t born into stress.  Instead, we experience different stress, and over time we practice this stress until we get very good at it.  In time, our conscious stress (what we perceive and what we choose to focus on) becomes subconscious stress.  In subconscious stress, our brain is functioning in a revved-up, fight/flight state that is appropriate for survival (fighting a bear) but not appropriate for every-day life.  When our brain is in this state, it changes our physiology through our nervous system and our hormones and our organs start to function differently. Eventually, this can manifest as almost any disease out there.  So we must interrupt the stress response!  Physical exercise, yoga, meditation, prayer, and other disciplines have been proven to decrease stress.  But given the season, I would like to encourage you to just try another strategy that can reduce the subconscious stress.  This strategy is using a gratitude journal.

Science has proven that our brain cannot be in a state of stress and gratitude at the same time.  This is why I like to call, gratitude the universal solvent of all emotional stresses.  All you need is a small notebook or journal and a pen by your bed stand.  In the mornings, before your feet hit the floor, you simply write down five things that you’re grateful for.  These can be big or small.  This is to allow you to at least begin your day in this state with the goal of staying in a state of gratitude as long as possible.  Then at night, right before your head hits the pillow, you read some of the things you’ve written over the mornings until you feel like you are back in that state of gratitude.  This will work best if you stay in this state and don’t let any other thoughts enter your head until you’re asleep.  In doing this, you will be retraining the subconscious mind to be in this state rather than a state of anxiety, depression, anger, etc.  This is a simple strategy that will render results over time.  Give it a try and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

A Seasonal Snack

‘Tis the season when whatever healthy eating habits we may have established over the year go out the window and are dismissed until January’s resolutions come around.  It’s good to know going into this season that there are some snacks that are good for us now and the whole year through.  Pumpkin seeds are considered to be nutritional powerhouses that are rich in numerous nutrients including the ever-important minerals, magnesium, copper, and zinc.  They are also a healthy, low-fat source of protein that can be particularly helpful for vegetarians.  Because of their nutritional value, these seasonal seeds are considered useful in preventing numerous diseases.

Because of their magnesium, just one-quarter cup of pumpkin seeds help the pumping of your heart and relaxation of your blood vessels.  The mineral also serves for stronger bones and teeth, and proper bowel function.  By helping to lower blood pressure, the magnesium in these seeds is believed to help prevent heart attack and stroke.  Because of their zinc, just one ounce of the seeds will help with cell growth, mood, sense of taste and smell, regular sleep, insulin regulation, male sex function, and boosting your immune system.  Deficiencies in zinc have been linked to increased colds/flu, chronic fatigue, depression, and learning problems in kids.  Zinc is also very important in preventing and possibly even treating prostate problems.  Pumpkin seeds are one of the best sources of plant-based omega-3’s, the essential nutrient most of us are deficient in.  The seeds are packed full of anti-oxidants that reduce inflammation but also can help improve insulin regulation and diabetic complications.  This anti-inflammatory effect has even been found to work as well as the drug Indomethacin in treating arthritis.  Some studies have shown that the phytoestrogens found in the seeds increase the good (HDL) cholesterol.  When this is coupled with the decrease in blood pressure, hot flashes and headaches, the seeds have been found to be a valuable tool for postmenopausal women.  Similar to turkey meat, pumpkin seeds are a rich source of tryptophan which helps to increase serotonin and melatonin that will help promote proper sleep.  Eat these seeds a few hours before bed and see if sleep is improved.

Ideally, you would eat the seeds raw and organic in order to reap the benefits of the healthy fats found inside.  Some people will not like the taste of the raw seeds.  In these cases, the seeds can be soaked and then dried or they can be run through a dehydrator.  This should make them palatable.  The most popular way to consume pumpkin seeds is roasted.  However, to preserve the nutrients and enzymes that provide the health benefits, do not roast above 170 degrees F and limit cooking to just 15-20 minutes.  These seeds do not require refrigeration and can be taken with you anyplace for a quick snack.  Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Ouch

I’ve had many clients have come into the office with sore arms and shoulders.  A brief history revealed that these people had just come from getting their annual flu vaccine.  Certainly the soreness will pass.  However, there are numerous changes going on with the annual flu shot and I believe it’s a good idea to be informed and know what you are injecting into your bloodstream and what other avenues you can pursue if you don’t want an injection.

In the past, I’ve reported on the Center for Disease Control’s data that showed a link between three consecutive yearly flu shots and a 10-17 times greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s later in life (depending on which study you subscribe to).  Although the ultimate source was never confirmed, the consensus was that this risk was related to the Thimerosol.  This is a form of mercury that was used as a preservative for the live virus and has been found to be a powerful neurotoxin.  Most of today’s vaccines do not contain Thimerosol.  However, many still do contain chemicals which can be toxic or trigger allergic responses including: formaldehyde, egg protein, MSG, aluminum, and ethylene glycol.  The other problem with the vaccine is its efficacy.  To date, the normal flu shot contains about three or four strains of influenza.  Unfortunately, there are over 200 different viruses known to cause flu and flu-like symptoms.  As a result, the CDC reports, “During the years when the flu vaccine is not well matched to circulating viruses, it’s possible that no benefit from flu vaccination may be observed.”  Even when the match is good, results can be questionable.  For instance, in the 2012-2013 flu season, vaccines were only nine percent effective against type A influenza in people over 65 and around 56% in all other age groups.  This has caused many to question the benefit of the shots over the risks.  As a result, researchers are scrambling to develop what they refer to as a universal flu vaccine.  This new brand of flu shot will attempt to stimulate the virus-killing immune cells known as CD8 T-cells.  Studies have shown that people with higher percentages of these cells do not get the flu or experience only mild symptoms.

If you decide to get the shot, I encourage you to do some research before you inject anything into your blood. You can go to www.nvic.org and check the ingredients, contraindications, and warnings of all 12 flu shots that are out there this year.  If you decide not to get the shot, but you still want to boost your immunity, I recommend regular exercise, adequate sleep, chiropractic adjustments, and a diet low in sugar and trans-fats.  There’s plenty of evidence to show how this approach works to boost your immune system and it’s allowed me to only miss one day of work due to illness in the last 17 years.  Vitamin C also helps to boost the immune system and decrease the nasty effects that sugar has on immunity.  Probiotics are critical for providing the healthy bacteria in the gut that will help fight off any bad germs that we might ingest.  Lastly, these CD8 T-cells that scientists are attempting to stimulate with a universal vaccine; these cells are increased in people with adequate vitamin D and they are lacking in those who do not have enough vitamin D.