It's late at night, and this is my first blog in a while, so I hope it is coherent. I first wanted to announce the opening of my chiropractic and wellness office, Lifestyle Chiropractic. I am excited to be able to influence my community for better health. It isn't a well-kept secret that America is not the healthiest nation in the world (37th if you ask the WHO) so it is important to begin to educate and arm the masses to change this. One person who is trained to make and keep themselves healthy brings us closer to the goal of bringing up the health of the nation - this cannot and will not be solved by policy, mind you!
Secondly tonight, I had to share an experience at the movies with my brother-in-law. We went to a newer movie, so we got there in plenty of time expecting the theater to be full. Sure enough, we hadn't been seated for too long when a man asked if the seats beside us were taken. He took his seat next to me and could barely fit in it. It was almost sad to hear him work and breathe just to get situated in his chair. I want to digress for a second so people that don't know me very well can understand that I am not coming from a place of judging or malice.
Only 3 years ago, I tipped the scale at 268, and more importantly, didn't think there was a problem. I could run, play sports, go up stairs, etc without getting short of breath, so I thought the weight and my lifestyle habits weren't a problem. Oh what lies we tell ourselves. Luckily, through education, I began to learn that I was on the road that most Americans are on that leads to chronic illness, unhappiness, and early death. I started making small changes that have given me huge and lasting results. I now weigh 195 with still room to go, but, more importantly, I am not on the road to early and painful death, I am on the path to long and wonderful LIFE! Back to my story...
He was a pretty chatty man, more so than any I have encountered at a movie theater, but I found out that he works in the medical profession. Please don't misread, but I was pretty disgusted to realize that he is responsible for the health of others. How do we educate people on matters that we don't believe ourselves? I have had many conversations with well-meaning practitioners that ultimately end with them saying, "People don't want to change - they want the pill, the quick fix, and then not to see me until something else is falling off." Be that as it may, we must not give up, and the first people we need to convince are ourselves. You CAN choose to be healthy. Your genes do not determine your life, your life determines the genes you express. Make the choice to change one thing today for the better - the simpler, the better. Eat an apple a day to help your health to stay. Take a walk and think of reasons to be happy. Make a good choice and other good choices will follow.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Fish oil sounds gross!
Nutrition for me became a series of small, smart additions to my diet. I knew that if I wanted the prolonged benefits of a healthy diet, I could not start with any of the fads just promising fast weight loss. I needed to make changes that I could keep for the rest of my life, which hopefully will be a long time! My first good choice was to start taking Omega 3 fish oils daily. It was easy and not expensive.
Inflammation
Omega 3's promote the anti-inflammatory cascade and inhibit dietary inflammation. When inflammation is detected, the body sends its defenses to heal. Ultimately, if healing doesn't take place and the inflammation is chronic, the body needs to wall off the troubled area with - you guessed it - calcium! This is a major reason that blood vessels build plaque. The calcium hardens the vessel wall and begins to encroach the space, making blood flow in these areas more difficult. When there are many areas of chronic inflammation, the heart will have to work harder, hence a spike in blood pressure. Will taking a drug to thin the blood help? Probably, but this will NEVER address the cause.
Why such a rise in heart disease?
The opposite of omega 3 is omega 6, and these fats are pro-inflammatory. In 1900 the typical diet had an omega 3 to omega 6 ratio of about 4:1. The ideal is somewhere around 5:1. In the 1970's this ration was close to 1:1. The estimate now is 1:24, or 1 good to 24 bad. Processed and fast food are largely to blame for this rise. I bet you've heard that diet is largely to blame for a rise in heart disease, but have you heard why? Omega 3 oils will help to off-set this disparity, but we must also cut back on the pro-inlammatory, omega 6 containing foods.
Good Fat? Really?
What does fat do for our bodies? Most importantly, every cell in our body has what is called a lipid bi-layer membrane. This is where most of our fat goes - in making cell membranes for the new cells that we are creating every day. If we don't have the right building blocks for these membranes, the body will substitute with something inferior. We also use fat for most of our hormones. We NEED good fat, but it is scarce with the diets that we have today. Taking a few capsules of omega 3 oils per day is a great way to arm your body with correct ingredients to promote health.
Inflammation
Omega 3's promote the anti-inflammatory cascade and inhibit dietary inflammation. When inflammation is detected, the body sends its defenses to heal. Ultimately, if healing doesn't take place and the inflammation is chronic, the body needs to wall off the troubled area with - you guessed it - calcium! This is a major reason that blood vessels build plaque. The calcium hardens the vessel wall and begins to encroach the space, making blood flow in these areas more difficult. When there are many areas of chronic inflammation, the heart will have to work harder, hence a spike in blood pressure. Will taking a drug to thin the blood help? Probably, but this will NEVER address the cause.
Why such a rise in heart disease?
The opposite of omega 3 is omega 6, and these fats are pro-inflammatory. In 1900 the typical diet had an omega 3 to omega 6 ratio of about 4:1. The ideal is somewhere around 5:1. In the 1970's this ration was close to 1:1. The estimate now is 1:24, or 1 good to 24 bad. Processed and fast food are largely to blame for this rise. I bet you've heard that diet is largely to blame for a rise in heart disease, but have you heard why? Omega 3 oils will help to off-set this disparity, but we must also cut back on the pro-inlammatory, omega 6 containing foods.
Good Fat? Really?
What does fat do for our bodies? Most importantly, every cell in our body has what is called a lipid bi-layer membrane. This is where most of our fat goes - in making cell membranes for the new cells that we are creating every day. If we don't have the right building blocks for these membranes, the body will substitute with something inferior. We also use fat for most of our hormones. We NEED good fat, but it is scarce with the diets that we have today. Taking a few capsules of omega 3 oils per day is a great way to arm your body with correct ingredients to promote health.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Go for the Goal!
So, you're ready to be healthy! How do we define health? Is it just being free of symptoms? You know when I answer my own questions with a question that it can't be right! Many people say, "Well I don't feel sick, so I must be healthy!" How do we know? If you aren't sad, are you necessarily happy? There are many degrees of emotion, so why do we think it is different with our health? Just being 'not sick' is NOT healthy! Optimum health is going to now be defined as: Every function in your body working at 100% All of the time. Now that seems pretty hard to achieve, but we MUST know what the gold standard is so we know where we would like to get. If your body is working at 99% all of the time, that is really good, but it is not the healthiest you can be.
Every Function: If you need to know how I feel about the nervous system, see my first post! In short, the nervous system directs the actions of every other system in your body. Whether it is your heart, lungs, digestive tract, or any other system, the nervous system controls it. So, first we must get the nervous system working at 100%. Nerves can be interfered with (subluxation) so this interference needs to be cleared out by the only profession trained in removing nervous system interference - Chiropractors! Have you seen one yet? Get that nervous system checked so your other systems can start working at 100%!
All of the time: There is something you can do RIGHT NOW to make your body function at less than optimum - think about what you ate last! Think about what you ate for the last week - did you get enough fruits and vegetables? How is your omega 3 (anti-inflammatory and health promoting) to omega 6 (pro-inflammatory and health depleting) ratio? How are your thoughts? Any negative thinking on the highway during traffic? All of these things contribute to less function. Now, there are also things you can do RIGHT NOW to promote health and contribute to a higher functioning body. Are you taking fish oil every day? Probiotics? One of the best advice I ever got for my health was to eat a fresh piece of fruit or vegetable before EVERY meal! A study just came out about carrots - people who ate 2 raw carrots every day for 6 months lowered their colesterol by an average of 20 points, and they didn't change ANYTHING else in their diet! Think how much healthier you would be in one year if you did that small thing.
Health is a long term goal. You must be ready to make life changes. A friend of mine asked me how she could lose some weight. I tried to keep a straight face and told her to quit eating. Sound strange? That is the best way I know how to lose weight! If weight loss is the goal, there are many ways to acheive. How many fad diets are out there? How many don't work? You make a goal of 10, 20, even 50 pounds to lose, but once that goal is aceived it is too easy to fall into old habits and gain it all back. Is your goal to not be depressed? Using medication can do that for you. The idea here is that if your goal is something other than health, there are too many roads to get you there, and not all of them are health promoting. The goal MUST BE HEALTH first! When you are moving toward health, you are moving toward happiness, you are moving toward weight loss, and you are moving toward funtioning at 100% all the time!
So, if you are ready to make health your goal, start changing your life! Every time you exercise, you are impacting your health positively. Can you walk to the mailbox and back? That will help you. Can you eat a piece of fruit before every meal? That will help you get closer to health. Will you lose 20 pounds in one month? Probably not, but you will lose weight, especially the longer you do it. These changes need to be life long. Once health becomes the goal, the time frame becomes life! You will feel better and you will get sick less! Let me know if you need any other ideas to start your change. If you are already doing these things, there are more things you can do, so don't hesitate to take a look in the mirror and find out what more you can do for your health.
Once health is your priority, everything else in your life will fall into place, or fall out all together! But it isn't quick, and it requires commitment!
Every Function: If you need to know how I feel about the nervous system, see my first post! In short, the nervous system directs the actions of every other system in your body. Whether it is your heart, lungs, digestive tract, or any other system, the nervous system controls it. So, first we must get the nervous system working at 100%. Nerves can be interfered with (subluxation) so this interference needs to be cleared out by the only profession trained in removing nervous system interference - Chiropractors! Have you seen one yet? Get that nervous system checked so your other systems can start working at 100%!
All of the time: There is something you can do RIGHT NOW to make your body function at less than optimum - think about what you ate last! Think about what you ate for the last week - did you get enough fruits and vegetables? How is your omega 3 (anti-inflammatory and health promoting) to omega 6 (pro-inflammatory and health depleting) ratio? How are your thoughts? Any negative thinking on the highway during traffic? All of these things contribute to less function. Now, there are also things you can do RIGHT NOW to promote health and contribute to a higher functioning body. Are you taking fish oil every day? Probiotics? One of the best advice I ever got for my health was to eat a fresh piece of fruit or vegetable before EVERY meal! A study just came out about carrots - people who ate 2 raw carrots every day for 6 months lowered their colesterol by an average of 20 points, and they didn't change ANYTHING else in their diet! Think how much healthier you would be in one year if you did that small thing.
Health is a long term goal. You must be ready to make life changes. A friend of mine asked me how she could lose some weight. I tried to keep a straight face and told her to quit eating. Sound strange? That is the best way I know how to lose weight! If weight loss is the goal, there are many ways to acheive. How many fad diets are out there? How many don't work? You make a goal of 10, 20, even 50 pounds to lose, but once that goal is aceived it is too easy to fall into old habits and gain it all back. Is your goal to not be depressed? Using medication can do that for you. The idea here is that if your goal is something other than health, there are too many roads to get you there, and not all of them are health promoting. The goal MUST BE HEALTH first! When you are moving toward health, you are moving toward happiness, you are moving toward weight loss, and you are moving toward funtioning at 100% all the time!
So, if you are ready to make health your goal, start changing your life! Every time you exercise, you are impacting your health positively. Can you walk to the mailbox and back? That will help you. Can you eat a piece of fruit before every meal? That will help you get closer to health. Will you lose 20 pounds in one month? Probably not, but you will lose weight, especially the longer you do it. These changes need to be life long. Once health becomes the goal, the time frame becomes life! You will feel better and you will get sick less! Let me know if you need any other ideas to start your change. If you are already doing these things, there are more things you can do, so don't hesitate to take a look in the mirror and find out what more you can do for your health.
Once health is your priority, everything else in your life will fall into place, or fall out all together! But it isn't quick, and it requires commitment!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Title Explanation
Don't expect two posts in one day very often! I am already excited about the feedback that I have gotten. Share this site with your friends! It is time for those of us who feel that our bodies are capable of being healthy by themselves to band together and start changing people's perception of what health and wellness is!
I chose the title 'Take Back Your Health' because too many people are trying to convince us that health and sickness are things that we must react to and that we are independent of. Examples: When someone gets sick or has a disease, how do we react? Do we ask ourselves what that person could have done to make their health better, or do we simply blame bad genes, bad germs, and bad luck? If you went into a chamber (who goes into chambers these days, anyway?) with 10 other people and pumped a common flu virus into the room, how many would get sick? 5, 7, 8? NOT ALL! We know that - not everyone that comes in contact with any germ gets sick and if they get sick, some get more sick than others. How do we account for this if it is all the germ? We CAN'T - the people who take care of their immune systems do not get as sick as the people with worse immune systems - FACT!
Okay, what about genes? Do you know that the human genome hasn't changed in at least 6,000 years? How can we blame a diabetes gene for the terrible rise in type II diabetes just recently if that gene has been around for all that time? We CAN'T - people can turn on or off genes depending on their LIFE STYLE!
Bad luck? That is just silly. Obesity hasn't grown 600% in 10 years because we are less lucky than our predecessors. Cancer wouldn't have risen to 1 in 3 because our parents and grandparents were luckier than we are. Now, if you think that someone you know does everything 'healthy' and still has these problems, read my first post, and find out if they are taking care of their nervous system.
So, to make a long post longer, it is time to Take Back Our Health! There are things you can do RIGHT NOW (Reading this blog is one of them) that can help your health and bring you farther from sickness. There are also things you can do RIGHT NOW (drinking that diet coke while reading this is one of them!) that can move you closer to sickness. EVERY CHOICE that you make through out your day is either taking you closer to health or closer to sickness. How your health is in the future is simply the summation of these choices. YOU ARE IN CHARGE! That is why I chose this title - I am fighting the type II diabetes gene in my life right now! I am fighting the cancer genes right now! Through lifestyle decisions, I can turn those genes off - science has PROVEN this! So, get off your butt and go get your health!
I chose the title 'Take Back Your Health' because too many people are trying to convince us that health and sickness are things that we must react to and that we are independent of. Examples: When someone gets sick or has a disease, how do we react? Do we ask ourselves what that person could have done to make their health better, or do we simply blame bad genes, bad germs, and bad luck? If you went into a chamber (who goes into chambers these days, anyway?) with 10 other people and pumped a common flu virus into the room, how many would get sick? 5, 7, 8? NOT ALL! We know that - not everyone that comes in contact with any germ gets sick and if they get sick, some get more sick than others. How do we account for this if it is all the germ? We CAN'T - the people who take care of their immune systems do not get as sick as the people with worse immune systems - FACT!
Okay, what about genes? Do you know that the human genome hasn't changed in at least 6,000 years? How can we blame a diabetes gene for the terrible rise in type II diabetes just recently if that gene has been around for all that time? We CAN'T - people can turn on or off genes depending on their LIFE STYLE!
Bad luck? That is just silly. Obesity hasn't grown 600% in 10 years because we are less lucky than our predecessors. Cancer wouldn't have risen to 1 in 3 because our parents and grandparents were luckier than we are. Now, if you think that someone you know does everything 'healthy' and still has these problems, read my first post, and find out if they are taking care of their nervous system.
So, to make a long post longer, it is time to Take Back Our Health! There are things you can do RIGHT NOW (Reading this blog is one of them) that can help your health and bring you farther from sickness. There are also things you can do RIGHT NOW (drinking that diet coke while reading this is one of them!) that can move you closer to sickness. EVERY CHOICE that you make through out your day is either taking you closer to health or closer to sickness. How your health is in the future is simply the summation of these choices. YOU ARE IN CHARGE! That is why I chose this title - I am fighting the type II diabetes gene in my life right now! I am fighting the cancer genes right now! Through lifestyle decisions, I can turn those genes off - science has PROVEN this! So, get off your butt and go get your health!
Bring on the Blog
I am officially joining the Blogger world! I finally decided to get all of my musings, rants, ideas, and general thoughts about health, chiropractic and wellness in one place. I hope everyone enjoys!!
I wanted to first and foremost reaffirm my position on the importance of the nervous system in health. For those who don't know much about Chiropractic, we are ultimately concerned with the health of the brain, spinal cord, and other nerves in the whole body. Where does the nervous system go? EVERYWHERE! What does the nervous system regulate? EVERYTHING! (I feel like I'm in a commercial now!) The nervous system is the FIRST thing formed in the human body way back before the female even knows she is pregnant. It then can regulate the rest of the systems to develop and work properly. So, if we want to begin to bring on TRUE health, we must start with the health of the nervous system!
Science can measure deficiencies in nervous output and imbalances from one side to the other. These deficiencies and imbalances cause interference to and from the central nervous system which will ultimately change how the body is functioning in a negative way. This interference is called SUBLUXATION. Though symptoms may not be present, subluxation will make it so the body is not performing with 100% efficiency. If I cut a nerve that goes to the heart, the effects would be immediate and catastrophic. With 0% input to the heart, life doesn't last long! What about 90% or 80% input to the heart? Death wouldn't be imminent, but the heart wouldn't be as healthy as it could or should, and the longer it goes untreated, the more harm it will do. Chiropractic removes this intereference and makes sure that the body is working at 100% all the time! I believe that the body is a self-healing, self-regulating mechanism, but in order to heal itself, it must be working at optimum potential.
So everything that you may be doing to be healthy can only do so much good if the nervous system isn't working properly. My first charge and your first step is to go and get your nervous system checked by a professional. Doctors of Chiropractic are trained to find and correct subluxations. If you only go once to find out how you are functioning, at least you won't be in the dark anymore! There will be many other topics discussed here, and I will go on and on (and on some more sometimes) about many other health topics, but it is IMPERITIVE to note that if you don't start taking care of the health of your nervous system you are doing yourself the ultimate disservice!
I wanted to first and foremost reaffirm my position on the importance of the nervous system in health. For those who don't know much about Chiropractic, we are ultimately concerned with the health of the brain, spinal cord, and other nerves in the whole body. Where does the nervous system go? EVERYWHERE! What does the nervous system regulate? EVERYTHING! (I feel like I'm in a commercial now!) The nervous system is the FIRST thing formed in the human body way back before the female even knows she is pregnant. It then can regulate the rest of the systems to develop and work properly. So, if we want to begin to bring on TRUE health, we must start with the health of the nervous system!
Science can measure deficiencies in nervous output and imbalances from one side to the other. These deficiencies and imbalances cause interference to and from the central nervous system which will ultimately change how the body is functioning in a negative way. This interference is called SUBLUXATION. Though symptoms may not be present, subluxation will make it so the body is not performing with 100% efficiency. If I cut a nerve that goes to the heart, the effects would be immediate and catastrophic. With 0% input to the heart, life doesn't last long! What about 90% or 80% input to the heart? Death wouldn't be imminent, but the heart wouldn't be as healthy as it could or should, and the longer it goes untreated, the more harm it will do. Chiropractic removes this intereference and makes sure that the body is working at 100% all the time! I believe that the body is a self-healing, self-regulating mechanism, but in order to heal itself, it must be working at optimum potential.
So everything that you may be doing to be healthy can only do so much good if the nervous system isn't working properly. My first charge and your first step is to go and get your nervous system checked by a professional. Doctors of Chiropractic are trained to find and correct subluxations. If you only go once to find out how you are functioning, at least you won't be in the dark anymore! There will be many other topics discussed here, and I will go on and on (and on some more sometimes) about many other health topics, but it is IMPERITIVE to note that if you don't start taking care of the health of your nervous system you are doing yourself the ultimate disservice!
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