Many people are entering marathons, and as a result, a host of sport related injuries can result.  Acupuncture is amazing with regard to healing injuries fast and preventing new injuries from occurring.  Consider the following testimonial:

I’ve struggled with knee pain and shin splints for several years from running and teaching fitness classes.  After a few acupuncture sessions with Nicole Smith, at The Pampered Porcupine, I was able to run the 2010 Surf City Half Marathon pain-free.  She made my training easier; I recovered in no time, and I had no lingering injuries as with previous races.

I’m forever grateful,

Martha Franks

I was a figure skater for 8 years.  My first acupuncture experience was the result of my coach referring me to an acupuncturist for chronic pains I had in many areas of my body.  After years of suffering with these pains, I had finally found something that worked.  Even today, I can still pursue all the sports I wish to, without the pain and risk of injuries, thanks to the small acupuncture needles.

I am now on thumbtack.com.  Is this good?  Hopefully!  More people need to know about the benefits of acupuncture.  Some recent results with various patients include:

• Another patient losing 9lbs in 9 days
• Tremendous results using acupuncture for chemotherapy side effects: increased energy, less brain fog, less sickness
• No more migraines, even around period time
• Completely off of anxiety medication
• No more symptoms of ulcerative colitis and no medications

Why suffer if you don’t have to?

Trust your body to a medical professional you can trust.  Natural healing, optimal health.

If you would like to visit our link on thumbtack, please follow:

http://www.thumbtack.com/Acupuncture-San-Juan-Capistrano-CA/service/138619>Acupuncture</a>

A’s for arthtitis

B’s the bad back

C’s the chest pains

Perhaps car-di-ac?

D is for dental decay and decline

E is for eyesight, can’t read that top line!

F is for fissures, and fluid retention

G is for gas, which I’d rather not mention

H is for high blood pressure – I’d rather it be low

I is for incisions with scars you can show

J is for joints, out of socket, won’t mend

K is for knees that crack when they bend

L is for libido, what happened to sex?

M is for memory – I forget what comes next

N is for neuralgia, in nerves way down low

O is for osteo, the bones that don’t grow!

P is for prescriptions, I have quite a few

Just take this pill and I’ll be as good as new – or so they say

Q is for queasy, is it fatal or flu?

R is for reflux, one meal turns to two

S is for sleepless nights, counting my fears

T is for tinnitus – there’s bells in my ears!

U is for urinary, big troubles with flow

V is for vertigo, that’s dizzy, you know

W is for worry, now what is going around?

X is for x-ray, and what might be found

Y is for another year I’ve left here behind

Z is for zest that I still have my — mind.

I’ve survived all the symptoms, my body’s deployed

And I’m keeping 26 doctors fully employed!

But stop, wait, now I realize -

Drugs are not the answer, they make me worse, I surmise

It’s off to the acupuncturist, for needles and herbs

Boy, after a treatment, do I feel superb!

My body is healing, I am reversing my age

Prevention is the key, to this I am now sage

Now I can look to my retirement years with joy and not dread

For I know I will not be a slave to a hospital bed.

Here are two ingredient lists:

“Food” One:

Enriched wheat flour, reduced iron, “B” vitamins (niacin, thiamine mononitrate (B1), riboflavin (B2), folic acid), sugar, water, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and/or animal shortening (soybean, cottonseed, and/or canola oil, beef fat), whole eggs, dextrose, contains 2% or less of: modified cornstarch, glucose, leavenings (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, monocalcium phosphate), sweet dairy whey, soy protein isolate, calcium and sodium caseinate, soy flour, salt, mono and diglycerides, polysorbate 60, soy lecithin, corn starch, cellulose gum, sodium stearoyl lactylate, natural and artificial flavors, sorbic acid (to retain freshness), FD&C yellow 5, red 40.  Contains wheat, egg, milk, soybeans.

“Food” Two:

Enriched bleached flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), sauce (water, cheese sauce mix [whey, maltodextrin, cheddar cheese {pasteurized milk, salt, culture, enzymes}, modified cornstarch, modified tapioca starch, nonfat milk, natural flavors, enriched flour {wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid}, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, butter {cream, water}, blue cheese {pasteurized milk, salt, culture, enzymes}, spices and spice extractives, citric acid, acetic acid, dried onion, annatto and paprika extract, xanthan gum, malic acid], country gravy mix [creamer {partially hydrogenated soybean oil, corn syrup solids, sodium caseinate, mono and diglycerides, sodium citrate, salt,  dipotassium phosphate, carrageenan, artificial flavor}, modified food starch, wheat flour, salt, rendered chicken fat, whey, chicken broth, onion, maltodextrin, gelatin, spices and spice extractives, hydrolyzed soy protein, torula yeast], vegetable flavor [maltodextrin, sugar, potassium lactate,  flavors, autolyzed yeast extract, lactic acid, citric acid, propylene glycol alginate, wheat flour, succinic acid]), water, smoked chopped ham with natural juices (ham, water, salt, dextrose, sodium phosphates, sodium erythorbate, natural flavoring, sodium nitrite), scrambled eggs (egg whites, glycerin, soy oil, xanthan gum, liquid pepper extract, annatto, natural egg flavoring  [natural glycerin, amino acids and other natural acids]), potatoes, fat free cheddar cheese (cultured skim milk and milk**, water*, modified food starch*, salt, sodium phosphate*, natural flavor*, enzymes, artificial color, sorbic acid  [preservative], lactic acid*, vitamin a palmitate*, *ingredients not in regular cheese, **adds a trivial amount of fat), sugar.  Contains 2% or less of the following: corn meal, dough conditioners (monoglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate, deodorized garlic, ascorbic acid), modified potato starch, nonfat dry milk, palm oil with lecithin, partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening (soybean and/or cottonseed oil, with TBHQ (tertiary butyl hydroquinone) and citric acid added to help protect flavor), salt, spices, yeast.  Contains: egg, milk, soy, wheat.

Can you tell which one is the diet food product and which one is the junk food?  If you look closely, both contain the same ingredients.  How can diet food help you lose weight if they share ingredients with junk food?

The base problem with diet food and diet programs is that their “food” is loaded with chemicals and no nutrition.  In the long run, this is not going to help your health or your waistline.  You want real food.  Yes, real food has calories, but calories your body can use, which will actually help you lose weight.  Don’t be fooled by diet foods.

Check out: www.skinnygenesbook.com for more information.

This is a really great article.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deirdre-imus/on-vaccinations-consider_b_165347.html

She discusses the diseases related to vaccines based on various studies, including autism, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, MS, and asthma.  What most people are not aware of are the many toxic additives that are put in vaccines.  It is always best to investigate when it comes to your health so you can make an informed decision, and not just follow the herd, as they say.

Today I’m going to write about emotional help.  One of my very best friends is helping me with some unexpected issues I have encountered (not health-related).  I have been very stressed out about it.  She told me this: Give the problem two hours of your time for that day, if there are things that you need to do to help solve the problem.  After that, let it go and don’t think of it again.

What a profound statement.  Kristine is battling a deadly disease right now, and her outlook on life is amazing.  I have to reflect about what is important in life, and what may not be pleasant, but is not the end of the world.  You need to do what you can with a situation, but not let it take over your existence.  This can be with anything you have going on.  If it consumes you, then you let the problem win.

I am not saying that no action should be taken on a problem.  Of course it should.  As much as needed and possible.  But sometimes we are limited, or there is another plan in action we are unaware of.  You take the action, mentally, physically, and emotionally, you need to take, and that is all you can do.

Sometimes it can be easier said than done to let a problem go, but I do believe from the standpoints of how it affects the health of our body and also how it affects the power of the universe, it is something we should strive to do.  It’s not easy.  It’s an effort.  But it can be liberating when it is possible to embrace it.

OK, if you haven’t read the post before this one on the high protein diet, read that first.  Here’s the update: I must congratulate my patient for now his entire office is on the healthy nutritional cleansing program I use for my patients!  No more microwaved cheese “chips” or hot dogs!  Yay!  You see, healthy really does work, and is so logical.  I can’t wait to hear all the good and happy testimonials!

I was with a patient last week who had initially come to me with several concerns, one being that he to lose weight, but he also wanted to become a healthier eater.  We may take it for granted that the two should be the same.  He has since lost about 16lbs in 30 days on my program, feels great, and eats a super healthy diet.  He has more energy, recovers from his sport faster, and just plain feels good inside.  

He started to tell me about two women in his office who are looking to lose weight so they started a high protein, no carb diet.  What did their lunch consist of?  Microwaved cheese, so overcooked so that it was crunchy like bread, dipped in cheese!  I thought he was kidding!  As if that wasn’t bad enough, they coupled it with a side of microwaved hot dog.  Can you even believe someone would think this was healthy, or helpful in weight loss?  But the sad thing is, many people eat these high protein diets thinking it is OK.  What they maybe don’t realize is that by eating all that cheese they are eating growth hormones, steroids, and antibiotics, and meat is loaded with the same, along with nitrates, nitrites, and often MSG and dyes.  All of these things promote ill-health and weight gain in the body.  In my new upcoming book I state that there should be no difference in a program that helps you lose weight and a program that helps you eat better.  What good is it to lose a few pounds perhaps but at the same time load your body up with junk, preservative-ridden food, and dead food which has had all the nutrients cooked out of it?  

I’ll never understand why a person could see how another person has lost weight, feels great, is eating healthy, and is making great lifestyle changes would then turn around and choose a program of the complete opposite, like this microwaved cheese one.  Perhaps because it is better marketed?  I don’t know.  But this should be renamed the Quadruple Bypass Diet, or the My Arteries are Screaming for Relief Diet, or the Let’s Dig My Early Grave Diet.  But no, wait, then it probably wouldn’t sell so well.

Many people are under the false impression that carbohydrates are bad for you and make you gain weight.  The truth is, it depends on the carbohydrate.  If it’s refined, bleached, white flour, yeah, that’s no good for you.  But if it’s whole, organic, sprouted grains, organic steel cut oats, a sweet potato – carbs that have retained their integrity as nature created them, these are so good for your body, and necessary to help you digest protein adequately.  Just as there are good fats and bad fats, there are good carbs and bad cards.  People that know me well see that half my diet consists of carbs – bread, potatoes, rice, fruit.  Am I 300lbs?  No, not even close.  But I am very careful to eat only whole grain, organic, sprouted, and unadulterated carb sources.  That’s what matters.

My tip for the day: microwaved cheese dipped in microwaved cheese is not good for you, and not the way to lose weight.

Many people diagnosed with the condition of hypothyroidism have difficulty losing weight, or have an easier time gaining weight.  Despite eating less food, working out, drinking more water, etc., the weight stubbornly remains. Why does hypothyroidism cause weight gain?  To put it simply, and under-active thyroid causes the metabolism to slow down.  There are many causes to hypothyroidism, but an important aspect of treating it effectively is to get a very specific diagnosis as to the cause.  One way to do this is through a blood test, to look at certain thyroid markers, such as:

• TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone)
• T3, T4, (types of thyroid hormones)
• FTI (free thyroxine index)

can help pinpoint where the problem lies.  In addition, looking at the diet is very important, and also incorporation of a cleansing program, since many chemicals in the environment that enter our bodies can disrupt our hormones and endocrine system.  Hypothyroidism and related endocrine diseases are highly prevalent in our society today, however, can be treated naturally.

Symptoms of hypothyroidism include:

• weight gain
• dry skin
• constipation
• fatigue that will not go away
• feeling cold all the time

There are many other symptoms, which can be discussed with an alternative medical provider to arrive at the correct diagnosis and thus solution.

Many people suffer with one or more of the above conditions.  I could write at length about each one, but today I am just going to talk about toxicity.

Every day we wash our hair and our bodies (I hope), brush our teeth (hope you do that too), we do our laundry when it piles up, use detergent to clean the dishes, put lotion on our skin, shaving cream, etc.  By using these products, we breathe them in, our skin soaks them in, and we are basically surrounded by them.

For those of you that have an allergy to something, say a certain plant, if you were to surround yourself with that plant, have it in the house, wash yourself with it, put it on your pillow when you sleep, how are you going to react?  You are going to have allergy symptoms all the time, right?  Of course.  You may sneeze, feel full in the head, have a skin reaction, etc.  When you remove that allergen, however, you feel better.

Now, if you were to keep that allergen around, but then just dose yourself continuously with antihistamines, bronchodilators, or some other type of medication, will that get rid of the problem?  No.  It will cover it up, but how much simpler would it be to get rid of the plant, save your money, and save your liver and kidneys rather than continuously take medication?

Many products people use in their household are like this pesky plant.  They may be contributing and in some cases are directly related to the symptom.  These products contain perfumes, dyes, chemicals, and artificial ingredients that not only have been shown to be related to allergy, sinus, and asthma symptoms, but also neurological symptoms and cancer.

There are many natural products you can replace these items with, but it can be very confusing to know what is good for you, and what just appears to be good for you but really isn’t.

Keys to look for: 

• The product is all organic
• There is no ‘fragrance’
• There are no parabens of any kind (methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben)
• There are very few ingredients

There is much more I could add to this list, but please visit these two sites, which are great in explaining not only what to look out for, but also in telling you which products to avoid:

www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

www.terressentials.com

There are other causes for allergy, sinus, and asthma problems.  If you have the symptoms for more than a week, and all you are doing is taking medication, you deserve an different way to handle the problem, and perhaps fix the symptom for good.  Please call for a consultation for more information: 949-276-7222.