Pregnancy and Chiropractic -

I have just recently read an article from Empowher.com - Pregnancy and Chiropractic - It caught my attention first because it mentions one of my teachers - Dr. Lederman, a prenatal chiropractor.  But it brings up a great topic that not many people know about.  Like the article states - most women go through pain and discomfort thinking that is just a part of normal pregnancy - unaware that it doesn't have to be that way.  In addition, several women, too many women, think of and have experienced a long, difficult and painful delivery.  This too does not have to be, but it has so commonly become the norm, leading many to believe it is simply the traditional passage of child birth.  Articles as this one and many others need to be shared to help educate and provide better options.  The article makes the statement that "There are no contraindications for using chiropractics during a pregnancy." - but I feel it should have made a stronger stance in prenatal health and state that every pregnant women should not be without a chiropractor.  It is a bold statement, but one I stand by - using some statements from this article and a few others,  I will explain why prenatal chiropractic care is so vital.

1. Nausea control - Nausea is one of the first symptoms of pregnancy and often experienced by a majority of women during pregnancy, ranging from mild morning sickness to months of bed ridden sickness.  Usually there is very little a medical doctor can do to provide relief.  However, sometimes an adjustment can help with the symptoms.  But even beyond the adjustment, prenatal specialized chiropractors are aware of natural ways to help.  Taking some notes myself - I have recorded a few helpful tips.  One is to make sure to eat first thing in the morning something light, usually a smoothie that is easy on the stomach.  Often things with ginger or papaya can help.  We've tried several things with our third child, my wife experiences terrible sickness, and the only thing that brought relief for her was natural papaya juice.  It wasn't her favorite, but it just shows how uncomfortable nausea can be for several women and how much they will do to find relief.

2. The ability of laying on stomach - This is such a simple thing, but for a pregnant woman it is so relieving.  Through special tables or pregnancy pillows, a woman in pregnancy can lay face down.  These tables are used for the adjustment which is more comfortable for the woman, but just laying face down for several minutes can be just as therapeutic for a pregnant woman.

3. Reduce back, joint and neck pain -  Whether you like it our not, your body is going to change during pregnancy.  Weight gain, abdominal protrusion, and postural imbalance can bring about uncomfortable pain.  With muscle tightness, ligament laxity, and the body's adaption to the extra weight, the lower back increases in it's curve creating jamming, irritation, and muscle soreness.  These imbalances often result in neck tightness and pain.  As much of a miracle the body can be during pregnancy - it often can allow for dysfunction in the body and joints. I know for my wife, on our third child (the third wasn't easy) she began to feel incredible hip pain.  Within months of finding out she was pregnant - her ligaments had already adapted and prepared for pregnancy become relaxed and loose.  Unfortunately this allowed for instability of the hip joints causing recurring pain.  The question is - What would the medical field could have done?  Nothing - there was nothing a medical doctor beyond pain killers could have done.  But with chiropractic care, with adjustments of the hip and back, she was able to experience pregnancy with mild pain every once in a while.  This is simply just an example of Dr. Lederman's statement on women being so uncomfortable in pregancy, stating it's “sad people think that’s how pregnancy has to be."

4. Reduces delivery time - The article states that women under chiropractic care experienced a 24% shorter delivery time on their first pregnancy than women who did not receive chiropractic care.  Also a 39% shorter delivery time for women under chiropractic care for their second and third pregnancies.  The key is to allow the process to occur natural is it was intended to be.  Too often, women are not in perfect balance, are not in perfect position creating a more difficult and painful process.  The epidural is given to help relieve the pain, but it relaxes the muscles in result - which is contradictory to what is needed to naturally push the baby, creating a more prolonged birth than what is necessary.  A 24% and 39% shorter time -  I'm sure every woman in pregnancy would enjoy that.

5. Prevents ceasarian deliveries -  As great as how much the medical field has advanced, to create the ability of a medical emergency delivery, this is a prime example of the unnecessary medical intervention.  It may be more my opinion, but with legalities and lawsuits these days - doctors don't take any chances.  As great as it is to provide a medical delivery in a complication - it is my opinion that 90% of ceaserians are unnecessary.  I've experienced one myself with my first child.  Uneducated in things, I was just happy to hold my beautiful, healthy child.  I don't really know if there was something that could have been done in that situation - but knowing what I know now - I wish I had that opportunity to find out. I have no complaints from that experience, but it is not a situation I would want to put my wife in again. There are thousands of delivery complications that occur.  However, in my opinion, most of these complications are induced.  The position a woman is put in to deliver a baby may be the most anatomically incorrect position.  It is easy for the doctor, but it narrows the pelvic region and creates a narrowed, unnecessary path for the baby to come through.  Often caesarians are done due to stress on the baby.  A narrow pelvic region, pressure on a baby, and creating induced labor when the baby is not ready all can create stress - And if there is any abnormal position of the baby - the doctor is unlikely to proceed.  Through chiropractic care - these complications are limited.  The pelvic is balanced, creating an optimum pathway for the child.  Allowing for the baby to proceed when ready reduces stress and complications.  Being in balance provides necessary muscle contractions to bring a safe and uncomplicated delivery.  And if a baby is mal positioned - chiropractic care can provide help, using a technique that provides optimal room in the uterus, allowing the baby to turn in the necessary position.  According to the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics - using the webster technique in chiropractic care - they had an 82% success rate at turning breeched babies.  It's as simple as providing the necessary room to turn - 82% success - How is chiropractic care not utilized?

6. Allows for a more healthy, uncomplicated delivery - I think I have already covered the benefits of limited complications, but chiropractic provides great benefits to provide a healthy outcome.  I had heard one time a mother say she was worried about how she was eating, eating out all the time, and so she asked her doctor in which her doctor replied - you don't need to change anything, your diet doesn't really matter.  Seriously? I know that's just one bad moment, but I can only imagine the other ignorant statements that are made out of lack of knowledge - but yet these doctors are suppose to be our health care providers.  My wife was told before that taking Vit. C only does so much and there's no need to take it, and also told that most multi-vitamins out there aren't great and she might as well just take flintstones.  I'm not tearing down doctors - I am only showing that they just aren't taught the importance of true health.  Unfortunately, they just don't know.  But we need to be aware of that - Nutrition and exercise is so vital in pregnancy.  With conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure that can so easily occur and create issues, we need to do better to make sure people are aware.  Proper nutrition not only keeps the mother healthy and in good balance - but also provides the important nutrients for the growing baby.  It is just in recent years that we have understood the importance of proper vitamins that play a key role in the development of a human child.  It is important to find proper care, chiropractic or wherever, that will provide the necessary information to begin a healthy pregnancy from the start

7. Allows for a more healthy, well born baby -  Again, proper nutrition plays a key role in the development of a healthy child.  Folic acid is needed for nerve development.  Vit. B12 is necessary for nerve function and blood cell count.  Iron, Calcium, and several other minerals are essential along with Vit C, D, E and all the Vit. B's which are all recommended in a good prenatal multi-vitamin.  Keeping balanced will also provide a healthy birth.  Birth is traumatic - for the mother and for the baby.  Stress and complications can occur if risks are not limited.  Also understanding the nature of the mother-child natural bond plays a significant role.  One thing I wish I had known and wish we had requested was for the new born child, before anything, to be placed skin on skin with the mother.  That bond is necessary to be placed as soon as possible - creating a social-emotional healthy relationship of the mother with her new born child.  There is no replacement for such thing.

I have tried to provide helpful information for whoever is willing to listen and take the time to read - which I hope you will look further into the option of a natural prenatal care.  With all this information provided, I hope one can agree with me that any woman either pregnant or have any desire to one day be pregnant should not be without chiropractic care.  How vital it is - not only for the mother - but for the expected child.  I understand the tradition in this country - the medical system has set up convenient hospitals.  However, the only convenience is for the doctors.  They put you in an uncomfortable bed ridden position, poke and prod, monitor you only to make you think and worry if everything is okay, send in fifteen different people doing different things so you don't know what is going on - only to have the doctor realize he needs to be home for dinner and you aren't close to delivery so he orders for you to be induced to speed up the process creating distress to the baby finally resulting in a caesarian surgery neglecting your wishes of a natural, healthy birth.  I know there are several care providers who truly care for the patient.  I admire those nurses and doctors truly doing their job.  But the system has failed.  With all the technology and so called education - The United States lacks far behind. In 2011 - it is tied for 38th in Infant Mortality Rate recording 6 infant deaths per 1,000 births.  Also, the United States finds itself 50th in the world on Maternal Mortality Rate recording 24 maternal deaths per 1,000 births recorded in 2008.  These are just deaths, but we are seeing a growing population with child mental issues, neurological issues, and social-emotional health issues.  I reiterate Lederman's words - It doesn't have to be that way!   This is your birth, your child, your moment.  You should have every right and choice to have your wishes of a healthy and natural childbirth.  There are other options out there, either having a home birth or going to a birthing center.  Either way, whether you choose a hospital birth for comfort of mind or to do a home birth  - chiropractic care should be utilized - a part of every pregnancy

Coconut - The New Sweetener On The Market

It may look like brown sugar, it may have a caramel taste, and it may be used in similar ways as regular table sugar.  This new sweetener on the market has made big waves lately - and for good reason.  Coconut Palm Sugar is the new natural sweetener recently discovered to have the lowest glycemic index - even lower than agave or stevia which are both considered diabetic safe.  Dr. Oz just recently presented a segment introducing this new sugar - Doctor Oz - and there are several articles online, but all sharing the same information.  I have searched and the only negative feedback provided is from one website claiming that if we use all our coconuts for sweeteners then there won't be enough coconuts used for coconut oil - tropicaltraditions - which I'm sure is a very minimal concern.

I've made mention before the harms of sugar.  I've heard one physician call it the "root of all evil".  As much as I enjoy a good dessert, or a sweet snack every now and again . . . it is obvious how sugar has infiltrated our society and has caused havoc on our health.  The United States obesity levels continues to rise - even in the midst of a nation-wide concern and countless efforts to reverse it.  An article was just posted by the CDC stating that the daily intake of excess sugars has decreased but remains dangerously high - kids eating about 16% of their total calorie intake - Too much sugar -   It remains unstoppable.

Efforts have been made to create better options.  Unfortunately, a majority of these efforts have made issues worse.  Products such as sucrolose, aspartame, and high fructose corn syrup are not only just as dangerous as regular sugar, but can be even worse.  They are synthetic, refined, and cheap products.  Certainly they have provided a better option - not for consumers - but for companies who use them in their products for a fraction of the cost.  They promote health only to be a facade - a gimick - only in effort to profit off an uneducated health scared nation.

In promotion for natural sweeteners - some have rose above the rest.  Honey, agave, cane sugar, and stevia have created healthier options.  However, each one seems to have limits to their use and fall short either in taste or in practical use.  Honey and cane sugar are unrefined, natural products with some health benefits, but they are still a little high on the glycemic levels.  Agave and stevia have been classed as diabetic safe, but agave use is limited and stevia has lacked in taste.

But now there stands alone a sweetener above all - Coconut Palm Sugar.  Each site I've checked has listed the same health benefits, with no negative effects.  Here are their claims found at ibtimes.com

1. Coconut Palm Sugar is 100% organic, unrefined, and unbleached - Unlike regular sugar, Palm Sugar is natural and unrefined. Regular sugar comes from a natural source, but then is processed and refined becoming a nutrition-less, empty, foreign object to our body.  And in the process it become bleached giving that white color we know so well.  Palm Sugar is a brown color naturally - unprocessed and unbleached

2. It contains no preservatives - This may be the downfall when it comes to companies using natural sugars.  It contains no preservatives so it doesn't have a long storage life.  Refined products, or synthesized products like aspartame has a long storage life making it easier for companies to maintain and keep without worrying about it going bad - which also allows their products to have a longer shelf life - not good.

3. Palm Sugar has a very low glycemic index -  The glycemic index level measures how much your body is aware and reacts to certain levels of sugar in the body.  Having a low glycemic index - it is nearly undetectable in the body.  This is fantastic for diabetics who worry about their blood sugar levels. 

4. Palm Sugar has a slow energy release - I don't know how this happens, but it has been shown that Palm Sugar has a steady release that maintains throughout the day.  This is mainly due to the low glycemic index.  The body hardly detects the sugar levels and so it remains steady and low for longer periods.  With table sugar - the glycemic index is high in which the body reacts quickly to react to the glycemic levels.  Insulin is released to reduce the blood sugar levels and can last for hours afterward, turning high blood sugar into a quick low blood sugar level, thus creating those well known sugar crashes.  The result of table sugar are periods of highs and lows throughout the day, creating havoc on our physiology, cognition, and appetite.

5. Palm Sugar contains several beneficial vitamins - These days almost everything promotes being nutritionally beneficial, trying to get a sale.  You kind of have to take it with a grain of salt.  Cereals claim to be fortified with vitamins and minerals when in reality they have very little which have no real benefit. And just as I was typing this up, I just found an article stating that Splenda - an artificial sweetener using sucrolose - has come out with a new product called Splenda Essentials.  Just the name alone claims that Splenda is a necessary and vital product to sustain life which is quite false in of itself - but even more so - it now claims to be an essential form of vitamins, antioxidants and fiber - Yes, those vitamins and amino acids will come in handy when the sucrolose wipes out your digestive tract.  How essential is that -
I have tried to look into this for Palm Sugar but I have not yet found anything on how much nutritional value it truly contains and how beneficial it can be.  However, the claim is that it is richer in vitamins and minerals than any other commercial sweetener, containing zinc, iron, potassium, magnesium, B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6) and vitamin C.  However - one shouldn't look to sugars as a vitamin supplement - It's a little gimmicky - but that's what we got to deal with.

If the reports remain to be accurate - Coconut Palm Sugar may be the superhero we've all been waiting for to save as from the grasp of the evil sweeteners.  A product that is diabetic safe, has a sweet caramel taste, and comes in a crystallized form which can be used in similar fashion as regular sugar.  I believe sugar has finally met its match.  I don't like to promote things without trying it first, but this seems almost too good to be true.  I still plan on trying it - if I can find it - in which I will share.  But if the claims are accurate - there should be a complete shift in how we view and use sweeteners.  Not that we should consume it by the pound like we do with other sweeteners.  We still have a responsibility as consumers to know what we are putting into our body and make wise decisions. But maybe, once and for all, we have found a way to conquer this sugar crisis.

Medical Care Is Not Health Care

For all my awesome blog readers (Yes, all 5 of you) I am back - and hopefully with bigger and better things. It has been a while, but things are well. I am done with all my class work and have been so patiently waiting to enter into the clinics. After a month of loopholes known as CSA testing, I have now become INTERN Devereux. Not being in the class room, as awesome as it sounds, has left me with limited ideas of what to post. Due to several pleas, I have attempted to keep this blog going. I definitely need to keep my eyes and ears more open to things, but there are some great things out there to share. I will be more diligent in doing so. So . . . on with the show!

I don't think I will write much this time - simply due to the fact this is my first time using my iPad to write this and typing on here is not so easy. I have spent some time looking for ideas, and I literally stumbled upon an article the other day. It is from another blog at kevinmd.com  -  It is a social media site for health care providers to post their blogs. This article was from an MD with an interesting perspective. However, he is not this holistic doctor like Dr. Mercola or Dr. Oz. I spent some time looking through his other posts, and found myself in constant disagreement. Which makes this particular article even more interesting. His post is titled "America has a medical system not a health system"

This title, from an MD himself, is very interesting. This statement alone creates a barrier between medical care and health. He introduces this right from the beginning, stating that even though we have the latest technology, the latest research, the best trained doctors and the most money available in this system - the health in this country is below average. How so? He states that the profession does not focus on Health, but rather disease and trauma. If I broke my leg and needed serious attention, I sure hope there's a good doctor on hand to provide care - but if I get sick, feel depressed, or my blood pressure is high - the last place I want to go to is a medical doctor, because HEALTH is not their focus. I have made the case that it iscommonly known that heart disease, cancer and stroke are the most common factors of death and disease in this country. But very little, the medical profession included, know what the causes are for these issues, and more importantly what to do about it. He cited the CDC listing major factors in failing health, I will list the top 5 -
1. Tobacco
2. Poor nutrition
3. Lack of exercise
4. Alcohol
5. Infections

It is my opinion that 90% if diseases are derived from a nutrition deficiency. We are a nutritionally deprived nation. Even the FDA recommended nutritional allowance is just the bare minimum and a majority of this population can't even meet those standards. This also includes, in my opinion, tobacco and alcohol. These two uses have their own health issues alone, but they also play a big part in nutritional deficiency. And addressing the last on the list, infections, is directly related to nutrition as well. The most proven way of fighting off infections and preventing diseases is to boost the immune system. Three major ways to improve your immunity is to eat right! Exercise! And get adjusted to allow the nervous system to communicate to the immune system properly to create necessary function and protection!

Amazing, isn't it. The part that I enjoyed the most is his suggestion of working as a group of medical care providers. See, I could read this article and start blowing smoke, getting mad and saying he has no right to start declaring things that the chiropractic profession has known for over a century. I could ridicule and scoff - but how many patients will that help? I think it is vital that we do work together, to find a common ground, but more importantly use our individual, strengths to provide better care to our patients. What we need is a HEALTH care - not medical care

Thinking Healthy Thoughts

One of my favorite aspects of chiropractic philosophy and being at Parker was the approach to health beyond the physical nature.  My very first month into the program I attended a seminar in which I wrote down a quote, "I didn't go to school to become a doctor; I went to school to learn how to take care of people and being a doctor was the best avenue to achieve that goal" - along with that quote, I recall a speaker emphasizing along side the physical care, we must provide and encourage mental health, spiritual health, emotional health, and social health.  It is not enough to care for someone physically - but in accordance and in balance with all aspects of wellness.  This speaks volumes to me when it comes to the power of the mind.  Candace Pert once said, "The mind is not confined to the space above the neck, the mind is throughout the brain and body."  The mind extends throughout our whole entire body.  The mind influences every aspect of our well being.  The mind is a power of health.  In order to be healthy . . . we must think healthy.

When it comes to the power of the mind, I can't help but mention the name, Earl Nightingale.  I'll try not to dwell too much on his influence, but I do encourage anyone and everyone to look him up, find his message and utilize it in your life.  There is great power . . . to the strangest secret in the world.  In his efforts to find out what made some men successful in life and others fail in their goals . . . he came up with his answer in which he shared with his employees.  In his study he concluded that out of 100 people who began life with goals and dreams, by the end of their career - 95 will not succeed.  What is success?  He defines it as doing something with purpose and doing something you love.  It has nothing to do with money.  A school teacher can be successful if that is what that person enjoys.  A mother can be successful if that is her purpose.  And out of 100 people, only 5% are successful.  What makes the 95% fail?  He states that they lose sight of their goal.  Through fear, laziness, distractions, and excuses . . . several people lose sight of their purpose and Conform.  Why do these people work without a purpose . . . they do so because they have conformed and work just because other people work.  What makes the 5% successful?  It is because they are who they thought they were.  And that is the key, the message, the secret . . . you are what you think.  If you think you are successful, you will be successful.  Because what you think about is what you do and what you do is what will get you where you want to be.

How does this apply to health.  It is a very interesting topic, but if applied if we think about being healthy . . . we will be healthy.  We cannot lie to ourselves nor can we deceive ourselves.  We can't tell ourselves we want to be healthy while eating a whole carton of ice cream.  The real reason you are emptying that ice cream carton is because you truly don't think you can be healthy.  You have given up, you've lost your purpose, you have conformed.  It is time to change all that and truly change your thoughts.  If you want to be healthy . . . you must think healthy.  You must of the power of the mind to heal the body.

There is a branch of medicine recently formed known as Psychoneuroimmunology.  This branch looks how the mind effects and neurology and immunology of the body.  These include the study of Hans Selye and the effects of stress.  But it goes beyond that.  In 1950, a study was conducted with pregnant women given a drug they were told would reduce or get rid of nausea and vomiting, but were actually given Ipecac which induces vomiting.  The vomiting ceased in all women even when the drug was suppose to make them vomit.  Dr. Ader also studied the effects of taste aversion, providing a drug with a certain taste.  Over a period of time, the drug was removed but the taste was still given to the patient.  What he noticed was that the body was still reacting as if the drug was administered.  The mind, believing the drug is still present with the taste, creates the necessary reactions in the body.

With research, concepts, and experiences we see the power of the mind.  This is more than "tricking" the mind.  This is the true application of thought . . . creating health because we think it.  Health is beyond the physical frame.  We must . . .  absolutely must emphasize the balance of all aspects of wellness.  We must have a goal and a purpose and not let anything get in our way.  We must not conform with the rest of society, living the way they are living just because we know no other way.  We must take control of our own mind and destiny.  We must thing healthy thoughts . . . and be healthy

Put A Little Spice In Your Life

I just posted a blog on vitamins and minerals and the importance of supplements.  These vitamins and minerals are the building blocks of life, creating the foundation of our body.  90% of diseases can be traced to a mineral/vitamin deficiency.  If fruits and vegetables are Mother Nature's building blocks for a healthy body - then herbs and spices are Mother Nature's medicine.

Literally - herbs are the precursors to modern day medicine.  Instead if trying to extract, import and produce herbs, modern medicine has studied the chemical structures of these agents, created ways to reconstruct their own in a lab, modify it if necessary and mass produce them for a fraction of the price.  Unfortunately, this process does not have as great of effect with all the created side effects.  But mainly, herbs and plants can have the same powerful effect . . . but has been pushed to the wayside and deemed as "foke lore"

Here I wanted to share 10 of the most common herbs and spices used for cooking and their benefits.  They are the more common herbs and spices we can easily find in our kitchen.  Too often we simply add salt for flavor.  Salt used to be a necessary item for preservation, but is now being overused.  They even add salt to hide the rancid flavors of cans sitting on the shelf for weeks.  Before picking up the salt shaker, try some more healthier herbs and spices that bring a better taste to your food and greater health to your body -


Garlic - This is an underused ingredient which can be utilized and cooked with a variety of meals with amazing benefits.

• Mainly an anti-inflammatory agent but also lowers blood cholesterol, stimulates the immune system, and probably is the best chelating agent (buffering agent) against heavy metal toxicity

Ginger - A great spice used mainly in teas for sinus cold and congestion

• Used to treat colds and motion sickness

Cheyenne Pepper -

• An anti-inflammatory agent also used topically to help with arthritis
• Note - can cause gastrointestinal and skin irritation

Nutmeg - not my favorite spice, but has great benefits

• Used as a mood elevator and aphrodisiac (no wonder Christmas time is so merry)
• Can be used to help with asthma, dysmenorrhea, fever, flu or pneumonia
• Note - taken in excess can cause hallucinogenic effects

Cinnamon - I think this may be another underused spice with amazing benefits.  New research is just coming out on what cinnamon can help with like HIV, Alzheimer's, Arthritis and Cancer

• Great benefits in helping regulate blood sugar, lowers blood cholesterol and the aroma improves brain function and memory

Curry - Curry is actually a mix of spices.  The three main spices used are Turmeric, Cumin, and Coriander

• Turmeric  - An anti-inflammatory agent that helps reduce pain.  New research shows that it inhibits cancer cell development.  Also an antioxident
• Cumin - Helps with digestion and is also anti-carcinogenic and anti-fungal
• Coriander - This is the aged seed of the Cilantro plant and is a great chelating agent for heavy metals

Oregano - One of my favorite pizza herbs

• Antioxidant and antiseptic

Basil - Another pizza herb, but can be used in so many types of dishes.  Like many of these, so much better used fresh

• Antioxidant and antiviral

Parsley -

• Filled with many necessary vitamins and minerals and is antibacterial
• Note - may induce labor in pregnancy if consumed in excess

Thyme - A spice from the mint family that is great to use for seasoning

• An anti-inflammatory agent and anti-carcinogenic
• A powerful antiseptic - used in Melaleuca cleaning products

I just used herbs and spices used for cooking because that is the easiest way to use them and they are more commonly to be found in every home and kitchen.  There are hundreds more herbs with powerful effects that can help treat and protect the body.  I have listed the more common herbs in an earlier post -Remedies - which can help when there are specific conditions of concern.  I hope this helps. Sometimes we get caught up and are trained in just adding salt to put taste in our food.  Go ahead, but a little spice in your life

The Real Need For Vitamins

What is the deal with vitamins?  That's always been my thought.  I've never really been a pill taker, whether its drugs or supplements.  I've never felt the need . . but more importantly, I never really knew the need.  The history of vitamins is an interesting one.  I've sure many of us have heard of the story of sailors getting scurvy which in the mid 1700's was discovered that scurvy was helped out by eating lemons and limes.  Even though at the time they did not know what was in these citrus fruits, they just knew that certain foods helped with certain conditions.  This discovery led to a whole new world of micronutrients.

The first discovered micronutrient was Vitamin B1 also known as Thiamine.  Each new vitamin has been added to the list given letters corresponding with their time of discovery.  We now have Vitamins A - K, all an important part of our diet and health, along with minerals.  Vitamins and minerals are essential because we cannot produce them on our own (except for Vitamin D which acts more like a hormone, and also Vitamin K which can be produced by bacteria in our gut flora).  The true discovery is that if we are deficient in any of these, a whole array of health problems will occur.  Likewise, if we supply ourselves with enough certain vitamins or minerals we will surely see these health problems disappear.  Linus Pauling, a two-time Nobel Prize winner, stated, "You can trace every sickness, every disease and every ailment to a mineral deficiency."

All these essential vitamins and minerals are found in the natural foods we eat.  But that brings up my question. Humans have been eating food for thousands of years without needing supplements, so why do we now need to take extra vitamins in our diet today?  I would like to share with you three real needs for vitamins and minerals in our diet today.

1. We Choose Not to Eat Nutrient Rich Foods - This is the sad reality, but we are not Choosing to eat the right foods.  According to CDC, only 14% of adults and only 9% of teens are eating the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables.  Only 14%!  And that's only the recommended servings which is the minimum, which is just barely enough to prevent deficiencies.  We aren't even getting the minimum.  Our plate should be at least half vegetables and fruits - and reports show that on any given day 46% don't even eat one fruit, and 18% don't even eat one vegetable.  Hopefully taking vitamins and minerals can help with these deficiencies.  What is to blame? A little bit is the food pyramid, or the "My Plate" education.  This has focused generally more on grains than anything, with little emphasis on fruits and vegetables.  Part of the blame goes towards processed food and fast food filling our foods with sugar and fats that have little to no nutritional value.  But the real blame is ourselves.  We make these choices.  We are not properly educated, we are not adequately informed and we are bombarded by thousands of unhealthy choices . . . but it all comes down to our choice.  Some say that eating healthy is expensive.  Look around.  Look at the cars we drive, the gadgets we carry, the clothes we wear, the computers we use, and the events and entertainments we attend.  Our body is more important than any of these, and we can't even make the priority to treat it the right way.  We have chosen to fail our own health.  When we are in the hospital with disease, our clothes are going to be in our closets, our car in the driveway, and our TV sitting in our living room.  They will all be there while our health is failing because we have made that choice.  I think we, in general, need to make better priorities.
2. We Live In A Processed World - There is a list of changes in our diet over the last few decades.  The key words that pop out are Refined and Processed.  Refined simply means to take out all nutrients.  We have refined sugar, flour, rice and other items.  These are nutrition-less products that are simply empty calories which provide no nutritional benefits and can do our body great harm.  Processed means that things have been added or has been chemically changed.  Again, we have processed sugar, flour, and rice.  This is the difference between white and brown rice, or white and wheat flour.  These "white" products have been processed and refined.  It has been chemically changed, making it foreign to our body and thus can create harmful reactions.  Some products are processed for preservation.  This is done by either adding salt, saturated fats, or other additives that are harmful to our health.  But this is the world we live in.  We want food now.  Companies need to process their foods to be able to meet the demands.  They replace natural products with processed foods which lack nutrition. A beef burrito may not even be real beef, and yet has a hundred other additives to make it at least taste good. Companies choose alternative products because they are cheap and inexpensive.  They gamble your health for their profit.
3. A Depleting Soil - This is the topic I truly wanted to discuss.  Soil is soil, right?  Well, not exactly.  I found that out just recently as I tried to grow a small garden in our backyard, and nothing grew.  The soil was absolutely no good.  But this is a reality for the whole world.  In the last century the increasing populations have put a high demand on crops.  The increasing demand has depleted value in the soil.  This led to the introduction of synthetic soil.  It was an idea that solved the problem temporally.  Over time, the artificial soil has created a more acidic environment, reducing the value of the soil over all.  Pesticides and herbicides have also been introduced, harming the soil.  The plants and crops grown reflect the soil it is planted in.  If the soil is depleted in vitamins and minerals, the plant will then also be deficient.  The reality is since 1940, the value of nutrition in vegetables has decreased by about 30-40%, even as high as 76% and in fruits has decreased in nutritional value by about 20%.  The natural foods we eat today are not the same that our ancestors ate centuries ago.

It is becoming grossly apparent we are deficient in the essential nutrients that we need.  We are seeing our own "scurvy" scourge with the numerous diseases and ailments we see today.  But it can be prevented.  We need to make better choices and eat more natural, nutrient rich foods. But the need of supplementing vitamins and minerals is growing and unavoidable.  I've not saying to take every little pill.  We must first get our nutrients by the foods we eat.  Afterwards, we must be aware of the nutrients we are more deficient in, to supplement them, that we may avoid any costly and harmful effects.  I wish I had more time to discuss more in depth of which vitamins to take, but I encourage everyone to make the small and simple steps of eating healthier and taking a good multi-vitamin.  There is a real need for Vitamins for us today

Sweet As Sugar

I have made a few mentions in other posts concerning sugar and sweeteners however, in my effort to find alternatives I found a pretty good list of sugar alternatives to either stay away from or are natural and good to use in replace of regular table sugar.

So what is the big deal about sugar? When I say "sugar", I mean the white granulated table sugar we purchase and commonly use in our cooking.  Sugar is a processed and refined form of sucrose taken from a variety of natural sources.  Simply when something is refined - it pretty much means that all nutrients are taken out and when something is processed it means that it has been changed chemically. The natural sugar has been turned into an empty (nutrition-less) calorie that is frankly foreign to the body.  Sugar is a simple carbohydrate which has many effects

• Increases Triglycerides
• Promotes Dysglycemia
• Suppresses Immune Function
• Promotes Nutritional Deficiency
• Feeds Pathogens
• Promotes Cavities
• Increases Uric Acid
• Increases Blood Pressure
• Increases Cholesterol - Decreases HDL

All those are terrible effects, but what does this all mean?  Stats show that in 1750 the average person consumed 6-8 pounds of sugar per year, in 1950 the average person consumed about 120 pounds of sugar per year.  That's a dramatic increase.  Today, the average person consumes 170 pounds of sugar a year.  The reality of it all is this is the same pattern of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and ADD/ADHD - all diseases or conditions that have inclined in the last couple decades.  It is no coincidence.

Sugar is an inflammatory agent that creates harmful reactions within our body.  Usually these are small effects, but with the increase of consumption - all the little reactions adds up to a gigantic problem.  Sugar increases triglycerides and increases LDL cholesterol levels which develops into atherosclerosis and heart disease. Sugar is a preferred substrate utilized by cancer cells, promoting cancer growth.  It also decreases immune function which prevents regulation of the cancer cells.  But most importantly may be a factor in causing cancer.  The refined sugar is an empty substance to which when is broken down in our body is basically waste.  Our body has several ways to rid of waste, however, when we have more waste than we can get rid of, our body has to store it somewhere.  This waste product is stored in fat cells - thus creating more fat cells which increases obesity risks.  But this is more than just a weight issue.  These new fat cells now contain toxic and harmful waste in which if accumulated can create defective and cancerous cells.  Diabetes is an obvious concern with simple sugar consumption.  Not only does sugar increase our blood sugar levels, but fat cells can create resistance to insulin.  ADD is also an up and coming issue in our society.  There are many issues when it comes to ADD or ADHD, however sugar is surely a component.  When we intake sugar, insulin is released to reduce blood sugar levels.  What people don't realize is that insulin stays in our system for hours clearing out the sugar in our blood that can deplete our body of all energy sources making one hypoglycemic which often effects our attention and thinking processes.  As a society we feed our kids cereal, juice, pancakes, muffins, or other sugary substances - overloading their system - and send them off to school where they are wired and energized, but are forced to sit in desks all day and than after several hours the kid gets a crash when the insulin has depleted all sugar levels and now can't concentrate or pay attention - and now we have an ADD kid.  Fantastic

Sugar is no harmless substance - and for decades we have tried to come up with alternatives to avoid these harmful effects.  There are some great natural sources, but there are also some synthesized forms in which need to be avoided.  Here is a helpful list of Sweeteners to know what is a good alternative to use.  To quickly forewarn - when I say "good" alternatives doesn't mean we don't need to limit ourselves.  Too much of anything is too much -

Sweeteners to Avoid -

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup - If sugar is harmful, then High Fructose Corn Syrup is 2x worse.  Also known as corn syrup or corn sugar - the claims of being a natural source is absolutely false.  It has the same effects of table sugar, but magnified.
2. Aspartame - This is an artificial sweetener found in NutraSweet, Equal, and Canderel.  This synthesized sweetener is an excitotoxin or neurotoxin.  This chemical excites the nerves in our body (mainly in the brain) and makes it rapidly fire until it burns out.
3. Neotame - This is the magnified version of Aspartame - another excitotoxin
4. Sucralose - This is a synthesized compound commonly known as Splenda.  This chemical when broken down releases Chlorine ions which kills the bacteria in our gut.  This chemical causes dysbiosis of the gut which if accumulated can create indirectly a whole mess of issues.  Never mess with the gut.
5. Acesulfame K - Also known as Acesulfame Potassium, Ace-K, or Sunett which is often found in Sweet One or Sweet & Safe (safe? ironic)  The issue is that this product has very little or improper testing.  It is known to contain the chemical Methylene Chloride which is a carcinogen (cancer causing) and has many effects on the body, but the FDA doesn't think that it is necessary to do more research - really?
6. Saccharin - This is considered a carcinogen compound, however, the FDA has for some reason decided to remove any warning of harmful effects.  There have been several reports of allergic reactions as well
7. Cyclamates - To be honest - the effects of cyclamates have been debated.  There has been research shown to cause stomach cancer and there has been research to refute it.  Cyclamates is used in 55 countries, but is banned in the United States.  I shrug my shoulder on this one - no clue

Natural Sweeteners To Use

1. Stevia - This comes from the Stevia plant and is a natural source.  It can come in powder form or in liquid.  My experience with Stevia is that it doesn't take much to make things sweetened, just a drop or two, but the taste is lacking.  It is becoming a popular choice however for an alternative due to the fact that it is safe for diabetics - look at the link for a list of other diabetic safe sweeteners
2. Evaporated Cane Juice - The name is a little confusing as ECJ is a granulated crystal and not liquid.  It is extracted from sugarcane and is a great alternative to sugar, especially brown sugar
3. Fruit Juice - Just good old fruit juice - yum
4. Rice Syrup - Derived from cooking rice with enzymes - Brown rice has a lower glycemic index
5. Honey - Raw Organic Honey is a great substitute for sugar, especially in baking and cooking.
6. Licorice Root - This is the only natural source that has a toxicity level, however, licorice root is also used for a variety of things such as alternative medical uses so using as a sweetener, the toxicity levels is not an issue
7. Amasake - This is a Japanese form of rice syrup, using koji to break down and ferment rice
8. Vegetable Glycerin - Glycerin is a natural component to oils and fats that gets broken down in our body into Amino Acids.  It is a colorless and odorless liquid with a sweet taste used in a variety of products
9. Maple Syrup (without added sugar) - Raw, organic, or molasses is the best form.

I hope this list helps.  I don't mean to begin with a fearful intro, however, it is necessary these days to be aware.  The first step is to check ingredients and see what is being used - even if you don't think sugar is in it, it most likely is or one of those other artificial sweeteners.  Even drug companies use sweeteners  Why do companies use artificial sweeteners when there are natural sources? Simply, it's cheaper to use artificial sweeteners.  Check labels.  Also, read the package or box.  If it says diet, sugar free, or other word play - that is the hint that artificial sweeteners are used.  Most importantly, it all starts in the home.  Just cooking at home dramatically decreases sugar intake, but we can do better and create recipes with these natural alternatives.  Grab the raw honey next time you are at the store and give it a try - your body will thank you