High Cholesterol

Lately, I have had lots of patients complaining about side effects of cholesterol medication. Some of these effects include muscle pain, tenderness and weakness, widespread swelling and inflammation, skin rashes, stomach pain, constipation, fatigue, unusual bleeding, bruising and many other symptoms. When I was a student in chiropractic school 25 years ago, the magic number for overall cholesterol levels was 300. Now the level is 200 or lower. Millions of people are taking cholesterol drugs and they are also being prescribed to children whose levels are not in the 200 or lower range. I think it is about time to dispel a few myths. First, the facts. Cholesterol is neither good or bad. It is what it is. Cholesterol is a soft waxy substance that is found in every cell in the body. It's main function is to manufacture cell tissue linings, hormones, vitamin D and bile acids that help the body digest fat. Cholesterol is essential for neurological function and even serves a purpose in the formation of memories. HDL cholesterol is the High Density Lipoprotein that keeps cholesterol from building up in your arteries. LDL cholesterol is the Low Density Lipoprotein that can build up in the arteries and cause heart disease. In addition to HDL and LDL, triglycerides and lipoprotein {a} levels are factored in the total overall cholesterol number. Triglycerides are the dangerous fats that contribute to heart disease and lipoprotein {a} is a combination of LDL with another protein molecule. High levels of lipoprotein {a} is considered one of the strongest risk factors for heart disease, yet most doctors rarely check your body's blood levels for this serum level. The total, overall cholesterol number is not a good indicator for heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends that everyone's total level be below 200, but what they don't tell you is that unless your cholesterol level is above 330 it is useless for determining your risk for heart disease. For a more accurate guideline as to your heart disease risk, divide your HDL by your overall cholesterol number. It should be above 24 percent. In addition, divide your triglyceride level into your HDL level. It should be below 2 for less heart disease risk. The big question, is why do "they" keep lowering the cholesterol level guidelines and who actually are "they?" Eight out of the nine doctors on the cholesterol guideline panel are making money from the drug companies that manufacture the cholesterol lowering drugs. Ka-ching!! To make matters worse, there is absolutely zero evidence that getting your bad cholesterol level (LDL) below 100 will decrease your risk of heart disease. Yet, the American Heart Association continues to recommend that the LDL number should be below 100. Sadly, the standard medical way of doing that almost always includes drugs. It is not even known if the drugs actually even prevent heart attacks. According to the ads for a popular cholesterol medication, Lipitor, Lipitor reduces the risk of heart attack by 39-60%*. The little * asterisk when followed to the small print says that in their drug study 3% of the people taking a sugar pill had a heart attack and 2% of the people taking Lipitor had a heart attack. This means that taking Lipitor for three years in this study resulted in just one fewer person having a heart attack out of every 100 people on the medication. The other 99 people got to spend a lot of money and have possible side effects. The key to healthy cholesterol ratios, not total cholesterol levels, lies in diet and exercise. Make sure you eat plenty of vegetables, less sugar, zero smoking and plenty of healthy fats from olive, fish, and coconut oils. Everyone with a cholesterol issue needs to read the following article, The Truth About High Cholesterol at the following link: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/08/10/making-sense-of-your-cholesterol-numbers.aspx?np=true

Thought for the Week: I drive way too fast to worry about cholesterol. ~Author Unknown 

Chiropractic Thought for the Week: Conway, Arkansas chiropractor, Dr. Christine Hurley, provides monthly presentations on natural treatments for children at Hurley Chiropractic and Wellness Center. Dr. Hurley says that recent warnings from scientists and doctors about drug therapies in children have many parents seeking out alternative treatments. She and her fellow chiropractors at the center regularly treat children suffering from recurrent ear infections and the symptoms of ADHD, as well as infants with colic and children who suffer back pain from personal injuries. Dr. Hurley says chiropractic care has helped many children overcome personal injuries and common childhood ailments. "Keeping a child's spine aligned helps his or her nervous system work to heal infections and injuries naturally. This helps children who need rehabilitation from playground injuries, back pain, and other growing pains. We also successfully treat children who suffer ear infections over and over again, and children who struggle with ADHD. We use very precise, gentle, comfortable adjustments and the kids and their parents are very pleased with the results." ~ Global Newswire

Pink Slime!!

You have to seriously be thankful for investigative reporters. If it wasn't for their exposes, we would be left in the dark about a lot of serious topics that affect our lives. In addition to Watergate, Iran Contra and steroids in baseball, we now have the "Pink Slime" scandal. It turns out that 70% of all ground meat has a secret filler amongst the beef. This filler was named pink slime in 2002 by US Food and safety inspector Gerald Zirnstein. Pink slime is made from low grade beef trimmings that come from connective, spinal, intestinal and rectal tissue of a slaughtered cow. To make matters worse (did you think it could get worse?), the pink slime is heated with very high heat, then spun in a centrifuge to remove the liquid. Once the liquid is removed, the pink slime is treated and sprayed with ammonia to kill food borne germs and bacteria that lead to illness. The ammonia treatment makes the pink slime a legally edible food product. Once the slime has been treated with the ammonia, it is shaped into pink bricks and sent to meat packing plants, supermarkets butcher shops and other places that process the meat into hamburgers or ground meat. The crazy thing is that the pink slime manufacturer, a company called Beef Products Inc., officially calls the slime product, "Lean Finely Textured Beef." This stuff has been sold as a ground beef additive for years and 900,000 pounds are made on a daily basis. An investigative report by ABC News in early March has led to consumer outrage and as recently as March 12th, numerous supermarkets have discontinued using this product. Costco, Safeway, Publix and Whole Foods Market will not be purchasing pink slime for their ground meat....anymore. This stuff is so bad, even McDonalds has opted out of using it in their hamburgers. McDonalds!! It's gotta be bad if McDonalds is shying away. Sadly, the meat by-product is still used in many other supermarkets and beef manufacturers that process frozen burgers. Even in public school systems. The USDA has recently given public schools a choice between using pink slime meat or unadulterated ground meat. Check with your school system to find out which meat your kids are eating. This issue belabors my usual point of how important it is to know what you are eating each day and how reading labels should be part of the normal shopping regimen. The days of "reach, grab, throw it in the cart" are over. Thankfully we have investigative reporters to break important news to us. The shame of it all is that if companies were more concerned about the quality of food they process and less about profit, the world would be a healthier, happier place.

Thought for the Week: If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian. ~Paul McCartney

Chiropractic Thought for the Week: Dr. Reggie Gold, one of the greatest chiropractic philosophers that ever lived, recently passed. His lectures, videos, and presentations demonstrate that he was a master of communication, he developed techniques to explain chiropractic to lay people with ease and beauty. A beacon of information to the world about the benefits of chiropractic, he worked diligently at debunking the misconceptions about chiropractors. His “Chemistry of Life” lecture helped thousands of chiropractors articulate that we are so much more than back doctors. He explains, “Chiropractic deals with all the things that your body has to do, how you perform, how you drive, how you make a salad, how fast you can read and how well you can remember things.” Reggie was a powerhouse. His personal mission was to spread the chiropractic health care message to the world. He once said, "If you are not out to change the world, everything else is just 'Mickey Mouse'."

Healthier Children

Health Tip of the Week: The spine is one of the most neglected aspects of a child's health care. As it should be, careful attention is paid to pediatric well visits, eye, hearing and dental exams. The child's spine is often relegated to scoliosis screenings at the school nurse's office. Scoliosis screenings at the child's school provide a very important service, helping to detect many early spinal curvature problems. But scoliosis screenings do nothing to detect and correct vertebral subluxations. As adults, we tend to take the spine for granted. We think of the back and neck as a glob of muscles that can cause us periodic aches and pains. What we tend to forget is that the spine is the life-line of the body. All of our school children are taught at an early age that the nervous system (brain, spinal cord and spinal nerves) controls and co-ordinates every function in the body. When I say every function, I mean every function. Lungs breathing, heart beating, digestion, circulation, muscular performance, hormone production, cell creation and immune system function, to name just a few of the many thousands of bodily functions controlled by the nervous system. Even as you sit at your desk reading this Health Tip, your eyes are blinking, nails and hair are growing and lungs are breathing. All these functions are controlled by your nerves. Think of your spine and brain as a computer-controlled communication center. The brain, as the computer, communicates with the systems of the body, sending messages as nerve impulses through the spinal cord and spinal nerves. When the intended organ or system receives the message, it sends a reply message back to the brain through the nerves and spinal cord. This exchange of operating information is called a feedback loop. The brain-to-body and body-to-brain messaging through the spine is is how the body works. For the body to be 100% healthy, this communication network must function at 100%. If there is any less than 100% nerve impulse flow, the body loses a degree of function. A loss in function equates to a loss in health. If the nervous system is not working properly, body chemistry can be thrown out of synch, not only affecting many important chemical equations in the body but also affecting how the immune system works. As we all know, a strong, vibrant, healthy immune system means less colds and illnesses from viruses. As far as the boney spine is concerned, there is a direct relationship to nerve flow and spinal bone alignment. In between each vertebra are little openings from where the spinal nerve reaches out. If the vertebra (bone) is not in its proper position (a vertebral subluxation), the nerve is irritated and the flow of the nerve impulses are impeded. The decline in "messaging" through the spine that results from the subluxation directly affects the function of the nervous system. If the nervous system is not functioning properly, the body cannot perform as it is meant to, and health is lost. Subluxations are caused by muscular stress to the spine. Has your child ever fallen down? Played a sport? Bumped their head or had an accident? The major concern with subluxations is that symptoms do not usually develop until the subluxated vertebra has been present for quite awhile. (Think adults with back problems!) Chiropractors can detect and correct subluxations as soon as they occur, which can prevent a symptom or unhealthy condition from developing. A chiropractic examination should be a regular part of your child's healthcare program. Chiropractors have many non-invasive ways to check for subluxated vertebra. Motion palpation reveals fixated spinal joints. Surface Electromyography testing finds asymmetrical muscle patterns along the spine that can suggest abnormal spinal alignment. And lastly, spinal thermography can reveal irritated nerve impulses by detecting temperature differentials along the surface of the skin. Chiropractic exams for children are extremely important. They are safe for children and will help your child's body to be as healthy as it can be.

Thought for the Week: Health is a condition of wholeness in which all of the body's parts are functioning at 100%. ~ Webster's Dictionary

Chiropractic Thought for the Week: NFL Chiropractors, Dr. Michael Miller of the New England Patriots and Dr. Robert DeStefano of the New York Giants, explain that chiropractic is fundamental to the consequences of jarring impacts; they enhance body mechanics and joint motion while improving structural balance vital to preventing and addressing many common injuries. “Most of our players will get adjusted prior to games to adequately prepare their bodies for battle. Several times during the playoffs, incidents occurred that required chiropractic care and, subsequent to sideline treatment, players were able to return to action the following play. We expect to have the same efficiency going into and during the Super Bowl.”

Your Gut may Fight Depression

A very important topic in health care is intestinal flora. Flora is a nice, easy sounding word for bacteria. You are probably wondering why a nice and easy word like flora is being used to describe bacteria. In this case, the reason is because the bacteria in question is friendly. Intestinal flora is the helpful bacteria that is found in your gut. Unlike bacteria that can lead to disease, intestinal flora is a probiotic that exists in a symbiotic relationship with our body. Symbiosis is when two living organisms, in this case intestinal bacteria and the human body, live together to benefit each other. The bacteria feeds and multiplies in our digestive system (which is good for them) and provides the human body with needed health benefits (which is good for us). Intestinal flora have been popularized in the media through the marketing of products called probiotics. Probiotics are foods that contain living bacteria that support digestive health. Foods that include yogurt, kefir, miso and sauerkraut. Probiotics help to maintain and promote the intricate balance between good and bad bacteria in the stomach and intestines. A healthy amount of intestinal flora contribute to the body's optimal state of health by enhancing immune system function, preventing a build-up of "bad" bacteria, producing certain vitamins and hormones for the body and defending against some diseases. Recent, cutting edge research on intestinal flora is finding that gut bacteria can have an affect on the central nervous system and may even help to dictate your mood and mental health! Science has found that your gut lining is literally your second brain. The gut lining is made up of the same tissue as your brain tissue and has been found to contain more serotonin ( a neuro transmitter associated with mood control) than the brain itself. The latest research found that probiotics have a direct effect on brain chemistry. The probiotic lactobacillus (found in yogurt) was found to reduce anxiety and depression related behavior due to the bacteria's high content of a neuro transmitter called GABA. GABA is one of the main neuro transmitters found in the brain. This is very exciting because this research may lead to ways of treating depression by supporting and building upon the friendly bacteria that exists in our intestinal flora. In the long run, this could mean certain psychological drugs might not be needed. In the meantime, think of adding daily yogurt to your diet or taking probiotic supplements. They may make you a happier person!!

Thought for the Week: Health and cheerfulness naturally beget each other. ~Joseph Addison

Chiropractic Thought for the Week: The world is indoctrinated in medicine. People are conceived and born in a medicine cabinet. They grow up in a drugstore. They have been brain-washed, hypnotized, mesmerized and drugged to believe that their health / life force comes from the outside-in. ~ BJ Palmer, DC Developer of Chiropractic, quote taken from The Chiropractic Story by Marcus Bach 1949. Can you imagine if Dr. Palmer was around today, to watch the television drug commercials? Can you imagine what he would say?

Diet Soda and Stroke

New research recently presented at the International Stroke Conference in California has linked diet soda to an increased risk of stroke and heart disease. Astoundingly, researchers found that people who drink diet soda on a daily basis were 48% more likely to have a stroke or to develop heart disease than people who did not drink any diet soda at all. Oddly enough, the researchers could not figure out exactly why this happens. Some of the scientists theorize that the high sodium in diet soda was the connecting factor; others suggest that people who drink diet soda tend to be overweight, less active and smoke or drink alcohol. While the sodium level in diet soda is certainly a factor (too much sodium in the diet has been proven to cause strokes), diet soda deserves a much more thorough examination of its ingredients and their affects on health. For instance, the main ingredient in diet soda, the ingredient that gives soda its diet properties and zero calories, is man-made artificial sweetener. Artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame (Nutra Sweet), Sucrolose and Splenda, are excitotoxins. Excitotoxins are chemicals that react with specialized receptors in the brain in a way that leads to the degeneration of certain types of brain cells. Scientists are finding that excitotoxins play a critical role in the development of neurological disorders, such as migraine headaches, seizures, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease. Interestingly enough, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders lists stroke as one of its primary neurological disorders. Hmmm. Diet soda increases the risk of stroke. Artificial sweeteners are excitotoxins that may lead to neurological disorders, such as stroke. Diet soda contains artificial sweeteners. Eureka!! I think I just found another likely link to stroke and diet soda! That wasn't too hard. The bottom line is that when man-made chemically enhanced ingredients are placed in our food supply (soft drinks and processed foods); the eventual result is ill health. To be healthy, one has to eat naturally. The occasional junky, processed food in our diet is probably not too big a deal, but when the diet is made up of a majority of man-made, engineered or processed and altered foods, you can bet your bottom dollar that trouble is on the way.

Thought for the Week: Food is an important part of a balanced diet. ~Fran Lebowitz

Chiropractic Thought for the Week: The nervous system and the immune system are directly connected and work together to develop maximum responses for the body to adapt and heal correctly. Neural malfunction (that occurs) due to spinal misalignment produces stress on the body and causes abnormal changes, which leads to a poor coordinated immune system response. Chiropractic spinal adjustments have been demonstrated to heighten the coordinated responses of the nervous and immune systems. In 2005, in a landmark study, it was established that chiropractic care could influence basic physiological processes that affect oxidative stress and DNA repair. These findings provided a scientific explanation for the positive influence on the immune system and the health benefits in patients who receive chiropractic care.

- All Voices.net

Flu Shot Dangers

Warning. If the flu shot is something that you strongly believe in, this week's Health Tip may stir some inner thought. Recently, on the Fox News based Lou Rockwell television show, infectious disease expert, Dr. Kent Holtorf, was interviewed about his views on the swine flu vaccine. Dr. Holtorf offered several important reasons NOT to get the swine flu shot. According to Dr. Holtorf, the swine flu is simply another flu and is not unusually severe. The people who have the most trouble with the swine flu are persons whose immune systems are compromised with neurological conditions or bronchial conditions, such as asthma. Additives to the vaccine that are supposed to trigger an antibody response may actually trigger an auto-immune response. These flu shot additives include mercury, aluminum and squalene. Mercury has been found to be more toxic to the brain than lead. Dr. Holtorf also states that this is the first year that mock flu vaccines were used to gain FDA approval, and that the swine flu vaccines that were used to acquire FDA approval will not be the same vaccines that will be given to the general population. Dr. Holtorf also added that 'over vaccinations' are a big problem in the United States, with children being given over 29 different inoculations prior to the age of two. Meanwhile, he states that veterinarians have backed away from repeated vaccinations of dogs because of side-effects (though we continue the practice with our children). In addition, according to the information given on the Lou Rockwell show, this is the first time that both seasonal and pandemic vaccines will be given at the same time, so that the general population will receive two flu inoculations. Two vaccines are now being given because a single shot has failed to produce enough antibodies to deter the flu virus, which would seem to show that all other prior flu shots have been generally useless. As far as I am concerned, the most important information I learned from the interview is that our health officials and the media have done nothing to show us how to boost our own immune systems. Rather, they have focused only on pharmaceuticals, such as the flu shot and Tamiflu. According to Dr. Holtorf, there is strong evidence that vitamin C and vitamin D activate the immune system, and that the trace mineral, selenium, can prevent the worst form of the flu. And, as always, it is wise to make an informed decision about any and all vaccinations, drugs and/or medications that have been made available for you to take.

Thought for the Week: "Emergency Health Powers have been enacted and the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) has been implemented to shield drug companies from any responsibility if things go wrong. And if the vaccine (swine) is really nothing new, and it really has been tested as much as it needs to be, then why was the PREP Act implemented by the Health and Human Services Secretary?" - Taken from the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal and Family Health, 10/15/09

Chiropractic Thought for the Week: "The body's ability to function properly is based on the integrity of the nervous system. Chiropractic care can maintain a spinal column relatively free of nerve interference and thus enhance the body's innate ability to restore and maintain health." - Fred Barge, DC, PhC

Corn, The Vegetable World's Rodney Dangerfield

Corn, also known as maize, is a cereal grain that is a food staple in many areas of the world. Grown and harvested from stalks, corn is eaten by the whole kernel as a vegetable, or it is dried and turned into corn meal. Corn meal is used like flour and is the main ingredient in many foods. The oil from corn (corn contains a small amount of vegetable fat) is used for cooking. The sugars from corn are turned into syrup and used as sweeteners. Unfortunately, corn syrup is chemically processed into high fructose corn syrup, which has negative health consequences, including those associated with weight gain, obesity and diabetes. Interestingly enough, corn is a principle ingredient in bourbon whiskey, as well as an adjunct in some beers. In the United States and Canada, corn is widely grown to feed livestock. It is also used in pet food and fish bait. Lately, corn has taken on a larger role as an alternative source for energy called biofuel. While the benefits of corn based biofuel are debatable, corn biofuel, also called ethanol, does reduce pollutants in the air and helps lower fuel costs. As a healthy food source, corn certainly has its benefits. Corn is high in fiber. One cup of corn adds over 18% of the body's daily recommended fiber. Corn is high in B vitamins and has a decent amount of vitamin C. Corn is a good energy source. It is starchy and sweet, which makes it high in carbohydrates that fuel the body for its daily activities. Corn contains beta-cryptoxanthin (say that three times fast!), a phytonutrient that may help to lower lung cancer risk. Corn is an icon of North American, South American and Mexican culture, used in so many ways, representing history, tradition and celebration. Corn is a vital food source world wide and should be a regular part of a health conscious diet. Did I mention popcorn?

Thought for the Week: "In the age of acorns, before the times of Ceres, a single corn kernel had been of more value to mankind than all the diamonds of the mines of India." ~Henry Brooke



Chiropractic Thought for the Week: "Chiropractic's health benefits are so much greater than the relief of back or neck pain. Chiropractic is whole-body health care with the vision to see the body as much more than the sum of its parts. The science of chiropractic emphasizes the relationship between the spine and the nervous system, and how that relationship affects function and health. The chiropractic approach to health care is holistic, stressing the patient's overall well-being. It recognizes that many factors affect health, including exercise, diet, rest, environment and heredity. Chiropractic focuses on maintaining optimal health naturally so that the body is better able to resist disease, rather than simply treating the symptoms of disease." --- Quad Cities News, Channel 8, Davenport, Iowa