VOLUME 26 - 1 Nutrition Advice for a Healthy New Year

Health Tips

Nutrition Advice For A Healthy New Year
There is no better time to rejuvenate your health than the start of a new year. So don't let your resolution to eat more nutritiously fall by the wayside. Just a few simple changes in your diet and lifestyle can have a positive impact on your health-and can also prevent you from experiencing a variety of health problems in the future.

"In my own practice, I urge my patients to stop smoking, eat a balanced diet, drink plenty of water, exercise regularly and augment their balanced diet with appropriate nutritional supplements." Here is what I suggest:

Lifestyle Changes

• Get active! Try to exercise for 20-30 minutes at least 3-4 days a week.
• Eat out more sparingly. Since food preparation methods in restaurants often involve high amounts-and the wrong types-of fat and sugar, give preference to home-cooked food.
• Brown-bagging your lunch is also a good idea because you can control your fat and sugar content while adding nutritious fruits, vegetables and grains.
• Limit your intake of alcohol, and quit smoking. Drinking alcohol excessively and/or smoking can hinder your body's ability to absorb nutrients from your food.

"Younger people are starting to suffer from heart disease, not only because of our national diet of hamburgers and fries, but because of an epidemic of inactivity."

Dietary Changes
"We need to eliminate the traditional diet of coffee and doughnuts for breakfast; a hamburger for lunch-or no lunch; candy, cookies and soft drink for a snack; followed by a huge dinner with more protein than a person needs, few or no vegetables, and no water or fruit in the course of the day,"

Keep the following dietary recommendations in mind as well:

• Eat more raw foods. Cooking and canning destroys much of the nutrition in foods that can be eaten raw. With the exception of canned tomatoes-which can help prevent prostate cancer-fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables always have more natural vitamins and minerals than canned vegetables do.
• Select organically grown foods when possible. They have lower amounts of toxic elements than foods that are not grown organically.
• Eat whole foods. Much of the nutrition available to us in fruits and vegetables can be found in its skin, so don't peel it off and throw it away, unless it has been waxed or dyed.
• Stay hydrated! Drink eight to ten 8-ounce glasses of water a day. (Coffee, tea, soft drinks and alcohol are diuretics/dehydrators. Don't substitute them for water.)
• Consume 25-30 grams of fiber per day. Whole-grain breads and cereals, beans, nuts and some fruits and vegetables are good sources of fiber. High-fiber diets can help prevent digestive disorders, heart disease and colon cancer.

Vegetarian Diets
For those who are planning on going veggie in the New Year, research shows that a good vegetarian diet as part of a comprehensive health program can help prevent heart disease, cancer and other diseases. However, only consume moderate amounts of fried foods, hydrogenated fats and commercial meat substitutes. It's possible for a vegetarian to eat even more sugar and fat than a meat-eater by overloading on junk food.

If you are considering a vegetarian diet, keep the following tips in mind:

• Don't rely on fruits and vegetables at the expense of grains and legumes. The repetition of fruits and vegetables can narrow your food choices, thus narrowing the variety of nutrients you consume.
• Tiredness, malaise, and anemia can be signs of deficiencies. Those who have been on a vegetarian diet for some time should have their B12 and iron levels checked at least once a year.
• Consume fortified foods or take supplements to obtain the nutrients you no longer get from animal-based products. The biggest problem with vegetarian diets and others is that you no longer consume important nutrients found in animal protein.
• Before eliminating animal products from the diet, it is important to get information about how to do it right. Children, pregnant and breast-feeding women, and people recovering from illness should consult their doctor (e.g. DC, MD, DO).

Supplements
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, dietary supplements are not perfect substitutes for conventional or even fortified foods. Nor can a person sustain good health by just taking vitamin and mineral supplements. But when taken properly, nutritional supplements can play an important role in achieving maximum health.

If you are considering nutritional supplements, keep these important tips in mind:

• Don't overlook nutrition. Since supplements are just that-an added source of nutrients-it is important to consume dark green vegetables, oils, nuts and seeds, which are sources of magnesium, fatty acids, and many other vitamins and minerals. Supplements are not an excuse to forget about eating right.
• Since choosing the right nutritional supplements to suit your individual needs can be a complicated endeavor, consult a nutritional practitioner-such as a doctor of chiropractic-to determine what kinds of supplements are best for you.
• Don't try to "self-prescribe." If you have symptoms such as headaches, chronic fatigue or cardiac problems, you need to seek professional advice-not the advice of a supplement store clerk.

"Unfortunately, consumers are not sure who to go to for advice. The public does not know that many doctors of chiropractic are specialists in nutrition."

Chiropractic Care Can Help

As part of their training, doctors of chiropractic learn overall wellness and healing, with proper nutrition playing a significant part in that approach. If you have questions about proper nutrition or supplementation, consult your doctor of chiropractic.

SUPPLEMENT YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

We have found a great combination of supplements that has helped to stave off colds, flu and other seasonal illnesses. In combination, they provide the support necessary for a good immune response: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Total Leaky Gut, Essential Oils, Vit C, Lecithin, Vit E, 814, 43+, Inositol, Multi Minerals, and timed released Vit C. All available at the clinic.

What About The Flu?

Had your flu shot yet? You can get your Homeopathic Flu "shot" here for $5.00. Maybe you need to give your immune system a "shot in the arm" without having to get a shot in the arm. We have seen a lot of flu patients who have had shots and still contracted the flu. If the vaccine does not work for you or if you prefer an alternative, the homeopathic combinations of ACONITUM and ECHINACEA work very well. And of course, when you need to do anything with your immune response, remember these items will help:

• Adjustment of the thoracic spine increases the immune response
• Increase drinking water (get pure water)
• Get plenty of REST, not just sleep
• Vitamin C helps
• Exercise stimulates your immune response
• Avoid sugar
• Wash your hands after contact with people and before touching your eyes or mouth

The Rear End Collision

These are becoming more frequent now and you need to know what to do if you are hit from behind or slip into someonw else. Follow these simple rules if you are involved in a car accident and are not hospitalized:

• Stay calm and reduce movements of the spine
• Ice packs on the spine and neck for 5 minutes per hour will help for the first few days
• See your chiropractic physiciain right away - He is the only provider trained to evlauate spinal subluxations

For more information, click here!

In The News
Medical Incompetence
The New York Times yesterday published an article titled, "Incompetent Physicians Are Rarely Reported as Law Requires" which suggests that health maintenance organizations (H.M.O.'s) and hospitals rarely report incompetent doctors to the government as they are required to.

According to the article, "in the last decade, 84 percent of H.M.O.'s and 60 percent of hospitals never reported a single 'adverse action' to the government." Ask yourself, do I know anyone who has suffered an "adverse reaction" while in an HMO or hospital setting in the past decade?

The Times reported that a "low level of reporting occurred even though a government study found that tens of thousands of Americans die each year because of medical errors." The Times suggested what Ian Grassam, D.C. had said several years ago, HMO's do not provide "health maintenance," they provide "cost maintenance." Helping individuals maintain health is something chiropractors do.

New York Times: Incompetent Physicians Are Rarely Reported as Law Requires (The N.Y. Times website requires you to subscribe for free in order to view content. This article is worth taking the time to do so.)

ABC News: HMOs Not Protecting Patients - Managed Care Fails to Report Doctors MSNBC: 'Problem' doctors often not reported - HMOs fail to inform government of all disciplinary actions (Both links supply the same article, we just want you to have the best opportunity for availability)

Update 5/30 Yahoo News released an article today on this same topic. Yahoo News: Inept Doctors Not Being Identified As Required MSNBC has joined in with commentary: "Recent studies suggest that medical mistakes cause more deaths than gun violence, bus crashes and airplane accidents combined." MSNBC: Does your doctor have skeletons in the closet?

CURRENT RESEARCH
Aspirin, ibuprofen and Your Health
By Michael Dorausch, D.C.

Two interesting articles appeared in yesterday's news regarding the use of aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen, painkillers that are used by millions.

One article appeared on MSNBC and the headlines read, "don't chase aspirin with ibuprofen" as a new study has found that the popular painkiller blocks the heart protecting effects of aspirin. The other article appeared on ABCNews.com and was titled, "painkillers linked to kidney failure" as researchers have found that individuals with kidney disease or other ailments who regularly take aspirin or acetaminophen may be increasing their risk of developing kidney failure.

According to a new study, the pain reliever ibuprofen apparently blocks the heart protecting effects of aspirin. This may have major implications for millions of people who take daily doses of aspirin in hopes of having healthier hearts but also who take (often in daily doses) ibuprofen, commonly known in North America under the brand names of Advil and Motrin, to cope with conditions such as arthritis.

The MSNBC article features a quote from a cardiologist at the University of Pennsylvania who states, "it would not do you a lot of good to take one medication only to have another wipe out its effects."

Representatives for drug companies suggested that both drugs could still be taken as long as they were taken at different times during the day.

The article which was featured on ABCNews.com involved a study which showed a greater risk of chronic kidney failure in patients who regularly take either aspirin or acetaminophen. Earlier research has suggested similar side effects.

According to a New England Journal of Medicine study, people with kidney failure were 2.5 times more likely to have been regular users of aspirin and/or acetaminophen than those without kidney problems.

According to the article, more research is needed into whether the use of aspirin or acetaminophen can contribute to kidney failure. I see that often, "more research is needed." Do you want to continue taking aspirin and/or acetaminophen or even ibuprofen daily until that data becomes available? If you're going to become a statistic, why not be one of those in the healthy group.

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THIS MONTH'S SPECIAL OFFERS
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