If there is such a thing as the best time and place to ever have lived, I think I've lived it. As a kid I never met anyone with cancer, or anyone who contracted a fatal disease like small pox, tuberculosis or yellow fever. Everyone who was capable of working did, and there was enough money left over to take care of those who couldn't. It seemed anything was possible in a world bursting with abundance.
Then a couple years ago while raising money to help families with critically ill children, I had to take off my rose tinted glasses. It seemed increasingly more and more families were struggling with critically ill family members. Sixty one percent of bankruptcies in the United States are now due to medical expenses. People are struggling just to take care of their own families.
Often I would make dietary suggestions like cutting back on sugar and eliminating all foreign chemicals like msg, food dyes, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats, and basically anything made in a lab. Most of the time they would try it for a while and then say if it wasn't guaranteed to fix them they just weren't going to follow through. Sometimes I would suggest someone try exercise, therapy, acupuncture, herbs, and/or manipulation before they resorted to drugs or surgery for non-life threatening ailments. Many times I heard, "I can't because my insurance doesn't pay for that, and it's too expensive".
I believe health care reform is not creating a society that expects to be taken care of, but creating a society that takes responsibility for their own health. There are two types of people who take responsibility for their own health.
The first group of people are those who have gone to the doctor (usually several), did what the doctor told them, and did not get any better. These people often become desperate for answers and willing to try just about anything to feel better. This group of people either grow resentful of "a system that doesn't work", or become part of the next group.
The second group of people are those who don't expect someone else to fix them. This group includes people who do everything within their own ability to maintain good health. They usually research any herb, drug, or new food they plan to put into their bodies. They wouldn't go have surgery unless there was no other viable option, and will research all possibilities. They do not expect their doctor to fix them, but to offer guidance.
Some people take care of themselves naturally, while others do so because of their circumstances. People who do not have insurance will often research alternatives because they are less expensive. People who live in countries with socialized medicine often take more responsibility for their own health because they have to wait for months and sometimes years before a procedure will be covered by their national health care. And most obvious of all, if you become unhealthy you usually try to live healthier.
I believe our health care today is much like an American child who gets upset because they only own a single pair of new shoes. In many other countries a child would feel blessed and grateful beyond words to own a single pair of used shoes. So many children in America leave their old shoes lay behind, because they have or can easily get another pair. I look forward to the day when people take care of their health before it goes bad, because they realize we only have a single pair of shoes to take care of. The best made shoes come from someone who creates that great shoe from their own need. Sometimes we have to lose what we have to appreciate it.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Sugar Cramps
Halloween had to be one of my favorite holidays growing up. The next day grandpa would warn me about "sugar cramps" when I would sit down to eat my entire collection of treats in a single sitting. Mom and dad thought if I got sick from eating so much sugar all at once, that I would "learn my lesson"and no longer crave sugar. The next day I always felt bad, but figured a little more sugar would fix me up. If there was such a thing as sugaraholoics anonymous, I could be their poster child.
If you think healthy choices come easily to me, maybe you didn't know about my secret little addiction. I am a sugar addict, and it has been 30 years since I drank my last soda. I tried chromium, gymnema, B vitamins and anything people told me would curb my cravings for sugar. For me the only thing that worked was a strong will to be healthy.
I didn't want the headaches I suffered from because my blood sugar dropped or spiked. I didn't want the hormonal problems I developed because of the stress sugar put on my adrenals, which help to maintain balance between all of your hormones. I didn't want yeast infections and stomach problems. I didn't want sore muscles and joints caused by the increased inflammation secondary to sugar consumption. I didn't want to get sick every time someone around me was sick because sugar compromises my immune system. I didn't want to get diabetes like my grandmother. I didn't want the kidney, heart, gall bladder and liver problems she developed because of her diabetes. It came down to a simple choice, did I want to be healthy or eat sugar?
It is probably a good thing that I made the decision to be healthy back when the only sugar substitute that existed was saccharin which everyone knew tasted nasty and caused cancer. I could have easily cross addicted into using the chemical substances of aspartame (Nutrasweet) and sucralose (Splenda) which seem to be even less healthy than sugar. These chemicals have been linked not only to cancer but to neurological diseases, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and a never ending list of new complaints. I grew up in the "say no to drugs" era when chemicals foreign to our body weren't typically added into our foods.
Occasionally I do fall off the wagon. I'd love to blame Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia, but have to admit that I've fallen victim to other gluten free sugary temptations as well. I am no longer so far gone that I don't feel those "sugar cramps" or deny that sugar causes my body and health to deteriorate. I recognize the extensive health problems sugar can cause for not just diabetics, but to me and everyone. May God grant me the strength to chose wisely.
If you think healthy choices come easily to me, maybe you didn't know about my secret little addiction. I am a sugar addict, and it has been 30 years since I drank my last soda. I tried chromium, gymnema, B vitamins and anything people told me would curb my cravings for sugar. For me the only thing that worked was a strong will to be healthy.
I didn't want the headaches I suffered from because my blood sugar dropped or spiked. I didn't want the hormonal problems I developed because of the stress sugar put on my adrenals, which help to maintain balance between all of your hormones. I didn't want yeast infections and stomach problems. I didn't want sore muscles and joints caused by the increased inflammation secondary to sugar consumption. I didn't want to get sick every time someone around me was sick because sugar compromises my immune system. I didn't want to get diabetes like my grandmother. I didn't want the kidney, heart, gall bladder and liver problems she developed because of her diabetes. It came down to a simple choice, did I want to be healthy or eat sugar?
It is probably a good thing that I made the decision to be healthy back when the only sugar substitute that existed was saccharin which everyone knew tasted nasty and caused cancer. I could have easily cross addicted into using the chemical substances of aspartame (Nutrasweet) and sucralose (Splenda) which seem to be even less healthy than sugar. These chemicals have been linked not only to cancer but to neurological diseases, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and a never ending list of new complaints. I grew up in the "say no to drugs" era when chemicals foreign to our body weren't typically added into our foods.
Occasionally I do fall off the wagon. I'd love to blame Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia, but have to admit that I've fallen victim to other gluten free sugary temptations as well. I am no longer so far gone that I don't feel those "sugar cramps" or deny that sugar causes my body and health to deteriorate. I recognize the extensive health problems sugar can cause for not just diabetics, but to me and everyone. May God grant me the strength to chose wisely.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Looking at the World through Healthier Eyes
Grandpa's laugh growled like an engine revving up, and I can remember laughing with him watching his big Santa belly shake. Through his black framed bottle cap lenses, dad would smile at us revealing his missing front tooth. They were the most handsome men in the world, at least to me. Can you remember far enough back when everything and everyone in your life was beautiful? Do you remember how good that felt?
Feeling good is about being healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Physically, I think most people know what to do (or not to do) to be healthy. It is easy to look at a morbidly obese person, or see an alcoholic or drug addict sleeping homeless on the street and shake our heads wondering how they could do that to themselves. But as healthy as I live, I recognize that I have my own weaknesses and do not always make the right choices. I know the only difference between me and that drug addict is the ability to control my choices. In a world where biochemically engineered products marketed as food (sometimes deceptively as healthy food) that is less expensive, often addictive, and more accessible than real healthy food - it can be difficult to make the right choices. I know there are many factors that can contribute to poor choices when it comes to our physical health.
Emotionally, I wonder if the increasing amount of antidepressants being prescribed is a result of not understanding the effect our emotional health has on us physically? or not wanting to attempt to cure what ails us physically by working on the emotional aspect? Emotional health comes from understanding that I am beautiful, and appreciating everyone and everything in my life; the good for just that, and the bad for what I can learn from it.
Spiritually comes from understanding that the world and life is not about me, but about discovering the purpose God intended for me. As I grow older, I have come to believe that although our bodies and minds may begin to deteriorate with the normal aging process, our spirituality can grow if we so choose. We can grow to see the world through God's eyes; and see beauty in everything and everyone.
Feeling good is about being healthy physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Physically, I think most people know what to do (or not to do) to be healthy. It is easy to look at a morbidly obese person, or see an alcoholic or drug addict sleeping homeless on the street and shake our heads wondering how they could do that to themselves. But as healthy as I live, I recognize that I have my own weaknesses and do not always make the right choices. I know the only difference between me and that drug addict is the ability to control my choices. In a world where biochemically engineered products marketed as food (sometimes deceptively as healthy food) that is less expensive, often addictive, and more accessible than real healthy food - it can be difficult to make the right choices. I know there are many factors that can contribute to poor choices when it comes to our physical health.
Emotionally, I wonder if the increasing amount of antidepressants being prescribed is a result of not understanding the effect our emotional health has on us physically? or not wanting to attempt to cure what ails us physically by working on the emotional aspect? Emotional health comes from understanding that I am beautiful, and appreciating everyone and everything in my life; the good for just that, and the bad for what I can learn from it.
Spiritually comes from understanding that the world and life is not about me, but about discovering the purpose God intended for me. As I grow older, I have come to believe that although our bodies and minds may begin to deteriorate with the normal aging process, our spirituality can grow if we so choose. We can grow to see the world through God's eyes; and see beauty in everything and everyone.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Overuse of Antacids
If you have ever felt that burning ache in the pit of your stomach racing up into your chest, you can probably testify to the effectiveness of antacids for pain relief. From Tums to Priolsec and the ever growing variety, anactids are one of the most common drug I see used by my patients. Antacids are so commonly used that most of my patients do not even include them on their list of medications they are currently taking. Noticing numerous GI complaints, a progressively worsening health, ridges in their fingernails indicating malabsorbtion of nutrients, and many other problems I will discover they are taking antacids.
Our bodies are miraculous creations capable of innately curing itself given the proper care. The normal response to food entering the stomach is stimulation of cells that produce HCL. When these cells are stimulated, the normal neurological response is to close the sphincter leading to your esophagus so no acid can enter and cause heartburn. Therefore if you have heartburn it is for two reasons:
1) The sphincter is mechanically compromised.
2) More commonly, there is not enough HCL being produced to stimulate the sphincter to close or stay closed. Poor diets, smoking, medications, hypothyroidism, and other health issues can cause this to occur by slowing down your digestive system (constipation). When this occurs food sits for longer periods of time in your stomach causing the food to putrify and form acid. This acid and not your body's HCL is more likely what causes your heartburn. Food putrification as well as the use of antacids causes the stomach lining to breakdown. The more the stomach lining breaks down, the fewer cells there are to produce HCL causing your digestion to slow even more, causing additional stomach lining breakdown, causing.....hopefully you see the progressively worsening scenario.
When this process occurs you are said to have hypochloridria because there is not enough HCL and other enzymes necessary to break down and utilize foods properly in your stomach. Many nutrients are not properly broken down or absorbed. Calcium requires an acidic environment to be absorbed, over time you will start to develop osteoporosis. Iron absorbs best on an empty stomach in an acidic environment, over time you may develop anemia. These are only a couple of many health disorders that can occur indirectly as a result of long term antacid usage.
Taking antacids for recurring heart burn makes about as much sense as taking Tylenol for a brain tumor. If pain is merely controlled and changes are not made to correct what caused the heartburn to occur, it will not likely heal. Or as one of my favorite quotes goes, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result".
TREATMENT: I would suggest seeking advice from an alternative care physician with experience and knowledge in this area.
Our bodies are miraculous creations capable of innately curing itself given the proper care. The normal response to food entering the stomach is stimulation of cells that produce HCL. When these cells are stimulated, the normal neurological response is to close the sphincter leading to your esophagus so no acid can enter and cause heartburn. Therefore if you have heartburn it is for two reasons:
1) The sphincter is mechanically compromised.
2) More commonly, there is not enough HCL being produced to stimulate the sphincter to close or stay closed. Poor diets, smoking, medications, hypothyroidism, and other health issues can cause this to occur by slowing down your digestive system (constipation). When this occurs food sits for longer periods of time in your stomach causing the food to putrify and form acid. This acid and not your body's HCL is more likely what causes your heartburn. Food putrification as well as the use of antacids causes the stomach lining to breakdown. The more the stomach lining breaks down, the fewer cells there are to produce HCL causing your digestion to slow even more, causing additional stomach lining breakdown, causing.....hopefully you see the progressively worsening scenario.
When this process occurs you are said to have hypochloridria because there is not enough HCL and other enzymes necessary to break down and utilize foods properly in your stomach. Many nutrients are not properly broken down or absorbed. Calcium requires an acidic environment to be absorbed, over time you will start to develop osteoporosis. Iron absorbs best on an empty stomach in an acidic environment, over time you may develop anemia. These are only a couple of many health disorders that can occur indirectly as a result of long term antacid usage.
Taking antacids for recurring heart burn makes about as much sense as taking Tylenol for a brain tumor. If pain is merely controlled and changes are not made to correct what caused the heartburn to occur, it will not likely heal. Or as one of my favorite quotes goes, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result".
TREATMENT: I would suggest seeking advice from an alternative care physician with experience and knowledge in this area.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Pain Threshold
"How wimpy are you?" would have to be the layman's version of, "What kind of pain threshold do you have?" Although a doctor will ask you about your pain to try to determine its source, I doubt any doctor would ask you such a question because everyone perceives pain differently. One person may cut themselves to the bone and hardly feel the pain at all, while another may cry out from a simple paper cut.
"Suck it up" is probably the layman's way of saying, "I think there is a significant emotional component to your pain". From the time we are young crying out for our mother's attention or blocking painful outcries so as not to be thought of as a sissy, we develop emotional patterns to our pain. Many authors like Louise Hay and intuitive healers believe all pain and disease processes have an emotional orgin. I have come to believe that our physical well being is a direct reflection of our emotional well being.
"That looks like it hurts" would have to be the layman's way of saying "There is a significant physical component to your pain". There are occasions when your pain receptors are stimulated and you should have pain, a message to your brain that you need to change or do something differently. It is not uncommon to see terrible arthritis, healed compression fractures, or healed rib fractures on x-rays in patients with no pain in the affected area. Innately our bodies are capable of completely healing from (almost?) anything if we eliminate the physical AND emotional component of the pain.
"You are always whining about something hurting" would be the layman's way of saying, "There must be a physical orgin to your pain, but it is difficult to determine what that is because of your overlying emotional components and my limited knowledge." We often expect our bodies to heal themselves when we experience pain, and therefore do little to nothing to change or do something differently. A diabetic may just take more medicine when eating a high glycemic meal; or after a spinal surgery a person may not retrain their muscles to function properly with therapy and return to the same lifestyle or activities that caused the biomechanical dysfunction to start out with. Alcoholics, and people using multiple medications will almost always have a lower pain threshold and more chronic pain. Once a person has allowed multiple incidences of pain to occur without making any changes, chronic pain is almost a guarantee. So choose wisely.
"Suck it up" is probably the layman's way of saying, "I think there is a significant emotional component to your pain". From the time we are young crying out for our mother's attention or blocking painful outcries so as not to be thought of as a sissy, we develop emotional patterns to our pain. Many authors like Louise Hay and intuitive healers believe all pain and disease processes have an emotional orgin. I have come to believe that our physical well being is a direct reflection of our emotional well being.
"That looks like it hurts" would have to be the layman's way of saying "There is a significant physical component to your pain". There are occasions when your pain receptors are stimulated and you should have pain, a message to your brain that you need to change or do something differently. It is not uncommon to see terrible arthritis, healed compression fractures, or healed rib fractures on x-rays in patients with no pain in the affected area. Innately our bodies are capable of completely healing from (almost?) anything if we eliminate the physical AND emotional component of the pain.
"You are always whining about something hurting" would be the layman's way of saying, "There must be a physical orgin to your pain, but it is difficult to determine what that is because of your overlying emotional components and my limited knowledge." We often expect our bodies to heal themselves when we experience pain, and therefore do little to nothing to change or do something differently. A diabetic may just take more medicine when eating a high glycemic meal; or after a spinal surgery a person may not retrain their muscles to function properly with therapy and return to the same lifestyle or activities that caused the biomechanical dysfunction to start out with. Alcoholics, and people using multiple medications will almost always have a lower pain threshold and more chronic pain. Once a person has allowed multiple incidences of pain to occur without making any changes, chronic pain is almost a guarantee. So choose wisely.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
GLUTEN FREE?
It has been said that the qualities we dislike most in others, are the same qualities we struggle with in our own lives, sort of that "I'm nothing like that" or "not me" denial.
For me, this sort of denial happened after being diagnosed as autoimmune. I read study after study that said most people with autoimmune diseases (especially Hoshimoto's Thyroiditis) will do better on gluten free diets. Despite everything I read, every class I went to, and every patient I saw improve, I refused to believe that my health would improve on a gluten free diet.
Some people go gluten free simply because it makes them feel better. All sorts of symptoms have been known to improve or completely go away on gluten free diets including headaches, rashes, gas, bloating, ADD, irritable bowel syndrome, muscle aches, and many more. It is easy to argue that gluten has been in our diets for hundred of years and not caused problems. But unlike a hundred years ago, wheat is typically stored for years before it reaches your table, and during those years endotoxins (that can wreak havoc on your body) form on the wheat. Unlike a hundred years ago wheat is genetically modified, grown in nutrient depleted soils, and over processed.
Some people go gluten free because they have celiac disease or have a food sensitivity to gluten. It seems to me in this instance, most patients want a specific lab test before they are willing to take their beloved gluten out of their diet completely. There are blood tests for IgA and IgG antigliadins, IgA transglutaminase, and endomysium antibodies. There is an excellent complete gluten sensitivity and gene panel (stool test) you can run yourself through enterolab.com. Most medical doctors will not diagnose celiac disease in a patient without doing an intestinal biopsy (surgically removing a piece of your bowel) because none of the lab tests are considered 100% accurate.
It is my opinion that the best diagnosis is made by COMPLETELY eliminating gluten from your diet for at least a month. It is important to be sure not to expose yourself to hidden sources of gluten while on an elimination diet. Sometimes patients feel better right away, other times no difference is felt until you try to put gluten back into your diet. If you are celiac you will likely have a pretty significant and immediate reaction when you add gluten back into your diet. If you are sensitive to gluten, it may take a couple exposures before you have a reaction. In either instance your gut will heal and improve on a gluten free diet.
Since the secret to living healthy with any autoimmune disease is improving your immune system, and most of your immune system can be found in your gut - it is only logical that staying gluten free could help strengthen your immune system. Since there is no cure for autoimmune disease; since the onset of autoimmune conditions can be delayed with a strong immune system; since everyone even without autoimmune conditions would be healthier with a stronger immune system - I think everyone should at least give the elimination/provocation diet a try.
NOTE: Some people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivities have a type that will affect the nervous system more than the gut (just a few possibilities: ADD, irritability, brain fog). So when doing the elimination diet these people may not immediately notice their reaction to gluten.
NOTE: 6/1/11 Since the first publication of this, Cyrex Labratories has created an in depth blood panel for Celiac Disease that is probably the most diagnotic test available at this time.
For me, this sort of denial happened after being diagnosed as autoimmune. I read study after study that said most people with autoimmune diseases (especially Hoshimoto's Thyroiditis) will do better on gluten free diets. Despite everything I read, every class I went to, and every patient I saw improve, I refused to believe that my health would improve on a gluten free diet.
Some people go gluten free simply because it makes them feel better. All sorts of symptoms have been known to improve or completely go away on gluten free diets including headaches, rashes, gas, bloating, ADD, irritable bowel syndrome, muscle aches, and many more. It is easy to argue that gluten has been in our diets for hundred of years and not caused problems. But unlike a hundred years ago, wheat is typically stored for years before it reaches your table, and during those years endotoxins (that can wreak havoc on your body) form on the wheat. Unlike a hundred years ago wheat is genetically modified, grown in nutrient depleted soils, and over processed.
Some people go gluten free because they have celiac disease or have a food sensitivity to gluten. It seems to me in this instance, most patients want a specific lab test before they are willing to take their beloved gluten out of their diet completely. There are blood tests for IgA and IgG antigliadins, IgA transglutaminase, and endomysium antibodies. There is an excellent complete gluten sensitivity and gene panel (stool test) you can run yourself through enterolab.com. Most medical doctors will not diagnose celiac disease in a patient without doing an intestinal biopsy (surgically removing a piece of your bowel) because none of the lab tests are considered 100% accurate.
It is my opinion that the best diagnosis is made by COMPLETELY eliminating gluten from your diet for at least a month. It is important to be sure not to expose yourself to hidden sources of gluten while on an elimination diet. Sometimes patients feel better right away, other times no difference is felt until you try to put gluten back into your diet. If you are celiac you will likely have a pretty significant and immediate reaction when you add gluten back into your diet. If you are sensitive to gluten, it may take a couple exposures before you have a reaction. In either instance your gut will heal and improve on a gluten free diet.
Since the secret to living healthy with any autoimmune disease is improving your immune system, and most of your immune system can be found in your gut - it is only logical that staying gluten free could help strengthen your immune system. Since there is no cure for autoimmune disease; since the onset of autoimmune conditions can be delayed with a strong immune system; since everyone even without autoimmune conditions would be healthier with a stronger immune system - I think everyone should at least give the elimination/provocation diet a try.
NOTE: Some people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivities have a type that will affect the nervous system more than the gut (just a few possibilities: ADD, irritability, brain fog). So when doing the elimination diet these people may not immediately notice their reaction to gluten.
NOTE: 6/1/11 Since the first publication of this, Cyrex Labratories has created an in depth blood panel for Celiac Disease that is probably the most diagnotic test available at this time.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Pain is Good
Why does it seem like so many things that are good for us don't feel very good at all? Back when I was a kid choking down cod liver oil, doing chores, being nice to my sisters when they weren't so nice to me, and a slew of other stuff all seemed to be quite painful at the time. Dad always said such things were good for my character. I was never completely convinced because I always thought pain was something to be avoided at all cost. After all I wouldn't leave my hand pressed to the side of a boiling pot.
Although I am Christian, I love the Buddhist's Four Noble Truths in regard to pain. The first is like when I was young and believed that I would be happier if I didn't have to eat healthy, do chores, or be nice to my sisters because less pain was always better. The problem with this is it always leads to wanting more to make me happy.
The second truth says that we fulfill our cravings, attachments, and selfish grasp for pleasure to avoid pain. We eat poorly, buy expensive stuff, don't exercise, limit our graciousness towards others so we have more for ourselves believing it will make us happier. Typically this is when a person will develop health problems. If you have ever hit your rock bottom be it emotionally or physically (like with cancer, heart attacks, or other ailments) you know this is when we reach the turning point and finally ask ourselves, "Is there something better?"
The third noble truth is a complete release from attachment and a liberation from pain. Or as a Christian would put it, giving it over to God; that fear for ourselves is not trusting in God. I used to worry about not having enough money. I used to worry about the worst case scenarios whenever I had some strange ache or pain. But now I recognize that those worries are conscious messages, and the pain or health problems I have had are unconscious messages directing me to a healthier being. I'll probably spend the rest of my life trying to recreate new patterns I created by my own selfishness, searching for that liberation from pain.
The fourth noble truth is utter extinction of pain.....Christians call that heaven.
Although I am Christian, I love the Buddhist's Four Noble Truths in regard to pain. The first is like when I was young and believed that I would be happier if I didn't have to eat healthy, do chores, or be nice to my sisters because less pain was always better. The problem with this is it always leads to wanting more to make me happy.
The second truth says that we fulfill our cravings, attachments, and selfish grasp for pleasure to avoid pain. We eat poorly, buy expensive stuff, don't exercise, limit our graciousness towards others so we have more for ourselves believing it will make us happier. Typically this is when a person will develop health problems. If you have ever hit your rock bottom be it emotionally or physically (like with cancer, heart attacks, or other ailments) you know this is when we reach the turning point and finally ask ourselves, "Is there something better?"
The third noble truth is a complete release from attachment and a liberation from pain. Or as a Christian would put it, giving it over to God; that fear for ourselves is not trusting in God. I used to worry about not having enough money. I used to worry about the worst case scenarios whenever I had some strange ache or pain. But now I recognize that those worries are conscious messages, and the pain or health problems I have had are unconscious messages directing me to a healthier being. I'll probably spend the rest of my life trying to recreate new patterns I created by my own selfishness, searching for that liberation from pain.
The fourth noble truth is utter extinction of pain.....Christians call that heaven.
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