Let's Talk Getting Healthy

~FINDING YOUR HAPPY PLACE...Where did I put it?~

 
In todays World, people are so busy taking care of their spouses, significant others, their kids, their jobs and anything else that they possibly can, that they don't leave time for themselves.  After living this lifestyle for a period of time, they get in a rut, and misplace their Happy Place.     Ever Feel that way yourself? 

In the movie, Peter Pan (yes, I watched it recently with my kids)  upon returning to neverland, has difficulty remembering how to FLY.  He is reminded that he must go to his "Happy Place" in order to remember.  It was difficult at first, he even had a few failed attempts.  Then when it became a Must, he had to fly or else, he remembered!

You could tell in his failed attempts that his HEART was not in it, he defeated himself before he even tried. I see this with patients all the time, I hear things like, "I haven't been happy for a long time", "What's the use, it won't work anyway","I have tried everything, nothing works". That is like Peters failed attempts, because when it came down to it, none of these people gave 100%.  Really, its not their fault AND it is their responsiblity.(continued)

Go to the next page, to get some ideas on how to Find your Happy Place again.

~ DON'T BE "RUBBED" THE WRONG WAY ~

 I am referring to massage therapy. I have received therapeutic massages in many locations, especially when I travel.  They are part my overall health program, they help me to keep my circulation moving and muscles relaxed.  These are just a few of the benefits that I enjoy from therapeutic massage therapy.  There are many different types of massage and I recommend that you experiment and see which styles suit you the best.

As a Health Care Physician, I regularly recommend that my patients receive therapeutic massages to speed their recovery. That request is met with mixed reviews, some people are excited to go, others wouldn't dream of it!  If you choose the latter, you must find a way to increase your circulation and as many of the benefits that massage offers as you can. Below is list of some of the benefits of Therapeutic Massage.

ESSENTIAL OILS ~ They are Essential to your Lifestyle!

In my practice and in my life I use essential oils for many purposes.  I only use one brand and that is Young Living therapeutic grade essential oils.  I have tried many types and brands of oils in the past and YL oils by far surpass the expectations of my patients and myself.

You may not be very familiar with essential oils or you may have heard of lavender or maybe frankincense or myrrh.  I want to familiarize you with the benefits of using oils.  They have been used for centuries dating back to 4500 B.C.. We use them as colognes, perfumes and even in cooking but the medicinal uses are the ones that are overlooked the most.  I use them for many conditions within my practice.

1. Peppermint - used for weight loss and appetite suppressant.
2. Lavender - Great for burn healing, insomnia, nervous tension.
3. Ginger - Arthritis, digestion, expectorant
4. Geranium - Hepatitis/fatty liver disease, eczema, ringworm, herpes infections.
5. Lemon - Improves memory, immune stimulant, circulation problems.
6. Melaleuca Alternifolia(Tea Tree) - Candida, ringworm, tooth/gum disease

 You can use essential oils to clean your house and even for natural pest control.  Peppermint sprayed around the edges and corners repels spiders.

The list goes on and on with the types and benefits of the oils.  When asked how do they work?

REVERSING THE AGING PROCESS ~ No ... Really!

In my practice, I am laser focused on assisting people with finding their way back to a health. We address many aspects of what is necessary to regain their life.  Whether it is related to diet, digestion, assimilation, elimination or emotional wellbeing, one thing is constant.  You must make a big enough change in your habits to change the makeup of your cells.

Let me explain, it is now known that as cells die normally they are replaced with new cells.  I think everyone can understand that, but I believe what is missed is that we have the ability and power to alter our state of health due to this.  Take a look at this;

• We grow a new stomach lining every four days

• The surface stomach cells that come into contact with digesting food renew themselves every five minutes

• Our skin is completely new every five weeks

• Our livers are completely regenerated every six weeks

• We rebuild our entire skeletal structure every three months; and

• The entire body completely recreates itself, down to the last atom, every four or five years.

DEADLY SNACKS ~ How Much Do You Eat?

In my office we counsel patients on proper eating habits for many reasons.  Some patients are wanting weight loss, others more energy, some are experiencing headaches or other ailments.

It is inevitable that I get asked, "is it okay if I eat just a little of this or that food"?  I tell them that there are consequences for all of our choices, good or bad.  You must start with a goal in mind, then set up the plan to achieve that goal.  It doesn't matter how small the goal is, whether you want to alleviate allergies or you want to cure your Irritable bowel disease, you have to eliminate foods that are poisoning your system and replace them with healthier snacks and meals. 

"But Doc", I hear, "why can't I have just a few chips or fries, it isn't going to kill me". I reply that "you are right, it is not going to kill you, TODAY anyway".  I encourage you to check out this link which may have you think twice before eating any chips, fries or fried potatoes again.

We are living in a society where we are flooding our systems with toxic chemicals in our food, drink(including water) and air. It is no wonder we have the staggering disease processes we have and are considered unhealthy as a nation. 

We have to make changes, don't put these chemicals in your body, no matter how "acceptable" the limits.

EAR INFECTIONS ~ A Natural Approach

In my last post I spoke of our kids going back to school and coming home with allergies and colds.  Another problem we see in kids, usually the younger ones, is ear infections.  If you have kids, you know what I am talking about when I describe the blood curdling screams from your child's bedroom in the middle of the night.  You rush in there to find your child screaming and fussy and not really sure what is wrong.  They may or may not have an elevated temperature and no matter what you try, they are still in pain.  So, to get your child relief you reach for the OTC pain killer in hopes of relieving their pain.

The pain killer has worked temporarily, now it is time to find the cause of the problem.  In cases such as these there are a couple of  devices that can help you find the cause.  I recommend that my parents have a home otoscope to look in the child's ear to determine if there is any redness or swelling of the ear drum.  If you are not comfortable with that device, an ear check monitor, helps to determine if there is an ear infection or not.  Both of these devices are easy to use to detect a problem, now lets look at how to treat it, naturally.

BACK TO SCHOOL TIME ... ARE YOU READY?

Okay,maybe that is a bit premature, but it is not too early to start preparing for it.  What I am talking about is the allergies and colds that seem to accompany the beginning of classes.  Every year during the beginning of the school year, or following summer vacation, we see many children/students who seem to be overcome by allergies or who seem to catch the common cold. 

There are many reasons for this, first, the kids have spent all summer eating all kinds of sugary foods, which lowers their immune function. 

Second, the air-conditioning units in the schools, that have been off all summer are turned on, and all the dust, mold and other debris is blown into the air for our children to breathe.  I believe that the best defense is a good offense, so now's the time to help prepare our kids for this onslaught of symptoms. 

These symptoms, range from   runny noses, itchy eyes, cough, sore throat, asthma, along with extreme fatigue. Some kids even experience ADD and ADHD when introduced into this environment. Most parents just assume that their child's allergies are flaring up due to outdoor pollens. There's been lots of research done on sick school syndrome, if you would like more information on this topic, I encourage you to visit Dr. Doris Rapp's website.

So what can we do to assist our kids so that they don't have to be plagued by the symptoms?  As I mentioned, the best defense is a good offense. 

Now is the time to start doing things to stimulate their immune function such as:

SUNBURN ~ To Screen or not To Screen?

It is that time of year again, where families are out in the sun more and more.  There are more incidents of sunburn in kids and adults than ever before. 

Of the people I asked the question, " How do we get sunburned?"  the majority of them simply say "too much sun". 

What most of them don't realize is that it is the radiation from the suns rays(UVA and UVB) that create the burns.  I have been told that description sounds pretty harsh.  It is suppose to be harsh!  It is an important topic for the summer months especially. 

When you think about it as radiation burns, it drives home the point of the importance of protection, not to mention prevention.  There is a lot of controversy about the types of sunscreens to use.  Many of the commercially prepared products are full of chemicals that react in the skin and cause an increase in sensitivity and burns.

In chemical sunscreens, there are some chemicals that pose potential human health risks including benzophenone, octinoxate, octylmethoxycinnamate (OMC), and oxybenzone. These chemicals can seep into your skin, potentially altering how your body processes the sun's rays and could upset your body's normal hormone balance.

This A - Z list is just a partial list of some of the products and drugs that are suspected.(I was amazed at what was on this list, check it out)

With the incidence of skin cancer on the rise, nearly a million people per year, its time to take this more seriously.  I have to admit, I enjoy being in the sun and getting a tan.  There are some specific things I do to protect myself  from sunburn and skin cancer.  Using the right type of sunscreen is important, we will talk about that in a moment.

The sun creates a lot of free radical damage, so it is imperative to consume a lot of antioxidant rich fruits and veggies.  I also take about 6,000 mg of omega 3 oils per day which are anti inflammatory in nature.  You have to do this early enough, so that you build up your store house of these nutrients.  If you don't, they burn up too quickly in the sun.  I just returned from a weeks vacation at the lake, without too much trouble.  As the week went on, my kids and I increased the fruit and veggies intake to combat the accumulation of the suns effects.  I also take about 5000 iu of vit D3 daily to help prevent cancers.

So lets get specific on what to do if you get sunburned...

YEAST PROBLEMS ~ There is a Solution

In my last post, I discussed a major problem that I see in my office.  It affects both men and women and in many cases the person is not even aware that it is a problem.

For those of you who already know that you suffer form this condition and aren't sure what to do about it, take heart, I am about to explain it to you. As I discussed in previous posts, sugar is a big problem in our diets today.  It is the excess sugar or even the undigested sugar that turns to acid in our bodies. 

It is these acids that propagate the yeast overgrowth. Now sugar isn't the only culprit, but anything that turns to sugar or acid will also be a problem. Thats right, acid, so coffee, soda, sugar, protein, even many fruits and veggies turn to sugar in the bloodstream.  The question then comes up what to eat? I have seen many people starve themselves(which creates acid and feeds the yeast). There is a better way! 

Instead of consuming a diet that is full of acid causing foods, switch to an alkalizing diet.  More greens and green foods, there are products such as green drinks and alkalizing drops that help too.  When you take this approach, you can modify your diet, eating alkalizing foods, along with green drinks and your symptoms will not only get better but go away.  This is done by changing the acid pH to a more alkaline one.

Stress, emotions and a busy lifestyle also add to the acidity level of our body. That my friends is a topic for another post. 

This takes the phrase "going green" to a whole new perspective If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Think of the impact ~ of a Happy, Loving parent on a child; of a Happy, Loving teacher on a student.

YEAST OVERGROWTH ~ Will This Ever Go Away?

Yeast overgrowth is a condition that we see in the office daily.  Most people think of this as just a female related issue or a problem that caused by taking antibiotics.  I see this in both women and men, the organism is not gender specific.  It is actually an organism that lives in our body and is there to digest carbohydrates to make it past the digestive system.  So if you are a carbohydrate addict or at least an over consumer you may have a yeast overgrowth condition.  Here are some symptoms associated with yeast problems;

headaches & migraines                  anxiety
incapacitating fatigue                     conc./focus problems
short term memory                        panic attacks
painful joints                                 high blood pressure
muscle aches                               athlete's foot
acid reflux                                    chronic nail fungus
white coated tongue                      low sex drive
chronic sinusitis                           jock & rectal itching
frequent urination                          irritable bowel
diarrhea                                       menstrual problems
chronic constipation                     jerky-leg syndrome
sensitivity to light                         gluten intolerance
eye pain                                      sensitivity to foods
depression                                  skin rashes

These are just a few of the symptoms caused by yeast overgrowth. If you think yeast may be a problem in your life, you can take the following quiz to see if you have an overgrowth problem.  Here is another test you can do in your own home.