Have You Heard About "Biomimetic Dentistry"?

This is a new one on me.  I was reading an article about how amalgam fillings are not only dangerous to our health, but also to the health of our teeth.  If you have access to LinkedIn, the title of the article is, "Do amalgam fillings wreck your teeth?"  by Dr. Shvartsman.  I'll summarize the dentist's information for those who don't.

The problem with the mercury fillings is that they cause "rusting" of the area, including injury to the teeth.  This mercury/silver, zinc and tin powder combination is reactive, eventually leading to cracks in the teeth and possible permanent damage. Also, this amalgam is not a true permanent seal for the decayed area and more decay can take place. 

"Amalgam fillings are not cemented in to the tooth like an inlay or a crown. The only technology available in the 1800’s to keep amalgam fillings in place were basic wood working principles. These include a dovetail joint design: the base needed to be wider than the top so the filling would not fall out of the tooth. Since a cavity creates a bowl shaped hole, the undercutting of healthy tooth to hold larger fillings in place. For replacing huge fillings, cusp holes are drilled and pins are screwed into the tooth; this can lead to micro crack formation, tooth perforation and even nerve trauma. As a result, root canal treatment is needed.
Not only do mercury-silver fillings do nothing for rebuilding the integrity of the tooth following decay removal, they further weaken the tooth by removing additional healthy tooth structure. To make matters worse, silver-mercury fillings expand with time and heat putting pressure on the already compromised tooth. This can have dire consequences: catastrophic tooth fracture."

Dr. Shvartsman says, "Fortunately there is an alternative to silver-mercury amalgam fillings. Since the 1980’s bonded, tooth colored, resin composite fillings have evolved into predictable, long lasting restorations. After three decades of worldwide research. A new dental restorative concept has emerged: Biomimetic Dentistry. Its premise is simple: let the natural tooth design be the blueprint for dental tooth restoration. Instead of re-inventing how teeth are built, biomimetic dentists mimic the natural biomechanical properties of teeth with the latest dental, synthetic materials. Instead of further weakening an already structurally compromised tooth as amalgams do, bonded (fused to tooth) resin-composite materials are employed to synthetically mimic the natural tooth in structure, function and esthetics."

For anyone living in the NYC area, this dentist practices in Smithtown, Long Island.  I wish I lived closer to this dentist; I'd be on his doorstep in a flash.

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If You've Heard About This Study, Stop Before You Believe It

A few days ago a study was published by European researchers as to the safety of Aspartame in foods.  Specifically, they studied adding this sugar substitute to soda for diet soda drinkers.  According to their results, Aspartame is so safe that one could drink up to 16, 12 ounce cans of soda with no problem.  Really?

Let's think about this, putting aside, for a moment, the absurdity of the safety of even drinking 192 ounces of soda a day on our kidney, liver, heart and gut.  Just how long of a study was this, with how many people in what kind of health?  The problem with these types of studies is that we all know how resilient our bodies are when it comes to imbalance and cell wall breakdown.  People can smoke for decades before developing lung cancer.  None of these "safety" studies are conducted over decades and no children or elderly are ever included....that weeds out unwanted data-skewing negative results for the researchers.  This study is so full of bias that I'm flabbergasted that it was taken seriously by anyone, let alone being taken seriously by a couple of M.D.s on The Today Show.

I've posted two blogs on the subject of artificial sweeteners and soda and their affects on the body...April 2 and August 21.  I wouldn't recommend drinking 192 ounces of water a day, let alone other beverages, especially those with artificial sweeteners. 

This is an example of, "Let the listener beware."

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Do you really need that blood pressure medication?

New guidelines have been suggested for whom should be medicated for high blood pressure.  Researchers conducted a meta-study (looking at years of data from past studies), focusing on health outcomes for people over 60 with blood pressure readings reaching 140/85.  After reviewing all the data for relationships between cardiovascular events, strokes and death rates and the efficacy of hypertensive medications, a conclusion was reached that this type of medication made little morbidity and mortality differences for those in this age group.

Researchers concluded that people over 60 years of age received no clear benefits from hypertensive medications until they showed a systolic of 150 and diastolic of 90.  Simply put, too many people are on medications that are of no proven benefit. 

As might be expected, the National Heart Association disagrees with the results of the study and wants to conduct one of its own.  Please remember, not all studies are valid and all contain biases.  However, the conclusion about the necessity for medications for hypertension was made after looking at data that were collected over more than a decade.  Any conclusions drawn by a single study by the NHA would most likely be flawed by biases, especially since the member doctors of the NHA were so quick to criticize the conclusions.  We have to remember that 75% of all doctors in this country do have some financial connection with the pharmaceutical companies whose drugs they prescribe.  No one, that I know of, has ever even hinted that this could be considered a conflict of interest.  Perhaps, it's not.

My suggestion is for those in any age group to at least consider alternatives to taking hypertensive medication, as I know of a number of studies, done over 30 years ago, concluded that 50% of all people on hypertensive medications are not helped by them....at all.  Yet, we know of the explosion of prescription meds for high blood pressure.  Is anyone else out there confused, too?

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Why Bother With Chiropractic Care?

I think this is a really good question that is often asked.  Some people say that it makes them feel better, helps to take pain away and even helps them feel more energetic and in balance.

These are all really great reasons.  What interests me, though, is why people feel this way.  When it comes right down to it, we never really understood all the affects that were generated by an adjustment and musculoskeletal rebalancing.  With the new information we now have about how the central nervous system functions, I can tell you that one main reason chiropractic therapy works is that it helps in re-patterning neural pathways. 

We know that in order to affect change, we have to correct old neural pathways that carry "injury" or "incorrect" information from the brain to the rest of the body.  This is accomplished through the repetition of corrected information, somewhat the same way that we learn balance in walking or riding a bike. We continue to fall down until the brain, "gets the hang of it."  Without correct information repetitively being fed to the brain, we simply cannot affect any significant change in the information the brain puts out. 

I really like the idea that we, in the chiropractic profession, were "right" all along when it came to the need for a balanced neuro-musculoskeletal system.  It just took technology to catch up with us to prove it! 
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FDA Warning to Those Taking OTC Diet Pills

Dieting is a minimally successful method of weight loss, at best, as it necessitates the use of "will power" as it's primary method of weight control.  As such, many people decide using diet pills is a way of circumventing this problem.  However, the FDA has found that many of these pills may be giving the user more than he/she bargained for.  Here are the latest diet pills that have been shown to cause problems:

The products include Slim Max, Diet Master, Super Slim, Body Beauty 5 Days Slimming Coffee, 1 Day Diet, and SlimExtra Herbal Capsules. All of the products are marketed, promoted, and sold for weight loss.
Slim Max, Diet Master, and Super Slim have all been found to contain the undeclared ingredient phenolphthalein. Phenolphthalein was an ingredient in some laxatives, but was reclassified by the FDA as "not generally recognized as safe and effective" in 1999.
Laboratory analysis confirmed that Slim Max, Diet Master, Super Slim, Body Beauty 5 Days Slimming Coffee, 1 Day Diet, and SlimExtra Herbal Capsules all contain the hidden ingredient sibutramine. This controlled substance was removed from the market due to safety concerns in October 2010.
These products pose a potential health threat because sibutramine may significantly increase blood pressure and/or pulse rate in some people. Sibutramine may also pose a significant risk for those with a history of coronary artery disease, heart failure, abnormal heart rhythms, or stroke, and may interact in dangerous ways with other medications that a consumer may be taking.

It's important for us all to remember that any change a person wishes to make, whether it be in their personal life or physical life, takes time and a considerable amount of work and effort.  There are no "quick fixes" that make any real or lasting differences.

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Thermotherapy for Cancer and other Ailments

Continuing yesterday's discussion about the benefits of a specific type of "heat" therapy for those with cancer, anyone interested in reading more about this topic can find it in the following book:  The Fourth Treatment for Medical Refugees, Thermotherapy in the New Century, by Nobuhiro Yoshimizu, M.D., Ph.D.

With the exception of nerve cells, more than 60 trillion cells in our body are going through duplication and apoptosis (cell death) on a daily basis.  In its balanced state, the body is designed to control cells so that they only grow when the body needs them to do so.  Imbalances in the cell nucleus caused by inflammation, stress and genetic weaknesses often lead to cellular overgrowth or mutations.  Mutagenic cells easily become malignant over a period of time.

Typically, Western medicine offers three methods of treatment for malignancies: surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.  Through much research (in foreign nations), it has been found that the application of thermo-therapy (39 degrees centigrade) causes cancer cell apoptosis.  Under normal circumstances, cancer cells do not undergo apoptosis because they are missing Cytochrome C, a necessary component of cellular death that happens normally in all our cells.  Thermo-therapy increases certain transporter genes that replicate the cells that produce Cytochrome C.  This is a very basic description of how this particular heat therapy works and I would encourage any of you who wish to know more to get the book.

Certain gems have been shown to improve the rate and depth of healing from thermo-therapy.  Under normal circumstances, infra-red heat only penetrates a few millimeters into the body.  With the addition of these gems, the penetration is increased to 6 inches!  This is the primary reason that the specific type of thermo-therapy that Dr. Yoshimiza uses, has been so successful in reducing cancerous growths, improving immune function and destroying viruses.
We have found this type of therapy to be particularly helpful in those suffering from immune system compromise.  

There are definitely choices for those who would like to combine traditional medical therapies with alternative ones in order to ensure the best possible outcome for both life-threatening and life-altering health problems.  I encourage those dealing with these challenges to consider learning about thermo-therapy as one such option and talking with your medical doctor about this choice.

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Can Cancer be Successfully Treated Without Chemo?

I've been reading a research study published by a medical doctor from Japan who is experimenting with a non-invasive method of eradicating cancerous tumors.  I haven't yet finished this study, but am very excited by his findings and wanted to alert you all to his findings.

I'll include more details, tomorrow, but the method of tumor reduction and elimination is HEAT.  Surprising, isn't it?  Apparently, tumors cannot reproduce above certain body temperatures.  These findings are fairly recent and are, of course, controversial.  They are, however, still valid and, I believe, need to be included in the course of conversation with the medical doctor when it comes to treatment possibilities.

Stay tuned for more information.

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Is There a Way to "Talk" to the Brain to Help It Heal?

Yesterday, I wrote about the necessity of healing our brains in order to change our eating patterns and habits so that we might be able to both lose weight and change our approach to healthy living, at the same time.  I noticed that blog was the third most read blog I have written, and that's after only one day.  I take from that, that many of you are interested not only in losing weight, but also in learning just how important brain function/health is to our overall health.  So, I thought I'd continue to talk about how we, in our office, address the issue of brain connection and optimal function with some of our patients.

Many people come to us with physical/mechanical symptoms, but also with symptoms of anxiety, fear and depression.  Medications can be very useful for those with severe symptoms, but it's my experience that most people deal with low levels of anxiety that are not debilitating, but are interfering with the feelings of joy and happiness that they once had in their lives.  These anxious feelings actually re-pattern our neural pathways and can  cause us to become stuck in a circle of unhappiness and, sometimes, despair.  There is something that can help "jump start" the brain into re-balance.  It's called, "harmonic resonance."

Dr. Robert Fulford, an osteopath and innovative practitioner who lived decades ago, researched the electrical impulses and energy fields of our bodies.  He noted that our peripheral nerves (the nerves that feed all information about movement/sensation to our central nervous system) communicate with the brain via specialized vibrations, at a set frequency.  Also, we know that our cells"memorize" all traumatic events, whether they be physical or emotional, within the central nervous system (CNS)...spinal cord and brain.  As the result of Dr. Fulford's research, an instrument has been developed that emits the same frequency as the CNS, allowing us to re-balance the neurological signals that have been unbalanced by physical or emotional trauma...no matter how long ago or how severe.

The CNS understands the harmonic frequency that is emitted and we have seen some amazing healing take place with its use.  Many patients have told us that, after treatment with this device, they feel as though they have had a, "day at a Spa," because they feel so  relaxed.  

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What One Thing Must be Changed to Lose Weight?

Everyone is interested in either losing weight or maintaining their weight.  What we now know is that when we gain weight, we actually lose brain size!  The good news is that the brain can be restored to its normal size when we lose weight by eating a truly healthy diet.  Simply taking off unwanted pounds by dieting will not help to restore our brains to health.  We have to feed our brains and bodies, correctly.  Therefore, the one thing that must be changed in order to lose weight is, the health of our brains!

In order to begin a proper weight reduction program, it must be understood that we have to reprogram our brains to be able to reestablish a healthy way of thinking and eating.

The first step is:

     A detoxification program.  What are the foods that we need to give up for 10 consecutive days?   Dairy..........Sugar.............Gluten

These three categories of foods have been shown to cause toxicity in our bodies and brains.  Most of this toxicity process takes place in the intestines.  We need to remember that the intestines are responsible for 60-80% of our immune function.

The good news is that our taste buds regenerate every 10 days, so its highly likely that after 10 days, our tastes will change, our brains will have been reprogrammed and we won't be nearly as likely to demand those high glycemic index foods.  We will have begun to change our brains.

The second step is:

     Change what's in our pantry and refrigerators.  We need to remember that if it grows on plants, it's probably good to eat; if is manufactured in plants, it's not good to eat.  We need to eat a diet that consists of 50% complex carbohydrates (mostly vegetables), 10% low-glycemic index fruits (mostly dark in color), 20% essential fatty acids and 20% protein, 50% of which should be non-meat proteins.  People who cut out essential fats when dieting are harming their brains.  The brain functions best on a high essential fat and low simple sugar diet.

The more "fake foods" we eat (processed, pre-packaged foods, refined sugars, sodas, etc.) the more our brains will be affected.

The third step is:

     Make different choices.  Choose organically grown, pesticide free foods.  I wrote a blog about brain function and how it relates to chemicals (July 1) and how it relates to pollution and pollutants in our environment (June 21).   Our brains are highly susceptible to both dietary and environmental chemicals...especially our children's developing brains.  Get the whole family on board with this.  We women are responsible for the emotional tone and health of our families.  It's really important that we don't let the demands of others dictate our food choices.  While it may not always be the case, I have found over the years that when decisions are explained to our children, they react in a much more positive manner than if they were simply told, "Because I said so, " or, "Because it's good for you."

Decide that this way of eating will be your chosen lifestyle.  We know that diets don't work because they rely on will power.  One can last only so long on will power.  It's  through "thought" power or "choice" power that lasting changes are made.

The fourth step is:

Decide to make these changes as a family.  Make the changes as fun and enjoyable as possible.  Decide on activities that the whole family can do together. I've seen a change in the last few decades in which children are signed up for so many individual activities that families have stopped eating together and have stopped communicating.  All the electronic devices that we find so vital may be lots of fun to use, but we are losing our human connections as a result.  Exercise with others in your family and exercise with friends.  Statistics show that people who are responsible to others and for others are much more successful in their weight loss and lifestyle changes than those who go it alone.

We have an epidemic in this country of anxiety, depression and obesity.  Psychotrophic drugs are being prescribed in alarming amounts.  Eating poorly affects our brains and how we cope with everyday life.  Huge numbers of children are being treated for depression, also.  The obesity rates among children and adults is staggering.  The question is: "Do we continue to make the same dietary and activity choices and keep taking diet pills or do we decide to make a change, no matter how much work it takes, and become a healthy nation, one person/family at a time?"

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More Benefits noted from Eating a Mediterranean Diet

Over the years, there have been many studies published as to the efficacy of eating a Mediterranean-type diet.  Basically, this diet consists of eating anti-oxidant rich fruits, vegetables, oils high in omega 3 fatty acids and fish.  The Annals of Neurology published a meta-analysis of all the studies about the benefits of eating this type of diet and found the following:

Through data analyses,  researchers found that people who consistently adhered to a Mediterranean diet had a 40 percent reduced risk of cognitive impairment, 32 percent reduced risk of depression, and a 29 percent reduced risk of stroke. Those who moderately adhered to the diet had similarly reduced risks for both cognitive impairment and depression, while the reduction in stroke risk was minimal. After further analysis, the authors noted that the effects on stroke risk appeared to be more prominent in men than in women.

The authors concluded that consistently adhering to a Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk for a number of brain diseases, particularly cognitive impairment, stroke and depression. A study published earlier this year also found that maintaining a Mediterranean diet rich in extra-virgin oil or mixed nuts may improve brain function.

It makes perfect sense that eating a diet high in essential fatty acids would be found to enhance cognitive function as the brain thrives on a fat-rich, low-simple carbohydrate diet. One important point that I find to be missing when it comes to discussions about the benefits of a particular diet is that we need to understand that the authors assume that the person is only eating that particular way.  In other words, does the individual eat a Mediterranean-type diet AND eat refined sugary snacks or soda, eat a high-glycemic index diet,  drink caffeine-containing beverages or eat  processed foods and/or smoke?   You get the idea.  Eating well some, or even most, of the time is not a license to eat poorly, especially if one has any predisposing factors to ill-health or systemic imbalances.

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