Let's Talk Getting Healthy

~ DON'T BE "RUBBED" THE WRONG WAY ~

 I am referring to massage therapy. I have received therapeutic massages in many locations, especially when I travel.  They are part my overall health program, they help me to keep my circulation moving and muscles relaxed.  These are just a few of the benefits that I enjoy from therapeutic massage therapy.  There are many different types of massage and I recommend that you experiment and see which styles suit you the best.

As a Health Care Physician, I regularly recommend that my patients receive therapeutic massages to speed their recovery. That request is met with mixed reviews, some people are excited to go, others wouldn't dream of it!  If you choose the latter, you must find a way to increase your circulation and as many of the benefits that massage offers as you can. Below is list of some of the benefits of Therapeutic Massage.

ESSENTIAL OILS ~ They are Essential to your Lifestyle!

In my practice and in my life I use essential oils for many purposes.  I only use one brand and that is Young Living therapeutic grade essential oils.  I have tried many types and brands of oils in the past and YL oils by far surpass the expectations of my patients and myself.

You may not be very familiar with essential oils or you may have heard of lavender or maybe frankincense or myrrh.  I want to familiarize you with the benefits of using oils.  They have been used for centuries dating back to 4500 B.C.. We use them as colognes, perfumes and even in cooking but the medicinal uses are the ones that are overlooked the most.  I use them for many conditions within my practice.

1. Peppermint - used for weight loss and appetite suppressant.
2. Lavender - Great for burn healing, insomnia, nervous tension.
3. Ginger - Arthritis, digestion, expectorant
4. Geranium - Hepatitis/fatty liver disease, eczema, ringworm, herpes infections.
5. Lemon - Improves memory, immune stimulant, circulation problems.
6. Melaleuca Alternifolia(Tea Tree) - Candida, ringworm, tooth/gum disease

 You can use essential oils to clean your house and even for natural pest control.  Peppermint sprayed around the edges and corners repels spiders.

The list goes on and on with the types and benefits of the oils.  When asked how do they work?

SUNBURN ~ To Screen or not To Screen?

It is that time of year again, where families are out in the sun more and more.  There are more incidents of sunburn in kids and adults than ever before. 

Of the people I asked the question, " How do we get sunburned?"  the majority of them simply say "too much sun". 

What most of them don't realize is that it is the radiation from the suns rays(UVA and UVB) that create the burns.  I have been told that description sounds pretty harsh.  It is suppose to be harsh!  It is an important topic for the summer months especially. 

When you think about it as radiation burns, it drives home the point of the importance of protection, not to mention prevention.  There is a lot of controversy about the types of sunscreens to use.  Many of the commercially prepared products are full of chemicals that react in the skin and cause an increase in sensitivity and burns.

In chemical sunscreens, there are some chemicals that pose potential human health risks including benzophenone, octinoxate, octylmethoxycinnamate (OMC), and oxybenzone. These chemicals can seep into your skin, potentially altering how your body processes the sun's rays and could upset your body's normal hormone balance.

This A - Z list is just a partial list of some of the products and drugs that are suspected.(I was amazed at what was on this list, check it out)

With the incidence of skin cancer on the rise, nearly a million people per year, its time to take this more seriously.  I have to admit, I enjoy being in the sun and getting a tan.  There are some specific things I do to protect myself  from sunburn and skin cancer.  Using the right type of sunscreen is important, we will talk about that in a moment.

The sun creates a lot of free radical damage, so it is imperative to consume a lot of antioxidant rich fruits and veggies.  I also take about 6,000 mg of omega 3 oils per day which are anti inflammatory in nature.  You have to do this early enough, so that you build up your store house of these nutrients.  If you don't, they burn up too quickly in the sun.  I just returned from a weeks vacation at the lake, without too much trouble.  As the week went on, my kids and I increased the fruit and veggies intake to combat the accumulation of the suns effects.  I also take about 5000 iu of vit D3 daily to help prevent cancers.

So lets get specific on what to do if you get sunburned...

YEAST PROBLEMS ~ There is a Solution

In my last post, I discussed a major problem that I see in my office.  It affects both men and women and in many cases the person is not even aware that it is a problem.

For those of you who already know that you suffer form this condition and aren't sure what to do about it, take heart, I am about to explain it to you. As I discussed in previous posts, sugar is a big problem in our diets today.  It is the excess sugar or even the undigested sugar that turns to acid in our bodies. 

It is these acids that propagate the yeast overgrowth. Now sugar isn't the only culprit, but anything that turns to sugar or acid will also be a problem. Thats right, acid, so coffee, soda, sugar, protein, even many fruits and veggies turn to sugar in the bloodstream.  The question then comes up what to eat? I have seen many people starve themselves(which creates acid and feeds the yeast). There is a better way! 

Instead of consuming a diet that is full of acid causing foods, switch to an alkalizing diet.  More greens and green foods, there are products such as green drinks and alkalizing drops that help too.  When you take this approach, you can modify your diet, eating alkalizing foods, along with green drinks and your symptoms will not only get better but go away.  This is done by changing the acid pH to a more alkaline one.

Stress, emotions and a busy lifestyle also add to the acidity level of our body. That my friends is a topic for another post. 

This takes the phrase "going green" to a whole new perspective If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Think of the impact ~ of a Happy, Loving parent on a child; of a Happy, Loving teacher on a student.

YEAST OVERGROWTH ~ Will This Ever Go Away?

Yeast overgrowth is a condition that we see in the office daily.  Most people think of this as just a female related issue or a problem that caused by taking antibiotics.  I see this in both women and men, the organism is not gender specific.  It is actually an organism that lives in our body and is there to digest carbohydrates to make it past the digestive system.  So if you are a carbohydrate addict or at least an over consumer you may have a yeast overgrowth condition.  Here are some symptoms associated with yeast problems;

headaches & migraines                  anxiety
incapacitating fatigue                     conc./focus problems
short term memory                        panic attacks
painful joints                                 high blood pressure
muscle aches                               athlete's foot
acid reflux                                    chronic nail fungus
white coated tongue                      low sex drive
chronic sinusitis                           jock & rectal itching
frequent urination                          irritable bowel
diarrhea                                       menstrual problems
chronic constipation                     jerky-leg syndrome
sensitivity to light                         gluten intolerance
eye pain                                      sensitivity to foods
depression                                  skin rashes

These are just a few of the symptoms caused by yeast overgrowth. If you think yeast may be a problem in your life, you can take the following quiz to see if you have an overgrowth problem.  Here is another test you can do in your own home.

WATER ~ To Drink or Not To Drink ....

Drinking Water has been undergoing a lot of scrutiny lately.  How much should you drink? Should you drink any at all?  What benefits does it have? if any?  Well, I am here to tell you how I determine what is the proper amount of water to drink.

First, lets leave all the hoopla around water alone for now. Lets just look at the human body.  There are certain facts we know about water in the body.

     1. The body is made up of 70% water.
     2. The blood is 75% water.
     3. Your Brain is 75-85% water.
     4. Water aids digestion by producing               saliva, the first stage of carb digestion.
     5. Drinking 500ml of water can increase your metabolic rate          by 30%.
     6. Dehydration is defined as a 1% or greater loss of body            weight due to fluid loss.
     7. A 10% or more loss of body weight due to fluid loss can         become life threatening.
     8. When dehydrated your attention and concentration can            decrease by 13%.
     9. Short term memory can decrease by 7%.

Those are just a few facts about water in the body.  We also know that water is essential for proper kidney function of filtering your blood and excreting waste products in the urine.  The kidneys also help control blood pressure.

In the blood, water is necessary for cellular structure and transporting oxygen through the blood stream.  Without adequate hydration the red blood cells loose their shape, like a deflated balloon and therefore cannot function optimally.

Our bodies are electrical in nature, the ELECTROLYTES,  are carried in the fluids of the body, both blood and lymph.  The more water that is available, the more freely the electrolytes can move around the body. Our heart is dependent upon these electrolytes to function, just ask your cardiologist!

Your large intestine is dependent upon water to saturate the fiber to form the solid waste of the body.  If you don't believe me don't drink water for a few days and then drink some and see what changes occur in the bowel movements.  Water also helps dilute the urine. A good indicator of dehydration is a dark colored urine or decreased urine output.

Okay, so you say, Doc this is all fine and good, I understand that these are the facts, so why is there so much discrepancy over drinking water or not?  Well let me explain what I tell my patients.

ALLERGIES ~ Are You Suffering Needlessly?

Allergies, sinusitis, head congestion, sinus headache, cold symptoms or any other name you want to call it, You Are Miserable!  The sinus pressure alone is enough to put you to bed for the day. I was an allergy sufferer myself for years before I found out what really caused them.  I got allergy shots 3 times per week, for 3 years during the summer months and it helped a little but never got rid of the symptoms.

Are you even a little curious about what I did to eradicate my allergies all together?  That's right I was allergic to just about everything outdoors, and I worked out there.  My head would fill up, my sinus's would drain, eyes swelled closed, and I sneezed, and sneezed and sneezed. The allergy shots just weren't doing it for me.

It was at that point, I knew I had to do something, traditional medicine just drugged me up, put me to sleep or just made me feel funny all day.  I still sneezed and felt horrible while I was under their care. How Frustrating!

I went to my Alternative Doctor, who later became my mentor, to see if he could help me with my allergies.  His response was surprising to me, he said he didn't treat allergies, but he would be happy to assist me in making my body so strong it would resist the allergens invasion altogether.  I laughed to myself thinking, what do I have to lose.

He said the first step in ridding by body of allergies was to understand where they came from........

HEALTH-Is your definition of health good enough to keep you disease free?

In today's world of fast paced living, people often put their health on the back burner until they get sick or even worse....a disease process or syndrome like:

• fibromyalgia
• high cholesterol
• hypertension
• fatigue
• depression
• headache

Then we will do and try anything to make the changes to get our health back.

What's wrong with this picture? You want to get to the cause of the problem not treat the symptoms, right?  Well let's start with "what is your definition of Health?" To never be sick, to be free from disease or maybe to exercise 2-3 times per week?  Try this one, "The state in which the body is functioning optimally in all cells, tissues, organs and glands. Is free from disease and pain, functions with full energy without symptoms of any kind" Okay, so that may be stretching a bit, but isn't that a better place to strive toward instead of just not being sick!  So, what is your Definition going to be Now!

Since approximately seventy-five percent of the diseases we have today are lifestyle related, meaning we did it to ourselves.  It is safe to say that most people don't have a good enough definition for their health.  As your Natural Health Care provider I can help you design a definition of health that will not only help keep you disease free, it will be fun doing it too.  So don't wait until you get that dreaded report from your doctor, Take Charge of you Life Now!