3 Foods You Should Eliminate From Your Diet

Just because a certain food has not yet been banned by the F.D.A., doesn’t mean that food is safe.  Here are some examples of foods you should never eat.  These foods may be illegal to sell in stores in the future, but until there is more empirical data, they are on the shelves at every major food outlet.

#1) Potatoes that are not organically grown

Organically grown fruits and vegetables are those that are grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.  These chemicals are toxic and they are harmful to the human body.  One of the reasons this country is so sick is because we are bombarded by toxic chemicals in our food, air, and water.  We need to begin to make smarter choices when it comes to our produce.  Potatoes are a root vegetable.  What this means is that they easily and quickly absorb pesticides and other harmful chemicals.  Many potato farmers have been quotes on record saying that they would never eat the potatoes that they sell.  It’s only slightly more expensive to buy organic potatoes.

#2) Milk

Milk producers treat their cattle with a hormone called recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST).  The reason they use this hormone is to increase milk production in the cows.  However, this hormone has many other effects.  First, it increases udder infections and pus in the milk.  More importantly though, it causes higher levels of a hormone called IGF-1, or insulin-like growth factor.  High levels of IGF-1 in people contributes to prostate cancer, colon cancer, and breast cancer.  ”When the government approved rBGH, it was thought that the IGF-1 from milk would be broken down in the digestive tract,” says Rick North, project director for the Campaign for Safe Food and former CEO of the American Cancer Society.  However it turns out that the casein in milk protects most of the IGF-1 from being broken down.  Although there isn’t one hundred percent proof that IGF-1 causes cancer, it is banned in most industrialized countries.

#3 ) Non Organic Apples

If we were to hold a competition for the fall fruit that is soaked in the most pesticides, apples would win by a a landslide.  Apples, because they are descended from a single tree, don’t develop a resistance to pests and therefore are sprayed frequently.  The government maintains that the pesticide residue is not harmful.  Mark Kastel, a former executive for agribusiness, says “Farm workers have higher rates of many cancers.”  It’s common sense to stay away from the foods with the most chemicals.

Remember to always buy organic if it’s available.  Especially when it comes to potatoes and apples.  Also, substitute cow’s milk with almond, coconut, or soy milk.

Three Things That Prevent A Good Nights Sleep.

Much of the healing process occurs when we are asleep.  Sleep is also related to things like concentration, motor skills, immunity, sex drive, and the list goes on and on.  We know that sleep is vitally important to health and healing.  Here is a list of some things that can prevent a good nights sleep:

#1) Working on a computer or tablet right before bedtime.

It has become a common practice to watch videos or surf the web on our computers as we lay down and prepare for sleep.  While this may feel relaxing, it’s actually harmful to your sleep patterns.  Over thirty years of studies by various institutions have shown that the light emitted from electronics has a significant effect on human circadian rhythms.

According to Dr. Charles A Czeisler of Harvard Medical School, “Artificial light exposure between dusk and the time we go to bed at night suppresses release of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, enhances alertness and shifts circadian rhythms to a later hour—making it more difficult to fall asleep.”

2) Eating right before bedtime.

Every time you eat your body must work to digest that food.  This is why it’s not only bad to eat right before bed but also why a lot of nutritionists recommend against having a large breakfast.  It is not ideal to go to sleep when your body is in full on digestive mode because you will not be able to rest fully until the food is completely broken down.  The worst things to eat before bed are caffeine, chocolate, and spicy foods.  As a general rule, try and eat at least three hours before bedtime.

3) Setting an alarm clock next to your bed.

Much of the reason this is not recommended is for the same reasons mentioned above about computer use.  The LED alarm clock will introduce a light source into your field of vision that will throw off natural circadian rhythms.  Also, alarm clocks emit electromagnetic frequencies which studies have shown disrupt sleep cycles in mice.  It’s best to set the alarm clock across the room so it’s far enough away and out of your field or vision.  

Don’t Text And Drive

A new study shows that texting while driving is linked to car accidents in young adults.  This comes as no surprise.  However, researchers also found that the simple act of thinking about, or anticipating the use of a cell phone while driving is also linked to accidents.  The results of this study show that people who are texting while driving are eight times more likely to swerve between lanes.  These drivers were also twice as likely to be involved in a motor vehicle collision involving another car or a pedestrian.  They also found that the act of thinking about using your phone can distract you enough to cause an accident.

What The Healthiest People On Earth Eat.

About a year ago I wrote article describing what are called the “blue zones”. The blue zones are specific regions of the world where people live longer than average.  Blue ones have been found and studied in Japan, Italy, and Greece. Recently a new area was studied.  The residents of the Nicoya  peninsula n Costa Rica have the lowest middle aged mortality rate on planet earth. When the average Nicoyan reaches their 69th birthday they are four times more likely to reach th age of ninety than an American would be. Also, their health care expenditures are About 80 percent less oer year than the united states.

It’s no surprise that nicoyans are very active in their lifestyle.  They don’t sit a lot. They don’t spend endless hours on the computer. They do their own yard work and don’t shy away from manual labor. They eat a large breakfast and a small dinner. Their diet consists of more meat than any of the other blue zones studied in the past.  However, they eat a LOT of fruit. Mango, passion fruit, papaya, bananas, pineapple, cantaloupe, are all staples of the nicoyan diet. They also drink a lot of coffee which is sweetened with sugar cane.

The lesson here is that even though the nicoyans eat large amounts of meat and consume coffee on a daily basis, they have managed to live incredibly healthy lives.  Based on this study it can be assumed that an active lifestyle combined with the consumption of high amounts of fresh fruit is what contributes to a long and vibrant existence.  It should also be noted that they do not consume any kind of processed foods or take any kind of nutritional supplements such as vitamins.

Why A Chiropractor Treats Muscles

When new patients schedule a chiropractic appointment with me, and they haven’t been referred in by someone else, they usually are anticipating a certain type of treatment. The treatments that traditional chiropractors have rendered in the past has included spinal adjustments along with maybe some form of passive therapy such as muscle stim or ultrasound. The main reason people seek chiropractic care is because they believe that if their body is in a state of balance and their spine is aligned, they will experience a decrease in pain and better overall function. This is absolutely true. If the bodies parts are aligned and symmetrical, and the spine is working the way it should, good health will follow.

Where myself and tradiitonal chiropractic parts ways is in the way we attempt to bring this balance to the body. The cornerstone of my treatments revolve around the idea that muscles and bones wirk together, not seperately. Muscles are what move bones into the position that they are in. Bones however protect and house the nervous system, which is what causes muscles to fire and contract. In order to restore health to the body, in my opinion, we need to give detailed attention to the musclular, skeletal, and nervous systems.

Traditional chiropractic focuses on spinal adjustments. In the spinal adjustment a specific force is applied to vertebral segments (bones in the spine). The goal here is to push the bone that is out of alignment back into alignment, while also restoring it’s proper pattern of movement. I propose the idea to my patients that this is not the most effective way of moving bones. In order to visualize what I am saying, picture a newly planted tree that needs to be supported by ropes on each side. We have all seen these trees in parks and on front lawns of homes. There is usually a wooden stake hammered into the ground on either side of the tree. Attached to the trunk is a rope on the left and right side of the tree. The ropes are to ensure that the tree grows straight up as opposed to leaning to one side.

Now, imagine that the tree is your spine and the ropes are your muscles. When we maintain poor posture or endure a muscular trauma like a sprain or strain, the muscles in our bodies become tight and riddled with scar tissue. Palpation or feel of muscle tone in my patients almost always exhibits muscular tension on one side of the spine more than the other. Going back to the tree analogy this would mean that one rope is tight on one side and loose on the other. This is an over simplification of the process but it makes it easy to see the role that muscles play in overall body balance.

So, how do we treat the problem? We use the top of the line gold standard muscle treatment called Active Release Technique. This is what almost every professional sports team is using these days. What do professional sports teams know that you don’t? They know what works. They have a large network of doctors and trainers who communicatw with weach other and share their results with different forms of therapy. Active Release is hands down the winner when it comes to what doctors and chiropractors are using when treating pro athletes.