I like to read. About once each year I read a book that is about nutrition. I like some good suspense/action novels, and I throw in a few business management books too. I am almost done with If It’s Not Food, Don’t Eat It! by Kelly Hayford, CNC. It was recommended to me to by Minda Coombs, a nutrition consultant in here in Camas–www.eatwellbewell.net
- Drink half your body weight in ounces per day (no surprise here), drink filtered, room temperature water.
- Eat fruits alone and on an empty stomach so that it does not get a chance to mess with your blood sugar and you can digest it better.
- Vegetables are the only food that are safe to eat in nearly unlimited amounts.
- Try to eat six different vegetables each day–preferably of different colors.
- Simple carbohydrates like white flour and sugar are fast releasing cause your energy to spike, then drop dramatically. Complex carbs like whole grains, yams, and squash are slow releasing, provide sustained energy.
- Limit meat to 1-3 servings per week (I am not sure how I feel about this one). Cook meat at low temperatures to preserve the nutritional value.
- The best oil is virgin coconut oil. Flaxseed oil is good, but you can’t cook with it.
- Allow 2-3 hours between meals or snacks, and don’t eat for 2-3 hours before bed.
- Don’t drink beverages with food, instead drink 15-30 minutes before a meal, and 30-60 minutes after. This may aid in digestion because saliva and enzymes can be diluted, which can impede proper digestion.
- “Chew your juices and drink your food” meaning slosh juices around so that they mix with saliva, and chew solids until they are completely indistinguishable. This will make the nutrients more available to your body.
- Eat protiens and starches at separate meals to aid in digestion.
- Eat light in the morning, biggest at noon, and nothing after 7PM.
- Eating certain fresh vegetables twice a day, instead of twice a week, can cut the risk of lung cancer by 75%, even in smokers.
- Some studies now show that eggs do not in fact raise LDL (aka ‘bad’) cholesterol.
- Soak nuts overnight (beans too) for easier digestion.
- Eating the same foods over and over can tax the system and deplete enzyme stores, which is how food intolerances can develop
- The most common food intolerances are wheat, dairy, soy, and (darn it) sugar.
- The gluten in wheat makes it sticky, which makes it hard for the body to digest.
- Dairy products are not that great a source of calcium. It is just clever advertising by the “dark side”.
- Soy contains a protein enzyme inhibitor which prevents many nutrients from being properly digested. (The last nutrition book I read talked about how soy is nature’s perfect food, with nearly all of the essential nutrients, in the right proportions. If you look long enough I believe you can find an expert on any view you like.)
- Fermented soy (miso, tempeh, soy sauce) is less likely to cause an allergic response than soy isolates, soybean oil, and pretty much every form of soy that we like to eat.
He comes in for a car accident, but he mentions that he has had 30 years of knee pain following another accident back in the day. So, I aim a shiny red light beam at the affected area for a few minutes. We do this twice and he has complete resolution of his pain. It goes away entirely. *
She came to see me for headaches and neck pain. Somehow we begin to talk about hot flashes associated with menopause. I mention that I just completed some training on Low Level Laser Therapy, and the instructor/doctor talked about using it for menopause symptoms. So, we give it a try. This time I have to change the settings and we point the laser at several different endocrine organs. We found that if we followed this protocol once every couple of weeks, she would remain free from the hot flashes. * A miracle? Perhaps.
Low Level Laser, or 3LT for short, has been around for many years now. They have used it quite a bit over in Europe. The Erchonia laser, which we have at Camas Chiropractic Center, was the first of it’s kind to get FDA clearance. In that study people got better 60% faster. There are lots of variations of these lasers out there. Let me just say that we did not skimp–ours cost us as much as a small car.
It works like this: The laser stimulates a structure within the cell, called the mitochondria, nicknamed the “powerhouse”, to produce more ATP, which is our molecular energy. So with more energy at the cell level the tissues heal faster. There are no known harmful effects to the body (it is also called “cold laser”, as opposed to “hot laser” which is used in surgical procedures to cut tissue). It can stimulate blood flow and tissue remodeling and reset the nervous system. I have used it on bruises, scars, neck pain, headaches, carpal tunnel, arthritis, burns, TMJ, children, old folks, and everything in between.
There are lots more details about how it works. If you want I can email a powerpoint presentation to you. Just know this: it works, and it is safe. Oh, and by the way, it is cheap–at least right now. Normally it is $300 for 12 treatments, or $30 each. We typically will use it on the same visit as an adjustment. To celebrate this blog post, you can now purchase a series of 12 applications for just $150. I think you ought to give it a try. Just call (360-834-3434) or send me a message and tell me that you read this. Feel free to tell others.
*results not typical, but what a great story. This kind of stuff happens all the time.
