My Daily Wellness Tip

Feel Like Puking?

A few weeks ago, one of my family members suffered from what appeared to be food poisoning.  As a result, she experienced classic symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, nausea, etc.  Obviously, anytime someone goes through this, if you were to ask them: “How are you feeling?”  They would immediately come back and say: “Lousy!”  But the truth of the matter is that even though they are feeling lousy, their body is expressing HEALTH.  Now while they are feverish and curled up in the fetal position to provide relief they might not agree with this and wish for anything to take the pain or symptom away, but it’s the truth. 

 

You see, when a foreign organism such as a bad bacteria from improperly prepared food enters the body, your body recognizes this and immediately starts the necessary processes for you to expel the unwanted bacteria or to prevent it from spreading.  For example: bacteria can only live and multiply in a specific environment.  Therefore, your body innately raises its core temperature, causing what we call a fever, which in turns diminishes the bacteria’s capability to survive.  Another way for the body to expel unwanted bacteria is through vomiting and/or diarrhea.  As unpleasant as these may be, this again is an innate, quick, and healthy way to expel something the body does not want.

 

Often times, I hear of people who decide to take a medication in order to get rid of the fever, diarrhea, or whatever symptom they are experiencing in this scenario.  They usually have the best intentions for themselves or the person they are taking care of, but what do you think would do more harm?  Letting the body do what it innately wants to do (all while monitoring the degree of the symptoms) or blocking the normal reactions with a medication.

 

The latter would do more harm.  Although the person might experience short term relief from the medication, the processes for expelling the unwanted bacteria have been slowed or stopped which could lead to bigger problems down the road.

 

In my experience, almost 100% of the time, if we just take a step back and let the body do what it was designed to do, we will always be healthier at the end.

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12 Tips For Preventing Heart Disease

You can't blame your doctor for not giving you the right information. A family practitioner has so much to be concerned about these days. They deal with glaucoma, skin rash, gout, flu vaccine, diarrhea and all sorts of ailments. It doesn't leave much time for research on how to prevent heart disease. So I did the research for you. Here is a list of the 10 most important thing to do.

1. Start reading Dr. William Davis's blog, he is a big believer in preventing heart disease by changing lifestyle habits instead of just prescribing  medication.

2. Get a starting point by asking your doctor for a NMR lipoprotein analysis (and not just your total cholesterol) Aim to get your numbers to LDL 60 or less, HDL 60 or greater, Triglycerides 60 or less

3. Remove wheat, corn starch , and junk food from your diet

4. Take 4g of fish oil a day

5. Avoid process meats

6. Don't be scared to eat meat (if it is local, grass fed, free range organic)

7. Don't eat more than 100g of carbohydrates a day

8. Take 800iu's of vitamin D (If you live in North America)

9. Add ground up flax seed to one meal

10. Eat green veggies at every meal

11. Eat Walnuts as a snack

12. Exercise everyday

Do this for 6 months and go get tested again. Let me know of the outcome.

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20 Dietary Guidelines For Healthy Living

The Westin A. Price Foundation has put together this great dietary guideline I thought gave a lot of good information on the details regarding certain foods and the modifications you can make to make it healthier.

1. Eat whole, natural foods.
2. Eat only foods that will spoil, but eat them before they do.
3. Eat naturally-raised meat including fish, seafood, poultry, beef, lamb, game, organ meats and eggs.
4. Eat whole, naturally-produced milk products from pasture-fed cows, preferably raw and/or fermented, such as whole yogurt, cultured butter, whole cheeses and fresh and sour cream.
5. Use only traditional fats and oils including butter and other animal fats, extra virgin olive oil, expeller expressed sesame and flax oil and the tropical oils—coconut and palm.
6. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, preferably organic, in salads and soups, or lightly steamed.
7. Use whole grains and nuts that have been prepared by soaking, sprouting or sour leavening to neutralize phytic acid and other anti-nutrients.
8. Include enzyme-enhanced lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits, beverages and condiments in your diet on a regular basis.
9. Prepare homemade meat stocks from the bones of chicken, beef, lamb or fish and use liberally in soups and sauces.
10. Use herb teas and coffee substitutes in moderation.
11. Use filtered water for cooking and drinking.
12. Use unrefined Celtic seasalt and a variety of herbs and spices for food interest and appetite stimulation.
13. Make your own salad dressing using raw vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and expeller expressed flax oil.
14. Use natural sweeteners in moderation, such as raw honey, maple syrup, dehydrated cane sugar juice and stevia powder.
15. Use only unpasteurized wine or beer in strict moderation with meals.
16. Cook only in stainless steel, cast iron, glass or good quality enamel.
17. Use only natural supplements.
18. Get plenty of sleep, exercise and natural light.
19. Think positive thoughts and minimize stress.
20. Practice forgiveness.

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Flushed Away

Taken in part from doctoroz.com

You know pollution from big industry is damaging the environment, but did you know something you do in your home daily could be making you and the planet sick?

What Should We Watch Out For?

Though the evidence is not definitive, experts fear that products we are introducing into our environment could be to blame, and they are urging us to decrease the use of certain chemicals. Here’s what to look for:

Bisphenol-A (BPA)You may have heard about BPA, the chemical used to make hard plastics, line cans, and create carbonless receipts. It’s proven to raise the risk of breast cancer in rats and the FDA has raised an alarm about the potential harm BPA can cause; Connecticut even banned its use  in children’s products.

Ninety-three percent of us have BPA in our bodies. We live with it, and we excrete it when we go to the bathroom, sending the chemical into the environment.

Phthalates

These difficult-to-pronounce ingredients help fragrance linger on the body after you have applied a lotion or body cream to your skin. They’re also found in toys, floor coverings, detergent, soaps, nail polish, and shampoos. Unfortunately, they mimic the hormone estrogen and have been linked to reproductive problems in rodents, such as lower testosterone and fetal malformation. Often they are not listed on beauty products, so the best rule of thumb is to avoid any products with fragrance.

Parabens

Found in moisturizing shampoos and body lotions, parabens are the most widely used preservatives in the beauty product industry, and they also act similar to estrogen in our bodies. One study found parabens in the breast cancer tissue of 19 out of 20 women studied; experts worry there could be a connection.

Use these chemicals as a litmus test for a healthy product. If you see them listed on the label (often as methylparaben, butylparaben, or propylparaben), it shows that the manufacturer is not concerned about limiting exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.

Leftover Prescription Medicine

The medication we take ends up in our water supply in 1 of 2 ways. We secrete it in our urine (which we can’t control), but many of us also flush unused medication down the toilet, contributing to the rising amount of pharmaceutical pollution found in our water supply. In 2008, the Associated Press found that dozens of pharmaceuticals end up in our water supplies, and eventually, in our tap water. That’s because water treatment plants are designed to neutralize biological hazards, such as bacteria, but not pollutants such as antibiotics. Scientists are now discovering bacteria in the wild that are not only resistant to antibiotics, they can actually live off them.

What Can You Do?

• Drink water from stainless steel bottles
• Avoid plastics with the numbers 3, 6, and 7 on the bottom
• Never heat plastic in the microwave (even if it says it is microwave safe)
• Choose frozen and fresh produce over canned
• Use BPA-free baby bottles
• Avoid any products that contain fragrances; opt for those that get their scent from essential oils
• Stay away from parabens
• Choose products that are paraben- and phthalate-free
• Dispose of leftover medication by throwing it in the trash with coffee grinds or cat litter (to keep harmful medications from being picked from the trash), return the unused portion to your pharmacy, or go online to find your local hazardous waste disposal facility.

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70 Hours Of Nutrition Talk

Here is a great place to listen to interviews by some of my favorite experts in the field of nutrition. Jimmy does an amazing job in educating the public on proper eating. Thanks Jimmy! 

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Around The Pain Series 2 - Shoulders

In part 1 we talked about general recommendations of exercises to avoid for elbow pain. Now we move up the humerus to talk about the shoulder.

The most common shoulder injury we see as personal trainers are an imbalance of the tight internal rotators (pectoralis major and subscapularis) vs the weak external rotator (infraspinatus and teres minor). The truth is that most popular exercises seen in a gym work in internal rotators that overtime cause the external rotators to become overpowered and prone to injury.Add poor posture and lack of flexibility in the extension of the thoracic spine and you got a whole bunch of problems.

Here are 7 modifications you can make.

Drop the barbells: Barbell incline, flat or decline bench press. Instead use dumbbells and even better use the swissball to allow your scapula's the freedom to move.

Use the door frame: Stretch your chest and subscapularis by placing your forearm on the door and leaning forward at the waist. Hold the stretch 20 seconds and release. Do this between sets of back work.

Foam roller for spinal extension: Lay your back on the foam roller, cross your arms and place your hands on your shoulders. Roll up and down  5-6 times not going lower then your mid back and then stop, hold your head and stretch back keeping your hips down. Hold 3 seconds and repeat 4x. The more often you do this the better. 

Rubber band external rotation: At the end of each workout grab a rubber band and externally rotate away from the body keeping your elbows tight against your side. perform 3 sets of 12 repetitions

No overhead: Drop all overhead movements, it will just aggravate the pain. The first overhead exercise to introduce once the pain is gone is light standing dumbbell presses.

Give it 99%: Forced reps are your enemy when it comes to a bad shoulder. When you feel a little twinge it's best to let your body tell you when it's time to stop. A spotter is great for helping you get that last rep and make you force 101% but in this case stop at 99% and keep the spotter for emergencies.

Row wide: A wide row will help target the rhomboids and mid traps to help strengthen the antagonistic muscle group. The cause of shoulder pain is often caused but too much pressing and not enough rowing.

Once the pain is gone, I hope you learn your lesson and keep up these habits because this will keep your shoulders healthy and pressing for ever.

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