Dr. Piken's Blog

The Dukan Diet, The four hour diet, the 17 day diet...

2012-01-09T10:43:00.003-05:00

Its been a long while since I've written a post. We've done a bunch of short informative videos posted to our YouTube site but I've got the bug to write again so here it goes...

There were some new Fad diets that were all the buzz in 2011 and I'm sure there will be more this year. I don't have anything against most of them actually. Most diet fads out there have the same recommendations with slight little twists and tweaks and names that make them sound new and exciting. Even my wife is hooked on one, "Crazy Sexy Diet" by Kris Carr. She ordered it towards the end of 2011 and went full steam ahead with it right away. The CRAZY thing is the fact that as she was reading it she was telling me that it basically was the info I had been teaching her over the past 13 years that we have been together.

You see, there is nothing new out there, there is no magic bullet (well I do like my magic bullet mini blender) when it comes to diets. All the info we are ever going to need is already out there and most of you already know it. So what are you waiting for? Maybe, just like my wife Stacey, you are just waiting for the right time. That's it! Stacey was ready for the change. Even though she had been making positive lifestyle changes slowly over the years there was always that "extra few pounds" she was pissed about. Well when you are really truly ready for change you can do it anytime. Stacey put her nutrition into overdrive and now she picks on ME for the food choices I make because she is so committed to being healthy.

So my recommendation to you is this...find an old diet book that you had read (or skimmed through) in the past and follow it because it works. Don't have one? I like Crazy Sexy Diet, it's what I teach anyway! All diets work! Some are better than others but they all get results if you are committed to them. So GET COMMITTED! Draw a line in the sand! Make today the day you change! Don't TRY to do it, DO IT! then remember the changes you are making are FOR LIFE! Not for a few weeks.

This is the kind of info we teach at our office. When you are ready to change your life you can do it. If you need help, call us email us and Innate Chiropractic of Manhattan will Help you achieve optimal health!

Don't Give Up!

2009-12-08T16:41:00.004-05:00

I just replied to an email I received from someone in San Francisco and it inspired me to make a new entry. This person is dealing with a chronic pain and has tried going to various doctors and alternative health practitioners. One piece of advice I had for this person is "don't give up!" There are plenty of times in my office where, unfortunately, I wind up being the 3rd, 5th even 15th doctor someone has seen for an issue. I definitely can't say that I have taken away the symptoms of each and every one of those people but I have helped many. Sometimes there is either one piece of advice, one supplement, one adjustment, or a muscle being worked on the correct way that can make a difference in the way a person responds to care.

I'll give you my personal example...Before graduating chiropractic college I was in a car accident. Along with many other injuries I also had 2 compression fractures in my spine. Those two fractures kept me in some form of pain or discomfort for months. I had been getting adjusted by great chiropractors 1-3 times per week, I was in Physical therapy for 2 years, I exercised on my own and was taking great care of myself and I still was experiencing mild chronic lower thoracic pain. I also had frequent flare ups of more acute pain for about 2 1/2 years after the accident.

Having chronic pain would have been frustrating for anyone but especially for someone like me who's job it is to care for others. Here's where things changed. I went to an Applied Kinesiology seminar because I was curious to learn more about it and to be honest I was getting bored with my practice. I was called up to the "stage" by Dr. Eugene Charles who was teaching the seminar because I raised my hand as someone who had a certain type f pain that he was describing. I laid face up on a chiropractic table and Dr. Charles put 2 wedges under my back and then proceeded to traction my legs. The whole procedure took 1 minute and he then told me to stand up. When I stood up and tested my range of motion I noticed I had the ability to rotate side to side further than I had been since the accident and I felt better as well.

That one movement to correct a "facet imbrication" was done by a chiropractor and is considered an adjustment just like I had received hundreds of times before. The point is this time there was something a little different. Sometimes that is all a patient needs. Something a little different. I still have to keep up a healthy lifestyle of getting adjusted, eating well, exercising and taking supplements; but without that facet imbrication being released I feel like I would have still felt that accident to this day. That is what put me on the road to learning more Applied Kinesiology and why no matter what; you should NEVER GIVE UP!

Stress is just like Calories!

2009-10-15T14:43:00.002-04:00

Stress is a word thrown around way too easily these days. "My neck hurts but its just stress...I have a stress headache...Ugh, my boss is stressing me out!...I can go on and on. I hear complaints about stress all day long in my office and I don't think people understand that when we experience stress we can't just blow it off!

Stress is like calories. If you eat more calories than you burn what happens? You gain weight and after weeks or months or years of your calorie equation being out of balance(More calories in than out) you can see the damaging affects on your body.

Think of stress the same way. Every day we are exposed to combinations of physical, chemical and emotional stress. If we experience stress yet do little to alleviate stress we throw off balance our stress equation(More stress in than out). The affects of stress aren't as quickly apparent as calories but they do impact our health in a tremendously negative way.

Think of it; when you experience any stress your muscles tense, your blood pressure rises, your blood sugar rises, your heart rate increases, your immune system becomes depressed...I can go on with many more! Even when the stress is over there are residual effects of stress that stay with you. Think of the most basic:

Right now feel around your upper trap muscle ( its the muscle between your ear and your shoulder) If you poke around for a few seconds it will be easy to touch upon a sore spot. There will most likely be one little knotty area that will feel slightly more tender than the rest of your trap. That is one of the many effects of stress, tight muscles. those muscles in turn pull on your spine and cause subluxations. Subluxations are small misalignments that place stress on your nervous system. So ultimately a lot of the stress that you experience negatively impacts your nervous system. That doesn't sound like a good thing to me...how about you?

The greatest way to alleviate stress is to live an incredibly healthy lifestyle. You need proper rest, regular exercise, and excellent nutrition. If there are times when you are not following the best of lifestyle, which for most people is often, you should get to a chiropractor. Remember stress is cululative just like calories it builds up for weeks, for months, or even for years before you start to pay attention to the affects of stress.

The main purpose of chiropractic care is to reduce the effects of stress on your body. The less stress your body experiences the healthier you are. I also choose in my practice to utilize Applied Kinesiology, which is the melding together of chiropractic, nutrition, acupuncture, physical therapy and cranial sacral therapy. The more areas of stress you relieve the better!

My Advice! Get rid of your stress right now and call your chiropractor for an appointment!

Cold Laser Therapy is Amazing

2008-04-29T11:47:00.011-04:00

My new Laser is amazing me all the time. In November of 2007 I finally invested in a cold laser device for the office and I couldn't be more pleased with it. I decided to avoid a lengthy technical discussion about lasers on my Blog, instead choosing to refer you to a link that explains that.

http://www.usalaser.biz/faq.html#3

What I want to state hear is a summary of what the Cold Laser does and some of the experiences I have had with it at my office.

First of all a cold laser as the name implies does not burn, it is merely a source of concentrated light that penetrates the body and does two really exciting things. Laser light has unique physical properties, which no ordinary light has. Laser therapy, also known as phototherapy and low level laser therapy, involves the application of low power coherent light to injuries and lesions to stimulate healing and reduce pain. It is used to increase the speed, quality and strength of tissue repair, resolve inflammation and give pain relief. Laser therapy has been found to offer superior healing and pain relieving effects compared to other electrotherapeutic modalities such as ultrasound, especially in chronic problems and in the early stages of acute injuries. Laser therapy is a complete system of treating muscle, tendon, ligament, connective tissue, bone, nerve, and dermal tissues in a non-invasive, drug-free modality.

As far as experiences I always refer back to my first. I barely had my laser out of the box for a few minutes before testing it out. My first of many success stories is a patient with an 8+ year old knee pain that was not responding to any other treatment. After using the Cold Laser for 4 minutes on her knee the pain was gone!!! Best of all it still is gone as of today after only 1 treatment! That's over 5 months later!! I can't say that everyone has responded in the same way. The Laser is designed to be used as a treatment modality that is used multiple times to achieve results but on many occasions I do see tremendous results in one treatment.

I would next like to give my own testimonial. I have had a Morton's Neuroma (google it if you like) in my right foot for about 10 years. The Neuroma hasn't been painful in a long while because I altered my lifestyle by avoiding running, biking, jumping rope...anything that would hurt it. I have tried stretches, exercises, orthotics, manipulation, supplements, detox, nothing helped and I was resigned to the fact that one day i would get the thing cut out through surgery. I was delaying surgery because I always believe that cutting your problem out is absolutely the last resort. Although it is necessary at times, you can't go back and repair if something goes wrong. Any way, I decided to start lasering my neuroma. After 4 treatments I noticed about a 50% improvement and I kept using it about twice per week for 3-4 minutes at a time. I actually hit a wall for a while where I didn't see any further improvement until about session 20 where there was a change. The area actually felt different, actually worse. I felt numbness in the area for about 10-12 days. During that time to be honest I was mildly concerned that I fried my foot but I do realize that can't happen using a cold laser so I pushed on. By session 24 the numbness was gone and so was 90% of the neuroma problem. I can't state how happy I am that there are times when I don't think about my foot. Even though it hasn't been painful for years I was aware of the problem many times a day. I haven't had the time to laser it in a few weeks but I will resume soon seeing if I can get the last 10% but even if I can't I think its amazing as is.

Just Eat Food!

2007-04-12T09:17:00.000-04:00

We have this vessel, our body that needs certain ingredients in order for it to run properly. There is a basic concept that we all must understand. If you don’t give your body the proper fuel to allow it to run properly, it won’t! There it is simple as pie; just give your body the proper fuel. Sounds simple but I see book after book telling us what to eat, how to eat, in what proportions, if there should be carbohydrate if there should be saturated fat, every opinion under the sun about food. For the most part all of these books can be correct if you follow the plan, meaning that almost all reasonably healthy plans will work if you stick with them. I have realized that you can find studies and statistics that prove whatever you want if you are willing to take a narrow view of the facts and manipulate it to your liking. The way I decipher what is a good plan of eating or not in the vast realm of nutrition is by first using plain old common sense. If I feel that the guidelines in the book make sense and that I could follow those guidelines easily than I would give it a try. Now you could spend your life jumping from trying every plan available or the best advice you can follow is to find out one that works for you and stick with it. What do I mean by working for you? Well I consider a way of eating proper if it allows you to fuel your body enough to build muscle but not put on much fat and makes you feel good while eating that way.

So when it comes down to it, how do we feed these incredible bodies of ours? There are many different paths that we can take. Again there are many books out there that you can buy and try so that is an option.

For those that want the ultimate in simplicity, for those that can’t bear to follow any guidelines or plans. For those of you that want the magic pill, that just want to know the bare minimum I have this advice. First of all there is not now and never will be a magic pill so give up your search; and if anyone tells you that their pill is the new miracle pill on the market run the other way.

My advice to you is this:

Don’t eat anything that comes out of a box!

You wanted it simple there it is! Many of the problems of modern society have been caused by convenience foods. Yes the stuff that you eat that can last on a shelf for weeks or months or years at a time. The stuff filled with partially hydrogenated oils, trans fats, sugar, polyscorbate 80, red dye #4, and numerous other chemical additives, fillers,

by-products, and preservatives. If you just simply follow this rule your life will improve! You’re done! You now know how to help people with problems like diabetes and heart disease. Just remember just because you didn’t see it in a box doesn’t mean that it didn’t come from a box. Restaurants use boxed items also. That is a good basic rule but there are many exceptions to the rule, very often my frozen brussel sprouts come in a box and I am not about to give them up.

Now here are the general exceptions to the box rule. This is not a weight loss plan or a special needs diet. It is a list of the 2 most basic rules of proper nutrition that will enable you to become a healthier happier person. Here are my rules for what constitutes something to be called food. And if all you eat is food than you are on your way to becoming healthy.

Food is not white unless it started off that way.
Food spoils

Let me explain Rule 1. Food is not white unless it started off that way. That means that eggs, milk, fish, cauliflower, chicken, white beans…are all considered food because man/woman has not done anything to these things to make them white (except maybe cook them) they are basically unadulterated. What doesn’t belong on the food list? Sugar, white flour, Splenda, Equal, … all the things man/woman has placed in nice packages that sort of looks like food and sure does taste good but really is just a manufactured product not something that grows or once lived and provides nourishment.

Nourishment, now there’s a word for you. The main reason for these two main rules for food is to try to ensure that everything that you eat provides some nourishment. You should not eat merely to fill your stomach so the hunger pains go away. The purpose of eating is to provide the nutrients necessary to carry on the process of LIFE!

Now don’t get discouraged I love, love, love food. I love to cook, smell, shop for, and of course eat food. You can truly have delicious and nutritious things to eat all day long, day in and day out that are simple to prepare and still be able stick to these rules. Believe me I do it all the time. It just takes a little time to learn new habits.

I’ll follow up soon with ideas to help follow the eat food not junk rule in future Blogs.

Thanks for reading!!!!!!

Dr. Piken

Acid Reflux

2007-03-02T11:13:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I can't believe how many patients I see that have some form of acid reflux. Symptoms can include upper abdominal bloating soon after a meal, a dry persistent cough, bad breath, heartburn, or full out burning acid regurgitating up to the throat. There are many levels of acid reflux and all of them should be addressed. Letting small symptoms like these develop further could damage the esophagus and can even lead to cancers of the upper digestive tract.

The biggest problem I have with acid reflux is the most common approaches to treating it. Treating acid reflux usually means suppressing the acid with calcium (TUMS) or various medications that inhibit the production of acid in the stomach. This approach may sound simple and correct but there are consequences to suppressing or blocking the acid. For one our stomach is supposed to be a very acidic place. The acid from our stomach mainly in the form of hydrochloric acid helps us to digest our foods. Without the proper acidity levels we have trouble digesting foods. Some of the more difficult to break down nutrients are Calcium, Magnesium and many proteins (amino acids). Utilizing acid blocking can be necessary for short periods of time to allow the esophagus to heal but staying on these acid reducers can lead to other problems from the loss of these vital nutrients.

The best way of going about fixing the symptoms of acid reflux is by adressing the deficiencies or structural imbalances that lead to the symptoms in the first place. That is always the treatment approach at our office, treat the person not the symptom. The two main causes that we see in our office for acid reflux are either a zinc deficiency, a hiatal hernia, a TMJ (jaw) problem, or a subluxation (misalignment) of the mid thoracic vertebrae. Usually it is a combination of a few or all of these problems.

I will begin by explaining the relationship of the TMJ imbalance and acid reflux because it ties things together. It starts off with the trigger for every problem Stress. Stress can be physical(getting punched in the mouth), chemical(smoking ciggarettes), or emotional(trying to meet a 9:00am deadline for the project. Either way one of the things people do when under stress is to clench their teeth together placing stress on the jaw joint the TMJ. If there happens to be even a slight imbalance in the alignment of your bite then that clenching or grinding of your teeth can cause TMJ dyscomfort. As soon as your innate senses TMJ dyscomfort there should be a compensation to alleviate that dyscomfort. Remember your jaw is very important, if it doesn't work properly you don't eat and you die. So preserving the function of the jaw takes priority over many other problems. The classic compensation for a jaw problem is to create tension in muscles around the neck area to help bring the jaw back into alignment. If that muscular compensation subluxates (mis-aligns) either the 3rd,4th,or 5th cervical bones there can be an impact on the function of your diaphragm (C3,4,5 all innervate the diaphragm muscle).
A weakness in the diaphragm muscle can lead to a hiatal hernia.

A hiatal hernia happens when a weakness in the diaphragm allows a part of the stomach to rise up above the diaphragm where the esophagus should be. Why is that a problem? There is a small sphincter that separates the esophagus and the stomach. That sphincter keeps the acid in the stomach. In the case of the hiatal hernia that sphincter may not be working properly and acid or regurgitated food can escape.

When there is a problem with the optimum function of the diaphragm there can be tension that builds up in the 5th,6th,and/or7th thoracic vertebrae which all contribute to the innervation of the stomach itself.

When there is a zinc deficiency(either from lack of zinc in the diet or too much copper in the diet which competes with zinc) there may be a decrease in the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. If there isn't enough hydrochloric acid you can also get acid reflux. Sounds crazy I know but if there is enough acid in the stomach that acidity actually triggers that sphincter we mentioned at the junction of the stomach and the diaphragm to close. With a lack of acidity that sphicter gets lazy and if there is little acid to stimulate it to close it can become weak. If you have a wak sphincter and you eat a meal that will temporarily incerase your stomach acidity that acid can escape out of the weakend valve and give you symptoms of acid reflux. So if you have the proper acidity your acid reflux will improve.

The way to fix all of this is to see a health care practiotioner that understands all of these parts. This is why I love applied Kinesiology so much it gives the practitioner the tools to understand why the patient is having symptoms from many different perspectives without the use of drugs or surgery.

The typical protocol in our office would involve checking for and fixing subluxations in the spine and the TMJ by adjusting and/ or using muscle balancing techniques. Also we would check fotr nutritional needs for supplemental Betaine Hydrochloride, digestive enzymes, and zinc. We can also release stress from the diaphragm itself with different muscular corrections.

The longer you have had these imbalances the more difficult they are to fix but given time most people can get healthy without the use of drugs or surgery.

Hope this addition to the blog helps more people to understand about what we do.

Yours in Health,

Jason Piken DC, CNS

4R Program for Intestinal Health

2007-01-09T11:55:00.001-05:00

4R Program for Intestinal Health

If you are someone that deals with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue, frequent colds, general malaise, or just want to get healthier then a 4R program can be right for you.

The 4R program is designed to be a digestive cleanse. There are many ways of cleansing and through my experience I have found a doctor prescribed, specifically patient tailored program achieves the best results. This is that program. The 4 R's stand for:

Remove, Restore, Reinnoculate, Repair

During the initial removal phase the patient is tested for signs and symptoms of dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is a term used to describe an imbalance in the typical gut flora. The gut flora are the living microorganisms (beneficial bacteria like acidophilus and bifidobacteria, yeasts, parasites, molds, fungi) that reside in our intestinal tract. Yes, there are many colonies of these little microorganisms that live within us and most are supposed to be there.

The beneficial or good bacteria and other microorganisms have created a symbiotic relationship with our bodies. These microorganisms feast on our undigested food, mainly fiber, and help our digestion, aid in our immune system and even help us to produce helpful nutrients such as vitamin K.

Unfortunately not all the microorganisms that reside in our digestive tract are beneficial. There are many strains of unfriendly microorganisms that enter our bodies throughout our lifetime. These microorganisms don't really care much about us so they don't help to secrete useful products. Just the opposite happen, they act as parasites or toxin producers. These bad bugs can promote gas and toxins which disturb the normal homeodynamics (vist our blog on homeodynamics rather than homeostasis) of our bodies.

The simple explanation I like to use in my office is this:"Good bugs live in our gut and help us by eating our poop and pooping out their own beneficial byproducts. Bad bugs live in our gut and also eat our poop but when they poop they poop out toxins."When the ratio of good/bad bacteria reaches a certain level we get symptoms. That magic ratio is different for every individual and the symptoms are quite varied. Symptoms can include chronic aches and pains, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, headaches, fatigue...I can go on and on.

How Do we Address Dysbiosis?

The first R addresses these bugs. There are many nutritional products available for helping to eliminate the bad microorganisms in your body, in our office we figure out which product/s you need. During the "Removal" phase of the 4R program these supplements are taken and typically a "Yeast Free Diet" is prescribed (visit our Blog about Yeast Free Diet). This process will last anywhere from 2-8 weeks depending on the individual.

The next R is "Restore". Here we Restore digestive enzymes that help to make digestion of foods easier. Also at times I prescribe supplements that re-acidify the stomach with the proper betaine hydrochloride balance. In our office we choose from different digestive enzymes that vary depending on the patient. This stage will be implemented along with one or more of the other R's.

The next R is "Reinnocculate". In this stage beneficial bacteria and or yeast supplements (probiotics) are prescribed to populate the digestive tract with high amounts of the “Friendly bugs.” The strains of probiotics used are dependant upon the individual. The length of time used and the dosage also vary. I see two common problems from patients that are taking probiotics on their own. One is lack of quality and stability in their probiotics, if a microorganism is dead by the time it reaches the target area it is of no help. Number two is a lack of knowledge on dosage (typically how many billions of probiotics to take a day) and for how long you should take them. I do believe in tailoring programs to the individual rather than giving out general advice to the masses. This stage is usually more intensive for 4-8 weeks and then can last as a supportive stage for up to 6 months at a time.

The final R is "Repair". In the repair stage we test the individual for nutrients that will aid their bodies in the natural repair process of the digestive tract. These products vary also but include nutrients such as Turmeric, L-Glutamine, B-vitamins, Aloe and Licorice. The most commonly used product, UltraInflam-X by Metagenics, I do not mind mentioning because of how many individuals I feel it helps. This stage varies greatly in length. I have many individuals including myself that have used "Repair" products such as UltraInflam-X for years learning when to cycle on and off of it.

I hope this helped to explain another tool I use in my office to help patients. I hope this information sparks questions or conversations with me or others. As always I believe you should learn as much as you can on your own and question anything that doesn't make sense to you. Your health is and should be in your own hands. Be responsible and take charge of it!

Yours in Health,

Dr. Piken

Omega 3 Fatty Acids / Fish Oils

2006-12-12T13:00:00.000-05:00

Here are a few words on Fish oils:

Although I do not believe there are any "Magic Pills", panacea supplements that cure everyone of everything, I do think that a quality fish oil supplement comes darn close. In our modern lives we consume much less omega 3 essential fatty acids than humans are typically used to. Fats are considered essential to our bodies if we need them to survive/thrive and our bodies cannot synthesize them on our own. That means these fats need to be consumed on a very regular basis. Our bodies happen to be extremely resilient and may be able to live without adequate amounts of essential fatty acids, but to live without them is to live below our potential for health and vitality. There is a lot of info out there on omega 3's so search our website (www.innatechiro.com) or around the net if you want to learn about why you may need to be taking omega 3 supplements, but here are the very basic essentials.

#1-Foods that contain omega 3 essential fatty acids(EFA)
-the most abundant sources of omega 3's are found in certain nuts and seeds and in fish.
-the best sources from nuts and seeds are Walnuts, Almonds, Pumpkin seeds, and Flax seeds.
-All fish are good but fatty fish are best--Tuna, Salmon, Sea Bass, Blue Fish, my personal favorite Sardines, and herring are great sources.
#2-If you are looking for an omega 3 EFA supplement the best source is a fish oil source. Now I know I will take some flack from the nut and seed lovers out there but in my humble opinion fish oils are much more efficient than nut and seed oils. Here is the reason. The most important product s that we need the omega 3's for are the constituents EPA and DHA (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid). Our bodies can break down the omega 3 fats from nuts and seeds into these component parts but it does have to do work in order to do that. If you take your omega 3's from a fish oil the work has already been done for you. The fish have eaten plants, algae or other fish that are sources of omega 3 and performed a conversion so when we consume fish we get the full effect of the EPA and DHA. Some people tend to be able to convert better than others and those people would do just fine on a flax or some other seed or nut oil but how do you know how efficient your body happens to be? Taking fish oils can be a much more efficient way of getting these amazing nutrients into your body.
#3- Quality. Here is the most important point. Not all fish oil supplements are created equally. The quality of your fish oils is very important. Here is what you want to look for when purchasing a quality fish oil supplement.
First a glass bottle is preferable to a plastic bottle. Glass doesn't allow any air to penetrate into the bottle and ensures more stability to the oil. Plastic bottles are not necessarily bad but if you don't know how long a plastic bottle has been sitting on a shelf or if it was exposed to some very hot days on a truck or in a storage room you are taking some risk that the oil may be at the least less potent and at the worst rancid. Glass bottles are no guarantee but I buy my quality olive oil in a dark glass bottle for the same reasons.
Number two you want to make sure your fish oils are screened for traces of mercury and PCB's, two hazardous materials that are found in the fat of many fish. A good company will do extensive testing to ensure that their fish oils are free from contaminants. Remember also that unfortunately the supplement industry is self regulated so just because a company makes claims that their product is the best doesn't necessarily mean they truly are. There are a lot of good products out there but I put my full trust into Metagenics brand of fish oils.

#4- How much should you take? There is no substitute for having a qualified health practitioner help you to find the correct dosage for each individual. Every body has different needs. Fish oils can help to thin your blood and lower your blood pressure so you always want to have professional advice if you plan on taking any nutritional supplements for long periods of time, especially if you take any medications. A safe dose for most people though is 2 grams a day.

I hope that answers some questions. Check out our website www.innatechiro.com to update yourself on more omega3 and fish oil research.

Sleep

2006-11-22T16:26:00.000-05:00

Sleep is a great subject to go over. How many hours do I need? What type of bed should I use? What position is best? I could go on and on with the various questions I am asked from my patients on a regular basis; actually why don’t I? The format of this section will be a basic Q & A. Here it goes…

How much sleep do I need?

- There are no definitive studies that suggest that humans need a minimum requirement of a certain amount of hours of sleep per night. The amount of hours really is a personal issue. There are some people that thrive on 6 hours and some that really need 9 hours. In my opinion between 6-8 hours of sleep per night is healthy for the average adult. Children can sleep 10-12 hours easily and still need a nap. Remember children need the sleep so they can grow and repair from their highly active days.

- The key to sleep should focus less on the amount of hours you are sleeping but the overall quality of your sleep and how you feel when you awaken. If you are limited in the amount you sleep by time constraints from work or from children or your cat climbing on your head in the middle of the night there is less that this chapter will help you with. What you should be concerned with the most is that you fall asleep easily at night when you get into bed and that if you happen to wake up or are woken up by kids or cats that you have the ability to fall asleep again very easily.

- If there is trouble falling asleep or staying asleep the first thing I would look into is if you are getting enough calcium and trace minerals in your diet, and the answer to that is no. Yes that is a generalization but most people (unless you are already supplementing your diet with a high quality mineral supplement) are not getting enough minerals . Minerals tend to work like tranquilizers in a way. They keep your brain from vibrating with too many thoughts at night and also help to make your body more alkaline (or less acidic) which will also help you to sleep better. If you have trouble falling asleep you need a good source of calcium and magnesium ( I prefer Calcium Lactate –Standard Process ). And if your problem is waking up too often or trouble falling back to sleep after waking then trace minerals will help you more often. Trace minerals are zinc, manganese, molybdenum, copper…Trace minerals should always be taken with care. They are called trace minerals because you only need trace amounts of them in your body if any one gets too high there can be side effects. This is why when supplementing with trace minerals I prefer whole food supplements rather than individual trace minerals.(I prefer Min-Tran Standard process again)

What bed is best?

-There truly is no perfect answer to this question. Beds are very personal and individual choices left up to the comfort perceived by the one sleeping on it. In general a bed should have a very firm base but the top layers of the bed should allow your body to sink in a bit to contour the shape of you body. The bed should have enough give to allow for the curves of your body but still be able to give you firm support underneath.

That pretty much sounds like every bed advertisement that you have ever heard and they are all correct. Each company just goes about it in a different manner. Some use air, some water, some space age material, and some springs. My best advice is to figure out a budget that you can afford to spend, making sure that you keep in mind that a bed is a good place to make an investment. You do spend a lot of time in bed and money spent will typically be worth it. After you have an idea of what you can spend try out as many beds in that price range that you can. No matter what you choose it is hard to make a bad choice, with beds it typically is a matter of good, better, and best. My personal favorites though are the Kings Down beds at Sleepy’s.

Pillows/ What positions do I sleep?

-There is one piece of advice that I think tops all others when it comes to comfortable sleep and that is correct pillow technique. The technique depends on the position that you are sleeping. First of all the only poor position that you can sleep in is on your belly. The main reason is that you wind up placing entirely too much stress on you neck because it is turned to one side for hours at a time. I can’t tell you how many countless times that I work on patients’ stiff necks after “sleeping wrong”, which usually means sleeping on their stomachs.

-The best way to sleep is on your back, I don’t know many people that do sleep on their back, but if you do the proper pillow technique for you is to have one firm pillow under your head that supports the natural curve of your neck and doesn’t allow it to be pushed forward too far ( see Diagram). If you are still using your grandmother’s soft fluffy pillow get rid of it now. It may have been OK to use 30 years ago but pillows aren’t built to last forever. Also, if lying on your back, it is a good idea to keep a pillow under your knees. The size is up to your comfort levels just a few inches of bend in the knee is sufficient.(See Diagram).

-The position that most of us sleep is on our side and to make lying on your side as comfortable as possible I feel that the three pillow technique is the best. First the pillow for your neck is similar to the lying on your back position. There should be enough support to not allow your head to sink into the pillow and also not be too big as to push your head away too far( See Diagram). Second there still should be a pillow for your knees; this time in between your knees so they are not knocking together and there is something to prevent you from rolling onto your belly. Third and most importantly is everyone needs a hugger. If you are one of those people that is comfortable hugging your spouse or partner or dog all night then Kudos for you but most of us can’t sleep with all that extra body heat next to us. The perfect solution is a body pillow. The purpose of this one is to keep your shoulders from caving in on each other while you are sleeping. This also helps out those of you who like to sleep on your stomach by giving you something that puts a little pressure on your belly and makes you feel secure.(See Diagram)

-The last little tidbit about sleep is for you to switch sides of the bed more often. If you do share a bed typically you wind up sleeping on the same side over and over again and typically you also wind up sleeping on the same side of your body (if you are a side sleeper like most of us) the tendency is to face the edge of the bed and keep your back to the center of the bed. This is a more secure position that enables us, innately not worry about falling out of bed so easily. So switch side every 2-3 months. It may feel weird at first but believe me you will get used to it.

Hope this helped you to start enjoying more quality nights of sleep.

Yeast Free Diet

2006-11-14T11:30:00.000-05:00

Here is some info about a diet I prescribe often in my practice. It is a yeast free diet. The main purpose of a yeast free diet is to treat dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is a very fancy word used to describe an imbalance in the normal flora or bacteria that reside in our digestive tracts. We all have bacteria that live on our digestive tract walls. These bacteria should be helpfull to us, but not all of the little bugs in our belly are so helpful. A yeast free diet is one tool that you can use to help promote good bacteria and to kill off the bad.
First I'll give you some background into why you should care in th efirst place. Beneficial bacteria (certain strains of acidophilus, bifidus, lacto bacillus...) help us digest our food and help us form nice healthy bowel movements. Good bacteria basically eat the undigested food (mostly fiber) that gets to our lower intestines and create beneficial byproducts for us (one example is vitamin K). Good bacteria also help us to create soft airy well formed poop. Bad bugs also eat our undigested food, but they create byproducts that that can cause excess gas and bloating, and can disrupt the quality of your poop. The bad bugs can include many forms of yeast, candida, parasites, molds, or fungii.
We all have a mix of beneficial and harmful bugs in our bodies. Every person is affected differently by different bugs. The general idea though for a healthy digestive tract is to have abundantly more beneficial than bad. The main causes of dysbiosis (abnormal ratio of good/bad bacteria) are varied. They include the use of antibiotics, caffeine, alcohol, eating refined foods, eating unsanitary foods (contaminated with a bug of some sort...you really don't want to know what actually winds up in our food supply on a regular basis) and even high emotional stress.
The number one offender in my opinion is the use of antibiotics. The use of antibiotics is necessary at times and the benefits may outweigh the risks on occasion. We should understand though that antibiotics that help to kill off bad infections can also kill off the beneficial bacteria in our gut. That is why every time you take an antibiotic you should also take a probiotic. A probiotic is a supplement with certain strains of beneficial bacteria in them. There are many probiotics to choose from so do your research. I personally recommend a 'live' bacteria blend that needs to stay refrigerated over the 'Freezedried' form. I have seen benefits in using both types but the live bacteria make more sense to me. A general reccommendation is to look for a refrigerated mix of strains including acidophilus and bifidobacterium. In my office I use a few different Metagenics brand probiotics. Take the probiotic of choice as prescribed on the supplement's label or as prescribed by your health practitioner. The typical course of treatment with no symptoms but merely as precautionary after taking antibiotics is 30 days.
Getting back to the yeast free diet. Now that you have a basic understanding that there may be some 'bad' bugs living in your belly, you can take one of the steps to eliminate some of them. By no means is a Yeast free diet a cure-all it is merely a safe diet to try out if you are having digestive symptoms. The best results will probably be for people with symptoms of lower abdominal bloating and constipation. Results will vary from person to person, that is why the best reccomendation is to be under the care of a health practioner. If a yeast free diet is not working for you for some reason a good doctor will find out why and recommend a change in your diet and can recommend the right supplements/medication for you or in some cases will know to refer you out to a specialist.
The basics of the yeast free diet are simple, don't eat anything white and don't eat anything that has been fermented. So what does that leave you? Plenty! If you are eating a healthy diet a yeast free diet should not be too difficult to follow. You are allowed to eat all the animal proteins you want (except dairy and deli meats) , you can have all the vegetables you want, there is no limitations on oils, you can use rice as a form of starch. There are plenty of other internet resources and books that give you yeast free recipes. Just google yeast free diet. There are some very strict versions out there but the following list of foods are the foods I have sucessfully used in my office for many years. If there are ever any questions regarding the information posted please feel free to conatct our office at any time.

Cut out all of the following Foods:

sugar, all types, syrup, molasses etc...

yeast products, breads, pizza, buns, bagels etc...

white flour products, cakes, biscuits etc.

all prepared breakfast cereals (unless you find one without sugar)

cured products: bacon, deli meats, kippers etc.

fermented products, vinegar, pickles, chutney, tofu, soy sauce

alcohol

tea (herbal is OK)

coffee

ovaltine, or any sugary drinks etc.

all malted products

cow’s cheese -limit dairy produce or cut out completely

dried fruit, dried herbs

limit fresh fruit (cut out completely in the first three weeks) Apples and berries if you must have something

canned foods

mushrooms

peanuts and peanut products

To reduce the strain on the immune system and to allow the maximum absorption of the nutrients you are advised to combine your foods properly and to rotate them. A simple explanation of food combining is not to eat proteins and starchy foods at the same meal because they are digested in different acidic environments. See the Food Combining Thread on this blog.

Food Combining

2006-11-07T13:27:00.000-05:00

Food Combining:

I’ve spoken about it in my office so many times I guess it’s time to put my full explanation of food combining rules in writing.

First of all food combining does not need to be practiced by everyone. It is one of the most common suggestions I will make to someone with any digestive problems. The basics behind food combining are as follows:

-Don’t eat starchy foods around the same time that you eat animal proteins!

That’s it! It is one of the easiest recommendations I can give a patient that will most likely have a great impact on their digestive symptoms. Again, food combining is not for everyone. Patients that I have seen and have prescribed food combining will more likely receive the benefits; rather than the average person reading this blog. This is a reminder for patients that have forgotten the rules or for anyone with digestive issues that wants to try something that at least can’t hurt.

Now let me fully explain food combining. When you eat any protein, especially a protein from an animal source (i.e. eggs, milk, cheese, chicken, turkey, beef, pork, butter…) you need a very acidic environment in your stomach in order to digest it. When you eat something that is very starchy (i.e. breads, pastas, grains, rice, peas, potatoes…) you create a more alkaline environment in your stomach. You basically make it more difficult to digest your meal. Now if you want to build muscle or want to be on a diet that is good for balancing your blood sugar a complex ‘not properly combined’ meal is probably beneficial to you. Also if you don’t have any digestive problems find another topic to read. Look for more info on the rest of the blog.

If you do have digestive problems, virtually any, proper food combinations can help. Why would you want to burden the digestive system any further? All you have to do is separate your animal proteins from any starchy foods by at least 3 hours. Now I did write starches, not carbohydrates. Non-starchy vegetables and fruits can be combined along with proteins and of course along with other starches. Confused at all? Take a look at this chart:

So most sandwiches are out…Pizza? Gone!...Chicken and rice? NO!...Pasta with sausage? No!...Cereal with Milk? No again!....Get it?

What can you eat?

Breakfast: Cereal with Soy or Rice milk (not an animal protein)

Eggs

Omelets

Peanut Butter with Jelly

Muffins (yes they are made with eggs but most people tolerate bake goods as a starch)

Snack: Handful of nuts or seeds

Lunch: Salads with Chicken/Tuna or Egg (no croutons)

Soups

Veggie burger/veggie burrito (no cheese)

Grilled vegetable sandwich

Rice and beans

Snack: Piece of fruit

Dinner: Hamburger/Turkey Burger (no bun) with veggies

Pasta with Veggies

Roast chicken with veggies

Fish with veggies

It may be a simple concept to master but implementing a lifestyle of proper food combing is not easy. It takes getting used to. The best thing to do is try your best to do it 100% all out for 4 weeks and notice how it makes you feel. If you feel better than try throwing in a few non-combined meals and see how they make you feel.

If you feel better eating well combined meals than stick with it. Anytime that you want to eat a poorly combined meal than do it! Just remember that you will pay for it. You now will have the power to choose when you want to feel bad. Want a slice of Pizza? Go ahead have it! Maybe you’ll fell bloated for 6-8 hours and then you’ll go back on the wagon again. About 80% of my meals are properly combined and it’s easy for me to keep it up because when I don’t I feel like crap. I don’t like to feel like crap so I eat well. If you don’t mind feeling bad go ahead and eat whatever you want whenever you want. Food combing is a great way of eating though. Not too many rules to follow. There are no bad foods so you can eat anything, just watch how you combine them.

By the way if you do want to eat poorly combined meals occasionally try taking a quality digestive enzyme along with your meal. If you choose the right one it will make a big difference. I test 4 different ones out on my patients to find the best fit for each individual.