Choosing the Right Diet for Me

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It seems as if every few months there’s a new diet whose rules and requirements we must follow if we’re going to reach the goal of good health. The “paleo” diet provides a great example of this phenomenon. We’re exhorted by paleo proponents to eat lots of fats and animal protein. Carbohydrate consumption should be fairly light. Grass-fed beef is prized by paleo-dieters. You may consume unlimited amounts of butter, and must eliminate all cereals, legumes, and dairy products (except butter of course) from your diet. Now unless you’re a paleo convert, these prescriptions may seem to fly in the face of everything you’ve ever known about healthy eating. Paleo supporters will respond with the claim that human biology developed over the course of hundreds of thousands of years and that agriculture is brand new, having arrived about 10,000 years ago. That’s worth thinking about, but we may remember that other diets backed by correspondingly compelling logic and dollops of science have come and gone over the course of many decades.

For instance, the Atkins diet is still going strong for more than 50 years. The main requirement of the Atkins diet is low carbohydrate consumption, and in this way the Atkins program resembles the paleo diet. High-protein consumption is the other pillar of the Atkins approach. The rationale was that such an eating plan would force your body to burn fat, rather than glucose, for energy. But the diet hasn’t withstood rigorous scientific scrutiny.^1,2

Vegan and vegetarian diets have also been popular for many decades.3 The vegetarian lifestyle has wide appeal and vegetarian recipes are famed for their simplicity and palate-pleasing qualities. However, vegetarian contrarians do exist. Some studies even suggest that vegetarian or vegan diets may be associated with anxiety, depression, and neurologic dysfunction.³

The bottom line is that good sense should prevail. Starting a diet because the program was touted in a magazine article or a talk-show interview may not be in every person's best interest. Simply put, any diet may be harmful to a particular person. It's important to remember that what works for one person may not work for another. Paleo, Atkins, and vegetarian diets may create great benefits for certain persons, but may cause real medical problems for other people. The best overall approach for most us is to eat regularly from a wide variety of food groups, make sure to eat five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day, and pay close attention to portion control and calorie intake. Those desiring more detailed information and recommendations will find their chiropractors and family physicians excellent sources of expert guidance.

¹ Noto H, et al: Low-carbohydrate diets and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. PLoS One 2013;8(1):e55030. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055030. Epub 2013 Jan 25

² Lagiou P, et al: Low carbohydrate-high protein diet and incidence of cardiovascular diseases in Swedish women: prospective cohort study. Br Med J 2012 Jun 26;344:e4026. doi: 10.1136/bmj.e4026

³Plotnikoff GA: Nutritional assessment in vegetarians and vegans: questions clinicians should ask. Minn Med 95(12):36-36, 2012

Don't Take The Flu Shot

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There is a huge propaganda trying to get everyone to take the flu shot--hyping an epidemic if we don't. Don't believe it. The flu vaccine doesn't work anyways, and your chances of getting if from the vaccine are about 30%. Here's Greta McClain on what's in those "safe" vaccines that is dangerous to your health and immune system.

"According to the Center for Disease Control, the number one recommended vaccine for 2012 is Fluarix. The ingredients in Fluarix are sodium, deoxycholate, formaldehyde, octoxynol-10, atocopheryl hydrogen succinate, polysorbate 80, hydrocortisone, gentamincin sulfate, and ovalbumin."

Sodium Deoxycholate- a water soluble, bile-acid, ionic detergent used in protein methods.

Formaldehyde- a colorless, flammable, strong-smelling chemical that is used in building materials and to produce many household products. (EPA) classified formaldehyde as a probably human carcinogen. Pacific Health Center reports the flu shots have two and a half times the formaldehyde as the level listed as 'an immediate danger to life and health' by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Aluminum- in trace amounts, accelerate the activation of the immune system. But once the immune system is "turned on," there's no switch to turn it off. Long-term side effects of this are unknown. [not true, Brain and neurological damage accompanies aluminum ingestion--that's why you should never use aluminum cookware].

Polysorbate 80- A Pub-Med article says Polysorbate 80 is a ubiquitously used solubilizing agent that can cause severe non-immunologic anaphylactoid reactions.

Hydrocortisone- WedMD says 'Use this medication on the skin only. Avoid getting this medication in the eyes , nose, or mouth.' The NSF says if hydrocortisone is ingested to seek medical attention immediately ans that it poses a danger of serious health damage if swallowed.

Gentamicin sulfate- a broad-spectrum antibiotic derived from an actinomycete used in the treatment fo various infections. Serious adverse effects are nephrotoxicity, auditory, or vestibular ototoxicity, impairment of neuromuscular transmission, and hypersensitivity reactions. Neuromuscular blockade and respiratory paralysis have occurred after administration.

Mercury- mercury is also present in trace amounts as a preservative in the flu vaccine. "Mercury is the second most poisonous element known to man and studies have shown that neurons begin to disintegrate in its presence. It has also been found to cause changes in chromosomes. Once it is ingested, injected, or inhaled, it stays withing the body and accumulates. Some of the most serious side affects of mercury are liver disorders, injury to the cardiovascular system and hematopoietic system, deafness and ataxia."

If you really eat wholesome, organic food and take a few supplements during the winter, you should rarely get the flu, or it will pass quickly. Vitamins C and D (get some sunshine) helps prevent the flu are both play a critical role in allowing the immune system to successfully defeat viruses of all kinds.

Have You Been in a Car Accident?

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If you've been in a car accident, give us a call immediately. We've been through this many times and you will need immediate care, even without symptoms. Not only can we usually offer drug-free care, we can help put this behind you...once and for all.

Whether it was a little incident in the parking lot, or two cars attempting to occupy the same space in an intersection, you need to know what to do.

Questions:

Q: Why do I have pain in my arms and hands?

A: Because the nerves to the arms and hand exit the spine through the injured area of the neck, numbness and tingling are common. Even lower back pain can result directly from the trauma, or as a reaction to the loss of proper spinal curve.

Q: Why did my headache start more than a week after my accident?

A: Whether you've been in an accident, stressed at work, or over-exerted yourself in the garden, your body is constantly adapting to the environment. When your capacity to adapt is exhausted, symptoms can appear. "This can take days, weeks, months or years to occur." 

Q: Will I ever be normal again?

A: Many chiropractic patients report improved spinal function and a reduction of their symptoms. Those who delay seeking appropriate care often discover that scar tissue and long-standing spinal instability increases the recovery period.