Pain Relief Chiropractic

0. In a world where there is so much disagreement, here is a statement we can all agree on: No one wants cancer. If there is a simple and inexpensive way to help prevent it, why not do it? While there is great buzz about “cancer genes” and how much of a role they play in an individual actually getting cancer, there should also be great buzz about eating right, reducing stress, getting the proper amount of sleep, and doing all the other things that help optimize your immune system so you can live up to your full genetic potential, whatever that potential may be for you.

   That being said, there are several studies on the subject of “grilled meat.” In the research, the various authors discuss heterocyclic amines (HCAs). HCAs are SUSPECTED human carcinogens (cancer causing) formed in muscle foods (meat) during high temperature grilling or cooking. One study, published in the Journal Food Science, studied the effect of marinades rich in polyphenolic antioxidant containing spices in HCAs. According to the study: “The marinades were formulated according to the package label instruction in an oil, water, and vinegar mixture, and the steaks were treated for one hour prior to grilling. All three marinades: Caribbean, Southwest, and herb, significantly decreased the imidazo-azaarene HCAs (MeIQx, PhIP) as contrasted to controls and liquid blanks. The Caribbean mixture showed the highest decrease in the total HCA content (88%), followed by the herb (72%) and Southwest (57%). With a few exceptions, there were significant decreases in HCAs for treatments with only the marinade bases (ingredients without any spices/herbs). As measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the marinades contained considerable amounts of the polyphenolic antioxidants carnosic acid, carnosol and rosmarinic acid with Caribbean being the highest. Commonly available spice-containing marinades can be effective inhibitors of HCA formation and provide reduced exposure to some of the carcinogens formed during grilling.”

   Does this mean if you marinate your steaks one hour before grilling them in this Caribbean mixture you will not get cancer? No. Does it mean you will… for sure… reduce your risk? Can’t say that either. But it’s pretty safe to say this: Science and research are not perfect. They are only as good as the imperfect humans doing the research and interpreting the data. Every month, there are studies that say what we believed last year (“proven” in a study) was wrong. But that doesn’t mean you should throw your hands up in the air and ignore everything and eat junk food and sugary drinks all day. Try eating natural foods over processed foods. Exercise moderately instead of sitting on the couch. Think positive thoughts more than negative thoughts. And maybe… just maybe… if you eat steak… consider a Caribbean marinade one hour before.

If you are in pain, you are probably looking for a treatment for your pain. If you have a disease, you are probably looking for a treatment for that disease. Most people look for a miracle scientific breakthrough like a brand new surgical procedure or a new drug. Stem cell therapy has many people (and doctors) dreaming of potential cures, but many times, mother nature had the answer all along.

For example, new research just published in the Annals of Neurology tested the effects that eating plants in the Solanacae family had on Parkinson’s disease. Solanacae is a plant family includes plants with edible nicotine. Plants in this family include tobacco, peppers, tomatoes, and potatoes. This study examined whether Parkinson’s disease was associated with self-reported typical frequency of consumption of peppers, tomatoes, tomato juice, and potatoes during adulthood, while adjusting for consumption of other vegetables, age, sex, race/ethnicity, tobacco use, and caffeine.

Results: Parkinson’s disease (PD) was inversely associated with consumption of all edible Soloanacae. The more concentrated the nicotine in the food, the greater the impact. The inverse association was greatest for peppers. According to the study, “Dietary nicotine or other constituents of tobacco and peppers may reduce PD risk. However, confirmation and extension of these findings are needed to strengthen causal inferences that could suggest possible dietary or pharmaceutical interventions for PD prevention.”

Peppers may not be the “cure” for Parkinson’s disease, but once again, it points out the importance of the basics: eating right, exercise, and stress reduction.

A new study sheds light on one of the best things you can do to improve your health, and possibly avoid some of the leading causes of death in the United States (and the rest of the developed world). Global diabetes has more than doubled in the last 30 years. 25.8 million children and adults in the United States – 8.3% of the population – have diabetes. 7 million people have diabetes and do not know it because they are undiagnosed. 79 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE PRE-DIABETES!

In 2007, diabetes was listed as the underlying cause on 71,382 death certificates, and was listed as a contributing factor on an additional 160,022 death certificates. This means that diabetes contributed to a total of 231,404 deaths.

According to a report from the American Diabetes Association, the U.S. cost of diabetes grew to $245 billion in 2012. Now, a new study published in PLOS ONE reveals strong evidence that sugar (not other diet and lifestyle factors) is the primary cause of Type 2 diabetes. The study’s researchers from the University of California at San Francisco studied data on sugar intake and diabetes from 175 countries. The researchers found, “that every 150 kcal/person/day increase in sugar availability (about one can of soda/day) was associated with increased diabetes prevalence by 1.1%.”

The researchers went on to state: “The impact of sugar on diabetes was independent of sedentary behavior and alcohol use, and the effect was modified but not confounded by obesity or being overweight. Duration and degree of sugar exposure correlated significantly with diabetes prevalence in a dose-dependent manner, while declines in sugar exposure correlated with significant subsequent declines in Diabetes rates independently of other socioeconomic, dietary and obesity prevalence changes.”

In other words, if the results of this study are accurate, sugar is directly related to developing Type 2 diabetes and cutting back on sugar is directly responsible for improving Type 2 diabetes. Limiting the amount of sugar you eat might drastically change your health and your life.

A wise person once said, “Successful people are successful for a reason.” The same is true in reverse… unsuccessful people are unsuccessful for a reason, too. That doesn’t mean if you are unsuccessful at something that it is your fault. On the contrary, many times it is not your fault at all. For example, if you want to lose weight and get in shape and you don’t know the first thing about losing weight and getting in shape, then how can you expect to be successful at it? If you were trying to drive somewhere you had never been before and never even heard of and you didn’t have a map or any directions, would you blame yourself for not knowing how to get there? Of course not.

The first thing to understand is that if you want to lose weight, then you must burn more calories than you take in. It’s simple math. But the big problem is most people underestimate the amount of calories they eat in a day… BY A LOT. The solution is writing down EVERYTHING you eat, even those little bites here and there. Those little bites add up fast. Just like those dollars here and there add up and drain your bank account over the course of a few months. The other problem is overestimating the amount of calories you burn. Even though people are different, the average person must burn about 500 calories a day to lose about one pound per week. This takes the average person 60 minutes of exercise a day! That’s why diet and proper nutrition is so important.

Exercise is vitally important for stress reduction and overall health, both mentally and physically. But if you think you are going to eat bad foods and make up for it by exercising, then chances are you are going to be horribly disappointed. But do not try to starve yourself. This will cause the body to go into “starvation mode” and slow down your metabolism. Try to eat within one hour of waking up in the morning and then eat small meals or snacks every 3 hours throughout the day. This will keep your blood glucose (sugar) level more steady and keep your metabolism moving. Also, make sure you get enough sleep. Research has shown that lack of sleep (under 6 hours) causes an increase in appetite. Lack of sleep also raises levels of cortisone, a stress hormone that causes weight gain.

Here is a tip that can have a HUGE impact on your waistline: Stop eating refined sugar! This includes things like sweetened yogurt, bottled juices, smoothies, and other foods commonly misconstrued as being healthy. If you are serious about losing weight and keeping it off, it is absolutely vital that you cut out as much refined sugar as possible, in all of its forms including barley malt syrup, brown rice syrup, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), molasses, and even some forms of natural cane juice.