Our Food, High Fructose Corn Syrup, and Mercury

In an articles posted on MSN.com, Naturalnews.com, and many other news sites, report that two recent studies determined many popular food items contain mercury.

By the way Mercury is a highly toxic chemical that causes severe neurological disorders. It can also result in the loss of hair, teeth and nails as well as muscle weakness, loss of kidney function, emotional mood swings and memory impairment.

Reading these articles just gave me another reason to avoid these types of foods. They reported that the mercury is found in High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), which if you haven’t heard is a significant health hazard to begin with.

For info on HFCS Check out
Weston A. Price foundation – Murky World of HFCS
CBS News – Dangers of Sweetener Products
Mercola.com – Debate About High Fructose Corn Syrup

High Fructose corn syrup has replaced sugar as the sweetener in many beverages and foods such as breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments. On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS, but teens and other consumers can take in 80 percent more HFCS than average person.

These studies report that in some of the processing plants used to make HFCS, a procedure creates something called caustic soda, this procedure exposes raw materials to pools of electrified mercury in large vats, which contaminates the HFCS.

In the first study, published in current issue of Environmental Health, researchers found detectable levels of mercury in nine of 20 samples of commercial HFCS.

And in the second study, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), a non-profit watchdog group, found that nearly one in three of 55 brand-name foods contained mercury. The chemical was found most commonly in HFCS-containing dairy products, dressings and condiments.

What can you do?
Simply put, avoid any product that contains HFCS. But if you do purchase something that contains HFCS, be sure that this sweetner in not one of the first 5 ingreidients noted on the label.

My Opinion:
Your body is not meant to ingest foods that have been processed, chemically altered, genetically modified, or whatever else they are calling it.

Our genes have not changes in thousands of years, ask any geneticist.

Yet we are experiencing rapid inclines in cancer, diabetes, obesity, stroke, cardiovascular disease, stress, attention deficit disorders, pain disorders, and many other creatively named diseases.

We have to think simply.

Drink plenty of water, eat foods that come from the earth, move and stretch your body every day, turn off the TV once and awhile, build stronger and more meaningful relationships with your loved ones, and keep your spine and your nerves healthy by receiving a regular chiropractic adjustment.

If you would like to know more on how to achieve this type of lifestyle, call our office for an appointment, 610-361-9531, or attend one of our workshops.

Meditation: An Important Addition For Health

What is meditation
How may it effect your health
A simple meditation exercise

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, NCCAM, reports that the term meditation refers to a group of techniques, most of which started in Eastern religious or spiritual traditions. These techniques have been used by many different cultures throughout the world for thousands of years. Today, many people use meditation outside of its traditional religious or cultural settings, for health and wellness purposes.

In meditation, a person learns to focus their attention and suspend the stream of thoughts that normally occupy the mind. This practice is believed to result in a state of greater physical relaxation, mental calmness, and psychological balance. Practicing meditation can change how a person relates to the flow of emotions and thoughts in the mind.

Meditation used as a mental health intervention, generally termed mind-body medicine (one of the four pillars of health) focuses on:
- The interactions among the brain, the rest of the body, the mind, and behavior
- The ways in which emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and behavioral factors can directly
affect health

People use meditation for various health problems, such as:
- Anxiety
- Pain
- Depression
- Mood
- Self-esteem problems
- Stress
- Insomnia

Meditation may also be beneficial for physical or emotional symptoms associated with chronic illnesses and their treatment, such as:
- Cardiovascular (heart) disease
- HIV/AIDS
- Cancer

There are many different forms, techniques, and styles of meditation and finding one that works well for you is very important. Try a google search for how to meditate or breathing for health. You may want to try this simple meditation technique to start, I found it very easy to get started and it is relevant for advanced users and beginner's.

Do you believe in Wellness?

I often hear people comment about how they either believe or don't believe in certain "alternative" or holistic heath care methods. There is no malice in their words, usually. However, the very choice of the word believe would imply that very real and very researched non-medical therapies require the same level of belief as one would give the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus.

We place our absolute confidence in medications today that will be considered obsolete or even too harmful to prescribe in 5 years. Yet, time tested natural methods continue to require a belief system to be consider accepted. It just doesn't seem logical. So I thought I would offer a little bit of information to help you believe in wellness and maybe even Chiropractic.

I received a periodical the other day and found this awesome article by one of my favorite Chiropractors, Christopher Kent, DC, Esq. He wrote about wellness and specifically how Chiropractic fits in the wellness model. The references he leaves you with are compelling. Take a moment to go to the article or at least read on a little further. I have quoted the article and hope you find it interesting.

If we are worried about health care bankrupting our future. Check out these interesting results of a 7 year study. "Significant decreases in the utilization of medical services, and their attendant costs, were noted when Chiropractors or other “CAM-oriented” practitioners were used as primary care providers. In an Independent Physician Association (IPA) which permitted patients to select a doctor of chiropractic as their primary care physician, clinical and cost utilization based on 70,274 member months over a seven year period demonstrated decreases of 60.2 percent in hospital admissions, 59.0 percent hospital days, 62.0 percent outpatient surgeries and procedures, and 85 percent pharmaceutical costs when compared with conventional medicine." Imagine what a reduction of 60.2% hospital admissions would mean for our national health care budget. (http://www.chiroeco.com/news/chiropractic-news.php?id=7223&section=127)

Let us also think about the geriatric population. Many health care economists predict that the baby boomers will become a huge economic burden as they enter their declining years. We often discuss the long-term benefits of Chiropractic maintenance care with our patients. Dr. Kent referenced this next excerpt concerning wellness and maintenance care in his article in the January 20 edition of Chiropractic Economics. "A larger study surveyed 311 chiropractic patients, aged 65 years and older, who had received chiropractic maintenance care for five years or longer. Chiropractic patients, when compared with U.S. citizens of the same age, spent only 31 percent of the national average for health care services. The chiropractic patients also experienced 50 percent fewer medical provider visits then their comparable peers. The health habits of patients receiving maintenance care were better overall than the general population, including decreased use of cigarettes and decreased use of nonprescription drugs. " (http://www.chiroeco.com/news/chiropractic-news.php?id=7223&section=127)

Take a brief moment to consider these very real references and what you believe in.

Back Pain, Knee Pain, Neck Pain… Oh My!

Have you ever fallen as a child?

Of course you have… I know I have… crashing my bike… jumping off the porch… and the accidental slips down the stairs. It’s a good thing no-one’s watching half the time!

Well that’s how back, knee, and neck pain begin.

Do you think it’s possible that one of those spills you had while doing everyday normal things knocked a bone out of place?

Could it still be out of place?

I had my first chiropractic adjustment in college when I was playing football, and after a few visits I couldn’t believe how anyone could go without seeing a chiropractor.

Everyone can benefit from receiving a chiropractic adjustment. It should be like brushing your teeth … you don’t want to wait to have pain or body break down before you do something about it.

Here’s the bottom line--- Pain is your body’s last warning system that something is wrong… By the time you experience it… the damage has already begun.

If you have pain… or if you don’t have pain… chiropractic can restore and/or maintain a healthy spine and a healthy body

Simple 1 week cleansing program

If you have ever wanted to try fasting or thought about detoxifying your system, then this blog post is for you. The process of cleansing or detoxifying your body by fasting dates back hundred’s of years and is practiced in both Chinese and Naturopathic medicines.
An effective cleansing program targets two important organ systems, the liver (for detoxifying) and the colon (for elimination). This post will take a brief look and some simple steps to taking your body through a 1 week cleanse.

Why cleanse?

Cleansing and detoxification encourages the body’s natural internal processes which eliminate toxins from our system so that we can feel our best. The standard American diet (SAD) is full of processed foods, sugar and poor quality meats and fats. Colon cancer is becoming more prevalent and is caused by poor diet and poor bowel health.
In any cleansing program, diet and exercise should be emphasized in order to ensure optimal results. I will present a simple 1-week cleansing program. Give it a try and see how you feel.

Simple 1 week detoxifying program

Fasting may be a useful way to detoxify but it can be challenging for the average person who has work and family responsibilities. A cleansing diet can be very beneficial and easier to perform. A cleansing diet is not as stressful for the body as fasting can be. I will give you a list of foods to consume and foods to avoid. I will also give you a list of supplements to take and how they can help your body detoxify.

In a later post I will show you the “Master Cleanse” fast that you have heard much about. I will also later post the different benefits of juicing certain fruits and vegetables. Assuming that you DO have a juicer (we own a Breville). So now on to the very simple guidelines to follow for your 1 week cleansing and detoxifying program.

What you can eat

Cleansing foods that you can eat include: steamed vegetables, raw vegetables, organic beef broth, raw vegetable salads, fruit and raw natural juices. Some people may be able to consume low amounts of cooked whole grains but these may be better if avoided. You should be sipping good water (reverse osmosis or distilled) throughout your day. You body eliminates waste products in a water medium.

What you cannot eat

It may be very hard to not eat these foods. But do not forget, this is a 1 week program. You are free to return to your unhealthy diet after 1 week of following this program. Here’s a list of what you should avoid: sauces, oils (except olive), flour products, baked goods, pasta, bread, packaged juices, soda, milk, processed meats, unprocessed meats, sugar (and anything made with added sugar) and anything that could exist in your food closet without spoiling.

Exercising during a cleansing program

Exercise is also a very important part of any cleansing program. You should exercise at least 3 to 5 times this week. You should exercise hard enough to break a sweat. Keep your exercise intensity moderate to high and the duration of your exercise at about 30 minutes or less. Your body may have a hard time exercising while you are cleansing. So don’t worry about the quality of your workouts, break a sweat and be sure to stay hydrated. You should be sipping water throughout your day so don’t forget that.
Herbs for your 1 week cleanse

The herbs Psyllium and Cascara Sagrada are the two most widely used remedies in colon cleansing programs. Psyllium is categorized as a bulk laxative that will help cleanse your intestines. Cascara Sagrada is used as a bowel stimulant to treat occasional bouts of constipation, stimulate the intestine lining and relieve a sluggish colon. Psyllium and Cascara Sagrada are vital components of a good cleansing program. Milk thistle is used to detoxify the liver and to also protect it from harmful environmental toxins. It has been also shown to promote the regeneration of healthy liver cells. Dandelion and Yellow Dock are also used to detoxify the liver.

Your done!

That wraps up a simple 1 week cleansing and detoxifying program. Give it a try and see how you feel.

Fire Retardants and Child Safety

The Environmental Working Group, recently seen on the Today Show, recently finished the first investigation of toxic fire retardants (called Deca) in parents and their children, and found toddlers had 3 times the levels of Deca in their blood as their mothers.

That means young children in the U.S. bear the heaviest burden of flame retardant pollution in the world. Deca is a neurological and hormone disrupter, and children are more susceptible to its effects than adults.

What's a parent to do? Take these steps to protect your family:
1. Inspect foam items and replace any with ripped covers or misshapen/breaking-down foam
2. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter
3. Don't reupholster foam furniture in homes where children or pregnant women live
4. Carefully remove old carpet because the padding may contain PBDEs.
5. Have small children wash their hands frequently so they put clean hands in their mouths!