Flu season is here and so are the holidays. It seems fitting to go over some natural and easy things you can do to stay healthy.
Get Probiotics in Your Diet Regularly
The “gut” or digestive system is home to 80% of your body’s immune system. Here, good bacteria keep your immune system balanced and fight off intruders. Many of us do not have the balance of “good bacteria” we need in our digestive systems. Foods such as kombucha, kefir, raw milk and organic sauerkraut (especially Bubbies brand) have probiotic cultures. Add some of these foods to your diet daily. There are also pill form options of probiotics.
Whole Food Vitamin C
Instead of just taking Vitamin C in a pill form, try eating several servings of a natural source every day, such as an apple or an orange.
Address Your Stress
Take breaks often to regain peace throughout your day. Take time for prayer and meditation and practice positive thinking.
Reduce Sugar, Processed Foods — Increase Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Processed foods and foods high in sugar reduce the immune system’s power. As much as 80% of your diet should be lean meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts, natural oils, seeds and legumes. The other 20% can be set aside for less ideal foods found in holiday meals and busy schedules.
Natural Healing Methods
Research supports chiropractic, acupuncture, nutritional supplementation, meditation and massage in reducing the frequency, duration, and severity of illness. Make an appointment for a consultation with any of our practitioners at the Advanced Wellness Center to learn more about how we can help balance and support your immune system.
Healing Tip of the Week
So important, it needs repeating. Eat based on the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time, eat a balanced diet. Then, set aside the other 20% for eating less ideal foods. Moderation is the key.
What is the most important substance that we take in every day? Oxygen! Healthcare providers are finally discovering what ancient yoga practitioners have known for centuries — breathing serves many roles in the body aside from the usual functions of bringing in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. Thus, incomplete and erratic patterns of breathing directly affect your health. Some of the roles that breathing performs in the body are:
Postural and core stability – There are more than 20 muscles in your body that are involved in the act of breathing. Virtually all play a dual role as postural stabilizers. Core stability is commonly a factor in low back pain. Common symptoms reported due to dysfunctional breathing are chronic neck/mid-back tightness and strain, tension headache and “throwing the low back out.”
Cardiovascular health – Proper breathing affects the alkalinity of your blood, which directly affects cardiovascular health. Deep breathing has also been shown to improve drainage in the lymph system. The lymph system can be thought of as the sewage system for your blood.
Spinal mobility – With each proper breath we take, our ribs rise and fall. This rib motion has a gentle micro-massaging effect that maintains healthy spinal movement along with circulation and nutritional flow to the structures of our spines. Improper breathing can lead to tightness in the mid-back and between the shoulder blades.
Emotional well-being – Chronic faulty breathing patterns play a role in producing feelings of apprehension, anxiety, panic attacks and certain stress-related conditions, such as high blood pressure.
Fortunately, it’s easy to assess and retrain yourself to breathe correctly. Simply place one hand on your belly and one hand on your upper chest. Breathe normally, and notice if the hand on your chest moves vertically and more than your belly hand. This is a sign of faulty breathing. The chest should have minimal movement as the belly and lower rib cage should do the majority of the rising, falling, and expanding. The key is to “belly breathe” with minimal upper chest movement. There are simple to advanced exercises to reinforce this pattern into your subconscious mind. To start, you can simply do this initial test as an exercise to stimulate the diaphragm to belly breathe.
There are many reasons why we develop these poor respiration patterns. They can stem from chronic anxiety, poor posture, poor diet and even hormonal influences. These underlying causes should be evaluated and treated by a healthcare professional. Breathing is just one facet of complete health. At the Advanced Wellness Center, we strive to offer education and tools in all aspects of total health.
Healing tip of the week Focus on breathing correctly several times a day this week.A good ratio of inhalation to exhalation is 1 count of inhalation, 4 counts of holding, and 2 counts of exhalation.Multiply this ratio to what is comfortable for you.I personally like 7:28:14.
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) has been marketed as a natural sweetener. But is it really natural, and is it really safe?
When discussing this subject with my clients, they are usually surprised and mostly appalled when they realize how much HFCS is actually in their daily diet.
The beverage industry uses the most HFCS, followed by manufacturers of processed foods (any food that comes in a box), cereals and bakery products. Some dairy products even contain corn syrup.
Why is it in so much of our food today? It’s a very cheap way to sweeten foods. It’s less expensive than cane or beet sugar. It’s easy to transport, and it has a longer shelf life.
HFCS is promoted as natural from the manufacturers that use it “because it is made from corn”. The truth is that it is a highly processed product that involves multiple chemical processes before it is ready for use.
HFCS has also been shown to artificially stimulate dopamine, creating an addictive response. That can potentially lead to obesity. It has also been shown to induce insulin resistance that can lead to Type 2 Diabetes. (AMJ Clin Nutr 2002;76:911-22).
My position with my clients is this: read all labels! If the food contains corn syrup, corn sugar or high fructose corn syrup, don’t eat it. There are plenty of alternatives. Anything sweetened with stevia or rice syrup would be a better choice. Or better yet, eat mostly fresh foods, and you won’t have to worry about it at all.
Check the labels on all of your foods before you purchase them. If the food contains high fructose corn syrup, put it back on the shelf, and choose something else. Foods sweetened with stevia or rice syrup are better choices.
Many of us in Long Beach drive long distances to work in Orange County or Los Angeles, and some also spend a great deal of time flying for business. This can lead to poor posture and spinal mis-alignments overtime. Regular spinal adjustments do wonders to prevent the detrimental effects of long-term driving. I’m asked often what you can do to lower your stress while in the car and prevent back and neck pain from creeping in when you’re away from the treatment table.
So here are a couple simple tips to keep your body in tune while on the road to and from Long Beach.
The Progressive Relaxation:
Start at your feet and gently squeeze all the muscles throughout your foot for 3 seconds followed by a complete relaxation for 3 seconds with an exhale from your belly.
Work your way up your entire body. Ankles, legs, knees, thighs, hips, back etc. 3 seconds squeezing, 3 seconds releasing with a deep exhale (the exhale is very important)
If there is a tight area in particular, spend a couple reps of 3 seconds on that area to allow it to relax.
This works great in the car, on the plane, or before bed for complete relaxation. It helps by reducing muscle spasm and increasing blood flow while slowing down your breathing.
The Sternum Lift:
When you feel your posture begins to slump, simply lift your sternum or “breastbone” 1 inch.
A light lift brings the shoulders back and the head up.
Your posture is very important for cognitive function and energy throughout the day. “90% of the energy output of the brain is used in relating the physical body to gravity,” according to Dr. Roger Sperry, Nobel Prize Recipient for Brain Research.
The Stop Light Shoulder Roll:
At a stop light, make it a habit to roll your shoulder slowly with deep exhales.
Repeat 10 times in both directions.
Do backwards rotations last as it will reinforce the need for the shoulder blades to be sitting gently back with driving posture.
Healing Tip of the Week
Remember to breathe! Inhale smooth, slow, even and deep so the chest, diaphragm and abdomen expand. Exhale smooth, slow, even and deep, letting all the breath leave the body, slightly tightening the chest, diaphragm and abdomen. Deep breathing is the key to deep relaxation, and it can be done anywhere at any time. Practice several times per day for improved health!
Low back pain is a common occurrence for pregnant women, with approximately two out of three women developing this discomfort. The pain can be caused by a number of things, including: the womb placing extra stress on the lower back as the body compensates for its new weight distribution; pelvic joints becoming unstable in response to changing hormones; and fluid retention in connective tissues.
For many women, lower back pain can become a debilitating condition that interferes with daily activities, such as their ability to get deep, restful sleep. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as aspirin have been shown to have negative effects on the developing fetus. Women are taught that lower back pain is a normal part of pregnancy and are given management strategies like exercise, bed rest, supportive belts and hot/cold compresses. These methods only aim to relieve the pain until childbirth.
Chiropractic Solutions for Painful Pregnancies
Seeing a need to address this issue, Dr. Donald R. Murphy, a chiropractor and clinical assistant professor at Brown University Medical School, has outlined a systematic approach to treating pregnancy-related low back pain. His method first looks for more serious complications that may be disguised as pain. If these complications are ruled out, the patient’s health is further examined to help identify the cause of the distress. Based on these findings, the patient is treated using various chiropractic techniques targeted to the specific cause of distress.
More than 73 percent of the patients treated using this method rated their improvement as “excellent or “good.” Best of all, no drugs were used and there were no major side effects.
The chiropractors at the Advanced Wellness Center (AWC) are trained to treat pregnant women, placing great emphasis on the safety of both mother and child. If you or someone you know is pregnant and experiencing back pain, do not accept this as the ‘norm.’ Visit the professionals at AWC and treat your pain the natural way.
There is much concern and confusion regarding the flu this year, especially the H1N1 “swine flu.” While any suffering or death is tragic, especially when children are affected, this “pandemic” appears to be succumbing to media hyperbole. The southern hemisphere just finished its flu season, which was a mild one. The vast majority of people (99.99 percent) are having very brief and mild illnesses from this virus. Ronald Whitmont, MD, a board-certified internist, is quoted in The Epoch Times: “So far, H1N1 is much less severe then the regular flu.” But like every year, some people will have a serious reaction, whether vaccinated or not (or even in reaction to the vaccine).
What You Need to Know
The majority of serious flu cases, and even deaths, involve a simultaneous bacterial infection the most common of which is staph aureus. This bacteria is normally carried by a third of the population, generally in their nose or on their skin. The flu causes upper respiratory damage, which allows the staph to overgrow into the lungs, leading to serious or even fatal pneumonia.
Obesity also raises the risk of complication from H1N1 six times.
Since all infections are opportunistic, “naturally” the best defense is to prohibit an easy opportunity into your body or those you care for. The following guidelines will greatly support your immune defenses.
What You Can Do
Vitamin D. It is well documented that this vitamin provides support for optimal immune function against all disease, not just flu. Vitamin D also helps prevent excessive cytokine reactions in the lungs, which leads to more serious pneumonias. In my own practice, I have yet to see even one Vitamin D blood test show optimal levels, including my own. Get tested and find out how to raise your levels by one of the AWC practitioners.
Avoid Sugar. Sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately. Read labels because sugar, corn syrup, and other sugars are in most processed foods. If you think you have craving or addictions to sugar ask your AWC practitioner for guidance.
Get Enough Rest. A tired body equals a tired immune system.
Manage Your Response to Stress. Especially chronic or long-term stress, even if relatively mild, causes hormones to be produced by your body, which suppresses your immune system. If you’re not already getting help for this ask your AWC practitioner for advice.
Exercise. Daily balanced exercise strengthens the immune system as it does your whole body.
Wash Your Hands. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth, or other people.
Let Food Be Your Medicine. Eat organic fruits and vegetables with every meal, at least 4-6 times a day. Filtered water should be the predominant fluid you drink.
Chiropractic adjustments and Acupuncture are well documented to stimulate and strengthen the immune system.
Supplementation to Strengthen Your Immune System. Supplements to consider beyond a supportive multivitamin are Omega 3 fish oils, Probiotics, Echinacea, Oil of Oregano extract, Andrographis, Ginseng, Propolis, Oil Leaf extract, Vitamin C and Acerola. There are also many wonderfully effective Chinese herbs. Ask your AWC practitioner which of these might be best for you. I am also impressed by the newly patented, EPA-certified, and FDA-approved Silver Sol technology. Silver Sol is very efficient at destroying viruses, bacteria, and molds demonstrating a broader spectrum of activity then any antibiotic or antiviral drug. It can be taken daily because it passes through the body unchanged, helps prevent viral infections, can assist in treating them, and works synergistically with antibiotics to produce as much as a ten-fold increase in activity against the bacteria that cause flu deaths. Silver Sol is available at AWC.
Mark deDubovay, DC
Doctor of Chiropractic
Certified Traditional Naturopath
