Our country is obsessed with weight.  There are reasons to be concerned about weight and there are correlations between weight and health.  Yes, there is a problem with obesity in this country, but there is also a problem with the way media portrays what is ‘healthy’ and more specifically what is considered ‘beautiful’ when it comes to weight and physique.  Unfortunately, I feel that many people have an altered perception of what a healthy weight is.

Healthy Weight or Ideal Weight?

First, I would like to talk about the idea of a healthy weight.  What is a healthy weight?  Is there one healthy weight for everyone?  Or is there even a healthy weight for each certain size and build?  Well the truth is you can be healthy at many different weights, just like you can be unhealthy at many different weights.  For example, a 35 year old woman who is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds would be a ‘healthy weight,’ but if she is not controlling her type I diabetes, that is very unhealthy.  Another example, a 23 year old man who is 6 feet tall and weighs 210 pounds would be considered overweight, but if he eats healthy, regularly exercises, and is an amateur body builder, he is probably pretty healthy.   As mentioned before, weight does have an effect on health, but it is not the only thing and by itself I would say is not very important.   The lifestyle factors that typically lead to weight gain have a much bigger effect on health than the weight itself.

I much prefer the term ‘ideal weight’ to ‘healthy weight.’  While there is not one specific weight that is right for everyone, there are ranges of weight that are ‘ideal’ for each height and body build.  This range of weight allows for the variation that is normal between each individual.  You may ask why the distinction even matters between a ‘healthy weight’ and an ‘ideal weight.’  I believe the idea of ‘healthy weight’ causes people to put too much emphasis on weight and often do some very unhealthy things to get to and maintain a ‘healthy weight,’ which (surprise) is not healthy.  If I were to define ‘healthy weight’ it would be the weight your body maintains when you are living a healthy lifestyle including proper eating habits, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and moderating your stress level.  The problem is there is no way of calculating what that weight would be for an individual, which is why an ideal weight range works better.

The obesity epidemic in this country is not a problem with weight: it is a problem with lifestyle.  If weight were really the problem, there are several ‘quick and easy’ ways to get rid of weight: you can sweat out several pounds in a short amount of time, just surgically remove the extra weight, or if you want to think outside the box just send everyone to space and then ‘weight’ is gone completely.  Obviously, these things are not going to make a person any healthier and each has several risks also.  My point is that individuals needs to make better lifestyle choices if we are going to have any effect on the obesity problem and become a healthier nation.

How to Calculate an Ideal Weight

An ideal weight is just that an ideal, and the real world is rarely if ever ideal.  However, an ideal weight does give an approximate weight range to work towards.  The way to estimate ideal weight for women is 5 feet would equal 100 pounds and for each additional inch beyond 5 feet add 5 pounds.  Then when you have that number you add and subtract 10 percent to get your ideal weight range. For example a woman 5 feet 8 inches tall would calculate her ideal weight range as follows.

For men it is a little bit different: 5 feet would equal 106 pounds and then for each additional inch beyond 5 feet add 6 pounds. Then again take that number and add and subtract 10 percent to get the ideal weight range.  For example a man 6 feet tall would calculate his ideal weight range as follows.

Conclusion

The idea of a ‘healthy weight’ can be misleading because you can be healthy at a variety of different weights.  Having an ‘ideal weight’ to work towards can be helpful, but having an ideal weight does not mean you are healthy and being outside of the ideal weight range does not automatically mean you are unhealthy.  Weight does play some part in health, but lifestyle plays a much larger part.  If you would like more information about living a healthy lifestyle please read my other blogs or feel free to contact me through the website.

Dieting is big business.  There are hundreds of ‘popular’ diets out there.  However, ‘dieting’ does not often lead to long term results because many see it as a quick fix and go back to poor eating habits.  Another reason ‘dieting’ fails and often leads to the opposite result is that the nature of many diets is to restrict what you eat and this affects the body both physically and mentally.  These restrictive diets often lead to an unhealthy cycle: The Dieting Cycle.

Dieting Begins with a Desire to Lose Weight

Almost all diets start with a desire to lose weight.  In some ways this is a misguided desire because weight alone is not a very good indicator of overall health.  It is possible to be healthy and be considered ‘overweight’ or to be a ‘healthy weight’ and be in poor health.  Plus if weight loss is the only outcome that you are concerned with, there are many unhealthy ways to lose weight, like highly restrictive diets.  It is also possible to lose fat – which I believe most people desire when dieting – without actually losing weight or losing very little weight.  This is because muscle and other tissues weigh more than fat and if you lose fat while gaining muscle you may even see an increase in weight.

Diets with Self-imposed Restrictions

The desire to lose weight leads to self-imposed restrictions on what to eat.  Sometimes these restrictions can be quite extreme with eating very little to no food or only certain types of food.  I am sure you have heard of these types of diets.  What do self-imposed restrictions lead to?  They lead to feelings of deprivation!  The body is designed to eat a variety of different foods and when you no longer allow your body certain types of food you get feelings of deprivation.  A sure fire way to get someone (this includes yourself) to want something is to tell them they cannot have it.  Ultimately you end up with excessive thoughts about your ‘forbidden foods’ because psychologically that is just how we work.

Cravings and Binge Eating – The End of the Diet

When you think about those ‘forbidden foods’ so often, the body begins to have uncontrollable cravings for them.  Cravings cannot be resisted forever, and then comes the binge eating.  Binge eating is not a healthy state to be in.  Basically it involves uncontrolled eating in proportions that usually would not be consumed.  To make things worse the ‘forbidden foods’ are probably things that are high in fat and sugar.  Now at this point the diet is blown and feelings of guilt and failure follow.  A common way of coping with those types of feeling is more binge eating.

The Dieting Cycle Continues

The outcome of the binge eating is almost always more weight gain: the opposite of what we wanted.  The additional weight gain has an impact on how we see ourselves and affects our self-esteem.  This poor self-esteem coupled with the weight gain lands us right back at the beginning with the desire to lose weight.  So the cycle continues and you end up with the yo-yo diet.

What Yo-Yo Dieting Does to the Body

We all know that yo-yo dieting is bad, but what does it do to the body?  Restrictive diets can lead to weight loss; however, it is not the weight you want to lose.  Often the weight lost is more water and muscle than fat.  When the diet is over or is broken, the body basically hoards the energy that you eat preparing for the next period of ‘starvation.’  The body ends up storing more fat and as the cycle continues the body loses more muscle and regains the weight as fat.

How to Break the Dieting Cycle

How do we break the dieting cycle?  First is to change your mindset from ‘dieting’ all together.  To have meaningful long-term changes we need to change our lifestyle.  There are no quick fixes for true health!  We don’t have to completely change the desire to lose weight, but please understand that there are much more important things to change when it comes to health than just weight.  And most importantly is a change from a mindset of restricting what you can eat to realizing all the good and healthy food there is that you can eat.  I would be careful about saying any food is completely off limits because that leads us into the cycle again. What I mean is, if you want to have a bowl of ice cream and decide that you really want some, it is okay to enjoy some ice cream but don’t eat the whole carton in one sitting.  Overall making healthier food choices does not mean that you cannot enjoy desserts but it should be in moderation.

Exercise is important in breaking the dieting cycle and living a healthy lifestyle.  Regular exercise will help the body to use more energy contributing to weight (fat) loss and helps the body to maintain and build muscles.  Regular exercise can even affect the types of things that we want to eat and lead to healthier food choices.

Conclusion

Dieting is still big business but it rarely leads to long-term changes.  Don’t get caught in the dieting cycle, but choose to change your life through healthier living not a temporary diet. If you would like more specific nutritional advice or information about how chiropractic can help you reach your health goals, call Life Symmetry Chiropractic today and let us help you on your way to a healthier life.

It is the time of year when things are “going around” and it seems like everyone gets sick.  The winter months often bring the cold and flu because chilly wet weather stresses the body and the immune system, making us more susceptible to illness.  So what can we do about it?  Here are five things you can do boost your immune system all year round.

1.     Reduce Stress

This is a big one!  Cortisol, the main stress hormone in humans, is a powerful suppressor of the immune system.  And having long-term high levels of stress has many other negative effects besides weakening our immune system.  Reducing stress is pretty easy to say but not always so easy to do.  Here are a few suggestions to help with reducing stress.

• Stop worrying about things you cannot control
• Take a little time to plan and schedule your day
• Talk to someone about your stress
• Use relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, muscle relaxation, meditation, etc.
• Exercise

2.     Get Adequate Sleep

It probably does not come as a surprise that sleep is important.  Sleep is a very important time for the body to make needed repairs and “work out” the stresses of each day.  Without adequate sleep, the whole body (physical and mental) will start to break down.

How much sleep is adequate?  There is no set amount of time that works for everyone, but there are several indicators whether or not you are getting enough sleep.  For starters, if you are tired and sleepy most of the time, that is a pretty good indicator that you may not be getting enough sleep.  A good estimate of how much sleep you need is how long you sleep when you don’t have an alarm or some other means of waking you up.  The body naturally knows how much sleep it needs, so trust your body.  One more thing to consider is that the amount of sleep you need changes through life.  Babies need a lot of sleep because of how much growing they are doing, while older adults tend to need less.  When your immune system is fighting off something, it is wise to get a little more sleep.  Usually you feel tired in this situation because it takes energy to for the immune system to work and a little more sleep helps the body do what it needs to do.

3.     Eat Healthy

While it takes energy for the immune system to work, it also takes vitamins and minerals.  The saying “you are what you eat” is true because what you eat is broken down into simple parts that the body uses.  If you are eating “junk” all the time your health is probably going to be “junky” too.  Eating healthy can be a huge subject of itself, but to keep it simple this means eating more fruits and vegetables for the average American.  Fruits and vegetables are high in many vitamins and minerals that are essential for a healthy immune system.

Water is another vital nutrient that is often overlooked.  Our bodies are composed mostly of water and water is a necessary part of many chemical reactions throughout the body.  How well hydrated we are can also affect how easily white blood cells can move and circulate through the body.  If we are dehydrated, the body will not get rid of toxins and wastes as easily as it might if we are properly hydrated.

4.     Exercise

Regular moderate exercise boosts the immune system.  It is important to note that exercise that is too intense can actually have a negative impact on the immune system.  Moderate exercise boosts the immune system by increasing circulation of blood and lymph, raising the body temperature, and decreasing the stress hormones.  With increased circulation of the blood and lymph, white blood cells move more quickly through the body likely decreasing the time it would take them to respond to an invader.  A raise in body temperature can inhibit the growth of bacteria and also can help the white blood cells function even better.  And finally, a decrease in stress hormones is good for the immune system as was mentioned before.

5.     Chiropractic

This may come as a surprise but chiropractic can also help boost the immune system.  Chiropractic helps the nervous system function at its best, and the nervous system controls EVERYTHING in the body.  That even includes all the tissues and organs that make up the immune system.  In fact the white blood cells can even be directly affected by chemicals that the nerves release.  The basic idea being that when the nervous system is working at its best without interference all the other functions that the nervous system controls will work better also.

Conclusion

The best time to boost your immune system is now before you get sick.  So give these suggestions a try and be on your way to a healthier immune system and an overall healthier you!

In previous blog post we looked at the major parts of the immune system, but how do all these parts work together to keep us healthy? Well, it is pretty amazing how the parts of the immune system work together and also quite complex.  I will only give a broad overview of how the immune response works in this post.

First, to have an immune response, a foreign substance has to get in the body.  The skin and mucous membranes are the first line of defense to keep unwanted things out of the body.  Few things readily pass through the skin itself because it is such a good barrier.  This is especially true of microorganisms.  However a scrape or cut gives things like bacteria and viruses much easier access.  So it is important to keep cuts and scrapes clean.  Now you don’t have to use antibacterial products or anything fancy to clean a cut or scrape.  Just plain old soap and water does a good job of getting rid of most unwanted germs.

The mucous membranes also do a pretty good job of keeping foreign organisms out of the body, but they are more vulnerable because they have to allow for absorption of nutrients and excretion of wastes.  The mucous membranes have some extra help from substances like mucous to trap and wash away unwanted invaders. The mucous also contains elements that will help kill bacteria and viruses.  Other barriers that work in a similar way include tears, saliva and even stomach acid to prevent foreign invaders from entering the body.

Nevertheless, microorganisms have been dealing with these barrier defenses for a very long time and have adapted and found ways to get through them.  These natural barriers are still a considerable part of the immune system and do a good job, but they are only the first defense.  Once a foreign invader does manage to get into the body, the body has many ways to deal with the invader.

When the body has been exposed to an organism and had an immune response to it, the body ‘remembers’ and is much better able to handle future exposures to the same organism.  This is part of the reason you only get things like chicken pox once.  In this post though, I will be focusing on the process the body goes through when it is responding to something that is ‘new’ and is building up immunity to it.

When a foreign invader does get into the body, it goes about trying to multiply and make a new home for itself.  The first part of the immune response to encounter the invader is going to be the Complement System.  These normally inactive proteins become activated by recognizing general characteristics of the invader.  The active proteins can attach to the invader, making it more recognizable to white blood cells and others cause inflammation, which brings white blood cells to the area.  Some of the proteins even come together to form a protein complex that can directly attack by poking holes in the cell membrane of the invader.

Inflammation is a very important part of the immune response.  While inflammation can be uncomfortable and too much inflammation leads to a number of problems, without it the body could not fight off any infections.  Many of the same chemicals that cause inflammation also signal to white blood cells to come to the area and join the fight.  Some of the other chemicals released during inflammation also signal the surrounding cells in the tissue to basically increase their defenses against the invader.

The chemical signal is sent out for white blood cells to come and the first white blood cell to respond in force is the neutrophil.  The neutrophils come to the area and begin attacking the foreign invader by ‘eating’ them and also releasing chemicals to damage them.  The monocytes/macrophages also respond early in the immune response.  The macrophages do a much better job of ‘eating’ the invaders.  The neutrophils and macrophages do their best to fight and contain the infection but often they need more help.

Now if the invader was specifically a virus, the immune response happens the same way but the natural killer cell has a much more active role.  Viruses need to ‘take over’ cells and force them to make more viruses because a virus alone cannot reproduce.  The natural killer cells can recognize cells that have been hijacked by viruses and attacks them so that they will not continue to make more viruses.

The neutrophils, monocytes/macrophages, and natural killer cells continue the fight while acquired immunity is getting activated.  All the white blood cells mentioned up to this point are part of innate immunity and are not specific to any one invader.  While there are billions of white blood cells, there are relatively few T and B cells that will recognize a specific invader.  It takes time to find the correct cells but the immune system has an amazing way of doing this.  The white blood cells not only circulate throughout the body to have a better chance of ‘meeting their match,’ but there are also certain cells that will actually ‘eat’ bits of the invader and go and show it to the T and B cells that are in the lymph nodes and other lymphoid tissues.

When a T or B cell comes into contact with the invader or part thereof it is coded for, it becomes activated and will begin to divide and create ‘clones’ of itself.  Now all the clones will recognize the same thing that activated the original cell, but each type of clone has a different job.

There are two main types of T cells: helper T cells and cytotoxic T cells.  The cytotoxic T cell is the ‘attack cell’ after it is activated.  The cytotoxic T cell directly attacks foreign invaders by attaching to it and releasing chemicals that damage the invader.  The cytotoxic T cell then goes on to find more invaders to attack and kill.  The helper T cell is crucial to a powerful immune response.  When it becomes activated, it releases chemicals that improves the immune response and helps to activate other white blood cells.  In fact, usually a T or B cell has to come in contact with the antigen it is coded for and receive a chemical signal from the T helper cell to become active.  To put the importance of T helper cells in perspective, they are most affected by HIV and when the T helper cell numbers become too low you get all the terrible manifestations of AIDS.

The B cell clone that becomes the ‘attack cell’ is called a plasma cell.  The plasma cell makes millions of antibodies that are sent through the blood to go to the area of the infection and help in the fight.  There are several types of antibodies and they work in slightly different ways. Yet all antibodies basically attach to the surface on the invader and can have a direct effect on the invader or help other white blood cells to recognize and more readily attack the invader.  The plasma cell does not have to leave the lymph node or other lymphoid tissue to do its job because the antibodies do the actual attacking.  In fact one of the reasons lymph nodes swell while fighting an infection is because the increased number of B cells that become activated and multiply.

One more key clone of both T and B cells is the memory cell.  The memory cells are the way the immune system basically ‘remembers’ and gains immunity.  The memory cells stick around much longer than any of the other clones and if it comes into contact with the same invader it quickly responds to it.  This quick and effective response usually happens without us experiencing any symptoms.  We are said to be immune to that invader.

Now with acquired immunity active and the T cells and B cells in the fight, the immune system has the tools necessary to take on almost any invader.  However, if the immune system is not functioning at its best, you are more likely to get sick and take longer to fight off an infection.  So watch for the next post about 5 things we can do to have a healthier immune system.

The immune system is a wonderful thing and works hard to keep us healthy, but how much do you know about your immune system and how it works?  This post will briefly outline some of the major parts of the immune system.  I will be doing future posts about how the immune system works and how to keep it healthy, so watch for them.

What is the immune system?

First off, what is the immune system?  Well a general definition I would use is a bodily system that protects the body from foreign substances and our own cells/tissues that are not working properly.  So basically the immune system works to keep our body healthy by not only attacking foreign invaders like bacteria, viruses, toxins, and fungi, but also our own cells that are no longer functioning properly.  And the immune system does this through something called the immune response.

In general the immune system is talked about in two major parts: innate immunity and acquired immunity.  Innate immunity is the more basic part of the immune system.  It is very fast-acting and recognizes very general characteristics of foreign substances. It also includes preventive measures such as barriers to keep bad stuff from getting into the body in the first place.  Acquired immunity on the other hand is very precise and will recognize very specific parts of foreign substances.  Acquired immunity takes more time to become fully activated than innate immunity, but it has a “memory” and can more quickly attack the same foreign invader in the future.

 Parts of the immune system

Tissues & Organs

The immune system has many different parts that work together.  The first part I like to talk about is often overlooked: the skin and mucous membranes.  These make a good barrier to prevent foreign substances from entering the body.  The mucous membranes are what line the respiratory and digestive tracts and act as a good barrier even while allowing the vital exchange of nutrients.

A very important part of the immune system is the bone marrow because this is where all the white blood cells originate in an adult.  Without the white blood cells there would not be much of an immune response.  This is why diseases like leukemia that affect the bone marrow can be so devastating.

Another important part of the immune system is the thymus.  The thymus is located behind the top part of the breastbone and is a place where some white blood cells mature and learn to recognize and respond to foreign antigens rather than our own body or cells.  The thymus is most active during childhood and tends to become less active as we get older, but is still an important part of the immune system none the less.

The lymph nodes, spleen, tonsils, and other lymphoid tissues are also key to the immune system and are basically places where white blood cells group together to watch for foreign substances.  The lymph nodes also filter the lymph fluid as it makes its way back to the blood stream and the spleen filters the blood itself to help keep it free of foreign substances.  Another significant function of the spleen is to break down old red blood cells that can no longer function properly so they will not cause problems throughout the body.  The white blood cells in the tonsils help to track any foreign substances coming in through the mouth and nose.  And finally, the other lymphoid tissues are found along the digestive tract and respond to foreign substances in the gut.  So what is going on in the gut can actually have a significant impact on the immune system.

White Blood Cells

The white blood cells are vital to the immune response.  Some white blood cells are considered part of innate immunity while others are part of acquired immunity.  The white blood cells that are part of innate immunity include neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, monocytes/macrophages, and natural killer cells, which all recognize general characteristics of foreign substances.  Acquired immunity consists of the T-cells and B-cells, each which can be further divided into specific types according to what they do.  The cells of acquired immunity recognize very specific parts of foreign substances and respond only to the specific antigen they are “coded” for.

The neutrophils are the most numerous circulating white blood cell and are very active during bacterial infections.  They tend to be the first white blood cell to respond to an infection.  The eosinophils and basophils tend to not play as big of a role in most typical infections, though the eosinophils respond to parasitic infections and the basophils play a part in allergies.

The monocytes/macrophages are the “big eaters” of the white blood cells.  They are known as monocytes while they circulate in the blood and become macrophages when the leave the blood stream and enter into the tissues.  Their main job is to “eat” foreign substances and digest them.  They also help to clean up fragments of damaged tissues and cells.

The natural killer cells have a very important function in fighting viral infections.  Viruses “take over” cells and force them to make more viruses and other substances for the virus.  Natural killer cells recognize the cells that have been “taken over” and attack and kill them.  Natural killer cells also have an essential role in killing tumor cells.

The T-cells are crucial in the immune response.  There are two main types of T-cells: helper T-cells and cytotoxic T-cells.  The cytotoxic T-cells are the ones that become active and attack foreign substances.  The helper T-cells are very important and help basically “ramp up” the immune response to work properly.  To give you an idea of how important helper T-cells are to the immune system, they are the ones affected by HIV and when the number of them becomes too low you begin to get all the terrible effects of AIDS.

The B-cells are the white blood cells that produce antibodies.  The antibodies go into the blood and attach to foreign substances and sometimes inactivate them directly, but often the antibodies stick to foreign substances and make them easier to be recognized and attacked by other white blood cells.

Complement System

There is one more part of the immune system that I want to talk about and that is the complement system.  Complement is actually a set of proteins that circulate in the blood and are normally inactive.  However, when they come in contact with some foreign substances or antibodies attached to a foreign invader the proteins are changed and become active and result in a cascade of events activating even more proteins in the system.  These activated proteins result in several actions.  Some of the proteins act as signals for inflammation and also bring more white blood cells to the area.  Some of the proteins will attach to the surface of the foreign substance and make it more readily recognized by some other white blood cells.  And then some of the proteins will even come together and form a protein that can basically poke holes in the cell membrane of some foreign invaders.

Now the complement system is interesting in that it plays a part in both innate immunity and acquired immunity.  It can be activated directly by recognizing general characteristics of foreign invaders, but also can be activated by antibodies, which are part of acquired immunity.

Conclusion

The immune system is an amazing and complex system that does a wonderful job of keeping us healthy.  One post is not enough to cover much about the immune system and this post only briefly explained some of the major parts of the immune system. Coming up after Christmas, we’ll look at how all the parts of the immune system work together to keep you healthy.  After that, you’ll want to catch our blog on how to keep the immune system healthy.

Stressed and anxious?  If you want some tips on how to cut down and deal with stress check out the blog Stress!!! What do we do about it?  This post will touch on a few natural supplements to help with anxiety.  While natural means to health are much better than the many synthetic drugs out there, it does not mean that there are no risks.  With any supplement know the risks or warnings associated with it and use it only as directed.

There are many natural plants that have been used for centuries to treat many different ailments.  This post will discuss just a few herbals and supplements that are used to help with feelings of anxiety.

1.    Passionflower
Passionflower has a long history of use for anxiety in folklore and has been used around the world for many years.  Besides anxiety, passionflower has been used for a variety of problems such as insomnia, seizures, asthma, high blood pressure, and even pain relief.  Passionflower extract is even used as flavoring in some foods and beverages.

While many studies with passionflower have been done using mice, relatively few have been done with humans. The few studies that have been done have shown positive results.

There can be possible interactions with medications and other supplements, so be aware and if you have any questions ask a healthcare professional.

2.    Kava
Kava is made from the plant Piper methysticum.  It is grown in the South Pacific and has been used as a drink by Pacific Islanders for thousands of years.  It has been used to relieve anxiety, restlessness and insomnia for centuries.  Kava is also used to help with depression, migraines and other headaches, common cold, and even cancer prevention.
One of the things that make kava appealing is that it has fewer side effects than many of the medications used to treat the same type of symptoms.

There is some concern about the potential for liver damage with the use of kava and it has actually been taken off the market in a few countries around the world.  However, in a review that looked at several studies with a total of 435 participants taking kava there were no liver problems reported.  Also while kava has been used for thousands of years the first documented report of kava being linked to liver toxicity was in 1998.  There is the potential for very serious side effects from the use of kava, but they appear to be rare.

Kava can also have serious interactions with many different medications and if you have any questions about using kava make sure to talk to a healthcare professional.

3.    St. John’s Wort
St. John’s Wort is made from the flowers and leaves of a shrub Hypericum perforatum.  It has been used for centuries in traditional medicine to treat a wide variety of disorders.  One of the major uses of St. John’s Wort is for mild to moderate depression.  It has also been used to help with anxiety, tiredness, symptoms of menopause, obsessive compulsive disorder, different types of pain, and irritable bowel syndrome among other things.

One potential concern with St. John’s Wort is that, in large doses, it can increase sensitivity to light.   Also there is the potential for serious drug interactions.  Again as with all supplements be aware of its effects and if you have any questions consult a healthcare professional.

One more thing to mention about taking supplements is to make sure they are of a good quality.  Do a little research to find trusted brands for supplements.  There are several independent organizations that supplement companies can use to show the quality of their product, and each organization usually has a seal of quality to show that their standards have been met.  The following organizations all deal with supplements is some way, though each has their own set of standards:

• Consumer Lab
• NSF International
• US Pharmacopeia

Products with seals from any of these organizations have been tested or reviewed in one way or another to help assure better quality products.

References:
Lakhan and Vieira: Nutritional and herbal supplements for anxiety and anxiety-related disorders: systematic review. Nutrition Journal 2010 9:42. Accessed online at http://www.nutritionj.com/content/9/1/42on December 11, 2012.

Medline Plus: Passionflower, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/871.html accessed December 11, 2012.

Medline Plus: Kava, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/872.html accessed December 11, 2012.

Medline Plus: St. John’s Wort, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/329.html accessed December 11, 2012.

There are many articles that talk about how to read food labels.  The most extensive probably being at the FDA’s website.  But I personally think that is a bit long to go through, and I have my own views on what is most important and what things to watch for.  Hope you find this useful.

The first place to start is at the top of the label because this gives you the serving size and servings per container.  Now this is fairly important information because it is what everything else on the label is based on.  Sometimes the serving size is very easy to understand like 1 slice of bread, or 3 cookies; however, other times it is not quite so easy to know how much ½ cup of cereal really is.  So if you really want to see how much a “serving” is, measure it out for yourself.  You may be surprised just what the label considers a serving.  One more important thing to watch for is occasionally something that looks like it would be sold as single serving is not actually considered the serving size on the label.  An example that I have seen before is a bottle of soda that would most likely be drunk all at once as a single serving but according to the label would contain more than one serving.  So be aware what the label is really referring to and take that into consideration when looking at the rest of the label.

Next down the label, you have the total Calories per serving and the amount of Calories from fat per serving.  A little explanation of what calories are.  A calorie is actually a unit of measure for energy, and is defined as the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius.  And the ‘calories’ on a food label actually refers to 1,000 calories or a kilocalorie and should actually be written with a capital ‘C’ to distinguish it from a single calorie, but doesn’t always happen.  But basically a Calorie on the food label refers to how much energy the food can provide.  And people ‘count’ calories because if you take in more energy than your body needs, it most commonly stores the unused energy as fat.

Back to the food label we have total Calories per serving and the amount of Calories from fat per serving.  This really gives you an idea of how many Calories you are eating, but again you need to know how many servings you are actually eating.  The amount of Calories coming from fat can give you a rough estimate of how much fat is in each serving, but you also have this information below on the label.  If you do use the Calories to estimate the amount of fat, something to remember is that each gram of fat has 9 Calories, while each gram of carbohydrate and protein only has 4 Calories.  So even though something can have many more grams of carbohydrate and protein than fat the proportion of Calories coming from fat can still be quite high.

In the next part of the label, you have the amount of different nutrients in grams per serving.  You also have a percentage next to them for the percent of the daily value, which we will talk about a little later.  The first nutrients listed are fat, cholesterol and sodium; which are recommended to be limited.  This is because the average American is eating enough or too much of each.  Now just to be clear fat, cholesterol, and sodium are not bad.  You would die without them, but eating too much of them can be bad.  There is nothing wrong with eating foods that have fat in them, but overall for an adult you want to have about 20-35% of your total Calories coming from fat.  You do want to limit trans-fat as much as possible and not get too much saturated fat.

I will make a quick note about cholesterol.  Cholesterol intake can be quite controversial and I personally think the recommendation to limit intake below 300mg to not be as important as other recommendations.  This is because for the majority of people, the body will adjust the amount of cholesterol we make according to our dietary intake.  Cholesterol only comes from animal products not plants.  So if a label of something like cooking oil is touting that it is “cholesterol free,” it is naturally that way not because of something amazing the manufacturer did.

Then there are more nutrients listed including dietary fiber, sugars, and then vitamins and minerals.  Dietary fiber and vitamins and minerals are the nutrients in general that are recommended to get enough of because the typical American diet doesn’t do so great here.  In reference to fiber, a rule of thumb is whole grains and less processed food will typically have more fiber in them.  It is recommended that adults get 25g/day for women and 38g/day for men.  This is not as difficult as it sounds if you eat enough fresh fruits and vegetables that are also high in fiber.

The vitamins and minerals may have actual amounts listed per serving or may just have a percent of the daily value.  Now we will talk a little more about the percent daily value.  Each label is required to have a footnote telling about the percent daily value and that the percentages refer to a 2,000 Calorie diet.   This can be kind of confusing because some of the values will change with the amount of Calories that you are supposed to take in while others do not change no matter how many Calories you are supposed to be taking in.  For example, the main macronutrients (fat, carbohydrate, and protein) percentages are based on how many Calories you are taking in while other values like cholesterol, sodium, vitamins, and minerals are recommended to be above or below a certain level no matter how many Calories you eat.  And a 2,000 Calorie diet is not best for everyone, so I would not use these values to figure exactly what percentages you are supposed to be taking in for fat, protein and carbohydrate.

On the other hand they can be useful as a rough comparison between different products because on all labels the percent daily values are for a 2,000 Calorie diet.  So when comparing between products a higher percentage value means there is more of that nutrient per serving, but again make sure you are comparing comparable serving sizes to make sure you are making a good comparison.

The food label also contains a list of the ingredients.  This may be located above the nutrition facts or below.  The list of ingredients is listed in order of weight of each ingredient.  Therefore, the ingredient that is most predominant by weight is first in the list and then the next predominant by weight is listed second and so on.  It is good to be aware of what the ingredients are most prevalent to know what you are really eating.  If you think you are eating apples but ‘apples’ is not the first ingredient you would probably be better off eating something else.

I hope you have found this little guide on reading food labels helpful!

Have you ever thought about going to a chiropractor?  Not sure if you should or not?  Well here are five reasons you should give chiropractic a try.

Number 1  Chiropractic offers a way to treat pain and other health problems without drugs or surgery.  Some of the typical reasons patients come into the office are for back pain, neck pain, headaches, etc.  The typical approach of most doctors is to give a pain killer or some other drug and see if the problem goes away.  And sometimes they feel the need to cut you open and take something out or put something in to “fix” the problem, but are there other options to surgery?.

Unfortunately both drugs and surgery have many negative side effects.  Have you ever considered the side effects of some of the common over-the-counter pain relievers?  Acetaminophen is toxic to the liver and taking too much can cause liver damage or failure.  Ibuprofen use is associated with increased risk of heart attack or stroke.  And aspirin can cause or make worse bleeding problems such as ulcers.  Plus each of these drugs has a considerable list of side effects.  And surgery has permanent consequences, and what other problems will it lead to down the road?

Well chiropractic offers a completely different approach by using safe and natural adjustments to help without the long list of side effects like drugs.  Chiropractic is often defined by the fact that it is done without drugs or surgery.  So if you are tired of all the side effects from the myriad of drugs you have been given and don’t want to go under the knife; see what chiropractic can do for you.

Number 2 Chiropractic is a great deal – the cost of treatment is low and the benefits are considerable.  Now the cost of medical care obviously depends upon where you go, as costs can vary widely between providers.  Also many people do not realize the actual cost of care for common problems today due to health insurance paying without the patient ever seeing the actual charges.  But when you add the cost of seeing the doctor, any medications, surgery, and then rehabilitation after surgery the actual cost can be quite staggering.  I think it is safe to say that medical care is expensive.

Now chiropractic has been compared to standard medical treatments for cost-effectiveness.  It is funny that the results can be different depending who is doing the study and what year.  But I feel confident saying that chiropractic has been shown to be cost-effective compared to typical medical treatment for several conditions.  Putting that aside though, the benefits of chiropractic far outweigh the cost.  I have seen lives changed through chiropractic care!  I know people that have been able to forgo costly and painful surgeries and no longer need pain drugs on an almost constant basis.  All this through the completely natural means of chiropractic.

Number 3  Chiropractic looks to treat the problem not just the symptoms.  When you go to the doctor with back pain, neck pain, or headache what is the typical treatment?  Well probably some pain or other medication.  But how do those things address the cause of the problem, unless you think you have a deficiency of pain medications?  If a deficiency is not the problem, then how can pain drugs be the solution?  Unfortunately they are not and really only mask the symptom of pain without getting to cause of the pain.  In most cases when you are trying to override or control the body functions from outside in, you are missing the cause of the problem.  What is causing the body to dysfunction in the first place?

Chiropractic looks at the whole person not just the different parts because one part of the body affects the others.  What is really causing you neck pain and headaches?  Is it improper posture putting stress on muscles leading to tension headaches?  Why do you have all those tight muscles in the low back?  Is it the body trying to stabilize unstable joints?  Whatever the problem, finding the true cause is what chiropractic is all about.

Number 4 Chiropractic has the potential to improve your quality of life and allow you to do more of what you want to do.  How much does pain or limited motion affect your quality of life?  While the main focus of chiropractic is not to treat these symptoms, chiropractic definitely can improve problems that result in pain and limited motion.  What is keeping you from doing the things that you want to do?  A chiropractic lifestyle is very much about wellness and living in a healthy way to be able to achieve the things you want to do.  How much more could you achieve by being healthier and not sick as often?

Number 5  By keeping your nervous system functioning at full capacity chiropractic care enables your body to better heal itself so you can stay healthier.  This is where the beauty of chiropractic lies.  That it helps the body do what it is supposed to do and heal itself!  Chiropractic doesn’t do the healing, YOU do the healing!  To explain a little of how this works we need to realize that the nervous system controls everything in the body.  And when the nervous system is not functioning at its best it can effect every other function in the body and lead to many different problems.  And this very well be the root cause of many problems we experience.

So how does chiropractic affect the nervous system?  When the bones of the spine are not moving properly or a misaligned, it can cause irritation to the nerves that pass between these bones.  This leads to interference with the information the brain sends to the body and the information the body returns to the brain.  Kind of like having static when you talk on the phone, not all the information gets through.  And in the body this can lead to pain and a number of other problems–including the body not being able to handle stresses as effectively as it could otherwise.  Also it can affect the body’s ability to heal itself.  Chiropractors look for these areas of improper movement or alignment and use an adjustment or quick thrust to help restore proper movement and alignment to the bones of the spine.  This helps eliminate the interference with the information sent through the nerves and allows the nervous system to better coordinate all the functions in the body – unlocking the body’s natural ability to heal.

If you have thought about trying chiropractic, I hope this has given you some good reasons to consider it.  I would like to invite you to come and give it a try and see for yourself what chiropractic can do for you.

Can posture affect health?  It most certainly can.  As chiropractor, I see the effects of altered posture almost every day.  In this post I will discuss what a “normal” posture should look like, what happens to the body when you change that posture, how this can in turn affect your health, and just a few things to improve posture.

First off, what is a “normal” posture?  Now I use “normal” because every person is different and there is not necessarily one “normal” posture.  However, the body was designed to stand upright and distribute the forces of gravity through the bony structures being stabilized by the muscles.  The force of gravity is most efficiently distributed through the body when–from a side view–the earlobe, tip of the shoulder, just behind the hip joint, about the middle of the knee joint, and just in front of the lateral malleolus (bump on the outside of the ankle) all line up.  Of course, part of the posture is having the correct spinal curves also.  This position puts the least amount of stress on each joint while standing and requires minimal muscle activity to maintain.  Sounds pretty good and it is, but unfortunately for one reason or another many of us don’t have this kind of posture.

So what happens when we do not maintain this ideal posture?  Well, specifically what happens depends on how the posture is altered, but in general we put more stress on the joints of the body and some muscles have to work harder while others become weak.  You can think about it this way; the bones, especially of the spine, are meant to be in a certain position to take most of the force of gravity and when you alter that position you now have to use some muscles to help “hold” yourself up.  The muscles opposite those “holding” you up get used even less.  This over time leads to muscle imbalances which in turn leads to a whole list of health problems.  These include the typical problems such as back pain, neck pain, tension headaches, but can even lead to arthritis.

The health problems don’t end there either.  Over a long period of time the altered stresses on the body can also lead to degenerative changes in the joints throughout the body. Some examples of degenerative changes would be getting bony spurs around a joint or wearing out the cartilage in a joint until bone is rubbing on bone.  Doesn’t sound too good does it?  Also altered posture can effect other bodily functions.  To illustrate this point you are going to have to play along.  Okay I need you to stick your head forward (don’t worry I won’t laugh)…. a little farther …. good!  Now take as deep of a breath as you can.  Didn’t feel very good did it?  Put the head back over the shoulders where it belongs and take another deep breath.  Feels much better, doesn’t it?  Posture can affect breathing and inadequate breathing can have a negative effect on many other body functions.

Poor posture and the resulting muscle imbalances can have a big effect on the spine leading to improper positions or movement.  When the bones of the spine are misaligned or not moving properly it effects the many nerves that travel between the bones of the spine.  This causes irritation to the nerves which distorts the information that is sent through the nerves.  This is what we call a subluxation in chiropractic.  This is a big deal because everything in the body is controlled by the nervous system and without clear signals being sent from the brain to the body and from the body to the brain, the body does not function properly.  This can lead to pain and discomfort but more importantly dysfunction in the organs even without any outward symptoms at first.

Now there are several things that can be done to improve posture.  Most important is just to be more aware of how you sit and stand.  The easiest way to improve posture is, when standing, imagine that a string is attached to the top of your head and is being pulled up and elongating your spine.  If you try to stand that way, it helps to get into that ideal posture.  But for problems with pronounced muscle imbalances, exercises and stretching are needed to help balance the muscles again so they can work properly.  And though poor posture can lead to subluxation, when the bones of the spine are not moving properly it can in turn affect posture.  As a chiropractor I look for these areas of subluxation and use adjustments to help the body correct them allowing for better movement.  I also use exercises, stretching and other techniques to help balance muscles to correct posture and prevent further problems.

Posture may seem like a little thing but poor posture in the long term can have a big impact on health.  One of the biggest being leading to subluxation.  The body is an amazing creation and will perform the many many functions that it does perfectly when there is not interference in the lines of communication.  The body can heal itself from the inside out when it does not have nerve interference and that is the beauty of chiropractic–a natural, drug free, surgery free approach to health.