Tanning Beds… Yes or No?

Thank you for your interest. Unfortunately, my opinion was misunderstood so I’ve chosen to move on. Love to all, Dr. Gray.

 

“Pop The Stress Out”

This week, we have a post from a guest blogger. Ms. Brooks is a recent biomedical anthropology graduate and an avid health nut, and “aims to enlighten people about the benefits of alternative and natural therapies for certain ailments.” After reading and following this blog for a while, she kindly volunteered to submit an article for review. Thanks, Allison! Here is her article… hope you enjoy!

Let a chiropractor help with healing

People suffer from illnesses for various reasons including injury, reactions to food or chemicals, and stress. Stress is a major factor in mental disorders and can make other illnesses worse.

How Stress Affects the Body

Stress interferes with the proper functioning of the immune system. When stress is high, the level of the corticosteroid hormone is elevated which decreases the number of lymphocytes. With fewer lymphocytes the immune system is not as effective.

Stress also causes blood pressure to rise. Hypertension can lead to many cardiovascular problems and can negatively affect the immune system. The digestive system is also affected by stress as it has difficulty digesting food when stress occurs. When stress levels are high, there is more adrenaline in the body and this can cause ulcers.

Benefits of Chiropractics

Anyone who is dealing with a chronic illness such as cancer, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, or MS, often has some pain associated with treatment or from the illness itself. By relaxing the body and putting everything in proper alignment, a chiropractor can help reduce pain.

One major factor in most chronic illnesses is stress of the spinal nerve which in turn affects the functioning of the nervous system. The nervous system is like the manager of all the body’s organs and processes. A chiropractic treatment helps the nervous system work properly and increases the flow of energy throughout the body and relieving stress.

One thing that bothers some chiropractic patient is the “popping” sound when the vertebrae are adjusted. This is only a bit of gas that was between the bones and the popping is simply the gas leaving the area. So the pops tell the patient that the treatment is working as it should.

Chiropractics and Cancer

Having a diagnosis of cancer and receiving treatments is very stressful, especially when the cancer has a lower life-expectancy rate. Fear is also common after treatment as the patient is scared and worried that the cancer will return. Studies have shown that recurrence of breast cancer in women declines if the women have stress prevention therapy. In cases where the cancer has returned, stress prevention therapy has been shown to reduce the number of deaths.

Stress can cause muscle restrictions in a cancer patient and a chiropractor removes those restrictions. This allows the patient to let go of the tension that is present in the body because of stress. When the nervous system is working properly, the body can begin healing itself.

Authored by: Allison Brooks

Thanks again for this article submitted by Ms. Brooks. It is refreshing and encouraging when we share information, wisdom, and knowledge. For full disclosure: I have never met Ms. Brooks, nor have I verified her claim of being a recent biomedical anthropology graduate. However, I have no reason to doubt her, and appreciate her article coming from a non-physician viewpoint. She appears knowledgeable and we look forward to submissions from her in the future.

– Dr. Gray

Easy Grocery Store Health

I am often asked what foods are the most important and easiest to add to a daily diet to help with nutrition and health. Here are eight foods readily available at your local grocery store that can easily be added to your weekly diet:

1. Cruciferous Vegetables – This is a family of vegetables that includes broccoli, cabbage, kale, radish, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, collard greens, kohlrabi, mustard, rutabaga, turnips, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, arugula, and watercress. These foods have been shown to prevent and fight cancer by enhancing the elimination of carcinogens before they can damage DNA, and by altering cell signaling pathways in a manner that helps prevent normal cells from being transformed into cancerous cells. They are also packed with vitamins, minerals, and other life-giving, disease-fighting compounds.
2. Apples – The many benefits of apples have been documented extensively. Here’s a short list: normalize cholesterol levels, decrease metabolic syndrome, retard cancer cell growth, cut smoker’s risk of COPD in half, improve lung function, decrease bone loss… this list could go on and on.
3. Berries – Berries are a good source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. They are high in vitamin D, folic acid, and manganese. They also contain cancer fighting carotenoids, tannins, ellagitannins and gallic acid, as well as quercetin and eye protective lutein. And just as with apples, the seeds of berries are a good source of the anti-cancer vitamin B 17, or laetrile. Berries are also among the best sources of antioxidants which fight against chronic diseases associated with the aging process.
4. Spinach – Spinach is an excellent source of energy boosting iron, an integral component of hemoglobin which transports oxygen to all body cells. Cancer is only able to grow in cells where the oxygen level is deficient. Spinach also contains at least 13 flavonoid compounds that act as antioxidants and anti-cancer agents, particularly for stomach-, breast-, and skin cancer. A carotenoid called neoxanthin induces prostate cancer cells to self-destruct. Spinach is also high in vitamin K, vitamin C, beta-carotene, folate, riboflavin, and vitamin A.
5. Beans & Lentils – These vegetables provide soluble fiber that passes through the digestive tract grabbing and trapping bile that contains cholesterol, and removing it from the body. Eating a cup of cooked beans a day reduces risk of heart attack by almost 40%. This soluble fiber also creates more insulin receptor sites for insulin molecules to connect to, allowing insulin to get to the cells that need it, instead of floating freely through the bloodstream.
6. Nuts & Seeds – Eating these foods five or more times a week reduces your risk of heart attack by a whopping 60%. Research shows that people who eat nuts are generally thinner, have lower levels of LDL cholesterol and better bones. They are also at a lower risk for cancer and inflammation.
7. Salmon – This superfood really needs its own article to list all its health benefits. Eating just two servings of wild caught salmon a week provides as much omega-3 essential fatty acids as taking daily fish oil supplements. Omega-3 fats help prevent erratic heart rhythms, make blood less likely to clot inside arteries, improve the ratio of cholesterol, and prevent cholesterol from becoming damaged and thereby preventing clogged arteries. It has anti-inflammatory properties on a par with prescription drugs but without the side effects, and is also able to lower high levels of triglycerides. It is a tremendous source of the B vitamins including B12 that normalize blood pressure and promote heart health. Eating salmon as little as 1 to 3 times per month offers protection against stroke caused by lack of blood supply to the brain. Eating it 4 times a month reduces the risk of deep vein thrombosis by 30-45%, and the risk for atherosclerosis.
8. Turkey – Fantastic lean source of proteins, B vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

It doesn’t take too much work to eat right, and you don’t have to be so restrictive. The best rule to live by is to increase your intake of good stuff, limit your intake of bad stuff,… and enjoy life!

Sources:
Barbara L. Minton, Natural News.com
Silvina Lotito, Ph.d., “Why Apples Are Healthful”, Linus Pauling Institute Research Report.
“Why Blueberries are Healthful”, Blueberry Council.
“Cruciferous Vegetables”, Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.
“Spinach”, WHFoods.
“Nutritional Benefits of Beans”, essortment.
“Salmon”, WHFoods.
“Turkey”, WHFoods.

Fourteen Ways to Prevent Cancer

It’s estimated that a startling one-third of all US women will be stricken with some form of cancer during their lifetime. In 1997, the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) released dietary recommendations intended to reduce global cancer incidence and mortality. The current study condensed the 14 original recommendations into nine that the authors deemed particularly relevant to Western populations, then evaluated their impact on a cohort of 29,564 women (55-69 years old at baseline) with regards to cancer incidence, cancer mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and total mortality.

No study participant had a prior history of cancer or heart disease in 1986, when the study began. At follow-up in 1998, women who had followed zero to one of the AICR recommendations were 1.35 times more likely to have cancer than women who implemented six to nine of the recommendations. CVD mortality risk did not appear to be correlated with the number of AICR recommendations followed.

The 14 AIR recommendations are summarized as follows:

1. Food supply/eating habits: Consume a plant-based diet rich in fruits and vegetables; minimize starchy foods.
2. Body weight: Avoid being underweight or overweight; limit adult weight gain.
3. Physical activity: Perform moderate daily exercise; exercise vigorously at least one hour per week.
4. Vegetable and fruit intake: Eat five or more servings of fruits/vegetables per day (excluding pulses and starchy vegetables).
5. Consumption of other plant foods: Eat seven or more daily portions of a variety of cereals, roots, tubers, plantains, etc.; minimize intake of processed foods and refined sugars.
6. Alcohol consumption: Alcohol intake is discouraged; if at all, limit to less than one drink per day.
7. Meat consumption: If consumed at all, limit to 3 ounces daily.
8. Total fats and oils: Limit consumption of fatty foods; use moderate amounts of appropriate vegetable oils when necessary.
9. Salt and salting: Limit consumption of salted foods and use of cooking/table salt; use herbs and spices as alternate seasoning options.
10. Food storage: Do not eat food subject to contamination due to long storage at ambient temperatures.
11. Food preservation methods: Preserve perishable food appropriately via refrigeration, freezing, etc.
12. Additives and residues: Minimize levels of additives, contaminants and other residues in food sources.
13. Food preparation: Consume grilled or broiled meat and fish occasionally, avoiding burning of meat juices and charring.
14. Dietary supplements: Supplementation is probably unnecessary if appropriate dietary strategies are followed.

The AICR also recommends that individuals avoid smoking or chewing tobacco, for various health reasons.

Conclusions: “Adherence to the AICR recommendations, independently and in conjunction with not smoking, is likely to have a substantial public health impact on reducing cancer incidence and, to a lesser degree, cancer mortality at the population level.” The authors add that their findings support public policy initiatives regarding proper diet, weight control and physical activity, to help reduce the incidence of cancer and other chronic diseases.

Cerhan JR, Potter JD, Gilmore JME, et al. Adherence to the AICR cancer prevention recommendations and subsequent morbidity and mortality in the Iowa Women’s Health Study cohort. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention July 2004;13(7):1114-20. http://cebp.aacrjournals.org