More Info About Fibromyalgia

One of the many sources that I read to keep up on the latest information from the medical world is, "Medscape News."  This is an on-line allopathic newsletter that any licensed practitioner can access.  (I say, "licensed" practitioner because these folks check your credentials before sending you the newsletter....no lay people allowed, so to speak.)  When I received the newsletter, today, that was about fibromyalgia, I accessed it immediately to see what new approach was being touted.

Maybe, it's a good thing that the everyday patient isn't able to read this newsletter.  They might become jaded.  The conclusion was that since the opiates in our brains respond differently to pain, these chemicals that are released by pain signals are the reason that the current prescribed fibromyalgia medications (see the latest television commercials for the current "guess-what we're trying now," pharmaceutical) don't work very well. So, now we blame the brain for not responding to medications.  I disagree.  It's the lack of understanding about the true cause of fibromyalgia and, thus, the grasping-at-straws-for-anything-that-might-help mentality, rather than the let's-get-to-the-bottom-of-this strategy that is the cause of the failure, in my humble opinion.

For anyone suffering from this problem and thinking that medications will solve the symptoms, I would suggest trying a different approach.  Medications, taken regularly and long term, eventually cease being efficacious and frequently cause very serious side effects.

Re-balancing the body through nutriceuticals has been shown to be one highly effective approach to this problem with which I've seen much success.  I have said before that I don't believe that fibromyalgia is a disease or cause of a problem, but is an effect of multiple nutritional imbalances in the body, beginning with a dysfunction of the gut.

For those dealing with this dysfunction, it's my guess that your symptoms have increased over the past week or so if you've been attending seasonal parties.  Refined sugar will exacerbate fibromyalgia due to causing increased insulin demand, decreased B vitamin content in the blood and decreased native intestinal flora population. Refined sugar is definitely not our friend.

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

Correction of my Brownie Recipe

I mistakenly said to use an 8 inch non-stick pan in which to bake the brownies.  I meant to say to use a 10 inch non-stick pan.  I'm sorry if anyone tried this recipe using the smaller pan...I hope you didn't have any oven accident!

Dr. Esther

Incredible Brownie Recipe

If you use a good non-stick pan, you need do nothing in the way of preparing it.  If you use a regular 8 x 8 baking pan, then, grease and flour the pan, then cut two strips of parchment paper wide and long enough to stick up the sides by about 3 inches, placing the paper at 90 degree angles to one another and grease the parchment paper, again.

Set the oven temperature to 325 F.

Ingredients:

6 ounces of dark chocolate (minimum, 70%)  I use Divine or Chirardelli, 72%
1 stick of butter
1 tsp. ground coffee
3 eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten
1 tsp. real vanilla extract
3/4 cup of GF flour (I like Pamela's)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cup of coconut palm sugar (this makes for low glycemic index brownies)
3/4 cup of chopped walnuts

Directions:

Melt the chocolate, butter and coffee in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside to cool a bit, and then whisk the eggs, vanilla and sugar into the mixture.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt and cocoa powder. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet, then add in the nuts.  Pour the mixture into either a 10 inch non-stick pan or 8 x 8 prepared baking pan.

Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes.  Do not over bake this recipe.  It's meant to be moist when you remove it from the oven as the eggs will keep cooking for a bit.  Cool completely before removing from the pan.

Two things to remember:  the quality and taste of the brownies depends upon the quality of the ingredients, especially the chocolate, and these taste so much better when they are cooled.  If someone just can't wait to try them, they will crumble if eaten warm.  The recipe is easy and simple; the taste is complex and incredible!  Happy Holidays.

Enjoy.

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

My Quest for the "Perfect" Non-Stick Pan

For many, many years I have been trying to find a poisonous chemical-free non-stick pan.  At first, there was "T-Fal."  But, soon we learned that pan was dangerous to our health as it emitted chemicals when heated to high temperatures.

Next, I tried Calaphon, but those pans were definitely Not non-stick.  I believe that the company that produces this brand does now have a non-stick option, but I'm not looking backward.

Tramentina, sold by QVC, was my next purchase.  These are stainless steel with an aluminum core and, after 20 years, still look beautiful, cook evenly but are only "stick resistant," not non-stick. Onward.

America's Test Kitchen recommended a brand of non-stick that I thought would be wonderful, for sure, as they were, after all, recommended and these people put the products through rigorous testing.  Alas, the 12 inch lasted only 6 months...not exactly what I had in mind.

My regular readers may remember that last year I wrote about the "green" non-stick fry pan as a new favorite non-stick pan. I still do use them (12, 10 and 8 inch) but the "non-stickiness" has had to be renewed, regularly, and they don't work as well as I would like.

I promise, I do have a point to this topic.  The other day, out of desperation, I tuned into QVC and was watching Wolfgang Puck demonstrating his non-stick cookware.  "Kinda expensive,"  was my response.  So, "Why not try HSN?" I thought. 

One Curtis Stone was on the air talking about his "Everyday" cookware.  I watched the entire show (including listening to how this non-stick cookware was designed and developed).  This was different...these pans weren't simply coated with a non-stick surface, but had the formulation impregnated into its 5 layers.  The pans are heavy-duty (much heavier than all my other pans, but about the same weight as the Tramentina stainless), flat-bottomed (others are somewhat rounded), have an aluminum core and truly need zero oil of any kind.

We've made over-easy eggs with no oil, vegetable fried rice (no oil) and a fantastic brownie recipe that was highly tweaked from a Martha Stewart recipe which called for oiling and flouring the baking pan and oiling and flouring the parchment paper, but with my non-stick pan, cooked up perfectly with no greasing necessary.

Oh, I don't think I told you that you don't have to use any special utensils with this cookware...I used stainless steel spoons in it last night!  It doesn't scratch because there isn't any surface coating. Wow.  I didn't have to prepare the pan before use or do anything special before cooking.  I really like that. (The "Green" cookware has to be "re-non-stuck" every so often.) The pans even came with a universal lid...it fits my 8", 10" and 12" pans perfectly.

So, I'm hoping that I will continue to delight in the new fry pans for many years to come.  HSN sells these online and I highly recommend them to any of you who have similar experiences with non-stick cookware.

I thought I might give you the brownie recipe, tomorrow.  Best brownies I've ever eaten.

Dr Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

Don't Eat These Grains, Legumes or Vegies?

When I was in chiropractic school, we were required to take a course in research.  It was a mere 2 credit course and one that not too many took very seriously.  In this course, we learned how to distinguish "good" science from "bad," and "biased" science from relatively "unbiased."  As humans, it is impossible to be completely unbiased, but you can make a pretty good effort.

So, I was interested in the latest findings by the American Heart Association concerning vascular disease and diet, published in their 2013 Scientific Sessions.  They have decided to recommend the elimination of "lectin" containing grains, legumes and vegetables...including all night shade plants...in order to decrease endothelial (vessel) damage.  Lectin is a sugar-binding protein, usually thought to be very helpful in the diet.  Let's look a bit deeper into the actual study.

The population studied was very restricted.  It consisted of only 200 people.  Of these 200, 40% were women, the ages ranged from 51-86, ALL the individuals had multiple risks for vascular disease and nearly 75% had "endothelial dysfunction."  This means, in effect, vessel damage.  Every one of these statistics show bias....an aging population with preexisting vascular disease/damage and no indication as to their state of health, diet, lifestyle or other health history issues before inclusion in this "study."

There are also different values associated with various types of studies.  Anecdotal data, case history, non-randomized trials or double blind, randomized trials.....upon which type of study were these data based? That information was not included and it makes a great deal of difference to those trying to figure out the validity of the reported findings.

My suggestion:  don't believe everything a "study" concludes.  Just as an example, egg plant is a "night shade" vegetable.  It is also a member of the "viscous fiber" category.  Sticky or viscous fiber eaten everyday is a vital component to vascular protection and normalization of cholesterol levels.  Of course, you don't want to eat a diet high in sugar or sugar-containing foods, that's a "no-brainer."  But, to suggest that we cut out healthy, phyto-nutrient rich foods because the elderly have experienced vascular damage is absurd.  There was nothing in this report to suggest that any reversal of endothelial damage occurred, either.  At the very least, some good science needs to address the specifics of this recommendation.

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

Chicken Pox + Depressed Immunity= Shingles + Stroke & Heart Attack

Chicken pox (Varicella), that inconvenient, itchy condition that plagues many children (and adults, too) can turn into herpes zoster, aka shingles, in older age.
Now, it appears, those who develop this condition are more likely to die from a stroke or a heart attack within a week of the outbreak.

Caroline Minassian and colleagues from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine conducted a Meta study of some 67,000 Medicare-aged victims of shingles.  

"We observed a marked increase in the rate of acute cardiovascular events in the first week after zoster diagnosis: a 2.4-fold increased ischemic stroke rate and a 1.7-fold increased MI (heart attack) rate," they wrote in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Medicine.
"The most marked increase was observed during the first week following zoster diagnosis."

What many people don't realize is that once in the body, any herpes virus never leaves...it simply moves around via the nervous system, waiting until the host's immune system becomes suppressed, either from another condition or simply from stress or poor diet.

I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping one's immune system healthy and strong.  Diet alone will not do the trick. Anti-viral drugs will not do the trick as All of the people in this study were on those medications.

Anyone interested in learning how to maintain a healthy immune system?

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

Another Explanation for Autism

In a study just published in JAMA, it was found that children born to women taking certain anti-depressants during their second and third trimester are twice as likely to become autistic. Prosac, Paxil and other serotonin-inhibiting anti-depressants appear to be the major culprits.

Now, let's add to that the explosion of opioid-based pain medication that has been prescribed to young people in the past decade and the skyrocketing incidence of heroin-like addiction and you have a recipe for disaster.

Honestly, I am appalled at the medical profession's seeming ignorance of the ever-growing consequences of the attitude of, "the more drugs the better," approach to health care.  I think the public bears some of the responsibility for this, too.  I've heard a number of medical doctors who claim that they are often virtually "forced" into prescribing medication by patients who won't take "no" for an answer.  If they don't get the desired medication from one doctor, they'll simply go to someone else who will give them what they want.

Personally, I know what I say to potential patients who come in for help and tell me exactly what the internet research has told them what I should do.  Let us simply say that if they refuse to listen to my advice, they are encouraged to seek help elsewhere.

Autism is a multi-faceted problem.  Pollution, illicit and prescription drug usage, high sugar, lots of soda and a pre-packaged food diet of the mother and child and a high stress environment have all been shown to be complicit in this condition.  In my opinion, Autism is turning out to be the Alzheimer's of children.  Both are neurological conditions that rob the person of cognition and emotional connection and can devastate the entire family.

I wonder if we'll ever wake up and take a good, hard look at our actions and the consequences of those choices.

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

The Hidden Problem That May be Killing Our Children

One in five Americans kids has unhealthy cholesterol levels, and more than 8 percent have the most worrisome high cholesterol levels, a new survey finds (from NCHS).

Older children and teenagers had the worst cholesterol levels -- nearly 27 percent of 16- to 19- year-olds had at least one measure of unhealthy cholesterol, the National Center for Health Statistics found. And the heavier children were more likely to have unhealthy cholesterol measures.
More than 43 percent of obese kids had bad cholesterol levels, the survey found.

"While it's not a surprise that they have more abnormalities than non-obese kids, it is pretty frightening," said Dr. Julie Brothers, a preventive cardiologist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who was not involved in the study.
"It's quite high."

The findings definitely support recommendations to start screening even young children for cholesterol, Brothers said. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends cholesterol screening all children age 9-11.

Unhealthy cholesterol levels can mean arteries are already being blocked with hardening "plaques" that can cause heart attacks and strokes.
Many studies have shown heart disease starts young — with artery-clogging blockages starting sometimes as young as age 3! Ultrasound examinations of children as young as 10 have shown they can have arteries that are already as clogged as those in some middle-aged people.


Thirteen percent had low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL or "good" cholesterol). HDL scoops up the "bad" cholesterol and carries it away, so having high levels is important. It's linked most with poor diet, Brothers said.
"I look at things like what they are drinking throughout the day. The majority are drinking a lot of sugar drinks," she said. Cutting back on sugary drinks can help, she's found. So can adding exercise.

I can remember studies showing autopsy results on soldiers who were killed in the Vietnam War of a significant level of atherosclerosis in men as young as 18.
It's obvious that this nation's health has not improved over the decades.

Not only are we seeing type 2 diabetes in early elementary-aged children, we are now seeing risk factors for heart disease and strokes in this same age group.  This should outrage and horrify all of us.  But, I suspect it does not.  We certainly are a species of "see-no-evil" and it doesn't exist.  I fear for our youth and the health of this nation.

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

Our Body's Toxic Overload and Our Health

Toxins are in the foods we eat, water we drink, products we put on our skin, and air we breathe. You are probably aware of most of the environmental and food ingredients that are problematic:

Pesticides   Heavy metals    Chemicals    Pollution  Additives & Preservatives

But what you  might not realize is that our bodies also produce natural toxins, such as ammonia, carbon dioxide, hormone-metabolism byproducts, oxidized lipids, and protein/nucleic acid compounds. 

These natural toxins linger in the body if they can’t be excreted.  The liver, lymphatic system, kidneys, lungs, intestines, blood, and skin filter, expel, or metabolize these toxins. When overloaded, the body becomes inefficient. 

Toxins can build up, creating a toxic burden that can have wide-reaching effects. Toxin buildup in the body can lead to inefficiencies and altered metabolism. When the body isn’t operating optimally, this can contribute to:

A stuffy feeling in the head

Fatigue or difficulty sleeping

Indigestion and other temporary

gastrointestinal upset

 Food cravings and weight gain

         Reduced mental clarity

  Low libido  and Skin that's not looking its best

There is a protocol developed by Standard Process that specifically targets the elimination of both acquired and naturally-occurring toxins that affect our level of health and wellness everyday.  I've used this for many patients; many say it has changed their energy levels, clarity of thinking, sleep patterns, skin health, weight gain patterns  and general health and well being.

Dr. Esther

drkollars@gmail.com

fixdhealthcare.com

Do You have Swollen Feet, Legs or Ankles?

If you or anyone you know has swollen lower extremities, it's called, "edema."  There are two major categories of edema, one is non-medical and the other, medical.  The two are caused by entirely different problems and should be addressed as such.

If your medical doctor has told you that your edema is not caused by a heart or kidney problem or prescription drugs, and you eat the standard American diet of processed foods, grains, sugar and white "trash" carbohydrates, then it it likely that the edema is caused by insufficient quality protein.  Fortunately, this is easy to test and cure.

However, if your doctor has said that your edema is connected to a heart or kidney dysfunction, then, not only do you need to change your diet, but you will need a specific protocol that will help to tone and strengthen your heart or kidneys.  The magic of nutritional re-balancing comes from the proper supplementation and formulations that are specifically designed to offer this support.  After following these recommendations, it is highly likely that your medical doctor will be able to wean you from the prescription medication that you have been taking for the heart or kidney imbalances.  We have seen many instances of this very thing happening for our patients who have chosen nutritional re-balancing to strengthen their bodies.

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
www.fixdhealthcare.com

Ideas as to How to Reduce Stress This Season

Even though many of us have more activities to do than usual during the holidays, this extra scheduling isn't necessarily our major source of stress...what does cause our bodies to over-react is our diet.

Exchanging cookies, office parties, children's school parties and holiday dinner parties all put a tremendous stress on our adrenals and GI tract.  The primary culprit is refined sugar; I think most of us know this.  Therefore, I am including a suggested list as to how to eat about 90-95% of the time this holiday season in order to help your body reprogram itself into health.

 It's fine to eat a little sugar as long as you remember that only a few teaspoons full can repress our immune systems for up to 8 hours...the "danger" zone.  I suggest extra high quality garlic and Vitamin C taken after eating "naughty" foods will help to mitigate the danger.

Here are a few tips:

1.  Eat whole foods, as provided by nature.

2.  Eat lots of raw and fermented vegetables with every meal.  Buy the dark green, leafy lettuces, preferably organic.  Ice berg lettuce is a waste of time.

3.  Eat frequent small meals, but eat as often as you are hungry.  Large meals over burden the digestive system, so, at a holiday dinner, take small portions and, if you're hungry in another 4 hours, eat another small portion of the food you craved.

4.  Don't eat multiple simple carbohydrate foods at the same time...stuffing, corn pudding, mashed potatoes, bread, muffins, biscuits and the like really aren't "food,"  they're sugar cubes in disguise; pick one and leave the others to those who wish to become comatose after the meal.

5.  Avoid combining sugar and protein...wait a couple of hours after that protein meal to eat dessert...you're digestive system will thank you.

6.  Drink LOTS of water...but not with meals!  Drink one-half your weight in ounces throughout the day and up to a half-hour before you eat.  If you drink with your meals, you're stomach acid will be diluted and not be able to properly break down all that protein you're eating.  If you have to have wine with the meal, keep it down to no more than 4 ounces. 

7.  If you're doing the baking for the holidays, may I suggest you use coconut palm sugar instead of refined white or brown sugar.  The glycemic index of the palm sugar is 35, while the GI of white/brown sugar is 100.  Your body will thank you.

Happy Holidays to All and Happy Eating, too....
Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

President Jimmy Carter is One of the Fortunate Ones

As I sat watching yet another ad for some medication or another (they all sort of run together for me), I began thinking about what most of us are really doing when we pop those pills into our mouths.

From what I've seen, I believe that many, after xx number of years taking the same medication, don't even register what they are putting into their system.

I am a big fan of taking a specific medication for a specifically indicated malady for a specific amount of time. Certain medications have been proven to save lives, over the years.  (Look what has happened with former President Jimmy Carter.  It's amazing).  But, I have to wonder how many listen to or read about the disclaimers concerning the proven efficacy of many of the advertised pharmaceuticals. "Not shown/proven to decrease the number of heart attacks/strokes/other indicated problems...," let alone some of the horrific side effects listed:  anything from swelling of the tongue to brain cancer to death, and, yet, we are the "pill-poppingist" nation in the world.

What many are missing about the daily, sub-conscious ingestion of the average 12 meds per day, in my opinion, is that, with some exceptions, the physiological imbalances/deterioration that caused the original problem has not ceased.  Going off the medication results in the problem popping back up.  So, what is happening is that the medication is only masking the symptoms, not addressing the cause.

I know that many actually are very contented to simply continuing to take  pills.  I understand that.  What I am hoping that people understand is that their body continues to deteriorate in the absence of symptoms. I encourage you to read the labels that are included with your medications.  Good luck with that; you'll probably need a magnifying glass.

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

These Statistics About the State of our Health are Stagering!

According to the chief medical officer of Pfizer, 88 million Americans are pre-diabetic and a full 24 million Americans have Type 2 Diabetes, right now.  These statistics do not include anyone suffering from Type 1 Diabetes, the cause of which is not diet related.

How have we gotten into this predicament?  A full 1/3 of our population has metabolic syndrome! What has caused us to go from a nation in which type 2 diabetes used to be a disease of the elderly to a disease comprised much more of little children, teenagers and young adults?

Ever hear of the "food pyramid?"  About 20% of the diet was supposed to be protein and fat, some dairy and the other part mostly carbohydrates (55-65%). Also, no real distinction was made as to the difference between complex and simple carbohydrates.  We went from a nation of a reasonable BMI to an obese people in just 10 years. What group pushed us into eating this way?  Why, the medical doctors, of course.

Every doctor's office had the food pyramid chart prominently displayed on the exam room wall.  From what I can tell, many still do!  I truly need someone to explain this to me.  Medical doctors get zero courses in nutrition in school.  Some schools offer a 12 week course in a combination of public health and nutrition. And yet, the public chooses to rely on these same undereducated doctors for health and nutrition advice.

A recent gallop poll commissioned by the American Chiropractic Association revealed that a full 75% of Americans would go to their medical doctor for nutritional advice and concerns before ever even thinking about asking a chiropractor.  Amazing what a little brain washing and lots of negative marketing can do.  All fully accredited chiropractic colleges offer 4-5, 15-week courses in nutrition! (Taught by those with Ph.D's in nutrition)

Nutrition is not an afterthought; it's a complex course of study involving the understanding of the micro-environment of our cells to the macro-environment of our tissues and organs and how this interplays with our physiology, biochemistry and neurology.  That, my dear readers, takes a long, long time to understand, let alone to master.

Why don't we hold the medical profession accountable for its actions?  I believe I know why.  I also believe it's up to all of us to ask ourselves why, if we truly want to change our health care system from one that is sickness-driven to wellness-driven.

Integrative Therapeutic Nutritional Wellness....check it out on my website, if that interests you.

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com

Car Accidents & Chiropractic Care

"If I'm in a low speed car accident and don't have any problems, why should I check with my chiropractor?"  I wish I had a dollar for every time that question was asked...I'd truly be rich.  Seriously though, that's a legitimate question; I do have a legitimate answer.

Think of your head as a bowling ball and your cervical spine as a rubber pencil, trying to support it.  While not an exact representation, the image is not so very far from the truth when it comes to the physics of an injury like a low speed (or high speed, for that matter) impact.  The reason why I am talking about low speed impact accidents rather than high speed ones is that the resulting injuries are very different, depending upon the speed.

A low speed impact injury (under 25 mph) is very similar to the type of injury that one experiences in a fall, moderate impact to the face or a moderate sport's injury.  These types of injuries are ones that the majority of us experience throughout our lives.  Normally, we don't feel any significant after effects and we typically forget about the incident/incidents.  Unfortunately, our bodies do not forget about them.  In fact, the nervous system remembers and records the injury in its neurons and that changed information is then fed back to our musculoskeletal system.  Then, our body compensates for the changed information, forcing structures to perform duties for which they weren't designed.  Unless and until the CNS is "reprogrammed" with the corrected, originally designed information, our body will continue to perform its functions in an unbalanced manner, which eventually leads to more imbalance and pain.

It can, literally, take years for symptoms to appear.  And, worse, few health care professionals are able to make the connection between what is now happening and what originally caused the problem, so people end up with pain prescriptions that deal only with symptoms.  That's what we usually see....the person who has significant but diffuse symptoms due to injuries incurred years ago.

My suggestion is for anyone who has had a car accident or impact injury, with or without symptoms, to have a chiropractor who understands what to look for check them out.  Your future self will be really, really grateful.

Drs. Esther & Thomas
drkollars@gmail.com
thomaskollars109@gmail.com

Your Nails reveal a lot about Your Health

Among the many different methods I use to determine a patient's state of health, or "unhealth," is to assess the condition of their finger nails (toe nails usually just tell me about the presence of fungus in the blood). This method has been a major part of Oriental medicine for many, many centuries.

Nutrient deficiencies in the body present themselves in the condition of the nails in the following ways:

Soft, tearing or peeling easily, opaque lines
Dry, brittle, breaking easily, horizontal or vertical ridges
Thin, flat, spoon-shaped, white or yellow nail beds
White spots or bands on nails or nail bed
Yellow nail bed, poor or no growth
Darkened nail beds

All of these problems indicate not only significant nutritional deficiencies, but can also indicate chronic organ dysfunction or impaired circulation, a possible precursor to cardiovascular problems.

Don't ignore these signs if your nails fit any of the above descriptions.  And, please don't just cover up your nails with polish.

Dr.  Esther
drkollars@gmail.com
fixdhealthcare.com