High Fructose Corn Syrup…NOT the same as sugar!

There had been much confusion over the synthetic sugar high fructose corn syrup or HFCS.  First we all think it is okay…then we are told that is not.  Now, TV ads are claiming that it okay once again.  Who do you believe?

The fact is, HFCS is not the same as “table sugar” which is sucrose.  HFCS is indeed made from corn, but it has been chemically altered and contains high amounts of dextrose (aka glucose) and fructose.  Both of these sugars are usable by the body.  However, this high amount of fructose combined with dextrose at the same time makes it difficult for the body to process.  The liver has to contend with fructose and it is the only organ that can use fructose in its unaltered state.  The liver will store this fructose as glycogen and once the glycogen stores are saturated in the liver, it has no additional use other than to convert the fructose to acetyl CoA, which is then easily converted to fat.  Fat gains from HFCS is a very “soft” type of fat that concentrates around the abdomen.  The more you make fat here, the likely it is that you will have insulin resistance, and the more likely you will end up with diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.  Young kids nowadays reflect this body style.

Arguably, any sugar could suffer a similar fate.  However, HFCS itself seems to be less well tolerated than sucrose.  Sucrose also seems to provide less insulin resistance.  HFCS in large amounts (that of your normal American soda diet) is actually hepatotoxic and can lead to cirrhosis of the liver.

But why is HFCS still used?  It is cheap, and extremely sweet.  It takes less of it to provide the same amount of sweetness as table sugar.  That is why soda companies made the switch over from cane sugar.  HFCS is cheap!

But who is saying that HFCS is still safe?  Just anyone who is tied to the Corn Refinery Process.   Corn refiners have no job if there is no HFCS, plain and simple.  Obviously they would want to persuade you that HFCS is “the same as sugar, and fine in moderation”…as their cute commercials state.   They even offer the notion that nutritionists and “health experts” confirm this idea.  The only health “expert” that holds their views are being paid to say so.  The body of research is clear on this matter, HFCS is not the same as table sugar, your body CAN tell the difference, and HFCS is linked to insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome.  For optimum health and well being, keep your intake of HFCS at a minimum.

Whole Food Supplements

Conventional wisdom would be that if a person doesn’t eat correctly, then they should fill the gaps with a multivitamin.  While there is nothing horribly wrong with multivitamins, many people do not reap the maximum benefits from these supplements.  There are a few reasons why…

1) Unabsorbable:  Many “bargain” vitamins are formulated inexpensively and thus are full of binders and other compounds that prevent the supplement from “pulling” moisture from the air.  Some people with weak stomach acid and or digestive issues definitely aren’t getting the maximum benefits from these supplements.

2) Wrong Formulation:  As far as vitamin C goes, ascorbic acid is cheaper and less beneficial than calcium ascorbate.  For magnesium, mag oxide is hard on many peoples stomachs because it the magnesium equivalent of rust!  Mag citrate is better, and mag glycinate is better yet for many people!  dl-alpha-tocopherol is less bioavailable than d-alpha-tocopherol (for vitamin E)….I could go on and on.  Many of the “cheap” formulations are ones that would never be found in whole food naturally.  It is no surprise that the bargain vitamins produce marginal or no measurable health benefits.

3) Lack of Synergy:  an orange is more than vitamin C.  An apple a day keeps the doctor away…not a multivitamin a day! Fruits and vegetables naturally contain other compounds that work in synergy with the vitamins in that fruit or veggie. These compounds are known as phytonutrients.  Fruits and vegetables contain hundreds to thousands of phytonutrients.  These compounds have protective effects against free radical damage, DNA mutation, and cellular aging. If a person just took a multivitamin they would miss out on all of these benefits.

Enter Whole Food Supplements.  Know obviously, eating the recommended 7-13 servings of fruits and veggies would be the best strategy here.  However, how many Americans get that done.  Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a product that helped you to fill the gaps in your diet?  Let me introduce you to Juice Plus. 

Juice Plus is encapsulated fruits, vegetables, and grains.  When taken daily, it helps to make sure that your gaps in nutrition are filled.  Unlike many supplements on the market, Juice Plus is backed my many high quality peer reviewed RCT research studies.  Research shows that Juice Plus helps to: reduce inflammation systemically, prevent cellular damage, and reduce soreness after physical activity…among other benefits.  Many patients of mine that take Juice Plus report catching less colds, having more energy, being less sore after exercise, and having their fingernails and nails grow like crazy.  You should eat better, but for those days that you don’t, you should take Juice Plus.  It is affordable, effective, and easy.  For more information, including more research on this product, please visit www.drkodyjuiceplus.com

Vitamin D3 for Cold and Flu Season

It has reached that time of year where everyone starts to come down with colds and flus.  We rationalize that it is “normal” for us to get sick this time of year, and there is little that you can do to prevent it.  For those that do try to prevent the flu, the usually go about it the wrong and more toxic way.

“Lets go get our flu shots”…says one of your coworkers.  “Everyone else is getting one, and I want to make sure that I get one before they run out!”  This is the logic that perpetuates the majority of our population.  However, there are many problems with influenza vaccines; these problems are as follows:

1) Ineffectiveness:  Flu strains mutate every year, and the vaccines are made by drug companies with the best “guess” of what this years crop of flu viruses will be.  The problem is, it is nearly impossible to know what a living, but not living thing (virus) will do every year.  The result is that you get the flu anyway…actually, that would be the least of your worries.

2) Toxicity:  flu vaccines are made with toxic preservatives (LIKE ALL VACCINES) and contain high amounts of thimersol mercury. Actually, the recent and “dreaded” H1N1 vaccine contained mercury levels that exceeded EPA standards.  This is because the vaccines were rush produced and sent to the market so that as many could be sold as possible during the “scare” that the media had created. (perpetuated by big pharma)  Thimersol is linked to neurodegenerative illnesses and also implicated as a cause of autism and “spectrum disorders”.  Aside from toxicity, you could end up with an adverse reaction…

3) Guillion Barre Syndrome (GBS):  Ascending paralysis would be an alias for this post-vaccination illness.  It occurs in a select group of individuals after receiving a flu vaccine.  First numbness sets in, then muscle weakness, next you can’t walk!  If you survive, you will have to go to rehab and learn how to walk all over again.  At least you didn’t get the flu! (maybe)

So what is the answer to this?  How do we help to prevent influenza?  While there are many factors that would assist us in this regard, arguably, one of the most important things to consider is adequate vitamin D status.

D3 is not just for bone health!  D3 is necessary for the expression of 1/10th of our genetic code, and is involved in the turning on or off of over 2000 genes (source: mercola.com).  Have you ever wondered why flu happens so often in the winter…the exact time of year where vitamin D production from sunlight is at its lowest?  Vitamin D supports the immune system.

D3 helps to upregulate immune system expression.  It helps macrophages to work more “aggressively” as well.  Macrophages are white blood cells that specialize in “eating” or engulfing foreign invaders (viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc.)  It is for these reasons that influenza infection has been thought of as a “D3 deficiency syndrome”.  Vitamin C is fine and dandy, but it has nothing on D3!

So how much is the right amount to take?  Although close to 80% of Americans could be considered  deficient, a lab test is the gold standard for determining vitamin D status.  The lab test needed is called a 25-Hydroxy-D3.  Anything below 50mg/dL would be considered deficient.  A good range to be at would be around 75-99mg/dL.  For most people about 5,000IU a day during cold and flu season would provide the most benefit, and would help keep them in this range.  During the summer, assuming the patient is outdoors more often, the dosage should be reduced to 1,000-2,000IU daily.  Athletes who get lots of sun exposure may need no oral D3 supplements at all during the summer, other than what their body makes on its own from sun exposure (at least 20 minutes a day to cause a minimal “pinking” of the skin).

So now  that you know, pass up the flu vaccine first and start with making sure you have adequate D3 status.  It is inexpensive, safe, nontoxic, natural, and effective at helping you to achieve optimum health.  You do not have to catch a cold or flu ever.  The choice is up to you.  Once starting a D3 regimen, make sure that you are under the care of a natural health care provider (such Naturopathic Physician, or Chiropractic Physician).

“Self-Serving” is the AMA’s Best Adjective

With the recent passage of the health care bill into law came many changes.  Most of these changes are positive in nature, and were put in place to make sure that patients, being the consumer, were protected.  Among these many changes was a law that was passed that made it illegal for health insurance and government programs to discriminate against a type of health care provider based on their educational background.  Many states already had a similar law, but finally such an important law was now at the federal level.

So what did that law actually mean?  It meant that patients would get to choose what type of provider they went to based on their own desires…the patient’s right to choose their doctor was kept intact.  However, the American Medical Association was scared by this new law, since it would mean that patients wouldn’t be required to go to M.D. or D.O. doctors.  The patient could choose.

If a patient wanted to go a their chiropractic doctor, naturopathic doctor, or nursing practice doctor, then they could choose to do so on their own without worrying if their health costs would punish them for not going to an MD.  More often than not, health insurance has been notorious for covering visits to the medical doctor better than to that of other health care providers of equal education and training.  Now with this monumental national health care law, it would be illegal for these same companies to cover the services of certain providers “better”.  This would be a huge victory for patients across the United States…however, the AMA would like to take that all away….

Historically, the AMA has run under the assertion that if they can make their members (MD’s) appear as the only logical choice, then there will be no other choice!  Over the years, health care providers that had equal training had been slandered by the AMA in order to place doubt in the public’s mind.   “Well, Dr. So and So is a Quack, so we better go to the “trusted” medical doctor!”  This slandering and name calling was said to be done in the interest of “public safety”.  However, nothing could be further from the truth.  If it were all about research-verified safety, then the MD’s would be boycotting themselves.  It is all self-serving.

The AMA does not like competition and has been very apt at squelching out competitors as they come on the scene.  By the AMA fighting this new health care law, they are doing more of what they have always done.  Don’t be fooled!

Unnessary Surgery

I cannot tell you the number of people who have unnecessary surgery every day of the year.  While there are certainly life saving surgeries done, it is important to exhaust every conceivable conservative option before going under the knife.

With myself being a chiropractic physician, one would assume one of my areas of interest would be the over utilization of spinal surgeries.  It that would be a correct assumption.  Back and neck fusion surgeries have a history of poor potential outcomes.  Actually, there is a diagnosis that has developed as a result of the phenomenon, “failed back surgery syndrome”.  Research shows that the likelihood that spinal fusion surgery will fail is about 50%!  In other words, a coin flip.  “Heads” you have no pain, “tails”, you have more pain or just as much as before….not good odds if you ask me.

I am saddened when I hear how many people are duped into having surgery.  This is the scenario you here about all the time.  “John” picks something up and feels a pull in his back which results in sharp pain and radiating leg pain.  John goes to his medical doctor and they give him pain medication and tell him to go home and “rest”.  John comes back and the pain is the same as before.  The medical doctor increases the pain medication dosage and maybe gives him a cortisone shot.  John is sent to an orthopedist and an MRI is ordered.  John is told that he has a disc bulge in his lumbar spine at L5/S1.    He is told that surgery is his only option, so he goes for it naturally…he has been given no other options.  Surgery is a “success” and John no longer has leg pain or low back pain.  Then six months later the unfathomable happens…the back and leg pain come back!  John goes back to the orthopedist, gets another MRI and looky here…another disc bulge at the level above L4/L5 disc.  “John, you are going to need another fusion surgery,” states the orthopedist.

Afterall, it is called back surgery for a reason, you will be “back” for another one or two…or three…hopefully not, but the odds are against you in most cases.  The biggest problem is that research is largely ignored when it comes to the management of spinal complaints (or any musculoskeletal problem for that matter).  Research shows that a conservative trial of care should be initiated in disc cases for the first 2-3 weeks in order to see if any improvement can be made during that time.  Treatments that are often effective are chiropractic manipulation, physiotherapy, and a graduated exercise regimen.  These are all services offered by a chiropractic physician.  Only if conservative treatment fails, should surgery ever be considered as a viable option.

This is what could have happens with John instead in our clinic: John suffers the same back injury as before.  He seeks care at a chiropractor’s office for his complaints.  He is examined thoroughly and x-rays are taken of the low back.  John is told that he “more than likely is suffering from a disc problem”.  He is told that a two week trial of intensive chiropractic treatment will be initiated, and if no improvement can be made during that time, then an MRI will be ordered.  Then in 80% of cases (in our clinic), after the first visit or two the leg pain is gone and the back pain is greatly reduced….he can walk again, he can get dressed, he can tie his shoes on his own again!  In the first week, he is taught how lift, stand, sit, and bend without causing him any problems.  In the second week, he is given exercises and stretches specific to his problem in order to improve range of motion and strength in the spine. With the cause of John’s problem corrected, his is now better and doesn’t need surgery.

20% of the cases in our clinic get relief during the two weeks, but the problem appears resistant.  The MRI is ordered and read.  The type of treatment can be altered at that point and / or physical therapy performed by a physical therapist can be done concurrently with ongoing chiropractic treatment.  If no improvement is still made, then the patient can be sent to the orthopedist or neurosurgeon for a consult.  From there surgery can be evaluated as an option.

If you jumped right into surgery and you were one of the 80% that could be helped without surgery, would you still go through with the pain of it all?  It hope this provides some much needed insight into this matter.

Chiropractic Care as Primary Care

Healthcare costs are higher than ever, and yet the amount of quality primary care providers for the public seems to be in a shortage all the while.  Insurance and Medicare are reducing reimbursement to healthcare providers, and are making it difficult to be able have a successful practice.  While there are many factors that come into play here, there could be a significant cost savings (and improvement in patient care) if the federal government reimbursed chiropractic physicians to work in the role of primary care providers.

But you ask, why would I go to a chiropractor for primary care?  Aren’t they “just back doctors”.  The answer is a resounding “NO”.  Chiropractic physicians are trained completely in the entire human body…not just the spine…and not just “the bones”!  Their training is broad so that they be able to accurately diagnose and treat a wide variety of patient types.

But what about labs?  Chiropractors are trained to draw blood and / or order labs and interpret the results.  Actually, chiropractors can order most of the tests that your medical doctor or nurse practitioner can.

Many critics of chiropractors being PCP’s state that, “It is all fine and good if they make the diagnosis, but what are they going to do with it?”  Answer– They will treat it the same way every prudent and sensible health care provider should be treating their patients — with conservative treatment methods, lifestyle alterations, diet therapy, and nutritional or herbal medicine.  After all, what are some of the common conditions that walk into a medical doctor’s office?  Common cold, sinus infections (usually viral) , allergies, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type-II diabetes, headaches and back pain.  Most things that don’t respond in a medical doctors office are referred to specialists.

Common colds are easily treated with more bedrest, more fluids, chiropractic adjustments, herbs, and vitamin C, and maybe some acupuncture.  Allergies can be treated with acupuncture, herbs, and by cleaning up one’s diet.  High blood pressure has been shown to be reduced by altering diet, increasing physical activity, and by receiving chiropractic adjustments to the cervical spine.  High cholesterol is easily reduced by increasing physical activity and by eating more fiber, garlic, legumes and whole grains.  Diabetes has been shown to improve and resolve more often than not with improved diet and increased physical activity.  And of course, chiropractic adjustments are one of most effective and safe treatments for back pain or headaches.

Certainly, if the problem needed medication, then the patient could be referred to the appropriate provider and managed accordingly.  That is the approach that chiropractic physicians have always taken and always will.

It is interesting to note that study after study shows that chiropractic patients use less medicine, need less surgeries, and spend less time sick or in the hospital than their non-chiropractic care seeking peers.  This should come to no surprise.  Chiropractors have long championed a patient centered approach that looks to use safe and noninvasive treatment approaches.  Chiropractors also empower and coach patients to make healthier lifestyle choices.  This all produces a healthier, more educated and socially productive patient that has less health care expenditures.

Antibiotic Overuse

Doesn’t it seem that every child nowadays is allergic to something?  How rampant are sinus infections, and asthma? While there are many factors that come into play here, using an antibiotic for every little “sniffle” has been doing more harm than good.

The human body was designed to be healthy by nature as long as there is no interference to healing present.  When your child does get a cold, it is a good thing!  They will fight it off and their immune system will be stronger for it.  Their young immune systems use every infection and cold as an opportunity to “learn” and become stronger.  A child’s immune system “wants” to be trained to fight off illnesses.  However, if we intervene all the time with an antibiotic, their immune system is having the work done for them and it doesn’t get the chance to adapt fully as it would have naturally.

So what happens then?  Their immune system will reach out and react strongly to ordinarily harmless things such as dust and pollen in an effort to get the stimulus that it so desires.  The end result is more allergies, asthma, and sinusitis.  Other factors that lead to allergies includes too many hormones and pesticides in dairy and eggs.  Too much refined sugar and carbohydrates likely increase mucus viscosity and suppress immunity as well.  However, the key point here is that we shouldn’t give antibiotics to our children for every cough and sneeze.  Instead go first to things such as homemade chicken soup, warm fluids, and more rest.