Dr. Evan Gwilliam

There are a lot of stretches out there.  This is one I like.

Like video instruction?

take a look at this one: http://drgwilliam.com/2009/12/21/breathing/

or this one: http://drgwilliam.com/2009/12/04/sleep-better/

The subtitle for this book is “The Path to Permanent Weight Control and Optimal Health”.  The author is Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen, who is, among other things, the co-founder of Take Shape for Life.  Some of you may have heard of this highly successful program, largely known for helping people lose weight.  If you want specific help with these things you can talk to Susan here at Camas Chiropractic Center 360-834-3434 (she is a Certified Health Coach with this program www.shrinkandbemerry.com).  Basically she does all of the stuff I will review below and she has been trained to help you implement it.

Of course, I want you to read this too.  I did, after all, read a whole book just for you.  As you may already know from my first book review, this is not all inclusive.  What I like to do is weed out the stuff I have heard before and just highlight the action steps and suggestions that are interesting, innovative, or critical (in my opinion).  I try to be objective, in my own biased sort of way.  I may not agree with these ideas either.  I just report on ‘em.  That said, here we go…

One of the reasons I chose this book is because, not only is it really good, but it disagrees with some of the stuff I read about in If It’s Not Food, Don’t Eat It.  I like a little controversy.  For my summary of that book, look here.  The first third of this book is all about why you should be healthy, how to get motivated, setting goals, and so on.  I like to skip that stuff and get right to the meat and bones.  He does, however, have some “do-it-yourself” quizzes that you help you figure out just how messed up you are.  They take in way more than just nutrition, though that is the primary focus of this book.

We start with weight loss:

• the typical western diet keeps us from losing weight.  Highly processed, energy dense, high-glycemic foods cause blood sugar to spike, which makes insulin spike, which makes blood sugar tank, which makes you hungry.  Then you turn to the same low quality food and the process starts over.  I call it “the insulin roller coaster“.  When insulin spikes it tells your body to store up all that sugar from your blood in your gut, or thighs, in the form of fat.  This concept is really key to this book.
• “Three square meals a day” is a bad way to live your life.  A big key is to consume six small, low-glycemic meals (to stay off of the roller coaster).
• PCMR or Portion-Controlled Meal Replacements are medically formulated, pre-packaged, fortified, protein mixtures that can become an integral (and well-documented) part of a long term healthy eating system.  (this is where Medifast comes in–see Susan’s link to learn more)
• PCMRs, along with lean meat and lots of veggies can put the body into a safe, effective fat burning state, so you lose weight, and fast.
• A typical day might look like this: 7AM-PCMR oatmeal, 10AM-PCMR chocolate shake, 1PM-PCMR beef stew, 4PM PCMR chocolate crunch bar, 7PM-6 ounce grilled chicken, 2 cups of salad, 10PM-PCMR banana pudding.
• Best protein (the key is lean):  Fish-cod, halibut, tilapia.  Meat/poultry-buffalo, deer, turkey.  Meatless- egg whites, egg beaters, boca burger.
• Best fats and oils:  canola, flax seed, olive, low-carb salad dressing.
• Best Vegis (the key is low carb): collards, romaine, celery, cucumber, radish, sprouts.
• Best snacks: 3 celery stalks, 1 sugar free popsicle, 1/2 cup sugar free jello, 3 pieces sugar free gum or mints, two dill pickle spears.
• Commentary:  So here is one fundamental difference between this book and the last one I read.  Here the ultimate decision maker is what a food does to your blood sugar.  The other felt that whole, natural food is supreme.  Here we use artificial sweeteners freely–since they show negligible impact on blood sugar.  The other says artificial is a form of poison.  Which is right?  You decide.
• Other tips: During the weight loss phase of this program:  eat one PCMR every three hours, drink tons of water, eat slowly, call your coach (like Susan), limit caffeine (I never touch the stuff myself), avoid alcohol (I never touch this stuff either), keep a journal.

There is more to this, but basically the idea is that your body can get by on a lot less calories so that you can burn the excess calories you have stored up as fat.  I did this for about 8 weeks and I lost 20 pounds.  Theoretically you have all the nutrients you need from the PCMRs and lean and green meal.  Your body gets off the insulin roller coaster and learns to not store up fat.

• Meals should be divided up like this:  50% vegetables and fruit, 25% protein, and 25% starch.  Forget the food pyramid.
• Fit it all on a 9 inch plate to keep your portions small.
• Dark Green:  these tend to be the lowest glycemic foods, so they are best for weight loss and optimal health.
• Fresh is better than frozen, canned, or in a jar.  Natural is better than processed.
• Shop the outer edge of the supermarket–avoid the processed foods.
• Organic is better–if the PLU bar code sticker on produce has five digits, and begins with the number 9, it is organic.

This gets me about a hundred pages in.  I consider myself fortunate if you read this much, so I will stop here for now.  Part 2 (and maybe 3) will cover more food choices, supplements, exercise routines, and more.  I bet you can hardly wait.  I hope you find this stuff useful.  Please comment below.

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.

One of my younger patients

At the ripe old age of two months McKenna (name changed to protect her from the paparazzi) was a colicky baby.  She cried from 6PM to 10PM every night.  And this was not just ordinary crying, it was screaming bloody murder.  Needless to say, this caused a lot of stress for her parents and three older siblings.  In fact, her mother was at a party and a guest came up to her amidst all the screams and asked a simple question:  “Have you considered chiropractic?”  This one question changed her life.

Per the pediatrician’s instruction, McKenna’s parents had given her mylicon drops and gripe water.  They tried to sit her up when she ate, they walked and comforted her, but nothing seemed to help.  McKenna’s parents had followed all the advice typically given for babies in her situation.  It was time for something different.  Why not?  Who says chiropractic is just for back and neck pain?  Maybe it was time to think outside the box.  Maybe health can be accomplished by working with the body, rather than fighting it’s natural processes with things like medication.

McKenna came in to see me (actually she was carried in), and after a few minutes of testing, it was clear that some joints in her neck and lower back were not moving properly.  In other words, her problems stemmed from the fact that her brain was not getting the messages it needed from her body.  The vertebra of her spine were misaligned and pinching the nerves.  With gentle adjustments and a few other simple procedures the subluxations were fixed.

McKenna’s mom was looking for a miracle.  Within a few visits she became the “perfect baby”.  She no longer cries and she is much more pleasant to be around.  Friends and family now comment on the cute little girl, rather than hiding in the next room to avoid the shrieks.

What else might respond to chiropractic care?

• Nursing problems
• constipation
• abnormal crawl or gait
• ear infections (more on this one in another post later)
• bed wetting
• ADHD
• growing pains
• headache
• chronic coughs
• neck pain
• scoliosis

If you have a question about something not listed above, just call me or click here.  The office number is 360-834-3434.

The bottom line is this:  How long should your child have to wait to get healthy?  No one wants their child to suffer.  By the way, kids usually respond much faster than adults because they have not picked up all the bad habits we have.  The adjustments are gentle and 95% painless.

One more important question:

Is it safe?

In 2008 the prestigious medical journal, Pediatrics, published an article that found only nine adverse events (a.k.a. injuries) related to spinal adjustments to children worldwide over the past 100 years.  No vaccine can match that safety record.

I’ll even check your child for FREE.

Here’s the deal:  I like to reward those who read my posts.  I put a lot of thought into these, and I appreciate those who take a few minutes to learn how to help their families get healthier.  Just call the office (360-834-3434) or drop me a message to schedule, tell us the code word: “BABINSKI” (which proves that you read this post), and I will waive the exam fee, which can range from $50-$85.  If I can help, we’ll put together a plan.  If I can’t, I’ll tell you AND help you find another solution.  There is also a kid’s discount for regular visits.  What do you have to lose?

As a routine part of the history taking process with my patients I ask: “Do you get headaches?”  I frequently get this response:  ”Only the normal ones.”  To this I ask, “What is a ‘normal’ headache?”  Maybe it is normal to not have a headache at all.

And then, there are those who feel that the cause of their headache must be lack of ibuprofen, since the headache is held at bay when two ibuprofen are consumed every six hours.  The truth is, something causes headaches.  The best way to ‘treat’ them is to remove the cause, not just mask the symptoms. There are lots of types of headaches, the ones I see the most are the classic tension headache and the infamous migraine.  I have worked with headache patients as young as seven and as old as you can imagine.

So, I hope you are reading this because you want to know what you can do that does not include opening a pill bottle.  Here is my short list.  Allow me to add this disclaimer first:  these are not for all cases and it is wise to consult with a doctor in person before trying any new protcols.

• Chiropractic:  of course I have to put this on my list.  Based on my own observation I have found that an adjustment will favorably affect 9 of 10 headaches (even migraines).  Of those, about half seem to go away entirely within a very short time.  The connection is simple:  neck bones that are not moving well can contribute to muscle spasms, poor blood flow, and nerve irritation.
• Ice:  some headaches have a more direct link to blood flow and these will often respond well to the placement of an ice pack at the base of the skull for 10-15 minutes.  The cold will constrict the blood vessels, which can decrease the throbbing sensation often associated with headaches.  You can double this one up with the next one.
• Roll up a towel:  many tension type headaches are accompanied by some tight and unhappy muscles in the neck and upper back.  If you lay on your back, with a towel rolled loosely under your neck it may give your muscles a break while keeping your neck in a neutral position.  See my pillow tips here.
• Acupuncture:  I am not an acupuncturist, but I know it works and I know several really good ones.  Call my office at 360-834-3434 and I would be happy to give you some names.
• Massage:  This can compliment the chiropractic adjustment really well.  A good therapeutic massage will increase blood flow to grumpy muscles, drain lymphatic toxins, and it usually feels great.  If you read this far, call to schedule a massage and adjustment and I will give you a $10 credit.
• Only eat food:  I just started reading a great book called “If its Not Food, Don’t Eat It”.  If you put sugar water in your car it might start to have problems, right?   Your body can react the same way to many things that you eat, but shouldn’t be.  Lots of different ‘pseudofoods’ can trigger headaches.  Some big offenders include caffeine, alcohol, red meat, chocolate, aspartame, and the list goes on.  Watch out for processed food loaded with stuff you can’t pronounce–these can send your body on a downward spiral to many chronic health problems.
• Exercise:  This is an answer to just about any health related problem.  Not only does it reduce emotional stress, but if you strengthen some postural muscles, you can reduce the chances of getting a lot of muscle tension type headaches.  Call me and I will teach you some good postural exercises.  Later I will probably post a video with a demonstration.
• Laser: read all about it here.

Hope this helps!

Erchonia PL5 (Low Level Laser)

Low Level Laser Therapy has been used by medical doctors in Europe for over thirty years and was FDA approved in the U.S. in 2002.  The patients in the FDA study got better 60% faster.

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.

What kinds of conditions can respond to this modality?

Neck Pain/Whiplash                                 Sprains/Strains

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome                   Fibromyalgia

Arthralgia/Arthritis                                Migraine Headaches

Bursitis                                                             TMJ Pain/Dysfunction

Heel Spurs/Planter Fascitis               Tennis Elbow

Tendonitis                                                     Repetitive Stress Injuries

Nerve Root Pain                                          Back Pain

Wound Healing                                           Chronic Pain Conditions

We always include your first treatment at no extra cost when you get care here.  When you come back on your follow-up I will decide whether or not to recommend more Laser.

To find out more visit www.erchonia.com

Our x-ray suite gives me the ability to look very closely at your spine before you get treatment.  X-ray is a bit of an art form and I take pride in my skills to capture just what I need to help me work with the patient to put together a clear plan of action.  Here is a picture of what you can expect when you are x-rayed at our office.  Since our darkroom is right there, we can have the film in front of us five minutes after it is shot.

Chiropractors differ quite  a bit.  One thing we almost all have in common is that we look for something most of us call a subluxation and the adjustment.  Allow me to define these terms for you.  Keep in mind that these are my definitions and other health professionals or DC’s may have their own.

Subluxation=a misalignment or dysfunction of the spine, resulting in problems.  These problems can vary from pain and stiffness to nerve irritation, leading to symptoms with anything the nerve communicates with.

Adjustment=a method of getting rid the the above mentioned problem.  I usually use a hands on, “Palmer package” approach.  There are other ways to do it which we have available as well.

Chiropractic techniques are the ways I adjust subluxations.  In other words these are some of the choices you have as I put together a plan to get you better.

The manual adjustment.  This involves finding the spot that needs to move and giving it a gentle (and, if necesary, not so gentle) push.  This is the one where things may pop or click.  This is why my step-father, Dr. Albrechtson’s nickname is Crack-a-lacker.

The Thompson Drop Table.  This uses a table with sections that move about an inch.  I get you lined up right and allow the table to do the work.  I wil often use wedges or blocks to help get things moving the right way.

Activator Methods.  This is a very gentle instrument technique.  Nothing pops or clicks and you are not twisted or even pushed in any way.  I follow a different protocol with this approach.  It works remarkably well with people who are touchy or have situations like recent surgery or advanced osteoporosis.

Pettibon technique.  I have attended multiple seminars and read all kinds of materials to familiarize myslef with this advanced structural technique.  It employs some advanced protocols with a focus on function and measurable results.

Rehabilitative procedure.  Adjustments generally focus on the bones, but there are these things called muscles that must be on board for any degree of change to take place.  I use several methods to prepare the body for an adjustment and allow it to accommodate afterwards.

In the 1980’s insurance decided to include chiropractic care in their plans. However, since they held the money, they made the rules. They offered to pay for care for things like back and neck pain. It was pretty well accepted by that time that chiropractic did wonders for those types of conditions. Unfortunately that is not what most early chiropractors delivered. They treated people with health problems like asthma and irritable bowel. It just so happened that the best way to improve the function of the nervous system (which can fix anything it has any control over in the body) is through work with the spine. If your “check engine” light on your car’s dashboard turns on, you would suppose that something may be wrong under the hood. You could then run a diagnostic test and find the cause of the problem. Next you would get to work to fix the transmission, or brakes, or whatever is amiss. On the other hand, you could get that pesky light to go away if you tapped out the bulb with a hammer, or covered it up with electrician’s tape. Unfortunately the cause of the problem would remain unresolved and future problems could be much more costly or even dangerous.If your back hurts, you can put on an icy-hot patch or take four ibuprofen. That might mask the pain. However, I am trained as a doctor of chiropractic to find the cause of the problem. Pain is the “check engine” light of the body. It is a symptom of something else. Removing the symptom is not the same as removing the cause. DC’s remove subluxations, which are misaligments of the spine that can interfere with the function of the nervous system. Removal of these subluxations is critical to optimal health.  Post a comment if you want to know more.  Or email me at DrG@DrGwilliam.com

Back in 1492 there was a man who was seen as revolutionary and a little crazy because he had ideas that were not in agreement with all of the great authorities of the day. He thought that maybe, just maybe, if he sailed West, he might not fall off the edge of the earth. Now, everyone knew that the earth was flat. Those ships that went away had to go somewhere–it is only logical that they went right over the edge. Christopher Columbus decided to go against the grain and step outside the box. As a result, we found out that the earth was round and there was a whole other continent out there.

Western society has groomed us to believe that healthcare is found in the next drug. We are told to get a piece cut out of us if part of our body isn’t working right. Health is not found in the medicine cabinet or under the surgeon’s knife. The person with the most perscriptions is certainly not the healthiest. But many of us still look for the next pill as soon as we get “sick”. We don’t get headaches from low ibuprofen in our blood stream. That is just ridiculous.

Your nervous system controls all that happens in your body, much like the conductor of an orchestra. If every musician (i.e. body part) follows the direction of the conductor, beautiful music (i.e. health) is the result. Chiropractic care is not just about back and neck pain (although it works wonderfully well with these conditions). It is the best way to remove interference to the nervous system, allowing the human body to fix itself.