Body

What You Should NOT Do if You Suffer From Numbness and Tingling

by

Have you ever felt the sensation of pins and needles in your arms or hands, legs or feet?

It is similar to when you’ve slept on your arm wrong and you wake up to find it ‘asleep’ and it feels like you have to shake it to wake it up.

A Warning Sign

Numbness and Tingling can feel similar to this, but it is actually a warning sign telling you there is a serious problem inside your body. In technical terms, this peripheral neuropathy is letting you know that the messages that your brain sends throughout your baby are not able to reach your extremities (or wherever the numbness and tingling is located).

Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by numerous serious reasons, and none of them should be ignored.

For example, it can be caused by repetitive motions or aggravation from an old injury. It can also be caused by serious conditions that can be linked to stroke, seizures, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, infection, diabetes or hardening of the arteries.

Most commonly, it is caused by pressure on your central nervous system by spinal bones that have shifted out of alignment, a herniated disc, spinal degeneration or inflammation that irritates the spinal cord.

“My hands feel fuzzy or numb and at times I have trouble holding a coffee cup.  I’ve tried to get help but I can’t seem to get any answers. I’m tired of doctors telling me that I have to live with it.”

Numbness and Tingling is a Dangerous Symptom to Ignore

You can think of your central nervous system as the main information highway in your body. All of the information that your brain must send to every single cell of your body travels this route. And all of the feedback from your cells is returned to your brain by this same highway system.

Your Communication Highway

The bodies communication highway called the central nervous system, is protected by the bones of your spine. If any of the bones of your spine shift out of alignment, it puts pressure on your central nervous system and the messages that need to be sent to all parts of your body struggle to arrive. This can cause a whole array of symptoms and dis-ease in your body, and quite often can produce the symptoms of numbness and tingling.

If you suffer from Numbness and Tingling, there are two things you should definitely NOT do…

1. Do Nothing

If you are experiencing numbness and/or tingling, you should definitely not do nothing. Your body is telling you that there is something wrong inside, and you should heed this warning.

Your body is an intelligent, self-regulating, healing organism that is adaptable and very efficient. When you ignore the body’s symptoms and just hope that they might go away, you are doing an incredible disservice to yourself.

When your body produces noticeable symptoms, it is your job to find out what is causing the symptoms so that you can allow yourself to return to optimal health and healing.

You could be doing an immense amount of damage to both your central nervous system and potentially your entire body, if you ignore your symptoms and do nothing.

2. Take Medication Without a Game Plan

As we discussed, symptoms are your body’s way of creating a warning sign for you to notice and find a way to help it heal. If you take drugs, you are masking the symptoms that your body wants you to notice and you allow damage to build up over time.

By masking your symptoms with drugs, you are not only allowing the problems to stay and compound over time, but you are introducing unnatural substances into your body that can cause a great deal of side effects and additional harm to your body.

Every single time you take a drug, your body must not only heal from the problem you are trying to treat, but it must also heal from the damage that drugs inflict on your system. There are serious side effects associated with every single drug you could ever take, as no drug is ever 100% safe and will affect each person very differently.

It is essential to discover the root cause of your numbness and tingling symptoms, and allow your body to heal naturally. Don’t ignore your symptoms and do nothing or take drugs to mask them!

Boost Health and Drop Weight in 2018 with Chia

by
lose weight and improve health with chia
Hey everyone!

Dr. Chanderbhan, N.D. here. Happy 2018 and with that said I’d like to share with you one tip that’s going to help you achieve any New Year’s resolutions that might include improving your overall health in addition to possibly losing some weight. So that tip is basically including about 3 tablespoons of chia seeds into your diet everyday. The average American consumes about 22 grams of fiber per day and studies have shown that if you want to be losing weight and preventing certain risk factors for developing different types of cancers then you need to be consuming about 40 grams of fiber.  So with just three tablespoons [of chia seeds] I’m able to get 11 grams of fiber into my diet right off the bat.  In addition to that I’m getting 5 grams of protein, 20% of my calcium intake, and about 15% of my intake for iron everyday.

 

The great thing about chia seeds is that there is no flavor so what I do is I actually just include the three tablespoons into my water bottle. I add a little bit of vitamin C in there because Vitamin C is great for hair, skin and nails.  It also helps to balance your hormones. And so I include this and I drink it over the course of about 1 or 2 hours and the wonderful thing is that chia seeds, like I mentioned before, they have no flavor and because one chia seed absorbs about 10 times its own weight in water it helps me to feel fuller for longer so that I’m not binge eating or that I’m not over consuming food.

So I hope you’re able to incorporate this super easy tip into your diet.  If you are, by all means share your story with everyone else.  Enjoy the rest of your 2018 and good luck with the rest of your resolutions!

Your Blood Can Be a Window into the State of Your Health

by
live blood cell

Live Cell Microscopy (LCM) provides an extremely close look at your blood.  Unlike traditional blood tests, an LCM test gives you a more current picture of your overall health and well-being.

Traditional blood tests that medical doctors employ are essentially an ‘autopsy’ of our blood because of the time lag to actually perform the test from the time it was drawn. This is very different than with a Live Cell Microscopy test, where the blood is still living.  

With living blood, we can see more than what a traditional blood test will reveal.  What’s more, the results are immediate so you do not have to wait a week or two to get your results.

Are traditional blood tests still useful?

Each type of blood test offers its own set of advantages. From a medical standpoint, a traditional blood test is essential.  From a holistic standpoint, we are trying to acquire a snapshot of your overall health, a live blood cell test is ideal because it helps you see things differently.  As such, an LCM blood test is not a medical procedure, nor does it offer any sort of diagnosis or prescription.

How is the test performed?

A drop of blood is painlessly extracted from your fingertip and then it is placed on a slide so that it can be viewed under a specialized microscope.  At this stage, since the blood is freshly extracted, it is still very much alive.  The microscope is attached to a screen so you will be able to see your live blood while it is being assessed for any indications of concern. 

What can a Live Blood Cell test reveal?

An LBC blood test gives a clear picture of your general health, including:

• Nutritional deficiencies, including iron, B12, folic acid and essential fatty acids
• Digestive issues like leaky gut syndrome and liver stress
• Oxidative damage due to stress, smoking, alcohol or other poor lifestyle habits
• Immune system balance
• Inflammation
• Digestive health including digestion of fats
• Parasitic infections
• Allergic tendencies
• And much more…

At the end of your test, you will receive a report that contains recommendations to follow in order to improve your health (for instance, nutritional changes or suggested treatment modalities and/or supplements).

Tips for a great session:

1. It’s best not to eat any food 3 hours prior to your appointment.
2. It’s recommended that you drink lots of water for several days leading up to your appointment.

Live Cell Microscopy can be an essential part of measuring your healing progress

Live blood tests are offered as a series so that you are able to use them to measure your progress during you treatment program. Your first test will provide all the necessary baseline measures needed at the start of a treatment program. Thereafter, each subsequent test is used to measure your progress, these tests are powerful motivators. Most clients continue making positive changes in their lifestyle because they are able to see instant results that are real and meaningful.

_______________________________

Blog by Guest Author:

Cassie LandolfiCassie Landolfi
B.A. Homeopath, DHMHS, Live Blood Cell Microscopist, Nutritionist & Certified Bellicon Instructor

Request your own Live Cell Microscopy Blood Test

If you would like to have your own blood analyzed, you can get in touch during business hours by phone on 905-715-6433 or book online anytime. www.ahealthysolutionforyou.com

All tests are performed by myself, Cassie Landolfi, technician certified for Capillary Punctures, Live Blood Cell Microscopy certified in Phase Contrast, Dark Field and Dry Blood Cell Analysis. Call today to learn more about Cassie’s availability.

Cassie Landolfi, is a life-long resident of Bradford, West-Gwillimbury, who is offering a natural approach to helping the community with your health issues and to help you be proactive with your health.” I am here to listen to your conditions and whether it’s to help you lose weight or regain your energy, I will advise you on a treatment plan individualized just for you.” Cassie graduated from The Ontario College of Homeopathic Medicine in downtown Toronto and she is a Certified Live Blood Cell microscopist. She has been a popular educator in spreading wellness with homeopathy and Nutrition over the last several years. Offering everything from rebounding group classes, live blood-cell analysis, nutritional body scans, homeopathy, aromatherapy, and all Canadian Eco-friendly beauty and household products for purchase at very reasonable prices.

Cassie is a certified Bellicon/rebounding trainer, who is also affiliated with Bellicon. It’s truly a one of a kind fitness studio where I offer this low-impact, high intensity bouncing classes for ALL ages. This boutique style studio is the only one in the GTA that offers certified Bellicon classes.

This new Health & Wellness Centre is located upstairs at 29 Holland St W. in downtown Bradford. The address is misleading; access to the 2nd floor Wellness Centre is from the rear of the building only where you will find plenty of parking.

Find Cassie Landolfi at: www.ahealthysolutionforyou.com

https://www.facebook.com/AHealthySolutionForYou/

905-715-6443

Email: [email protected]

The Brain in Your Gut

by

You live your life through your nervous system. Every sound, sight and touch is filtered through your brain so you can make sense of the world. Your perceptions – filtered through your nervous system – are your reality. We hear a lot of talk about your central nervous system – your brain and your spinal cord. But think about the last time you felt sick to your stomach because you were nervous, scared or anxious. This is evidence of a whole other division of your nervous system at work, called your enteric nervous system, which is intrinsic to your gastrointestinal tract. Research is now bringing to light the critical role this system plays in pretty much every aspect of our health and well-being.

Just as we have nerve cells in our brain and spinal cord, we have nerve cells in our intestinal lining as well. In fact, the central nervous system and the enteric nervous system were created from the same tissue during fetal development and they remain connected through the vagus nerve. There are actually over 100 million neurons that line the intestinal walls, which have led scientists to label the totality of them as “the second brain”. Not only is this second brain regulating muscles, immune cells, and hormones, but it is manufacturing 80-90% of the serotonin in our bodies, which is our “master happiness molecule”.

The connection between your gut and your brain is bidirectional. Just as your brain is telling your gut how quickly to digest the food or when to secrete acid in the stomach, the neurons in your gut are also communicating to your brain about the environment they are encountering. When your body is faced with a substance or an ingredient it doesn’t like, it will experience an immune response. Chronic immune activation and resulting inflammation from these stresses can lead to chronic disease, including brain diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and multiple sclerosis.

We cannot talk about the brain in your gut without mentioning the role of the complex internal ecosystem that exists inside of us, called the microbiome. It turns out that your microbiome is just as vital to your health as your heart, lungs, liver and brain. It is responsible for multiple tasks, such as aiding in digestion and absorption of nutrients, acting as a detoxification machine, and producing important enzymes, vitamins and neurotransmitters. Perhaps the largest role the microbiome plays is in your immune response. Your gut represents 70-80% of the body’s total immune system. This supports what we have known for a long time: your food choices have a tremendous impact on the state of your microbiome and, therefore, the state of your health.

So what can you do to improve the health of your gut?

1) Choose foods rich in probiotics, such as yogurt, kefir, kombucha tea, tempeh, sauerkraut or pickles

2) Avoid sugar, embrace high-quality fat

3) Enjoy wine, tea, coffee, and chocolate

4) Choose foods rich in prebiotics, such as raw garlic, raw leek, raw or cooked onion, raw asparagus

When looking at our health, it is important take a holistic approach. We know our body parts don’t work in isolation. All parts of our nervous system work together to determine how well we function. Taking care of yourself through proper nutrition, regular exercise, stress management, and regular chiropractic care is fundamental to living a healthy life.

_______________________________

Blog by Guest Author:

Dr. Lesley EvansDr. Lesley Evans is a chiropractor in Kitchener, Ontario. She is the co-owner of Bruce Street Family Chiropractic, alongside Dr. Adam Brookes. She graduated from Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, located in Toronto, Ontario. Dr. Lesley is passionate about helping others live the best quality of life that they can through chiropractic care and lifestyle choices.

Website: www.brucestreetfamilychiropractic.com

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brucestreetfamilychiropractic 

phone: 519 743 6339 

References:

1) Perlmutter, David (2015). Brain Maker. Little, Brown and Company.

2) Round, June & Mazmanian, Sarkis (2009). The gut microbiome shapes intestinal immune responses during health and disease. Nat Rev Immunology (May 9 (5): 313-323.

10 Desk Exercises You Should Be Doing Every Day

by
9 Desk Exercises You Should Be Doing Every Day

A sedentary lifestyle has recently been coined the new smoking.

Can you imagine! The negative effects of sitting for a living are now rivalling the known health dangers of regularly inhaling deadly poisons! Wow. Let’s do something about it!

Yes, many of us have jobs that require us to sit long hours at a computer, driving, sitting in meetings, sitting at our desk, or sitting on the subway or train.

Let’s take a few minutes every hour or two, to move, stretch, and get our blood flowing. It will not only help your body feel better, but your mind will also reap the benefits of added oxygen flow and feel the joy of movement and stretching!

It is important to be mindful of your posture while at your desk or sitting in various positions. Try to sit up as straight as possible, and don’t lean in toward your computer.

If you are straining to see your monitor, make the font larger or reposition it, as the very last thing to want to be doing is tilting your neck forward to see your screen.

Over time, this can cause your neck to begin to curve forward and create a ‘forward head posture’. This is incredibly problematic for your body because your brain must be able to send all of the information your body needs to be able to function through your central nervous system. If your bones in your neck have shifted forward out of alignment from straining to see your screen, it puts an immense amount of pressure on your nervous system (which is encased by your spinal bones) and makes it very difficult for the information to get to all of the places it must reach to have your body function and heal at 100%.

Focus on stretching your neck and back muscles, arms, shoulders and legs when you take a few moments regularly to move that body! Get your coworkers involved, as they are in the same position as you – hunched over your screen for hours on end!

Businesswoman stretching herself or exercise while working at office - office syndrome concept
Stretch your arms and shoulders.
Portrait of a young smiling woman at the desk with books on her head, sitting straight, looking at the camera. Education concept photo
Can you do this? Can you balance a book on your head and continue working? This will help to train you to sit up straight and correct your posture.
Young attractive woman at modern office desk, with laptop, stretching, getting a little exercise during the day, office workout, completing difficult task, time for lunch. Business concept illustration
Stretch! Move your arms, reach for the ceiling and feel your blood circulating.
Young attractive woman at modern office desk, with laptop, stretching, getting a little exercise during the day, completing difficult task time for lunch. Businesswoman against white isolated background. Business concept illustration.
Arch your back and stretch your arms up, reach your neck back and up and hold for 10 seconds.
Young Happy Businesswoman Doing Fitness Exercise On Yellow Pilates Ball In Office
Stretch your arms and use your chair to rest on, extend your legs and feel a stretch.
male office worker,exercising during short break in work at his desk in office
Stretch your arms out and forward, and let your arms reach back to stretch your shoulders and expand your chest with your breath.
The image of business woman doing exercise at the office
Move your body side to side and let your spine move freely and stretch.
Portrait of smiling executive exercising in office
Stretch your legs and hamstrings with the support of your desk and feel the blood reach down to your toes.
Young Businesswoman Sitting On Chair Meditating In Office
Take a moment to centre your thoughts with a mini meditation over lunch. Focus on your breath and bring your thoughts back to your breath when they flit about to other ideas.
Portrait of young smiling woman wearing suit sitting at home office desk in front of laptop stretching with enjoyment after the work is done looking at screen with happy expression
Stretch your arms and wrists regularly throughout the day and remember to smile often! 

 

Become a Fat-Burning Machine

by
Become a Fat-Burning Machine

Today’s society has taught us the foundational habits that put us on the fast-track to obesity, chronic illness, disease and a shortened lifespan. One of the most dangerous habits practiced by nearly everyone you know and very likely you too, is poor nutrition. Ouch! But it’s true… Read on!

Our culture has fostered in each of us eating habits that has made us a society of heavy carb-consumers, carb-burners, carb-cravers and fat storers! And it’s these habits that have set the stage for many of the devastating plagues of the day – namely diabetes, heart disease, cancer and as a result, a shorter life.

So what does this have to do with burning fat and becoming a fat burning machine?

Everything! Yes, how we eat has literally programmed our bodies to crave fast fuel carbohydrates as our predominant fuel source and subsequently for many, to store fat on our bodies at an alarming rate.  And we hate it because it makes us look and feel crappy. Possibly the most upsetting reality is that many of the  ‘experts’ have literally taught us it’s the right way to eat to be healthy.  Well, not if you look at the science. In fact, research has shown countries who consume the highest percentage of fat, particularly saturated fat have been shown to have the lowest risk of heart disease! It’s the exact opposite of what we’ve been taught.

Truth be told, it’s very simple — you burn what you eat. If you keep eating sugar (carbohydrate)  you’re going to burn sugar and sadly you’ll store the excess as – you guessed it!   FAT!   But if you consume more fat, much more fat – particularly healthy fats, you’re going to teach your body to preferentially burn fat as it’s primary fuel. And it’s not just the fat you ate at dinner, but also that unwanted body fat will start to burn away too. If there was a secret to this then that’s it. If you want to burn fat, you have to eat fat. Eating fat does not make you fat, in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Eating fat makes you an efficient fat burner. It can actually make you leaner. Not only that, healthy fats are crucial for many body processes not the least of which is your brain function. In fact, your brain cannot function properly without fat. 

All the while, many nutrition ‘experts’ still tell us to eat a low fat diet to stay lean and avoid cardiovascular disease and outright heart attacks. Unfortunately the science just doesn’t support that. Not only that, but observation and experience doesn’t support that either. After decades of avoiding fat we’re more overweight, even obese than ever before in history and cardiovascular disease is still the number one killer with the incidence going up, not down. What we’re doing is not working.

The next logical question would then be, ‘What kind of healthy fats should I be eating?’

Some of the best sources of healthy fat are avocados and avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil (but olive oil not heated to boil or smoke point), butter from grass fed (pastured) cows, MCT oil and organic pastured egg yolks are a great place to start. Healthy omega 3 fat sources (that are essential for optimal brain health) would be flax seeds and flax seed oil, and fish oils, particularly sardines, anchovies, salmon or krill oil. Fats to avoid would be the trans fats in margarine, vegetable shortening, and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Avoid these like the plague. Run, hide and be very afraid! They’re dangerous to your health. If you’re going to be consuming more fat, eating the right kind of right fat is key.

So now we know which fats to choose, the next question is how much fat do we need.

Although the simple answer is more, the latest science recommends that healthy fats should comprise anywhere from 50 to 85 percent of your overall energy intake. That is easily 2-4 times what that we’ve been told to eat!  So definitely more. However, remember that fat is higher in calories but small in terms of volume so when you look at how much space it takes up on your plate, the largest portion should still be vegetables.

At the same time, it’s a good idea to cut back on those unhealthy carbohydrates – namely bread, pasta, cereal and baked goods, not just the obvious — cookies, chips, bagels, and  french fries, sugar and sweets – the blatant no-no’s. Also avoid processed or added fructose, particularly high-fructose corn syrup which is staple in nearly every soft drink out there today. Do your body a favour — Read labels!

But remember, everybody is different and unique in their exact needs. While making the move to a diet that is higher in healthy fat, proportionately lower in carbohydrates and moderate in protein will make huge health strides for the vast majority of people, our specific needs are individual so it’s important to know there’s not an exact ratio that’s perfect for everyone. Getting to know how your body runs best can be measured with various tests, but also by how you perform and feel.

So if you’re like nearly everyone out there today that wants to become that fat burning machine to shed that excess body fat and body weight, while at the same time significantly lower your risk for conditions like diabetes, heart disease and cancer, you’ll want to strongly consider upping your intake of healthy fats and and proportionately cutting back those unhealthy carbs. It truly can be the formula for you becoming a fat-burning machine, a you that is efficiently losing weight, feeling great and living a longer, healthier life.

Blog by Guest Author: 

Dr. Mark FoullongDr. Mark Foullong has prided himself for over 20 years in delivering the highest quality of health care to Orangeville and surrounding areas.  Dr. Mark graduated with honours from Canadian Memorial Chiropractic with a 4-year Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree.  Prior to that, his studies were in Honours Biochemistry at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.  Because of his passion in helping families maximize their health and well being and also his love of children, he further completed 1 year of specialized training in Paediatrics granting him Fellowship status from the International Chiropractic Paediatrics Association (F.I.C.P.A.).  He does what he loves and loves what he does.

Dr. Mark has been in private practice in Orangeville since 1995.  He has built, and now alongside Dr. Trevor Middleton and Dr. Jess Willox, run the largest Chiropractic practice in Dufferin County.  Dr. Mark and his team constantly strive to be the best they can for their patients and to stay on the cutting edge of the latest technology and information in health delivery.  As such, the team is involved with regular continuing education and training.  They travel thousands of miles and spending hundreds of hours every year to remain the health leaders in their community and their profession.

Find Dr. Mark Foullong at: 

web:  www.orangevillechiropractor.com
facebook:  @dufferinfamilychiropractic
Twitter:  @OvilleChiro
Youtube:  Orangeville Chiropractor – Dufferin Family Chiropractic
Instagram:  @Orangeville_Chiropractor

What is the Best Type of Exercise for My Body?

by
Best Type of Exercise for My Body

There is so much conflicting information about the best way to exercise. How do you know what is best for you?

Our bodies were designed to withstand the need to make surges of speed, but not to withstand long distance running. Our ancestors would run short distances to get out of harm’s way, to chase down dinner or to help a friend in need. We were not designed to run for great distances over long periods of time.

There are many forms of exercise that bring this principle into effect, such as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), where you work out as hard as you can for a short duration of time, potentially even for only 45 or 60 seconds (which seems like a lifetime when you’re doing as many push ups as you can!!) and then resting for the same timeframe or a little less. This kicks your metabolism into high gear, adds a significant surge of adrenaline into your body to keep up with this form of exercise and pushes your body to grow and develop muscle and improves your fitness.

The opposite form of exercise would be traditional cardio. You jump on a treadmill or hit the road for 30-60 minutes of fast walking or jogging until the time is up. Sustained movement for a long period of time, generally at the same pace and difficulty level to make your body move and cooperate. Cardio can help to lower your resting heart rate, increase your good HDL cholesterol and lower blood pressure, as well as improving circulation, blood flow and lymphatic drainage.

But cardio can also cause your body to produce higher levels of cortisol which can stimulate your appetite, increase fat storage and inhibit recovery.

How is this possible when exercising is supposed to be helping you lose weight and/or get fit? It has to do with the hormones that are released with each type of exercise. Cardio can decrease testosterone production and HIIT can improve your growth hormone levels while lowering your insulin resistance to help regulate blood sugar and reduce fat storage.

What is the best form of exercise for me? How do I know?

The best form of exercise for you is the one that you will actually do!! The risks of a sedentary lifestyle are much worse than the risks involved with either HIIT or cardio. Additionally, there are many other forms of exercise that offer corresponding benefits and risks, such as yoga, pilates, rebounding, kickboxing, hiking, crossfit and many others!

So talk with your natural health practitioner about what he/she would recommend as the best form of exercise for your personal situation and do that! Fall in love with joyful movement – find something you love to do and do it often. Or mix it up and take on different forms of exercise to keep your body guessing and working toward your optimal fitness levels. Have fun!

With Sources from:

http://drhardick.com/say-no-to-traditional-cardio

Detox Now: 287 Industrial Chemicals Found in Umbilical Cord Blood

by
detoxify liver, detoxify, detoxify cleanse, detoxify heavy metals, detoxify the body

I was 22 years old, wearing a white lab coat in Colombo, Sri Lanka, with an acupuncture needle in my hand, I was trying to steady my hand because it was shaking a lot!  I was about to stick this needle into a patient’s eye!!  Ok, not really their eye, but just below their eye, but above the eye socket bone.  You may be asking, Why?  Because this was one of the acupuncture points that I had to needle for this patient, who apparently had a tumour in her brain that was putting pressure on one of the nerves in her brain that was affecting her vision.  Who told me to use this acupuncture point?  It was the great Dr. Anton Jayasuriya, who was by far the greatest and smartest person that I had ever met by that point of my life.  I was a second year chiropractic student and had come to Sri Lanka with some fellow classmates to learn acupuncture from this famous Dr., who was a Board Certified Medical Doctor and Rheumatologist as well as a Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Master.  We would come to his class every morning to learn about acupuncture and in the afternoon, we gained experience treating patients in his clinic.  And there was no shortage of patients!  They were lining up to see him from the early morning until late at night and they would come from all parts of the country!  It was an amazing experience!

The reason I tell this story is that there is one thing he said to us while we were learning there that I still remember today.  During one of our classes, we asked him to predict the future of medicine and to guide us by telling us what to focus on in terms of patient care.  He said the next major shift in medicine would be towards something called “Environmental Medicine”.  We all looked at each other and wondered what he meant.  He explained that the world today (and this was back in 1994) was full of toxic chemicals and pollution and that it would cause an epidemic of health problems and diseases that would be impossible to treat. 

Since then I have thought about what this great man said and looked at my own life to see how I could eliminate toxins. 

• I changed my toothpaste to a natural one without fluoride
• I changed my under arm deodorant to one without aluminum (and yes, I still smell ok!)
• my family and I invested in a home water filtration system that helps to remove chlorine from the water (it’s been found that we can absorb a lot of chlorine through our skin when we take a shower!!)
• we buy organic produce to avoid the harmful pesticides sprayed on our vegetables and fruit
• we switched to organic and grass fed meats to avoid meat from animals that eat genetically modified grains that are heavily sprayed with an especially toxic herbicide called Glyphosate as well as to avoid meat from animals that were given hormones and antibiotics during their life.

From the book, Detoxify or Die by Sherry A. Rogers, M.D., I read something really scary, it was the results of a research study by the Environmental Working Group that looked at blood taken from the umbilical cord of 10 babies born in the US in 2004 which found 287 industrial chemicals and environmental pollutants including pesticides, mercury, fire retardants, consumer product ingredients, teflon chemicals and waste from burning coal, gasoline and garbage!!! 

Of the 287 chemicals found, 180 of them have been found to cause cancer in humans or animals!! 

I thought to myself, if all these chemicals are found in the blood of newborn babies, who knows how many chemicals are found in you and me!! Dr. Rogers also wrote about how industrial smokestacks disseminate into the air chemicals like dioxins and PCBs (the most potent cancer triggers known to man) and then clouds carry these chemicals to every continent and every body of water around the world!! 

As I think back to my time in Sri Lanka, treating that woman with cancer and remembering what Dr. Anton said about “Environmental Medicine”, I can’t help but think he had a magical crystal ball because we are living in a world where diseases like Cancer are so prevalent and even childhood cancers are at an all- time high as it is the number one cause of death by disease in kids ages 1-15!!

So as a Chiropractor, you may ask, why do I talk about toxins and the need to detoxify?  Well if you look back to the founders of our profession over a 100 years ago, they discussed the concept of removing subluxations from the spine so the body can get well.  They also discussed 3 causes of subluxation which are emotional thoughts, physical traumas and chemical toxins!!  That is amazing that more than 100 years ago they mentioned chemical toxins!  So let me ask you, what are you doing to detoxify???

_________________________________

Guest Blog by Dr. Suhill Samji, D.C. DABCN

Dr. Suhill Samji DC, DABCNDr. Samji has been in practice for over 20 years. He completed 2 years of his undergraduate degree at the University of British Columbia, after which, based on his academic performance was bestowed the honor of admission to the prestigious Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (Canada’s only English speaking Chiropractic college). Dr. Samji is a member in good standing with the B.C. College of Chiropractors which is the sole regulatory authority in British Columbia. Dr. Samji further expanded on his thirst for knowledge and higher education by immersing himself in a 3-year postgraduate study of the subspecialty of Chiropractic Neurology.

Dr. Samji is a Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Neurology Board (www.acnb.org) having studied under Professor Carrick of the Carrick Institute in the USA (www.carrickinstitute.org). The DACNB designation (although not recognized by the B.C. College of Chiropractors) earned by Dr. Samji, is one he shares with only 600 professionals worldwide. Dr. Samji has also undergone extensive training for the treatment of children and expecting mothers (www.ICPA.com) and can skillfully adjust the spine with his hands or gently with the use of an instrument. Dr. Samji’s office is conveniently located on the northwest corner of East Broadway and Commercial Drive. His clinic offers Chiropractic, Physiotherapy, Registered Massage Therapy, Acupuncture, and also has a Pain Medicine Specialist M.D. When not at the clinic, Dr. Samji can be found spending quality time with his wife and young son, and of course the 2 dogs, or playing soccer in North Vancouver’s Men’s League or practicing Yoga.

Find Dr. Samji at:

[email protected]

www.physiomedvancouver.ca

www.physiomed.ca

Vision and Health: Can’t have one without the other

by
Vision for Health

I had worked at a homeless shelter for 2 years giving free chiropractic care to the down and out in Hamilton. The man in front of me had come in for back pain. I always asked these men the same question at their intake exam:

“What is the vision of what you want to do with your life?” His response tore my heart: “I have failed at everything I have ever tried and I’m not even sure if I want to live anymore.”

As you can imagine if people have LOW or NO vision, like the above example, their investment of time and money into health disciplines like nutrition, exercise, spinal health and relationships will probably be VERY LOW to NON-EXISTENT. Consequently, their health will be very poor, as it was with the above man. The BEST way to get healthy is to NEED good health because of your vision for amazing health. 

If we NEED our bodies to be healthy in order to accomplish our BIG dreams, then we MUST take care of them. 

Vision is EVERYTHING. As a chiropractor for 20 years now, I realize that the MOST important piece of information we can glean from the New Patient exam is precisely what I asked that man: “What is your vision for your life?”  We then ask: “What do you miss MOST due to your poor health right now?”.  Finally we ask, “If this condition was left alone for 5 years and did not improve how would that affect your life?”

EVERYONE has a vision and desire for CRISIS care. This puts us in a place of “no choice” meaning that we MUST fix the problem, no matter how long it takes or how much it costs. Crisis care may be the 30 year old Dad who can’t work as a mechanic due to sciatica. His wife and kids will starve if he can’t get his spine fixed. No choice. It may be the 65 year old widowed grandma who has hip pain and can’t play golf. Her Tuesday and Thursday night golf league is what she lives for and she can’t give it up. No choice. These people will ALWAYS proceed with their corrective care plan. 

The BIG SOLID YELLOW differentiating line is this: once the crisis is gone, do people have a vision for ongoing wellness care? This may mean weekly or bi-weekly adjustments for life. The answer to this question depends on their belief. Will on-going wellness chiropractic in some REAL way help me achieve my dream of being healthy until I’m 90? If they can’t see how chiropractic may help do that then they will NOT continue into wellness care. This same decision making process will determine whether they work out for life and eat healthy food for life.   

The first pre-requisite here is that you have a VISION for good health which means a compelling REASON as to why you need good health. This varies for everyone but could be grandkids, travel, ministry work, sports and golf, taking care of sick family etc.   

The second pre-requisite is understanding how a healthy spine will get you there. A spine that has good mobility and structure IS that key to amazing health in older years. A spine that is immobile, mis-aligned, arthritic and decaying will rob people of their ability to fulfill their dreams especially in later years.

Recently at my clinic my patient, a 60 year old lady, had her adjustment and then sat on the table and announced that she got an award from her Gym. She had hit the 1800 mark.  She had done 1800 workouts over a 13 year period of time. WOW!! It just so happens that she finished 10 years of wellness care with me; close to 300 adjustments. She is one of the healthiest and most joyful people I know. She always comes in with a smile and is praising our team and her husband and her kids and friends. She has a VISION for wellness and believes that chiropractic is a large part of the HOW to be optimally healthy. 

Ultimately as humans we have two choices when a health challenge robs our ability to do what we love to do. The first choice is to LOWER our vision and NOT fix the health issue.  An example would be the 70 year old who decides to quit golf because it causes him extreme back pain every time he plays.

The second choice is to MAINTAIN our vision and dream and to FIX the health issue. This would be the 70 year old man who follows through on a corrective care plan and then ongoing wellness care for 20 years and continues to play golf until he is 90!

The most important question for the patient is: “What vision do you believe will allow you to have the most abundant and healthy life possible?” Life-time wellness chiropractic care OR symptom-based crisis-relief care? If you believe life-time wellness care is best for you then find that chiropractor that also believes this.

Without a compelling vision for your life, you may not need good health. If you lose your health you lose everything. If you lose your vision you also lose everything. They both go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other. 

_________________________________

Guest Blog by Dr. Mark del Cantero

Dr. Mark del CanteroDr. Mark Del Cantero has been a structural corrective chiropractor for 20 years now in Ancaster, Ontario.  He has helped thousands of people to not only restore their health but to maintain it and achieve high levels of health and vitality.  He not only takes an interest in spinal health but also in nutrition, exercise and stress management.  

He graduated from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College as a Chiropractor in 1996 with clinical honours and has since taken all of the core courses in Chiropractic Biophysics Technique.  He completed his  undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of Toronto in 1990.

He has been a speaker at various venues including Warrior Coaching and dozens of groups locally in Hamilton.  

He lives with his wife and three children in Ancaster, Ontario.  

You can find Dr. Mark at:

Website: http://www.cedarspringschiro.com/

Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cedarspringschiro

Twitter: https://twitter.com/chirocedar

Instagram @cedarspringschiro

How to Detoxify without Retoxifying Your Body

by
How to Detoxify without Retoxifying Your Body

Everywhere you turn, you hear about detoxifying your body. But what are you not being told?

What do you need to know to detoxify safely without re-toxifying your body?

You can think about it like you would a traffic jam. There are potentially hundreds of cars trying to make their way down the highway but there are only three lanes and when you have so many more vehicles than there is room for on the road, you end up in chaos.

So what happens is that when you are adding in intense detoxification methods, it can sometimes wreak more havoc on your body than if you had just left things alone. So the answer to not re-toxifying your body starts with a very gentle process of a gentle detox.

The main forms of detoxification for your body are through your intestines, kidneys, lungs and skin.

Intestines:

Your intestines rid you of food toxins that you are finished pulling out the nutrients from. This is also a place that bodily toxins are dumped for removal. But often, your digestion can be sluggish from eating too much meat, grains and dairy products. (You should be pooping at least twice per day… if you’re not, you can be sure that you have serious toxic build up in your digestive tract). So the first thing we need to do to start a gentle detoxification is to start moving out those old toxins that are stuck there before we start delivering a whole bunch more toxins for it to process and be overloaded.

Start by increasing your water intake – and add lemon to it to add a bit of a added clean-up assistance. (I love to peel a whole lemon and throw it in my high speed blender with a litre of fresh water, and then strain it to remove the tiny pit pieces that break apart). This will help to start gently encourage movement of toxins out of your intestines.

Then start adding in more fibre to keep your intestines moving. The fibre acts like a broom and sweeps up the toxins and helps to move them out. The best forms of fibre are fruit and vegetables! Eat more than you ever have before!

Kidneys

Your kidneys filter your blood continually, all day long, and never rest. They pull toxins from your blood supply and deliver them to your bladder to be removed from your body in your urine. So yes, you guessed it! More water! 3-4 litres per day and more if you are super active.

Lungs

Your lungs are always delivering fresh oxygen to your body, but they also help to expel toxins on the exhalation. So take a few moments several times through the day to do some deep breathing exercises. AND move that body!! Breathe hard, make it work and make it sweat! We were built to move.

Skin

We chatted about moving that body! Your sweat will help to move toxins out of your body, so try to get some joyful movement into your schedule every day.

Additionally, dry skin brushing is an excellent way to encourage the release of toxins from your skin by using a natural hair bristled brush and very gently brushing your skin from the bottom of your body toward your heart. And from your hands and arms to your heart as well. Use gentle strokes or circles. The keyword is GENTLE – your lymph drainage system is extremely fragile and can only respond and pump the lymph when its movement is gently encouraged.