Billy Goat Cream

Arnica Montana is a product I’ve carried and promoted for many years with great success and appreciation from customers.  Arnica is sold as a homeopathic remedy in the form of oral pellets or a topical cream or gel.  The story I was told is that it was discovered by European goat herders who noticed that the goats ate the arnica mountain flower when they were injured and this flower caused them to heal remarkably fast.  The herders found a way to take it themselves for bruising or traumas and enjoyed similar results.  This week I’d like to share why this product that several of my clients refer to as “billy goat cream” is a good thing to keep around the house for relief of various traumas.

Use of Arnica has been documented back to as early as 1678 when it was used to treat Typhoid Fever in Germany.  It wasn’t until the mid-1800’s that it was used as a registered drug for treatment of bruises and sprains.  Today it is commonly accepted, in its homeopathic form, as a safe and simple method of relief for sore muscles, bruises, sports injuries, joint pain and swelling, and even arthritic pain.  I first used the topical gel on a young woman who had been in a serious motorcycle accident and was suffering from a very large black eye that had persisted for months after the accident.  Her doctors told her that the black eye would fade eventually, but after several months, she was learning to live with it and had given up hope.  We carefully applied the gel under her lower eyelid and two days later, the black eye had gone from jet black to that brownish-yellow color and in two more days after a second application, the eye was completely normal.  I became a believer that week!  With two active boys, living on a farm and participating in several sports, we keep Arnica on hand and the kids know where it is kept for any muscle soreness or injuries.  When it comes to bruising, every customer that’s ever used the product is amazed with the speed and efficiency of its results.

The most common use of arnica is the gel form that can be applied to any sore joint or muscle or bruise.  However, for more severe traumas such as a sports injury or a car accident that is accompanied by multiple areas of pain, I will recommend the homeopathic pellets that dissolve under the tongue.  The arnica flower itself is actually quite toxic, but in the homeopathic remedy it has been diluted literally hundreds of times to where there is no toxicity and what’s left in the pellet is mostly a sugar pill.  Nevertheless, even in this diluted form, the healing potential is still there and when used several times per day, these pellets will provide global relief throughout the body for virtually any trauma.  Because of the toxic nature of the raw flower, it is not advised for use during pregnancy nor is it recommended to place the gel on an open wound.  Outside of this, it’s one of the safest, most effective products I know and it should be considered a staple for every medicine cabinet.

A Longevity Lesson

I found an article touting a blood test that can be used to predict longevity.  In actuality, the article was referencing a research study that was done in 2011 and the blood test is looking at microscopic structures on the end of your chromosomes (DNA) called telomeres.  The researchers of this study believe that lifespan can be predicted based upon how long your telomeres are -- the longer they are, the more replications of your DNA you still have left.  While it’s true that these telomeres are a very accurate indicator of how well your DNA is aging, I wouldn’t rush out to get the blood test.

Back in my teaching days, we taught that these telomeres work like photo copies.  Every cell and the DNA inside is constantly being copied or replicated.  Just like when you make a copy of copy of a copy of any document, eventually the quality fades to the point that it’s not functional.  The problem with this study is that it’s too fatalistic -- it suggests that we all have an inborn clock that will time out based on the telomere length we’re born with.  The science of Epigenetics has taught us that numerous lifestyle factors will either shorten or lengthen the lifespan of our chromosomes and their telomeres.  Specifically, a low glycemic diet, rich with fruits and vegetables, regular exercise as well as proper sleep and healthy adaptation to stress will all maintain telomeres for longer periods.  Unfortunately, inflammatory diets high in sugar, grains, and trans-fats, a sedentary lifestyle, and chronic stress will all accelerate the degeneration of these telomeres and our genes alike.  There are literally hundreds of articles that support this lifestyle model of DNA.  One study performed by a Dr. Kent showed that regular chiropractic adjustments reduce the oxidative stress on the cells and enhance repair of the DNA strands.

My point is that this telomere test is situational.  The good news is that no matter what your telomere length is right now, you can enhance longevity by practicing a healthy lifestyle.  Believe it or not, one of the best indicators of how well you are aging is your ability to maintain lean muscle in place of fat.  This is why resistance or strength training in addition to cardiovascular training is critical.  You must challenge your muscles and build strength! Adopting a healthy lifestyle is essential to outsmarting your DNA and living a longer life. Contact us about our wellness program if you are looking for some guidance to get started with this.

Stimulant Sabotage

In the past, I’ve picked on various stimulants quoting research on coffee, cigarettes, as well as the e-cigarette.  Other popular stimulants include energy drinks, gluten and dairy based foods, excessive sugars, artificial sweeteners, processed and frozen foods along with various medications and hormones.  We crave these foods and pseudo-foods to get a quick lift or pick-me-up often not realizing that all stimulants tax the adrenal glands and fatigued adrenals are often the ultimate cause of general fatigue and malaise.  This viscous cycle is the root cause of a host of symptoms and illnesses that plague people and often goes undetected.

Common signs of adrenal fatigue include trouble falling or going to sleep, salt cravings, difficulty waking and getting started in the morning, afternoon fatigue and headaches, depression, weak nails, excessive perspiration and urination, weight gain, blood pressure problems, joint pain, arthritic tendencies, and muscle pain.  Obviously, these are merely symptoms that could relate to many conditions, but someone who has severe adrenal fatigue knows that something is simply not right.  One of the most common findings with adrenal fatigue is dizziness upon standing from a seated or lying down position.  The reason for this is that the adrenal hormone, adrenaline, is supposed to be released upon standing to increase blood pressure approximately.  When the adrenals are exhausted, this simply does not happen.  The best way to diagnose adrenal problems is through an Adrenal Stress Index (ASI) test where saliva hormones are collected and measured at a lab.  The main reasons doctors aren’t running this test regularly is either that they don’t know about it or that insurance typically doesn’t cover the test. If you’re worried about adrenal fatigue, request the test from your doctor because adrenal problems often result in thyroid, pituitary, and other endocrine (hormone) problems.

There is not really one individual cause to adrenal problems.  I look at it as the perfect storm.  The stimulants mentioned above, coupled with the typical American diet, poor sleep habits, and sympathetic overflow from chronic low (or high) stress levels make the perfect recipe for adrenal failure.  Even physical traumas/accidents, excessive exercise training, and viral, bacterial, or fungal infections can affect the adrenals.  Our job is to support the critical glands and allow recovery.  You do this through proper sleep, a healthy, low-carb and low sugar diet, exercise, and regular stress reduction.  Nutritionally, the adrenals require abundant B-vitamins, vitamin C, and omega-3 fatty acids (fish oils).  Surprisingly, one of the most important requirements for adrenal function is adequate water intake (½ your body weight in ounces).  If you ask me, I would say that adrenal fatigue affects nearly all Americans at some level and it is a complicating factor with most conditions and disease processes out there due to the adrenal glands’ role in regulating the stress response in the body.  However, with the proper testing, the proper interventions and most importantly, the proper lifestyle choices it is a factor that can be treated and prevented.