Increase Energy and Decrease Inflammation in Minutes A Day (and at very low cost!)

 

25 years ago when I was an intern at the New York Chiropractic College Outpatient Clinic in Levittown, Long Island I would read the latest medical research and tell my patients that in 25 years I believed their doctors would more and more treat their diseases not by looking at their symptoms or diagnosis as much as looking to lower inflammation in their body. This, of course, made great sense to me as I was trained as a Chiropractor to look to the cause of the problem and not just at eliminating symptoms. That focus on cause correction plus the research showing that heart disease and so many other problems in the body were created or at least exacerbated by inflammation made the conclusion a no-brainer. My observation that research often seemed to take 25 years to "get into the field" made me excited for the day that patient care would improve by leaps and bounds as people's troubles would be cared for in a much more effective, speedy and intelligent way. Unfortunately, the truth is I'm still talking about the future of medicine 25 years later without much change in the medical approach. Please understand I am not taking a shot at medicine but rather hoping for a better future for mankind and allowing all of those wonderful and talented minds that enter medicine to better take care of their patients.

 

First we must relize that stress, inflammation and acid levels in our body are NOT synonymous but ARE very much related.

 

 

Physical, emotional and chemical stress all eventually create acid and inflammation. Oddly, acid can lead to inflammation and stress while inflammation can lead to acid and stress so they all tend to make each other worse.

 

 

 

We can try to lower stress but we also need to figure out ways to better deal with stress, inflammation and acid and the havoc these 3 create in our body.

 

 

One might be tempted to take an anti-inflammatory medication but these medicines are generally not recommended for long-term use due to side-effects and long-term use could disrupt immunity and tissue repair as the white blood cell function is curtailed by the use of anti-inflammatory drugs. (White blood cells help us to fight infection. The inflammatory process also helps remove damaged tissue so that our body can repair itself by replacing the damaged tissue with healthier cells.)

 

 

 

What can you do today? Scroll Down.

 

After trying to lower stress and decrease actions that cause inflammation we are still often in trouble. The good news is that since stress, inflammation and acidity levels are related, lowering one can help lower all three and while it may be difficult to lower many types of stress and inflammation directly it is relatively simple and inexpensive to reduce acidity levels in the body on a daily basis. How? Eat foods that decrease acid levels.

 

Less Acid is also called Increased Alkalinity.

 

Can you squeeze a lemon?

One of the least expensive and simplest foods to prepare that decreases acid in the body is fresh lemon juice squeezed into water. Drink on an empty stomach. Wait at least 20 minutes to eat your meal. Seems odd, I understand, to add the acid of a lemon to get less acidic. This works when taken without food and preferably on an empty stomach. We drink the lemon water and apparently the brain senses the increased acidity and signals the kidneys to remove acid from the blood leaving the body with less acid aka more alkaline. (This apparently is the mechanism for apple cider vinegar, also. Doesn't taste as good but feel free to do a shot of ACV instead of the lemon water if you choose.)

 

Try this daily for a month and let me know if you feel more energy, less achiness and pain, enjoy better sleep, feel stronger immunity and maybe even take off a pound or two.

 

Want more ideas on decreasing acid, inflammation and stress? See Part II of this series.

List of chemicals to avoid in cleaners and how to make your own natural cleaners on previous April blog. Dr. Andy

This is Easy. To Avoid This --->

Follow This Guide To Safe Lifting--->

 

Any Questions? Give Me A Call at 973-625-2600 Dr. Andy Smith

Looking for Natural, Safe, Non-Toxic Cleaning Solutions?
Here's A list of What to Avoid and How to Make Safe Alternatives At Home That Really Work!
(Thanks to Eco-Smart Products for their help in these ingredient lists.)

 All-Purpose Cleaner
Worst ingredient: Butyl Cellosolve is a suspected carcinogen potentially damaging to bone marrow, the nervous system, the kidneys and the liver.

Natural All-Purpose Cleaner Recipe:
1 gallon hot water
1/2 cup liquid castile soap
10 drops essential oil (optional) like lavender or thyme

Room Deodorizer
Worst ingredient: Formadehyde can trigger respitory problems and has links to cancer. Butane (in air some air fresheners) is a brain and nervous system toxin. Benzene, also in some air fresheners, has been linked to leukemia and nervous system damage.
Natural Room Deodorizer Recipe:
2 cups water
15 drops thyme essential oil
15 drops tea tree essential oil
10 drops oregano essential oil

Glass Cleaner
Worst ingredients: Glycol Ethers have links to adverse effects on the liver and kidneys.
Natural Glass Cleaner Recipe:
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water

Laundry Detergent
Worst ingredient: Nonylphenol ethoxylate degrades into a powerful bioaccumulating endocrine-disruptor. This chemical is banned in Europe.
Natural Laundry Detergent Recipe:
7 quarts hot water
1 cup soap granules
1/2 cup borax
1/2 cup washing soda
20 drops essential oil (optional) such as lemon or lavender

On June 25, 2014 my Blog page described how much water we should drink per day based on individual needs (as opposed to EVERYONE needing 8 glasses of water per day.) The University of Illinois recently released research that increasing water consumption by even one glass per day has significant health benefits including weight loss, decreasing cholesterol, etc. For more info check out the 6/25/2014 blog post. Drink up and live with Passion! Dr. Andy

Here's a letter that I think really sums up how Chiropractic can help children. I had tears in my eyes reading this. Thank you for sharing with us, Josh.


Hi.  My name is Joshua Janes and Dr. Andy has adjusted me since I was a kid.  I had a hard time in school.  I couldn't sit still, focus on what was being taught or read my assignments. I felt "not so smart" and got in trouble for being the "class clown" a lot.  When my mom learned about Chiropractic I was about 12. I had been diagnosed with ADHD with the high end of hyper.  I struggled to learn and not get into trouble.  I would read the same paragraph over and over and get mad because I couldn't remember what I had just read.  My mom tried to help with routines and not letting me eat junk or have caffeine or anything with red dye in it.  I was never put on medication like my other friends and I'm glad because they all went through some tough times in life stemming from that. After my first adjustment I didn't feel any different but after getting adjusted for almost a year I asked my mom to buy me a book.  She started to cry because I had never asked to read anything I didn't have to.  I started to read!  I read the whole Goose Bump series in a few weeks.  I started to read Time magazine and everything I could get my hands on.  In my early twenties I started writing books for fun.  Today, I do analytical research for a large company in Scotland.  I am grateful for Dr. Andy's adjustments and how they have changed my life.
Sincerely,
Josh

And thank you Jamie for the kind words and letting others know how Chiropractic can help them.




Dear Dr. Andy,


Since you have been adjusting me, my health has improved greatly.  Prior to Chiropractic adjustments I had high blood pressure and chronic neck pain/headaches as well as sciatica.  All of these symptoms have disappeared with the continuous Chiropractic treatments. 


 As a former health care worker, I had previously relied on 'traditional medicine', which only masked the pain and temporarily cured the issues.  Chiropractic actually works and I will be forever grateful for your knowledge and skill.  Because of this, you have cured me of these medical issues.


Thank you, thank you, thank you,


Jamie M. Willis

 

Nadine DeVries Weise
PS
I can't believe I forgot to mention that before Dr. Andy Smith worked to straighten it out. I had started to have a twist to my spine where I was feeling like my right leg was shorter. That has been gone for a while so I forgot about it.

I was 5'7" but over the years I lost an inch to 5'6" I now have my inch back.

Dr. Andy Smith has worked on my neck to make the turning smoother again. He did that so long ago I had forgotten about it. It still acts up now and then when I sleep funny but what he does makes me mostly forget that I have the problem which was caused by a car accident where a drunk diver hit my car in 1983.

Really I'm most greatful!
Once again,
Thank You Dr. Andy Smith

Such a beautiful letter from a patient came to me today on Facebook. I thought I would share it so that others can know what Chiropractic can do for them. Dr. Andy

 

Nadine DeVries Weise My favorite Chiropractor is:
Dr. Andy Smith!

Without his skills I would be walking with two canes in constant extreme pain. Some days not being able to walk at all.

Most of my pain is gone due to his skills.

I still have some pain and need to use one cane due to a fall that damaged my knees and back but I'm in the least amount of pain since the fall.

My asthma is much better I can feel the difference instantly when he works on the right spot. It is more noticeable and effective than using my inhaler.

Too bad I can't carry him around in my pocketbook.

My range of motion has also improved making it more possible to take care of my personal needs.

My diabetic neuropathy in my feet is so much less and my knees don't click in and out since he started to adjust them.

My jaw was having a problem with alignment and I didn't even tell him about it. He knew which direction to adjust it. It only took one adjustment and the tension is gone.

Thank you,
Dr. Andy Smith

Denville Chiropractic Associates
973-625-2600

My Mom and the Dorito Effect-Part 3-The OJ Connection

My Mom and the Dorito Effect, Part 3

The OJ Connection

 

   Growing up we usually made orange juice from those cans of concentrate sold in the frozen aisles of supermarkets. Just add water, stir and you have it. Plenty of nutrition and good taste.

Of course there were those Sunday mornings without school and some other special meals that my Mom or Dad and later us kids would make the best tasting juice of all...fresh squeezed!



Until we found out about a great innovation:

"Not From Concentrate"

 

 "Not From Concentrate" absolutely seemed to be the best of both worlds. Great taste, great nutrition and no work. My family, like many other familes, have certainly invested a lot in "Not From Concentrate" (NFC) over the years but it certainly seemed worth it to get that great nutrition and taste with no muss, no fuss. Then  a couple of years ago my patient Michele came to me one day to discuss "flavor packs." She educated me about a book written by Alissa Hamilton in 2009 called Squeezed: What You Don't Know About Orange Juice that discusses a so-called dirty little secret of the orange juice industry.

Fresh squeezed orange juice unfortuantely has a very short shelf life. Add to this issue that the orange harvest season in Florida is only October through April. That leaves half a year without fresh squeezed Florida orange juice on the shelves. The juice suppliers came up with a solution. Pouring the juice into a large aseptic storage tank and removing the oxygen allows the juice to be stored up to a year without going bad. The problem is that removing the oxygen also removes the flavor. "Flavor packs" are created from the skins of the orange. Essential oils and essences are removed from the skins and put back into the juice prior to bottling. This includes the use of deriving chemicals like ethyl butyrate from the orange skin and using the expertise of fragrance manufacturers to create a juice that tastes the same whether purchased in spring, summer, fall or winter. Think about it. When you juice those oranges at home you usually get a great tasting juice. Go back to the supermarket next week and buy the same oranges and the juice tastes different. Try a different variey and the juice tastes different. Squeeze oranges at home from Florida, California and Brazil and the juice you make tastes different. Read the orange juice box label and you'll often see that the oranges for "NFC OJ" often come from Brazil. Yet that glass of Pure Premium Tropicana or No Pulp Minute Maid and most of the other "Not From Concentrate" juices taste the same month after month year after year regardless of rainy weather,early frost or any other conditions. The use of the flavor packs also allows the manufacturers of the juice to market a consistent, preferred taste. Yes, just like the tomato soup and the fast food burgers.


Interestingly, the orange peel does include healthy nutrients, like anti-oxidents, fiber, vitamin C and pectin, but whether the addition of the peel is helping us is assuming we are not consuming additional pesticides in the peel. Since the major juice manufacturers do not like to address the flavor pack issue and the FDA does not require the listing of the chemicals derived from the skin (because technically all of the ingredients come from oranges) we do not currently know if the flavor packs affect the nutritional value of what we buy at a premium over the cost of the frozen juice from concentrate. I do think the public should be aware of the process and keeping the public in the dark is at least a deceitful type of practice allowed at this time under rules of the FDA. Again, we can look back at my Mom's observation from forty something years ago and realize that "something is being done" to our food supply.

To be continued...Next, that Dorito thing.