Is Truvia the same as Stevia?

Of all my blog posts over the years, this topic has engendered the most hits and responses.  The latest response is from a gentleman who was given the impression from my original blog that the sweetener developed by Coca-Cola under the name of "truvia" is the same as the herbal sweetener, "stevia."  I apologize that my blog caused this confusion.  Here are the facts:

Stevia is an herb native to Paraguay that is 300 times sweeter than sugar. It has been used for centuries as a sweetener and has been found in many studies to be completely safe. It even has some health benefits. Apparently, it improves insulin sensitivity to fight obesity and diabetes and can reduce hypertension (high blood pressure).

Stevia comes in many forms. It comes dried, powdered, and in a concentrated liquid extract. Make your choice based on the amount of sweetness you want (white extract powders are the sweetest). High grade products that use only grade A and B plants and separate out as much of the stems, roots, and leaf veins as possible will have a much better, sweeter taste, without the bitter aftertaste that many stevia products have.

"Truvia is not made from whole Stevia, just two of the sweetest compounds extracted from Stevia. It was developed jointly by The Coca-Cola Company and Cargill. Truvia contains erythritol, known to be derived from GMO corn. Rebiana is the trademarked name for rebaudioside A (Reb-A), a steviol glycoside that is thought to be responsible for the sweet taste of Stevia. It takes a 42-step procedure to derive Rebiana. This process of extraction, which is patented by Coca-Cola and deemed a safe sweetener by the FDA, is chemically driven, using acetone, acetonitrile, methanol, ethanol and isopropanol for extraction and likely starts with genetically modified stevia leaves. Rebiana is a chemically modified form of stevia — it is NOT pure stevia. There have been concerns about Rebiana being a “mutagen”, defined as any substance that may alter genes. Truvia also contains dextrose and erythritol. The erythritol constitutes approximately 3g of carbohydrates per 3.5g packet of Truvia.

Research on the safety of this product has thus far been limited to several studies sponsored by Cargill itself. Truvia also contains natural flavors — that means that your guess is as good as mine as to what is in the natural flavors. Since the term natural flavors is unregulated, it could be MSG or some other nasty neurotoxin."

We have Wendy Myers to thank for the above information about Truvia.

I truly hope this clears up any mistaken impressions my original  blog may have given about the safety of truvia.

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

Are You Getting Enough Micronutrients?

I read the following excerpt on the Thrive Market website.  I thought it so interesting that I quote it, below.

The list of nutrients the body needs to ingest on a daily basis can at times seem unattainable. There's protein, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables, and whole grains to think about—and without even considering micronutrients.

You probably know micronutrients by their more common alias: vitamins and minerals. The human body desperately needs these nutrients, but can't produce them all on its own. That's where food comes in.

Of course, not all diets are created equal, and not every diet can provide a full serving of each vitamin and mineral. In fact, one study conducted by the National Institutes of Health discovered how bad four popular diets are at providing these essential nutrients.

And the numbers might be against us. To get the recommended amount of micronutrients suggested by the USDA, you'd need to eat an average of 27,575 calories a day. At 12 times the amount of calories we're supposed to consume daily, it's clear that a diet focused on obtaining micronutrients definitely isn't a sustainable one.

Wow, 27,575 calories...and, still, the quality of those micronutrients isn't even addressed.  Our body requires high quality, whole food micronutrients to perform all of its vital functions, everyday.  Standard Process offers whole food, organic supplements and formulations that supply all the necessary daily micronutrients without supplying all those calories!

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

The "Happy" Patient Experience

This story has nothing to do with insurance.  It has everything to do with my area of special interest:  helping people with chronic problems by supporting a balanced physiology and biochemistry through proper nutritional formulations.

This patient came to me after having gone through years of blood work with her medical doctor that showed altered biochemistry results that were consistently not addressed.  The most significant problems involved her immune system, sugar imbalances and her blood's oxygen-carrying capacity.  Her symptoms were significant and interfered with her sleeping, eating, digestion and assimilation of food, energy levels and her ability to work; not a happy camper.

What did we decide to address first?  The immune/digestive system, of course.  Without a balanced gut, nothing much works well.  We began the second week of September, with a number of ups and downs the first couple of weeks; that's the primary reason I need people to keep in close contact and work in partnership with me for a period of time...the body reacts differently with every individual.  I saw this patient the second week of October to deliver another phase of supplements and then, again, for our monthly consultation 17 days later.

This visit was with a new person.  Before, where she was exhausted and looked  old and worn, she now almost bounced into the appointment.  Her face had lost all of its puffiness and her complexion was no longer gray, but pink.  Her eyes were bright, her energy levels were higher than they had been for years, her quality of sleep had improved and all of the swelling in her hands and extremities was gone.  What a difference a few weeks had made.  We have much more to do, but in looking years younger and beginning to feel like she used to years ago, she one happy lady.

This is another example as to why my nutritional relationship is with only one company, Standard Process.  In my 27 years of experience, there is no other company whose supplements and formulations are able to make such an immediate impact in someone's quality of life. I really, really love my job!

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

A Tale of Two Patient Experiences: One Happy, One Sad

I'll start with the "bad news," so to speak.  This is a story about a patient who, as part of her profession, is required to perform constant repetitive tasks.  I have spoken about the fact that months of a repetitive task can result in the same damage as one significant trauma.  This is what has happened, in this case.

Now, add a motor vehicle accident in which this patient's neck, shoulders and wrists absorbed the majority of the trauma, and we have the need for frequent rehabilitative treatment over 8-10 weeks.  After her first treatment, she felt more energetic, stronger and an improvement in her symptoms.  So far, the story seems to be pretty positive.  The problem?  She opted for only  $5,000.00 of medical coverage per accident on her car insurance.  A trip to the ER, some X-Rays and a visit to her medical doctor and that money was gone.  Even though her injuries are directly the result of this MVA, she has to bear the burden of the cost of care.

For about $10.00 more per YEAR, she could have had $25,000.00 of coverage.  I just do not understand why people frequently tell us that they don't even know how much their medical benefits are and that we find that most patients aren't proactive when it comes to knowing the details of the insurance that they carry.  I probably sound like a broken record, but please, please, at least find out how much medical benefits you have chosen to receive if you have a car accident.  It's the cheapest medical insurance you'll ever purchase.  Ask yourself, "What are the odds of my getting into a car accident?"  I think we all know the answer.

I think I'll tell the story about the happy experience in my next blog as this one ran a bit long.

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

Do You Order Food from Amazon? I have a better suggestion...

In a blog post last month, I told you about a new place I found to order organic, gluten free items at a significantly reduced price...www.thrivemarket.com.

Today, I did a bit of price comparison between the exact same items, including size and weight, sold by Amazon and Thrive.  Here are just three examples, you decide which is the better choice:

1.  Andean Dream Quinoa Organic Spaghetti, 8 ounces

     Amazon:  $12.34                     Thrive:  $4.00

2.  Chicken/Beef Bone Stock, organic, 15.2 ounces

     Amazon:  $14.75                     Thrive:  $4.35
(actually, I couldn't find the chicken bone broth at Amazon, just the beef)

3.  Pamela's Baking Mix, 24 ounces

     Amazon:  $8.79                       Thrive:  $4.95

That's just a sample of my savings on hundreds of high quality food items.  Pretty good find, eh? 

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

Do You Want Beautiful Skin? This Product is for You

Many of you know that I am a Nutritional Wellness Life Coach and offer phone consultations for those who either live too far away to come to me or prefer to have me at their "beck-and-call" on a monthly basis via texts, e-mails or phone.

I was in the middle of a phone consultation with a client when she said something that stopped the conversation in its tracks.  "My skin was radiant this weekend."  We weren't even addressing her skin condition problem, at least not in a conscious way.  She has had facial and general skin problems for quite a while, but at this point we were focusing on her gut reconditioning program.  Additionally, she has had skin breakouts during her period for years. 

I thought about this for a moment and realized that, of course, as the gut improves, so will the skin, as it is the window to a person's level of health or wellness.  She also noticed that her skin became a bit duller-looking as the week progressed as we had her on the gut protocol formula only on the weekends.  We changed that to fewer of the particular supplement to be taken on a daily basis.

A few days ago, when we had our monthly consult, I asked her about the protocol and her symptoms.  About her period, she said, "I wasn't as gloomy and my hormones didn't feel as though they were across the board."  About her skin, she said she didn't break out (for the first time ever during her period), and it was back to looking radiant, again.

I don't know about you, but I find this very, very impressive.  No creams, lotions or "magical" skin formulas ever produced results like this and helped to re-balance monthly hormone levels, too. If this interests you, let me know.

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

The First-of its-Kind Pharmaceutical Advertisement

Yesterday, I actually bothered to listen to an ad by the pharmaceutical industry and have to admit a reaction of both surprise, initially, and resignation, practically.

This was what I call a "cartoon" ad...marketing advisors obviously think that the public will accept a cartoon woman character taking opioids for pain better than an actor aka:  "not a real person." (I'm guessing because the public has been educated as to how incredibly addictive this class of drugs is.)  What surprised me was that the cartoon lady was telling about the nasty side effect of the opioid: painful constipation.

What was the advertising recommending?  Why, taking another drug for the side effects.  Think about this for just a moment.  Now the drug industry has found a whole new demographics: people taking all those medications (we know government statistics indicate each person takes an average of 10 medications in this country!!!!!) who are experiencing side effects--let's get them to take yet another medication.

I'm guessing this type of ad is just the first of its kind with many, many more to come.

There are multiple ways to help those experiencing chronic pain; it's too bad that the majority of Americans choose the "easier" road:  a pill, which almost always leads to nasty unintended consequences.

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

How Safe are Your Vitamin Supplements? According to CBS

Last night, the CBS Evening News ran a report about the potential harm that can result from taking vitamin supplements.  The resident medical expert told us that the FDA doesn't control the safety of these products. 

A 17 year old boy's story was detailed; a picture of him when he was 15 was shown:  bulging yellow eyes, an indicator that his liver was not functioning properly.  His mother related the story that at 15, this morbidly obese boy started taking a green tea-based weight loss product.  In her words, "He saw how well one dose worked and decided on his own to take extra."  His liver was found to be dysfunctional and he was given a 50/50 chance to live.  He recovered, but his story was described in detail as a cautionary tale about taking "unregulated" vitamins.

Most of you regular readers know that I don't recommend regular lab-based vitamins and for those new readers, you may read about the reason on my website.  As an aside, the news program showcased many different non-FDA regulated supplements....Standard Process was not among those shown as this food-based supplement company is regulated out the....well, let's just say, "regulated."

The bias of this reporting astounds me.  The good doctor didn't bother to mention that the highly FDA-regulated pharmaceutical industry is responsible for producing medications that cause tens of thousands of deaths every year.  How many deaths could this investigative reporting find? ZERO! Interesting, don't you think?

Now, I'm the first one to assert the cautionary tale about not taking synthetic, non-food based or fractionalized vitamins, but the fact that 2,300 people (according to the report) are hospitalized every year with symptoms associated with taking or, more accurately, improperly taking vitamin supplements, in my opinion, does not warrant the level of fear that this report tried to encourage.

"Take all your vitamins and dump them out on the desk..." when you go to the medical doctor and he (even though he's had no nutritional education whatsoever) will tell you if your vitamins aren't safe to take, the good doctor on CBS advised.  Wow.

Just another reason that I'm so pleased to offer Standard Process nutritional supplements to my patients and clients.

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

You Increase Your Death Risk if You Have Lots of This in Your Diet

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition ( one of my favorite medical journals), shows a association between an excess intake of phosphorous and an increased risk of death.

Dietary phosphorous is found in such foods as: milk, cheese, grains, dried beans, peas, nuts and peanut butter.  This element is necessary for normal cellular function such as energy storage, metabolism, the utilization of many B vitamins, the buffering of body fluids, kidney excretion of hydrogen ions ( part of the oxidation/reduction reactions that lead to cellular aging), proper cellular and nerve function and maintaining calcium balance.  As you can see, phosphorous is vital to our body's health.

However, if taken in excess, calculated to be over 1400 mg/day, this element was seen to be associated with an increased risk of death from, "any cause."  The researchers did not establish a 1:1 ratio at this point, but this finding is consistent with those of other studies in which a cause and effect was established between increased phosphoric acid intake and osteoporosis and, sometimes,  heart disease.  What is the primary dietary source of excessive phosphoric acid in the American diet?  Soda.

My recommendation is for anyone who drinks soda on a regular basis, please check the can/bottle labels to see just how much phosphoric acid you are ingesting.  It doesn't matter if the soda is zero calorie or regular, it contains phosphoric acid.  The body doesn't recognize the phosphorous that is in soda and cannot utilize it, at all.  Dietary sources of phosphates are easily utilized by the body and helps keeps us healthy.

We do know that excessive intake of phosphates can lead to hyperphosphatemia, which occurs in people with impaired kidney function and can cause serious electrolyte imbalances and even, in some cases, death.

Cutting out or down on soda is one of the easiest changes that can be made to the diet.  This is especially important for children and the elderly, as they are always highly susceptible to electrolyte imbalances and the negative effects that soda can have on the body.

Some researchers believe that a low phosphorous intake is indicated in the third trimester of pregnancy as phosphorous levels rise, probably due to thyroid stimulation.  Usually, this element is well utilized throughout pregnancy, but probably should be carefully monitored in high-risk or susceptible cases.  These women need to check the phosphorous content of any supplements they take.

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com 

Is Chiropractic Care Safe During Pregnancy? What about Pickle Juice for a Healthy Pregnancy?

Yesterday, my husband and I were discussing patient care.  He told me that he was talking with a woman in her third trimester who didn't know that chiropractic care wouldn't harm her baby and that it is often very helpful, not only in pain, discomfort and nutritional management but also in the delivery process, itself.  I've treated many pregnant women who, to a person, have told me that my treatment helped them have an enjoyable pregnancy and easy delivery compared to a pregnancy when they hadn't had chiropractic care.

I asked my self, "Why is it that many women are so often uninformed about alternative pregnancy care?"  I think the answer is a combination of very poor public information by us chiropractors as well as very good anti-chiropractic marketing by the medical profession.

My first venture into treating pregnant patients came almost 27 years ago when a woman came into the office with her prenatal vitamins....they looked like little pink footballs.  Just for the fun of it, we cut the vitamin with a knife and, much to the patient's surprise, the pink coating peeled off the vitamin, resembling a plastic covering.  She was taken aback, to say the least.

The prenatal supplements that I offer are only derived from real, honest-to-goodness food.  Hmm...lets see: fake, laboratory-cooked "vitamins" or real food supplements...a very difficult decision, indeed.

I also was apprised about a new idea touted by some dietitians, recommending the daily drinking of pickle juice as a way of keeping pregnant women and all of us, "healthy."  I include the ingredients of this so-called elixir:

Cucumbers , Water , Vinegar Distilled , Salt , Contains less than 22% of , Garlic Dried , Spices , Calcium Chloride , Sodium Benzoate , To Protect Flavor , Peppers Bell Red Dried , Flavors Natural , Polysorbate 80 , Oleoresin Turmeric

Now, if drinking distilled vinegar, loaded with salt and preservatives is one's idea of a healthy drink, it's beyond me.  If one wishes the benefits of vinegar (acid/base balancing), why not simply drink watered-down pure vinegar? (I like apple cider vinegar as it contains nutrients that distilled vinegar does not)

Another problem with drinking this pickle water (or any acid, for that matter) straight is enamel erosion. I always recommend that my patients who drink a lot of lemon water use a straw so their teeth would be protected against the mild acid.  The pH of vinegar is lower than that of lemon juice, so the straw idea is vital.  

I have to admit that I have never heard of drinking pickle juice as a means of keeping one healthy. I would not recommend it. 

Dr. Esther

drkollars@gmail.com

fixdhealthcare.com

A New Way to Treat Auto-Immune Diseases

By now, many of you may have heard about a young female celebrity's treatment for SLE or Lupus....Chemotherapy.

What is the definition of chemotherapy, according to the medical community?
   
"Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells in your body.
Chemotherapy is most often used to treat cancer, since cancer cells grow and multiply much more quickly than most cells in the body.

Many different chemotherapy drugs are available. Chemotherapy drugs can be used alone or in combination to treat a wide variety of cancers.

Though chemotherapy is an effective way to treat many types of cancer, chemotherapy treatment also carries a risk of side effects. Some chemotherapy side effects are mild and treatable, while others can cause serious complications."

One might wish to inquire of the FDA or the AMA about this "off-label" drug usage to kill what cells?  A person's own cells that have run amok?

 What is auto-immune disease?  Simply (very simply) put, it is a condition that results when the body's immune system attacks itself. I have described how this happens in a number of previous blogs.  I have also described the existence of nutritional protocols which can help the body to re-balance itself.

I wonder how many years it will take for the "unintended consequences" of this treatment to be used as a lucrative income source for the legal profession.  I also wonder why we don't even consider immune-system re-balancing for immune system-mitigated problems.

Someone once said we get the government we deserve; it appears we get the medical care we deserve, too.

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

Recommendations for Surviving the Flu Season and Other Maladies

 

Recently, I had a phone conversation from one of my out-of-state patients who was telling me about having beaten her bout with a cold much more quickly than others who were struggling with the same problem.  She was very happy that her cold was just about gone after only two days.  There is a secret that I have given to all my patients when it comes to beating colds....a special garlic formula that Kyolic offers; it is an odorless organic aged garlic extract.  Stock up on this and your winter will be a much more pleasant one, this year.  Kyolic can be safely taken by children.  The capsule may be swallowed or opened and sprinkled on food.  If you have taken all that your body needs, you might burp up a slight garlic taste.  Otherwise, you'll never know you are taking a garlic product.  Do not buy a cheaper knock off of Kyolic because other companies don't age the garlic.  It must be aged in order to produce the bio-active medicinal enzyme found only in the aged product.

If, however, you have forgotten to take the garlic and now have full-blown symptoms of the flu, Standard Process offers a product that many have found to kick the problem in a very short period of time, sometimes causing an almost immediate cessation of symptoms.  It's definitely worth having around.*

Another problem that this patient was also experiencing was sinus stuffiness.  Now, for any of you who have this problem, I have a product suggestion for you.  It's called, "Sovereign Silver" nasal spray.  Actually, Sovereign Silver makes colloidal silver in a number of forms.  For any of you not familiar with colloidal silver, I suggest you look up information on this product.  Again, never buy cheaper substitutes as the source of silver must be pure and cheaper products are not.  Anytime you may get a cut, burn or skin injury or infection, this is the product to use.   Also, for those who want a mouthwash that does not contribute to mouth and tongue cancer (see earlier blog on this subject), colloidal silver may be used to rinse the mouth.  When applying to a wound, soak a cotton ball with the liquid and let sit for 10 minutes. 

If you keep these products in your medicine cabinet, you will be amazed as to how effectively and quickly they work.

*Standard Process products are nutritional supplements and not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

Why Does Flu Season Begin in November?

The answer to the question concerning why we are more susceptible to viruses and bacterial infections in the Fall is a five letter word:   SUGAR.

We consume 160-180 pounds of refined added sugar per person each year in this country.  What happens on the 31st of October?  Exactly.  Halloween is the number one candy consuming holiday of the year.  Our children and we already are consuming pounds of  "white trash" (any refined, simple carbohydrate, including white food and flour products and prepared foods ) every year;  now, add to it a night or week of refined sugar gluttony and you have yourself a recipe for a seriously weakened immune system--including the adrenals and GI tract.

"The consumption of sugar and other relatively pure carbohydrates has become so great during recent years that it presents a serious obstacle to the improved nutrition of the general public."

Any guesses as to the source of that quote?  Believe it or not, it was published by the American Medical Association in....1942!

Even small amounts of refined sugar represses the normal functioning of our adrenals...that means that the production of T-cell lymphocytes ceases for a time, leaving us susceptible to whatever microbes may be lurking.  Sugar also destroys a significant amount of our "good" intestinal flora, which mitigates about 70% of our immune system. 

Tomorrow, I'll write about how to remain healthy during flu season (besides watching those simple carbohydrates).

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com