If You're Tired After a Night's Sleep, it Might not be Your Bed

I've noticed a new trend in the past few years...many patients are telling me that they never feel completely rested in the mornings.  Many of us live very full lives in which it may seem difficult to find the time just to catch our breath.  However,  after addressing the problems of stress, poor food habits and even a new mattress, may still report feeling tired most of the time.

What I have found, through my experience with the results of the foundational nutritional health analyses is that the tiredness is directly associated with how the body handles sugar.  I'm talking about added dietary sugar, from any source...including white foods, excess fruit or fast foods.  Over the years, we lose muscle mass, experience high levels of stress, tend to eat, "whatever is available," (which is usually simple carbohydrate-containing items) and no longer exercise as we once did.  All of this contributes to our body's inability to break down and assimilate sugars.

There are nine points that I check to see how the body handles sugar...it's called a Foundational Sugar Handling Analysis.  Most of us might associate the pancreas with sugar as it is responsible for the production of insulin, a hormone that aids the body in sugar assimilation.  In reality, there are five additional organs/glands that are involved with sugar handling.  After analyzing all six, I can accurately assess how the body handles sugar assimilation and provide the care/formulations necessary to re-balance and heal the body. 

I have seen a tremendous improvement in quality of sleep and energy levels in those patients who have gone through our nutritional sugar handling program.  The next time you wake up unrefreshed in the morning, it may be the sugar overload in some of your organs that is the problem.
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To Drink or not To Drink Red Wine...that is the question.

The May 12, 2014 issue of JAMA has just published results of a case history/clinical  study (one of the least "scientific" methods of study) in which over 700 old men and women from the Chianti region of France (I'm guessing they drink loads of red wine) were followed for 9 years.  Their levels of urine were tested as well as markers for inflammation, heart disease and cancer, assessed.

By the end of the 9 years, 268 of the participants, died. (Remember, this was not a randomized, double-blind study, so the conclusions are biased and probably not particularly accurate).  No association of the supposed protective properties of red wine were found.  The resveritrol was deemed, "unimportant,"  (my word) in its anti-inflammatory properties.

I'm going to continue to suggest one eat more dark fruits and berries that contain resveritrol than to try to get this from drinking alcohol.  I think the benefits of eating fruit that contains hundreds to thousands of phytonutrients is obvious in comparison to drinking red wine with its scores of additives that need not be included on any of the labels...unintended consequences may abound as a result.

By all means, if you enjoy red wine, have a glass (4 ounces) a day.  But, I'd caution everyone who believes that red wine offers significant anti-inflammatory protection to re-consider and eat dark berries, instead.

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The Most Important Element in Your Diet Is....

WATER!

I  know that so many of you live with husbands/partners/significant others who steadfastly refuse to drink sufficient water everyday.  The excuses are many and varied, but the bottom line is...we need to drink 1/2 our weight in ounces of water, daily.  Just as important is that we don't drink a lot of water at one time.  Too much water in a short period of time can cause electrolyte imbalances....potassium being the most easily washed away.  Eight ounces of water every half hour is optimal.

When any of those you love ask you why it's so important for them to "bother" drinking...here's a cautionary tale for you to tell:

There is a person whom I have been trying to convince to drink more water for years.  This individual typically only drank with meals (I've written about the problems associated with doing that) and only 6-8 ounces at a time.  Now, at an advanced age, even though this person is physically active, the body is showing signs of too little water over a period of time...  increased hydrostatic pressure in the kidneys leading to imbalances in the cardiovascular system. (This has been medically verified)  The reason for this, actually, has to do with acupuncture meridians. 

Meridian energy is divided into four categories: earth, wind, fire and water.  These four elements mitigate the balances in all of our meridians.  In this case, the imbalance is caused in the water-mitigated meridians...the kidney and bladder as well as the fire-mitigated meridian...the heart (triple warmer) because water controls fire.  So, now we need to re-balance this person's entire meridian energy system.

We need water in our daily lives,  no matter what someone's opinion may be to the contrary.  How easy is it to simply drink water and how devastating the consequences may be when we don't?
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High Insulin Levels & Breast Cancer

Insulin is the hormone that is responsible for maintaining normal blood sugar (glucose) levels in the body.  All food that we eat is broken down into energy by our cells and insulin is the transport system.  When the body is flooded with more sugar than it can process, insulin resistance results.  The interesting thing is that most people connect candy, sugary foods/drinks and other sweets with sugar, but don't understand that all refined foods, all white foods  and all grains (not pseudo-grains) are processed as sugar and cause the release of insulin from the pancreas...again, resulting in insulin resistance.

Excess carbohydrates that are not needed for energy are stored as fat.  Increased body fat increases estrogen levels and increased estrogen levels lead to estrogen dominance (as does excessive cortisol production via progesterone imbalance), which we already know leads to increased risks for breast cancer.

I'm sure some of you have heard that eating cruciferous vegetables helps to protect us from breast cancer.  While that's true, we know that one would have to eat between 3 and 5 pounds of them, everyday, in order to ingest enough of the phyto-chemicals in these vegetables to offer that level of protection.   

Cutting down on the simple carbohydrates, of all varieties, along with eating a diet high in complex carbohydrates (low-carbohydrate containing vegetables) will offer us the best possible dietary protection against insulin resistance and all the problems associated with this...cancer, diabetes, heart problems, nerve problems...and so on. 
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An Important Video to Watch About Food

Over the past months, I have written about the myths that many in the medical profession are still clinging to....fat in the diet makes you fat, eat lots of grains and cereals, eat according to the old food pyramid and so on.  I highly recommend those of you (or friends and family) who still are eating a low-fat diet, grains and cereals, carbs for breakfast and won't eat eggs because of the cholesterol, to please view the following video.

My thanks to B.K. who sent me this link.  It's good timing because I had intended to write about insulin resistance, today.  I'll save that for later in the week.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/06/28/cereal-killers-movie.aspx?e_cid=20140628Z1_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20140628Z1&et_cid=DM51233&et_rid=568274155

The Dangers of Hormone Imbalances

Hormone balance is directly connected to the food we eat, the exercise we get, the toxins we absorb and internally produce, the weight we carry and the stress levels we put up with.  How these multiple factors impact the overall hormone picture is crucial, particularly at midlife when most hormone production is mediated by the adrenal glands.

I have previously spoken about the changes that prolonged mental/emotional stress can produce in the adrenal glands, resulting in symptoms that are associated with sympathetic hyper-stimulation syndrome...blood pressure problems, sleep disturbances, low testosterone production in women, depression, anxiety,  elevated cortisol production and immune system deficiencies, among the most significant.

The excess cortisol production affects total hormone production.  This forces the body to steal from its own supplies of available progesterone, to make more cortisol, thus depleting this key balancing hormone with obvious implications for estrogen dominance.  The symptoms of hair loss, cold extremities, dry skin and dry membranes that are typically associated with thyroid dysfunction, are actually primarily connected to adrenal imbalance. 

Prolonged stress tears up our bones, melts our muscles, robs us of strength and energy, lowers our libido and overwhelms our immunities, putting us at serious risk for chronic illness and autoimmune disease.

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The Truth about a Gluten-Free Diet

The past couple of days I've both read articles and watched while medical doctors on a news program comment negatively about gluten-free diets.  Their rationale centered around the fact that only 1% of the population has Celiac Disease and it's claimed that only about 6-7% have symptoms indicating a sensitivity.  "And your point?" I thought to myself is...

They really didn't have a point except that people (I don't know what people) had the idea that they would lose weight on a gluten-free diet when, in fact, many of those packaged GF products contain a considerable amount of added sugar, salt and fat.

So, their point is that gluten has a taste to it?  I find that amusing. Gluten-free packaged foods have a different texture because of the types of flours that are used, so that could be perceived as a taste variant.  But, if the GF companies are putting more fat, salt and sugar in their products, then consumers need to  be aware of it.

The truth is that most of us have become sensitive to gluten because of the GMO wheat that has been grown in the U.S. since the Clinton Administration.  We become sensitized to those items that we eat in excess....dairy, citrus, peanuts, soy, corn, gluten and so on.  Look at the label on any packaged product you buy...soy is at the top of the list; anything containing wheat, contains gluten. There are other grains/products/foods that contain gluten...the internet is a great resource for that information.

We have developed symptoms that are associated with that sensitivity to gluten...bloating, gas, bowel problems, allergies, inability to digest certain foods....all gastrointestinal symptoms that are relieved by cutting out gluten.  Many people do lose weight resulting from water retention because of the inflammation in their GI tract.

I recommend people cut out gluten to help eliminate inflammation and its associated symptoms. I also recommend that people not eat prepackaged or processed foods...eat fresh vegetables and fruits, cut out the foods to which you are sensitive and don't eat gluten, whenever possible.  That way, you aren't getting added trans-fats, salt or sugar in your diet and you will be better able to lose weight that way and live a healthier life.

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Warning Signs Your Body is Giving You

I don't know how many times I've heard patients tell me that their symptoms just began, "from nowhere."  I can categorically say that the body Always gives us warning signs when it is becoming ill or is stressed beyond its capacity to cope.  We are so used to the Western approach to health....take a lab test and if it comes out "normal" we must be healthy.  The truth is often farther away than we believe.   Simply put, continuous stress depletes the adrenals and affects the weakest systems of our body, first.

Here are warning signs from your body that stress, if left unchecked, will cause any of the following:

high blood pressure-----> cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, strokes
diabetes--------> cancer,  neuropathy, blindness, early death
chronic fatigue----> autoimmune disorders, chronic illness
gastrointestinal disorders----> migraines, anxiety, gall bladder disease
obesity----> cancer, sleep apnea, diabetes, high cholesterol, cardiovascular    disease, stroke, liver and gall bladder disease

These signs and symptoms often go full circle, as you can see. 

Here are some common signs and symptoms of stress:
hair loss   trouble concentrating    depression    increase in drug or alcohol use
social withdrawal    teeth grinding   mouth ulcers

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A New Paradigm....Functional Medicine

Back in 1991, the AMA sued two doctors (PhD's), Jeffrey and Susan Bland, for making claims that a person could lose weight by changing the metabolism.  Also, they claimed that by changing a person's diet, that person's gastrointestinal, inflammatory and immune problems, fatigue, food allergies and mercury poisoning could be affected or eliminated. 

You might be interested to know that the medical association lost and the Bland's won the suit.  In fact, if you watch Dr. Oz or The Doctors or even the Steve Harvey show, you'll hear all about how diet and dysfunction are interrelated...seems as though once the medical association loses, they absorb the information and pass it along as their own....just one person's opinion.

The Institute of Functional Medicine was born in 1991.  If you google it, you'll even be able to find medical doctors who are now certified in Functional Medicine.

Functional Medicine addresses the underlying causes of disease, using a systems-oriented approach and engaging both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership. It is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better addresses the health care needs of the 21st century. By shifting the traditional disease-centered focus of medical practice to a more patient-centered approach, Functional Medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms. Functional Medicine practitioners spend time with their patients, listening to their histories and looking at the interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and complex, chronic disease. In this way, Functional Medicine supports the unique expression of health and vitality for each individual.

I had never heard of the term, "Functional Medicine," before a year or so ago.  What I find ironically interesting is that we have been practicing using this philosophy and approach to patient care for over two decades.  That's why we offer treatment that encompasses both a neuro-mechanical and physiological, functional  approach.  Maybe, great minds do think alike.

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Foods We are Most Allergic To

The American Association of Pediatrics has complied a list of foods to which we are most allergic.  In past blogs, I have detailed the difference between true allergies and adverse reactions to foods.

The eight foods are:

tree nuts (ex. pine nuts)                wheat
peanuts                                          dairy
corn                                               eggs
soy                                                 shellfish

I believe the problem with the wheat is gluten, the dairy is the size of the protein, with shellfish, the iodine and with eggs...maybe the years of added hormones.   I have seen the greatest negative reactions to nuts, eggs, soy and shellfish.  Typically, people usually have adverse reactions to corn, wheat and dairy, although there are many who are allergic to these foods.

To see how much of an adverse reaction to foods you have, if you know you don't have actual allergies to the foods, remove the food from your diet, one at a time, for 3 weeks.  Then, reintroduce the food into your diet.  If you adversely react, as in headaches, stomach symptoms and the like, this is a food to cut out of your diet. 

Coffee, sugar and beef also can typically cause your body to react adversely.  When trying to cut out sugar or coffee, expect withdrawal symptoms for about 3 days time.  Then, it should get progressively better.

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