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.

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!

Sleep is a valuable resource.  Due to the types of problems I see in my office, I am frequently talking about sleep with my patients.  Here are some general tips and a video link with a demonstration.  (Don’t worry, the video is not just me taking a nap).

1. Minimize stress to your spine.  Get it into a neutral position.

• For back sleepers, try elevating your legs.  Place a pillow under your knees.  This can take some stress off the lower back by relaxing your hip flexor muscles.
• For side sleepers, bend your knees and place a pillow between them.  If you can keep your legs parallel to one another, they won’t get a chance to pull on one muscle group more than another.  Make sure that the pillow under your head is roughly the same width as your shoulder so that that your neck is not cranked up or down.  Resist the urge to put your arm under your head–this can put pressure on some sensitive nerves and blood vessels which can cause numbness.
• For stomach sleepers, don’t do it.  I don’t know of a good way to sleep on your stomach.  Sorry.  If you do it frequently, then you’ll just need to call your chiropractor on a regular basis.

2. Create a routine

• regular exercise will put your body into a rhythm, but don’t do it too close to bed time.  This gets the nervous system geared up for more action.
• go to bed a the same time each night
• consider keeping a sleep journal to help identify patterns

3.  Try to sleep on a regular cycle

• your body works on 90 minute cycles during restful sleep.  This means you’ll do better if you don’t wake in the middle of one.  Go for 4.5, 6, 7.5, or 9 hours.

4. Keep a pedestal fan in your bedroom

• first, it is a great source of white noise (ceiling fans don’t work as well for this).  Think of it like a jammer to block out other sounds that might interrupt your rest.
• second, a gentle breeze across your face actually puts your body into a state called “sensory adaptation”.  The constant stimulus will cause your brain to ignore it, thus calming your sympathetic nervous system and enhancing your sleep.

5. Watch what you put into your body

• avoid stimulants like coffee, tea, and soda
• don’t drink liquids too close to bed time–those bathroom trips can be a major interruption
• melatonin, vitamin B, and other supplements can be helpful.  However, it must be customized for each person.  Call me to find out more (360-834-3434)

6. Pick the right mattress and pillow–ready for the secret?

• there is no ’silver bullet’ of mattresses.  everyone must find what works the best for them.
• in general, try to balance comfort with support.  I use a firm mattress with an inexpensive foam egg crate pad on top.
• see the video for the pillow I recommend–if you went to the trouble to read this far, you may simply mention this article to receive $10 off of one of our Tri-Core Pillows.

One of the best ways to injure your back is to twist with a heavy load that is far away from your body.  Then do it over and over again.  Snow shoveling is perfect for this.  The cold weather only complicates things by making your muscles less flexible and more prone to tear.

Here are some ideas on how to shovel smarter:

• warm up first.  See my video on lower back stretches.
• switch sides.  Most of us tend to use our dominant side when doing a strenuous activity.  Let other muscles and joints take turns.  Alternate your stance every few minutes with one foot in front of the other.
• layer your clothing.  That way your muscles can start warm, but you can shed a layer once things get heated up.
• spray your snow shovel with teflon.  If the snow doesn’t stick, it won’t be so darn heavy.
• use a shovel that is about chest high.  This will help you keep your back straighter when shoveling.  Bend your knees.
• don’t throw snow, walk it over to your pile.  Avoid twisting.
• If you can help hit, shovel when it is later in the day.  Spinal disc injuries usually occur in the mornings because there is more fluid pressure in the discs after resting.
• A regular adjustment to the spine from your chiropractor can keep everything moving well and miniminze discomfort too.

Here are a few suggestions: