Autism: What can you do to help your child

Helping your child with autism can be very frustrating. You literally have to put the pieces together to discover what works best. Each child is different and while getting advice from others is fantastic, just understand it might not be what works for your child. Also, I've seen much better results from a variety of modalities and alterations to lifestyles are introduced together. 

 

Here are suggestions for places to start:

 

     1. Chiropractic care. You might think I am suggesting this because I am a Chiropractor. I am not. In fact, for my first few years in practice I would never have suggested it. With practice, I've come to understand that the reason Chiropractic helps is that it works on the nervous system and ASD is a problem with nerve system functioning. I've also come to understand the relationship of stress and how stress can make problems associated with ASD worse. Essentially, Chiropractic helps by decreasing the over stimulation of the nervous system by activating the parasympathetics. This will have a calming effect on your child that you will notice immediately. Over time, these adjustments will have a sustained effect that will last for days and weeks. It's a process and each child responds differently. Sensory processing disorders seem to clear up quickly with Chiropractic and parents have also reported back that their child detoxes following adjustments. I've seen children have remarkable changes in just a few visits and other take a couple of weeks. For anyone interested, I'm happy to speak with you personally and discuss in depth how Chiropractic can help.

     2. Change the diet. Chemicals including sugar, MSG and others can greatly affect your child. In some cases, their gut has been severely affected by the toxic ingredients like aluminum, mercury and antibiotics from vaccinations and food. It can take time to clear out and heal the gut, but it must be done. In addition to clearing the diet of chemicals, this is what seems to work for most children:

        a. Go gluten-free, casein-free (commonly found in cow's milk) and GMO free. This means buying organic, whole foods like fruits and vegetables. Packaged foods, even organic products contain genetically modified organisms which are proving to be destructive to the gut. To learn more about the problem with GMO's, check out the movie "Genetic Roulette". Because of GMO's, this means that buying organic meats is essential. The grain typically fed to non-organic animals are usually genetically modified. Plus, they typically are given antibiotics and steroids, which increase the chemicals that will filter down into your food. 

        b. Food. Try a simpler diet like one advocated by Sally Fallon, author of "Nourishing Traditions" and founder of the Weston A Price Group. There are groups all over the country that meet regularly that can support you while you incorporate these changes. I also advocate for foods high in Omega 3's...the healthy fats that decrease inflammation. These foods include avocados, olives and olive oil, meats, fruits and vegetables. Foods that tend to be inflammatory are grains, potato chips, trans-fatty acids, beans, etc.

     3. Supplements. Since each child is different, I would go to someone trained in working with children on the spectrum to evaluate what your child's deficiencies are and then get recommendations. However, I recommend I high quality probiotic (without fillers) taken on an empty stomach designed for your child. 

     4. Heavy metal cleansing. Since many children also have heavy metal toxicity, this should be explored since many heavy metals wind up in the gut and the brain. Many years ago there was a study done regarding Alzheimer's which also affects the brain. They found that people receiving the flu shot, which contains mercury, five years in a row were more likely to get Alzheimer's. During an autopsy, they found mercury in the brain of these people who had died. Mercury is a tough metal to find with ordinary tests and the most specific test I've heard of is one that is done by a company in France. There are many herbs that will detox heavy metals, but I would work with someone trained in this area to make sure it is done appropriately. 

     5. Homeopathy. While I don't understand how this works to help children with Autism, I've heard from patients that it is very helpful...particularly when combined with Chiropractic care. I would definitely recommend you use a Classical Homeopath and one that has had experience in working with children on the spectrum. 

     6. Electronic screens & EMF. Many years ago I read a study that was done on TV and ADD/ADHD. They found that this type of stimulation in young children causes ADD and ADHD. I've also seen reports as to behavioral problems with children that are directly connected with the screens. There is an excellent book that addresses this subject that I highly recommend, "Your Brain on Childhood" by Gabrielle Principe, Ph.D. I've also found that children are sensitive to electromagnetic frequency, commonly found with computers and other electronic devices. This sensitivity can increase their stress which can increase their symptoms. One thing you can do to start is to turn off your wireless router at night. Decreasing screen time is excellent, but also finding ways to reduce the EMF in your child's surrounding (including cell phone EMF's) is important too. Salt lamps are good as well as other EMF-reducing devices.

     7. Decrease Stress. Stress is seen as something that really increases ADD and ADHD as well as a sense of well-being. Your child will also pick up on your stress which is why I know that parents need to do what they can for themselves as well. Whether it is deep breathing several times per day, going out in nature, drinking a calming tea before bedtime, taking a regular yoga class, receiving Chiropractic or all of the above, this can make a significant difference. Many times I see children being shuttled off to a lot of activities that are supposed to be helping them, but it appears that being scheduled is increasing their stress. If you can focus on ways to help them de-stress you might get better results!

I've also seen children's behavior change before my eyes by just adjusting the parent! I've seen how my daughter reacts when I'm on edge so I've come to learn how important this is. I encourage you to work on whatever stress reduction methods work for you and use them regularly. Keeping your glass full is important so you don't burn yourself out.

     8. Neuro and Biofeedback. I've been using Biofeedback on adults for a variety of problems with great results. The changes that we see are immediate, particularly when combined with the Chiropractic adjustment. Biofeedback works by teaching someone how they can decrease their stress. Again, stress is a huge factor in children on the spectrum. I'm confident that we will start seeing research in this area in the near future.  To learn more about how Neurofeedback can help children with ADD and ADHD, check out this site. Dr. Melillo discusses the importance of brain balance to help children. 

 

While I realize that these solutions won't work for everyone, remember that they take time. It is a process and with time, the pieces should start coming together.  

The information contained here is not intended to replace medical advice. Consult a health care practitioner.

Autism: My perspective on the causes

Autism: The Cause

 

There are many factors being attributed to autism. It's not surprising that environmental toxins are at the top of the list. PCB's in plastics, increased mercury in fish, pesticides on our fruits and vegetables, aluminum in pots and pans, increased pollution in the water and air, toys from China...where does it end? Consider that the constant onslaught our babies and small children receive from our environment to be the beginning of creating a toxic body coupled with the increased use of antibiotics. 

 

Consider what life was like in 1983 when the autism rate was 1:10,000 children. Less plastic, more glass, less pollution, less genetically engineered food (although we still had DDT to deal) and far less vaccinations. If you look at vaccinations alone, the recommended schedule of vaccinations in 1983 vs the current recommendations have increased dramatically. To view the schedules, click here. While pro-vaccine people will tell you that there was less reporting of autism in 1983, it still does not account for the vast discrepancy.

 

While some people claim that there was no correlation between vaccinations and their child's autism, then maybe it was the tipping point. Maybe the polluted environment we live in started the process and the onslaught to the nervous system by the toxic ingredients of the vaccinations took their child from healthy or high functioning into ASD. 

 

I have a special interest is the relationship between vaccinations and autism. The reason is because I have talked to so many parents over the years who can tell me with absolute certainty that their child was fine and developing appropriately for his or her age, then had severe changes following being vaccinated.

 

In some cases, the changes were "minor" following a round of vaccinations. Like high-pitched screams for a couple of hours, or restlessness. Following the next round, their child changed before their eyes. In other cases, the change was immediate...usually after the MMR vaccination. 

 

For one particular child, the mom did not want to vaccinate but the dad did. There was increasing pressure from her doctor, family and friends as the boy got older. In the mom's heart, she knew that it would be a huge mistake. When her son was 15 months old, she relented. She told the nurse that she would agree to a total of 3 vaccinations (not shots). She brought her son to me 3 days later, limp. The boy had not eaten and had a very high fever. Despite taking him to the hospital, no one was able to help him. He had been healthy prior to receiving the shots.

 

When I looked at the Vaccine Card from the doctor, the boy had actually received 5 vaccinations in 3 shots. The doctor and nurse told her that it was a coincidence that the boy had the reaction...that he must have been sick without her realizing it. Fortunately, the chiropractic adjustment immediately brought him out of this detached and ill state. His fever dropped within minutes and before he left was looking at his mom. Needless to say, she would never vaccinate her son again. 

 

I realize that there are studies that claim there is not a link between autism and vaccinations. You need to evaluate when looking at a study who actually paid for the study. Was it an independent group or was it the pharmaceutical industry with something to gain. After all, you can design a study to have the desired outcome if you choose. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) setup a committee to review the literature on vaccine side effects. They concluded that their knowledge was limited because there is 

1. Limited understanding of biological processes that underlie adverse events.
2. Incomplete and inconsistent information from individual reports.
3. Poorly constructed research studies (not enough people enrolled for the period of time).
4. Inadequate systems to track vaccine side effects.
5. Few experimental studies published in the medical literature. (CDC)

To date there has not been a study comparing vaccinated children to unvaccinated children in regards to the vaccine - autism link. You can look at communities where vaccinations are not given and you will find virtually no autism. The Amish community is one and another prominent community is the patient base of Dr. Mayer Eisenstein. He is a medical doctor in Chicago and serves a community of 30-35,000 children. Dr. Eisenstein is also author of the book, Make an Informed Vaccine Decision. He reports no autism in his community and he does not vaccinate his patients.  While this German study (illustration to the left) does not compare autism in the vaccinated community vs the unvaccinated, it does show Hyperactivity (a common symptom in children with autism) and Seizures (a common precursor to regressing into autism). 

 

With regards to reporting of vaccine injuries, even the CDC admits that vaccine reactions and injuries are under-reported. In every case where a child had a reaction to a vaccination, the parents had told me that their doctor insisted that it was a coincidence, that the child must have been sick. The parents were not aware of the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting Serviceand when questioning their doctors, were told that they did not report this as an adverse event. 

 

Learn the facts about vaccinations. Understand what the ingredients are and how they are toxic to the brain. For instance, did you know some of the common ingredients include: aluminum, formaldehyde (used to embalm people when they die), antibiotics, egg protein, MSG or monosodiumglutamate (a neurotoxin), and thimerosol or mercury. Mercury is considered a hazardous material...why do we want to inject that in our children or ourselves?

 

Go to the manufacturer's website of the vaccine your child is supposed to receive and read what the contraindications are and possible reactions. For the MMR vaccine, Merck has a long list of possible reactions including vasculitis, diabetes, convulsions and seizures, and Guillain-Barré Syndrome. For the complete list for the MMR, click here. Your doctor should be educating you about the possible reactions to vaccines. It's called Informed Consent. 

 

Educate yourself by reading some excellent books on the topic including Dr. Eisenstein's and Neil Z. Miller. Watch the documentary, "The Greater Good Movie" by either purchasing the film or going to a screening of the film. Go to various websites such as the National Vaccine Information Center to learn more. Join Facebook groups to speak to real parents of children who have been vaccine injured. And, go to the CDC website for a list of possible vaccine reactions or ask you doctor for the insert from the vaccines for the list. 

 

While there are still a lot of questions about the cause of autism, I don't think you can point your finger to one thing. It's most likely an accumulation of neurological "insults" to the nervous system and brain. As a parent, start by doing your own research and speak to as many parents as you can who have children on the autism spectrum. And without a doubt, educate before you vaccinate!

Working through the Stressors of Live

Stress. Boy have things changed in my 54 years of life. It's no wonder there is more stress today and more people having their health challenged by it. Having a 9 year old daughter it gives me time to reflect how my life was when I was her age. While there was TV, there were only the major stations to choose from, so watching TV was not enticing. After school activities involved playing on the street or the backyard of our homes. Standardized tests didn't exist and school meant lots of dodge ball, PE, music and the arts (in addition to the academics). I don't remember getting caught in traffic to get anywhere. It was a time of discovery. Even as a teen and a young adult, free time was spent going to an occasional concert but mainly hanging out at parks, the beach and having lots of cookouts. Things were simpler then, both for adults and children. It felt like it was about connecting with nature and people, not electronic devices or feeling rushed to get to the next planned activity.

Now, it's an endless stream of after school activities for our children, the standardized tests (for No Child Left Behind), about 20 minutes of recess, homework that can take children an hour to complete...leaving no time for after school play, as well as dealing with illness which starts the stress cycle at a young age. These stressors could actually be the causing poor sleep which may lead to ADD and ADHD.

For adults, sitting in traffic for hours to get to work, working at a job that is unfulfilling, spending hours helping our children, or just working and dealing with "stuff" causes our stress. There is little time for us to take care of ourselves. The stress we feel as adults can also lead to insomnia, cause our hormones to get out of balance and cause other health problems. From personal experience, I know that chronic sleeplessness can lead to depression and anxiety. Taking sleep medicine is definitely not the answer.

In practice, I've seen everything from chronic fatigue and illnesses, ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness and other severe health problems connected to stress. Autoimmune disorders are exacerbated stress. Even memory problems, behavioral problems, and hormonal imbalances will worsen. Many times it becomes a vicious cycle. You have a stressor (physical, emotional or chemical), your body or mind reacts in a certain way (high blood pressure/racing heart, thoughts running through your head), you might find yourself eating "comfort" food (which is usually not very healthy), you don't sleep well as a result. Suddenly, you find yourself spiraling down. You might have an anchor that can help you through, but internally, you are still stressed. You keep going because you have to. You might even tell yourself that you feel fine.

But deep inside, the stressors are there...lurking and creating havoc in your body. I know all about this. Since my injury in 2005, I've had a lot of stressors. Mainly physical and emotional. I'd talk myself out of feeling stress. Maybe get lost in Facebook or Glee. But that is not facing the stressor or working through it. Because of my own challenges with stress, it has become important for me to help others facing challenges.

I've worked with families that have a child with ADD or ADHD. I've seen the stress it causes the entire family. What about adults who are caregivers to loved ones with physical challenges? Or someone who has a difficult daily commute or does not feel fulfilled in their job. New parents have their own set of challenges trying to figure out what their baby needs. And teenagers, trying to figure out where they fit in in the world, where it will lead them and what their next steps should be. Stress is all around us and working through these stressors can be challenging.

This is why I focus my practice on helping people with stress. Helping adults and children with their stress truly changes lives. From seeing a student finding ease in their studies and sports activities, a child becoming more "social", a parent feeling more relaxed so that he or she can sleep better and feel "connected" to themselves to the adult trying to enjoy life more. I've seen this work both in my practice and in my own life. When my stress level is down I know I am a better parent and wife. When my daughter feels better then I feel better. It's about breaking these vicious cycles of life.

I do my work in several ways. First, I utilize the Stress Response Evaluation. This will help me to objectively identify how the stress is affecting you. It checks out your heart function, how you are breathing, your brain wave activity, skin conductance and temperature. This is important information as it tells me how long you've had stress and specifically how it has effected you.

With this information, it tells me what style of adjustment would benefit you the most. For instance, I typically use a Logan adjustment on someone with chronic stress. It relaxes the body and calms the mind to allow for a better night's sleep. This same adjustment will allow the nervous system to be balanced so your health will improve. People also tell me that with this adjustment, they find they are more patient with their children or colleagues at work. Amazing!

I can also determine if someone would benefit by a breathing exercise, if they need specific nutritional support or if they need new tools to deal with stressors. The SRE will also help me to guide you if you need to do a regular calming practices and even the type of workout that would most benefit them. For instance, someone with chronic stress might benefit more by a restorative yoga practice, to help build them up, rather than a hot yoga practice that will literally burn them out. This tool will even give me insight as to what challenges you on a physiological level (sounds or a cognitive challenge).

By combining this objective and subjective information, offering you choices to help you work through your stressors, and having healthy workshops (and webinars coming soon) available, you can determine how you want to proceed to resolving stress both for you and your family so you all lead happy and healthy lives. Give me a call. I'm happy to talk to you over the phone to answer any of your questions. Namaste, Dr. Nancy

Beating Insomnia, Stress and Depression

I am an expert on insomnia. I have to be as it is something I’ve been dealing with most of my life. As a child, I remember going weeks at a time with no sleep…tossing and turning and unable to settle. Finally, my mother would give me a half of valium. It would break the bad sleep cycle for a month or two or three, then it would repeat. It is no wonder that I was frequently ill with colds, sinus and bronchial infections as my immune system was compromised by the lack of good sleep.

Things did not get better as I got older, in fact they got worse. Instead of going through these cycles every two to three months, by the time I was 15, it would happen monthly. I got smarter too, or so I thought. Instead of asking my mother for the valium, I’d find some other pill that would put me to sleep in our medicine cabinet. After all, we had pills for every ill in our cabinets, and there were plenty of sleep inducing medicines. The illnesses got more frequent as I would miss at least one day of school per month.

This cycle continued throughout my life. By the time I was in Chiropractic school, I was trying a variety of herbs. A friend suggested I try Skullcap, Valerian Root, Lemon Balm, Chamomille and Lavendar. While they all might have provided temporary relief, none of them gave me long term relief.

By my mid-30’s, depression was something I regularly dealt with. Was it because I was chronically fatigued or that I was creating havoc with my brain wave patterns between regular medicating myself and not every getting into a deep sleep? Despite having several “shrinks” tell me I should take anti-depressants, I knew that was not the answer. I needed to get to the cause. Fortunately, during a really horrible episode of depression, the psychologist I was working with at the time suggested I go off of sugar.

I was one of those closet cookie eaters. I would go weeks without eating cookies, then buy a bag and consume them in one sitting. It was not wonder that I thought I might be a manic-depressive. So, off the sugar I went. The goal was two weeks but I wound up going off it totally for 2 years. That includes when going out for dinner to make sure there was no sugar added to whatever meal I had ordered and checking the labels for anything packaged I brought home. It wasn’t easy, but it made such a huge difference in my life. Besides helping me with my depression, my sleeping improved.

Then in my early 40’s, I started having hot flashes and developed serious memory problems. I bumped into a massage therapist that had worked in my office for 3 months and while she looked familiar, had no idea who she was. My memory was really bad. Needless to say, my sleep was getting worse again. I would toss and turn for hours, and my depression started getting bad. I knew this was hormonal but this was an area that I was unfamiliar. So, I went into the Natural Pharmacy in town and spoke to one of the Pharmacists. He believed I had an overabundance of estrogen and recommended a natural progesterone cream.

The cream worked great and I started sleeping better again and I got pregnant! Things were looking up but I would have periods where my sleep would be compromised. From being a new mom and having a daughter who wanted to eat constantly to a serious injury that would not allow me to sleep for more than 20 minutes at a time for 3 years. I seemed to be destined to have horrible sleep patterns for the rest of my life and honestly, I was not sure how I would survive.

Then a year ago I had the opportunity to discover NeuroInfiniti. I learned about it from a colleague who was using it in his office. While my initial interest in the equipment was how I could learn about how a patient’s nervous system was affected by stress in a variety of areas and the information it would provide me as to how I could help them, there was something much bigger for me. I was able to see how my brain waves were affected by stress as well. Finally, I could understand why I had difficulty turning off my brain when I was trying to sleep. It was not a deficiency of sleeping pills, there was something very specifically going on with my theta and alpha waves. The theta waves are the brain waves that are active right before going to sleep and the alpha waves are those that are active when you are meditating. Both of these brain wave patterns were low compared to where they should be.

With this information I was able to determine a course of action for myself. Immediately, I started down that path and started sleeping better within 3 weeks than I have in my entire life. Deep sleep for 7 to 8 hours at a time every night is now the norm for me. I can close my eyes and be asleep within a minute. I understand why the other things I had tried gave me minimal results. While decreasing or eliminating sugar and getting my hormones balanced helped me sleep better, the reason why the problem still existed was because my brain wave patterns were a mess. While I still need to use progesterone cream occasionally and watch the sugar, getting my brain waves into a normal pattern was essential for a great night’s sleep. What I’ve learned through this experience is that there are many causes of poor sleep including pain, hormonal imbalance, and chemicals. And, what affect did taking sleep medicines all of those years have on my brain wave patterns? What I do know is if you have experienced insomnia for a while, most likely your brain wave patterns have been affected.

Last week I decided to have a re-evaluation using the NeuroInfiniti. I had another Stress Response Evaluation done and compared my results with the prior year. It was amazing to see the results and to  see how my brain wave patterns are now excellent.  For those that struggle with insomnia, rather than patching it up with sleeping pills or herbs, get a Stress Response Evaluation done and see if there is something amiss with your brain wave patterns. Then work with someone who can help you get  balance so you can start sleeping better AND start feeling great. Insomnia is terrible and can cause depression and illness. For new moms, it can cause decreased milk supply and in my opinion, post partum depression. Sleeping great equals happiness! Trust me, I know.

Staying Healthy and Beating the Flu

With so many people ill this month, I thought I’d share my tips for beating the flu. Staying healthy through the winter requires making sure to boost the immune system on many levels. Taking 1 approach can result in limited benefits. Here’s the list:

Vitamin D. Studies have shown that Vitamin D3 usage is extremely beneficial in preventing the flu as well as a host of other health problems. Vitamin D is free from the sun but difficult to get during the winter due to limited bodily areas getting exposed. Check out this article for info on getting the correct amounts for you and your child. While supplementing with pills are inexpensive and easy to get down, Cod Liver Oil is the best way to get Vitamin D as it has the perfect balance of Vitamin D and A. For my vegetarian friends, make sure to eat orange foods rich in Vitamin A with your Vitamin D!

Probiotics. The reason why probiotics are so important to take to improve our immune system is that the gut contains the “good” bacteria to fight infection. If you’ve taken antibiotics or steroids, which wipe out the good bacteria, getting your gut replenished with good bacteria is extremely important. Yeast overgrowth is becoming common in the gut and can be remedied with a yeast-fighting diet of no sugar, no yeast and probiotics. The best sources of probiotics are through foods like fermented vegetables and drinks. You can also purchase children’s probiotics that are appropriate for their stage of development.

Stress is now considered the major cause of most diseases. It changes the way your body “works”. When a person is experiencing stress regularly, the body goes into a “flight or fight” position, which means the sympathetics are working hard. Over time, the body forgets how to turn on the parasympathetics, which is what returns the body to a normal state. People under chronic stress frequently have bowel and digestive problems. Digestive problems can result in someone not absorbing their food properly (thereby not getting the appropriate nutrients from their food). Bowel problems like constipation results in toxic buildup from improper elimination. It is not unusual for people who are constipated to frequently have sinus problems.  

There are many things you can do to decrease how your body deals with stress. Yoga and meditation are an excellent start and you can do this in your own home. Chiropractic and other forms of bodywork release built up stress in the body. Connecting with nature without electronic devices has a calming effect. You can also ask Calgon to “take you away”. I also like ZenFrames which increase your Theta brainwaves which are the brainwaves that are supposed to be active prior to going into a deep sleep.

Sleep. Speaking of sleep, getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night is what researchers are finding is essential for adults. 11 to 12 hours for children is what is required to stay healthy.

Eating whole foods. Packaged foods have chemicals and do not have the nutritional value of whole foods. To maintain great health, eat lots of green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach. Orange foods like carrots, sweet potatoes and butternut squash are important for the mucous membranes. Avoid most grains (with the exception of quinoa and other ancient grains) as they are high in Omega 6’s and are inflammatory in nature. This includes wheat, barley, oats, corn and rice. Have a diet filled with Omega 3 foods like olives and olive oil, avocado, walnuts and cold water fish like wild salmon.

Receive bodywork. Chiropractic works on the body by allowing the nervous system to work efficiently. The nervous system is what controls and coordinates all the functions of the body. Additionally, Chiropractic adjustments release white blood cells which help eat the buggers like viruses and bad bacteria that make us sick.

Local honey is also a great way to keep your immune system healthy. Take a spoonful several times per day (not good for babies though). Homeopathic remedies like oscillococcinum are considered to be extremely effective for the flu. Olive leaf extract is a natural anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal so is wonderful to take on a regular basis to keep your body healthy. The Master Tonic is something I discovered this winter when I was starting to feel ill. It has garlic, apple cider vinegar, horseradish and cayenne pepper. Yes, it is nasty, but it’s better to take that than to get sick!

Exercising regularly is an important piece of the puzzle to help you stay healthy. If you have found you have been bitten by the flu bug however, just standing and moving in place for a few minutes might help give your immune system that extra kick in the pants it might need. Don’t overdo it…just push it a little bit.

Don’t forget that fever, coughs and sneezing are your friend. It is your body’s way of eliminating the bad guys. The intelligence of your body knows that a low grade fever will fight most viral infections and a higher fever is best at combatting viruses. Taking a fever reducer might prolong the illness.

If you find yourself sick, bone broth is an excellent immune system supporter. For my vegan/vegetarian friends, juice your vegetables! It's easier on the digestive system. Ginger, garlic, turmeric and other Indian spices are spices that are anti-inflammatory. 

My routine for staying healthy which seems to be working for me and my family and a lot of my patients as well, is starting the day with a Greens shake (with Olive Leaf extract, 7 Stars yogurt, Hemp Oil and Greens First), a weekly Chiropractic adjustment to keep my immune system strong), getting plenty of rest, a spoonful of honey several times per week, minimum of 2000 IU’s (for adults) of Vitamin D3, plus extra probiotics. And, if I still feel like something is coming on, I take lots of garlic, drink ginger tea (anti-inflammatory) and hold my nose and take the Master Tonic.

Hope you find this helpful and wishing you a much healthier rest of the winter!

Disclaimer: The information contained in this blog is not intended to replace information given to you by your medical provider. 

Setting Intention for a Happy ^ Healthy 2013

For the early part of my life, I remember setting resolutions on January 1^st. These were goals that were usually pretty grand. Not long ago, I started thinking about how I could set goals that I could not only manage but reach. Do you remember the movie, “What about Bob” with Bill Murray? It was all about the baby steps and creating new habits and patterns. I’m going to use those concepts myself to create healthier habits and patterns. While I eat healthy most of the time, and have been getting more exercise, there are other things I want to add to my life that will be a part of me to create more balance and a sense of well-being.

I was a competitive tennis player starting when I was about 12 and continued until the age of 30. I was able to maintain a very healthy and happy body even through my late 40’s. Then all of the sudden I found myself overwhelmed with life. Dealing with a very bad injury that was causing constant pain for several years, unable to get a restful sleep combined with trying to maintain a practice and being “present” for my young child. Things snowballed and all of the sudden I found myself  40 lbs overweight and struggling to find the way to get myself feeling as great as I did before the injury.

For me, I know that setting small goals and taking baby steps is the answer for me to maintain my intention throughout the year. So, that is my plan and I’m sticking to it. Here are my ideas that I hope you will also find helpful.

The Keys to a Healthy 2013

1.       Get plenty of good sleep. Adults require 7 to 8 hours of “good” sleep to stay healthy. Anything less than that will not allow your body to heal as it should. To get a more restful sleep, try the following:

a.       Sit in a relaxed way prior to bed…without the TV or radio on. Think about something that makes you happy…like walking in the mountains or on the beach. Strive for 5 minutes but if you can only manage 2 minutes, it is a great start.

b.      Drink and eat fewer foods that are stimulating after 3pm (ie sugary foods or foods with chemicals, caffeine, chocolate, etc.)

2.       Create a positive mental attitude. There is a great book by Bruce Lipton, PhD called “The Biology of Belief”. He talks about how we can create great health just by creating healthy thoughts.

Create a Gratitude Journal. Spend 1 minute every day writing down what you feel grateful for. There is a lot of evidence that feeling grateful for something every day and expressing it will change the way you feel.  And if you are grateful for a person in your life, don’t forget to tell them!

3.       Exercise or movement. I had a clinician while I was doing my internship that used to walk around the hallways shouting, “movement is life”. Not only does movement keep your blood flowing through your body at a higher level, that blood brings oxygen which is vital to keeping our cells healthy. Start with 2 minutes per day…walking in place….doing a sun salutation or two …jumping jacks…whatever it is that is something you think you can do and will do. Finding an exercise you like is most important so that it does not become “work”. If you like to dance, put uplifting music on and dance for a few minutes. Increase this every week by 1 minute. If you have a dog that you walk, go for a brisker and longer walk. Start creating the habit of getting your body moving by finding a time every day to create this new pattern. The added benefit is increased endorphins flowing through your body which will create a feeling of happiness!

4.       Eating healthy. By keeping to our theme of baby steps, let’s say you have a diet with sugar, grains, other chemicals (found in pre-packaged food or caffeine) and not a big fan of vegetables, we will keep this easy. Find one thing you can begin to change immediately. Don’t go for the whole enchilada…that’s too difficult to maintain. So, if you drink 3 cups of caffeine per day, with sugar. Start by making it half decaf and start decreasing the sugar. Also, none of that refined sugar crap…go with raw organic sugar. If you are drinking tea, replace the sugar with honey. Start by changing one thing and working on building that each week but incorporating more whole foods like vegetables and fruits and less packaged products into your diet you will find that you feel much better.

5.       Start decreasing the amount of gluten in the diet. Most people I know don’t even know what it is and how it can be affecting them. Gluten is found in most grains and packaged products. When it breaks down in the body can cause inflammation. It can cause the foggy feeling in your head that you notice after eating and may be the reason why you are exhausted in the evening. Try going gluten-free for 1 week and notice the difference in how you feel. You might be surprised!

6.       Reduce stressors. Find the stressor that is causing you the most grief, sit down, and work on how you can decrease the problem. Develop a map as to resolve this.  Receiving body work is a great way to release the stress from your body, which may give you the “opening” to find a solution to your stressor. There is also a great Chiropractic technique called Logan which stimulates the part of the nervous system that will allow you to feel relaxed, have less thoughts running around your brain, and releases endorphins. If you’ve been dealing with stress for a long time, your body might have forgotten how to get back to “normal”. This type of adjustment works wonders!

7.       Keeping the immune system strong.

a.       Vitamin D is essential to keeping us healthy. It’s cheap and easy to find in the store and particularly important to supplement during the winter months.

b.      White blood cells are the key to devouring those “bad” viral and bacterial invaders in our body. Chiropractic adjustments release extra white blood cells to keep you healthy.

c.       To make sure you have enough good bacteria in your gut, which helps to kill those viruses and bacteria, take a good probiotic (before meals to have the best effect).

d.      Make sure your nervous system is working at its’ best. The nervous system is what controls and coordinates the functioning of all of our organs. If there is impedance to it working optimally, the organs will start being stressed and may cause dis-ease or lack of health. Chiropractic is what will keep your nervous system working well so you can achieve optimal health.   

People are continually amazed at how I can be exposed to “germs” (when my sick patients come in for their adjustments) and not get sick. I do attribute it to receiving regular adjustments to keep my immune system strong, taking Vitamin D and a good probiotic, getting lots of sleep, and eating really healthy foods (only “good” grains, lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, healthy nuts), and believing I won’t get sick. I will work on exercising daily this year as I do feel and look better when I do.

Just remember to do what you can. If you are not sticking with your plan, don’t beat yourself up. Just reassess and figure out how to move forward. Remember, this is not about doing something for a week or two. You are creating a healthier lifestyle. So relax and enjoy the journey.

Wishing you a very Happy and Healthy 2013!