Are Biofilms Keeping You Sick?
It has been estimated that about 80% of bacteria, many yeast/fungal organisms like Candida, algae and other microorganisms can produce this complex, protective coating called biofilms. The various bacteria involved with Lyme’s Disease can produce biofilms making them...
Blood Clotting and Coagulation – How to Reduce Your Risk!
Considering current events, the topic of blood clotting and coagulation is not quite fully understood. If the coagulation system (hemostasis) of the body is not functioning correctly, it can lead to many chronic health disorders and even death. When properly balanced,...
Boost Immunity: Nutrients and Natural Supplements that Enhance Your Immune System!
This article is a continuation of our prior articles on immunity. Once again there is no “magical” formula of supplements/herbals to improve your immunity but requires practicing the fundamentals as outlined previously and making sure you have adequate nutrient...
Vitamins for Improved Immunity — Boost Your Immune System!
We just recently discussed some of the very important fundamentals to having a strong, resilient, and adaptable immune system. In this newsletter we bring you some of the latest information about various vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, herbals, phytonutrients, and...
Is SIBO Causing Your Health Issues?
What is SIBO? SIBO stands for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Simply put there is an excessive number of bacteria that are found in this part of your digestive tract that follows immediately after your stomach. The small intestine is a long narrow tube with...
Immune System Questionnaire
How is That Immune System of Yours Working??? What you will find below are quick questionnaires outlining different health issues and symptoms associated with immune system involvement. Take the time to fill these out honestly and to the best of your knowledge. In...
Your Thyroid: 10 New Things You Didn’t Know!
Your Thyroid Affects Many Of Your Bodily Functions In this article we wish to address some of the other things that the thyroid can influence. We often do not think about other problems beside the common problems such as weight gain, fatigue, and hair loss. The...
How Stress and Mineral Imbalance Affects The Thyroid!
We recently discussed the effects of gluten regarding autoimmune thyroid also known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. It is clear gluten can lead to increased destruction of the thyroid resulting in hypothyroid (low) function. However, there are several other factors that...
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Gluten
First, what exactly is Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis? Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is the most common form of low thyroid or hypothyroidism. It is estimated to make up 70-90% of all hypothyroid/low thyroid problems in the United States and most of the world. Hashimoto's...
A Truly Gluten Free Diet
In this articleI have outlined some general guidelines to follow if you have been diagnosed with Celiac disease and/or some level of gluten sensitivity. Please remember reactivity to various gluten products is not always restricted to gastrointestinal/digestive...
The Difference Between Gluten Sensitivity, Celiac Disease and Wheat Allergy
There is a lot of confusion between these three terms. Many people do not know where they fit or if they even have any of these problems associated with glutens. Not everybody who has a gluten sensitivity will necessarily have digestive problems when consuming gluten...
Can Gluten Cause Pain and Inflammation?
Does gluten really have a significant impact on the body, and can it potentially cause a lot of health issues and inflammation? Isn’t gluten just a problem if someone has celiac disease? What exactly is gluten and what foods contain it? Why has gluten become such a...
Arthritis And Your Gut – Part III
What are lipopolysaccharides (LPS)? These are molecules that can be
extremely inflammatory to the human body and originate from an
excessive overgrowth of primarily gram-negative bacteria which are
found in the small intestine. This overgrowth of gram-negative
bacteria (SIBO) usually occurs due to excessive consumption of sugars
and other carbohydrates in our diet and poor integrity of the walls of
the small intestine or commonly known as leaky gut syndrome (LGS).
Arthritis and Your Gut – Part II
Dr. James D. Reade, DC, CFMP describes how poor gut health, and an abundance lipopolysaccharides can lead to arthritis and inflammation in the joints
Arthritis and Your Gut – Part I
Dr. James D. Reade DC, CFMP describes how “Leaky Gut Syndrome” can lead to chronic health issues including arthritis.
Immunity and Your Gut
Did you know your digestive tract, otherwise known as your gut, is basically your immune system? Learn how you can strengthen your immunity in this featured article by Dr. James D. Reade.
Can Stress Make You Sick?
Can stress make you sick? Learn more about the effects of stress on your immune system in this article by Dr. James D. Reade.
Allergies and Histamine
Most everyone has heard of antihistamines like Allegra, Benadryl, Claritin, and Zyrtec for addressing allergies and related symptoms. In addition, there is another class of antihistamines used for heartburn and gastric reflux such as, Axid, Pepcid, Tagamet and Zantac....
Toxins, diabetes and shoulder/ joint problems?
There is more recent research that has been connecting the rapid increase in diabetes and insulin resistance to toxins found in our water, food, air and environment. Certain studies have been showing that many of these endocrine disruptive toxins damage the liver, fat...
What are GMOs?
GMO stands for genetically modified organisms or sometimes referred to as transgenic. The original concept for GMOs seemed to be a good one where farmers could raise these new plants with less pesticides, herbicides and increase their yields. Does not sound bad, right? However,
Bone Loss – Osteoporosis Detection
Did you know in the United States alone there are about 1.5 million bone fractures that are directly related to osteoporosis? It appears that this trend is continuing and early detection and treatment are vitally important.
Insomnia
Most people require 6-8 hours of uninterrupted REM sleep. Not getting this can lead to many health issues and the body is incapable of repairing itself without this deep sleep. The first thing to think of if you wake up after a few hours is consider
Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Disease
Both celiac disease and gluten namely the duodenum and sensitivity are conditions in jejunum. Normally the intestines contains a velvety lining that contains finger-like projections called villi. These villi would be analogous to a shag carpet. This is where we get our absorption of our nutrients. However, with CD these villi are flattened, shortened or in grains such wheat, barley, spelt and rye.
The Truth Behind Low Testosterone
When one thinks about testosterone we often think of it in terms of only a male hormone. Well, the only thing truthful about this is that men do have much larger amounts of testosterone than women, but testosterone plays a very important role in women as well. So low ”T” can have very profound effects in either sex and it is not exclusively a male problem.
What Is Methylation?
Methylation? What exactly is methylation? It is an overlooked, extremely important biochemical reaction and an essential biochemical reaction that takes place in every single cell of our body. Without methylation, we would cease to exist. It is estimated that a billion methylation reactions occur in our bodies every second!
Understanding Stress
Exactly what is stress? Most of us will immediately think of something that would cause us mental/emotional stress like our job, spouse, family or other relationships. Well, that is true but, stress can come in several different forms that we might not think about or are not consciously aware.
Toxins and Detoxification
Our bodies are exposed to so many chemicals on a daily basis and we never really give it a second thought. So let’s take a look at how we may expose ourselves to various toxins on a daily basis. In the morning, we may take a long hot shower to wake ourselves up, but we are inhaling chlorine and chloramines found in our tap water.
The Yeasty Beast – Candida
What is Candida? It is a group of yeast organisms that are in the fungal family which are related to mushrooms. Candida is normally found in about 80% of all human beings. They are primarily located in the intestines, mouth and skin. Most of the time we are not even aware of Candida and it usually makes up a part of the normal micro flora found in the skin, mouth and intestines.
The Prostate Gland
What exactly is the prostate gland? It is a donut shaped gland that weighs about an ounce and is about the size of a walnut. It is located below the bladder and just in front of the rectum. The prostate wraps around the urethra which is the tube that allows urine to flow from the bladder to the penis.
PCOS – The Most Common Hormone Disorder
What exactly is PCOS? PCOS stands for polycystic ovarian syndrome. This imbalance can occur prior to puberty, during adolescence, from age 20- 50’s and into postmenopausal ages. So, this hormonal imbalance can occur throughout most of a women’s lifetime! Furthermore, the symptoms are not going to be the same for each patient and can express itself to varying degrees throughout her life.
The Good Fats, The Bad Fats, Ugly Inflammation!
Arthritis, tendinitis, fibromyalgia, joint swelling, chronic pain, eczema, dry skin, weakness, decreased immunity, headaches, cardiac problems, behavioral disturbance, premenstrual syndrome, neurological damage and the inability to hold chiropractic adjustments, could be caused by the types of fats you consume and the type of diet you maintain.
Stress
Most people will automatically recognize the word stress and are aware of stress in their daily lives. We generally use the word stress when we feel everything has become too much, we are overloaded and wonder whether we can really can cope with the pressures/ demands placed on us. On a biological basis, anything that poses a challenge or threat to our well-being is a stress.
Insulin Resistance – The Silent Health Thief
What exactly is insulin resistance (IR) and why is it so important to my health? On a technical note insulin resistance is defined as the inability of your cells to respond to the binding of the insulin molecule. The basic function of insulin is to take glucose (blood sugar) from your blood stream and to bring it to the cell for production of energy.
Osteoarthritis
Did you know there are about 100 different types of arthritis? However, we are going to focus on the most common form of arthritis called osteoarthritis (OA). Most everybody would consider this arthritis to be the “wear and tear” or “old age” arthritis. About 2% of the US population under the age of 45 suffers from OA, 30%suffers from OA between the ages of 45-64 and 65-85% suffers from OA over the age of 65.
Migraine Headaches
There are several different types of headaches, some major categories are, tension, cluster, sinus, hormonal and many others. However, we are going to confine our discussion to a major category of headaches called migraines. In brief, migraines would be considered a neurovascular headaches. So in other words, these headaches are due to inflammatory changes occurring in the blood or vascular system of the brain and neck.
Menopause, Hot Flashes and Much More
By definition, menopause occurs when a woman has not menstruated for a period of 12 months. The average age when menopause occurs is 51, but the typical age range is from 40 to 58 years old. This is a natural process and does not occur suddenly but usually over several years.
Low Thyroid and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
Low thyroid function or hypothyroid affects approximately 15 million in the US. Hypothyroid is the most common thyroid disorder. It is five times more common in women compared to men in the US according to the Academy of Family Physicians in 2004.
Leaky Gut and Irritable Bowel Syndromes
Before we discuss leaky gut syndrome (LGS) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) we need to understand a little more about the small and large intestines. The primary function of the intestines is to determine which food compounds should be deemed important for absorption and which ones should be eliminated via the feces.
Inflammation – The Major Cause of Disease
What exactly is inflammation? Simply put, it is the body’s normal response to injury. Injury to the tissues of the body are due to trauma, infection (acute and/or chronic), autoimmune, heat/cold, food and/or environmental toxins. This entire inflammatory response is orchestrated by the immune system.
The Incredible Vitamin D
When we think of Vitamin D, we often think in terms of preventing osteoporosis and maintaining the health of your bones. However, the effects of vitamin D on our body goes way beyond those on bones and current research is finding so many other incredible effects this vitamin has on the human body.
Hormones, Hormones, Hormones
Exactly what is a hormone? Most of the time we think of hormones more in terms of sex hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. This is far from what actually is occurring on a hormonal level in the human body. It is estimated that there are currently at least 50 known different hormones in the human body.
High Blood Pressure – Hypertension
High blood pressure or in the medical field it is known as hypertension. There are basically two types of hypertension primary (essential) hypertension and secondary hypertension.
Introduction to Autoimmune Diseases
What exactly is an autoimmune disease? Simply put this is a condition in which your own immune system attacks your own tissues. Normally, your white blood cells that make up your immune system protects your body against harmful substances. These substances can consist of viruses, bacteria, fungi, other microorganisms, toxic compounds released by these organisms, environmental toxins, cancer cells, blood/tissue from outside of the body. All of these substances are considered antigens
ANDROPAUSE – “MALE MENOPAUSE”
From a strict medical standpoint andropause is defined as a loss of androgen dominance. What exactly does that mean? Androgens are hormones such as testosterone which are naturally found in higher quantities in the male gender. When a man looses his “androgen dominance” this simply means that he has low testosterone or as you may have heard
Alzheimer’s, Memory Loss, Autism = Brain Degeneration
This blog is more of an introduction to brain degeneration and the consequences of brain degeneration such as Alzheimer’s, memory loss, autism, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis and many other brain/nervous system disorders. It is important to understand that many of these brain/ nervous disorders that appear to be distinct and different often share the same common
ALLERGIES, ALLERGIES, ALLERGIES
Most everybody knows about allergies or have experienced them directly, but most do not understand exactly what are allergies. By definition allergies are defined as a hypersensitive responses of the immune system to a normally harmless substances. These substances are referred to as allergens. Some of the more common allergens are dust/dust mites, pollens, molds, mold spores
ADRENALS, FATIGUE AND MUCH MORE
These tiny triangular shaped glands are located on top of the kidneys. Most of us recognize the association of the adrenal glands and the hormone adrenaline that is associated with the fight and flight reaction to stress. However, the adrenal glands do so much more than help us with just short term levels of stress. The adrenal glands modulate and influence so many aspects of our body metabolism.
Acid Reflux, Hiatal Hernia, Gerd
60 million adults suffer from acid reflux at least once per month. 25 million suffer from this each day, that is about 1 in 14 people in the U.S. alone! Here are some more statistcs on acid reflux, 65% of people 40 and older have chronic acid reflex. An average episode of acid reflex lasts about 2 hours. Half of the people with reflux get interrupted sleep and this can effect there work productivity and attitude. Lastly, chronic reflux significantly increases your risk of esophageal cancer.
Neck Pain
Your cervical spine connects your brain stem to your spinal cord. It is an area rich in blood vessels and other soft tissue, such as ligament and tendons. Neck pain is slightly less common than back pain, but no less important or treatable.
Common causes of neck pain include, but are not limited to:
Leg Pain
The largest nerve in the human body may be responsible for one of the most common causes of leg pain. The sciatic nerve connects the spinal cord with the leg and foot muscles, and runs down both sides of the lumbar spine, through the buttock and back of the thigh, and down to the foot.
Back Pain
Eighty percent of Americans experience one form of back pain or another during the course of their lives. More men over the age of 45 are disabled by back pain than any other condition. It is the third most common reason for surgeries. Because of this, people complaining of back pain cannot be easily diagnosed. This is because the spine is such an incredibly complex structure of bones, muscles, nerves, joints, tendons, and ligaments. Injury or disease affecting any one or more of these structures can often trigger an episode of pain.
Chiropractors and Chiropractic Care: An Overview
Chiropractors make use of conventional diagnostic tests, such as X-rays, MRIs, and lab work, as well as specific procedures that involve manipulation by hand of various parts of the body. Chiropractors are best known for their ability to correct misalignments of the spine, which are called subluxation
TOXINS AND DETOXIFICATION
Most of us may not realize that we are bombarded daily by toxins from sources outside of our bodies. These toxins can come from our food, medications, water, water bottles, other plastic containers, air pollutants, from contact with our skin from lotions, makeup, household chemicals, pesticides, and personal hygiene products.
INTRODUCTION TO COLD LEVEL LASER
What exactly is a laser? Laser is actually an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emissions Radiation. Basically, a laser is a strong, coherent, narrow beam of light. It is used in the field of medicine/surgery, in many different industries and commonly now found in the many electronic devices like DVD players or bar code scanners.
CRANIOSACRAL , SOT AND MORE
What exactly is Craniosacral Therapy or Sacro-Occipital Technique (SOT)? These two systems of healing are gentle methods that balance the bodies structural and neurological systems. This is done by correcting abnormal spinal, cranial membrane motion and restoring normal motion of the fluid that baths the brain and spinal cord referred to as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
FIBROMYALGIA – CRITERIA AND STATISTICS
Most people have heard of fibromyalgia, but most patients and even other physicians do not understand this condition. For many years this was an unrecognized condition and most physicians simply thought this condition was completely psychosomatic. However, in 1990 The American College of Rheumatology finally gave physicians some criteria to determine if someone had fibromyalgia.
DEPRESSION—MORE THAN THE BLUES
Everyone has experienced times in which we feel sad, lonely, isolated and melancholy. However, “clinical” depression is much more intense and much longer lasting than our isolated times of sadness.
FOOD SENSITIVITIES AND FOOD INTOLERANCE
We wish to make a distinction here between food allergies and food sensitivities/ food intolerances. The last newsletter addressed “true” food allergies which are caused by a protein produced by a certain white blood cell in your immune system called a plasma cell. This protein is called immunoglobulin E or simply an IgE antibody. This is considered an allergic response since it involves an immune system response.
CHOLESTEROL – WHAT’S THE STORY?
Most of the time when we hear the word “cholesterol” we often think of fatty globules choking our arteries and causing heart attacks. However, there is another side of cholesterol that we often do not hear much about. Often we hear only the negative and none of the positive aspects of cholesterol.