Eat greens, every day.

Eat greens, every day.

A study published in the Dec. 20, 2017 issue of Neurology, by researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago found some impressive results correlated less cognitive decline with eating more green, leafy vegetables.

People who ate one serving of leafy green vegetables daily performed substantially better on cognitive tests so much so that it would put them at an equivalent of 11 years younger than others their same age who were not eating greens on a regular basis.

We make smoothies on a daily basis and always include mixed greens. My 3.5 and 1.5 year old girls love them, see our go to recipe here. 

Read the complete article Daily Leafy Greens May Slow Cognitive Decline at 

rush.edu.

Our Children Need Us - Autism Rates Rise

What critical health condition is 1 in 28 according to data published by the CDC last month?

Autism. The rate of autism in boys is now 1 in 28. 

This is a national health crisis. We need to dedicate more resources, funding and attention to the prevention, treatment and care of people with autism and developmental disabilities. Help our children. Do your research. They need us.

www.askdrsears.com

More Coffee Links to a Longer Life

Good news for all you coffee drinkers out there, your 3-4 cups a day is backed by actual research now! Try to keep your last cup before noon so the caffeine doesn't affect your sleep. 

"They bring together evidence from over 200 studies and find that drinking three to four cups of coffee a day is associated with a lower risk of death and getting heart disease compared with drinking no coffee. Coffee drinking is also associated with lower risk of some cancers, diabetes, liver disease and dementia."                            

Share for all your coffee addicted friends to see.

Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Peppermint Mocha Protein Shake

While I teach people to enjoy their 20 percent, especially during the holidays, unhealthy drinks can really add up.

Skip the coffee drive thru, save money and get a healthy breakfast by making this peppermint mocha protein shake at home. 

Recipe:
1/3 cup full fat, canned coconut milk
1/3 cup ice
1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder
1/2 tsp peppermint extract (or less, try a drop or two and add more if necessary)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 packet of instant coffee grounds (organic is best)

Blend and enjoy!

Shop with a Hero

Read negative news have negative thoughts, read positive news have positive thoughts! 

79 kids were given $100 gift cards to shop for whatever they wanted at Meijer. To a kid that’s like winning the lotto! 

#GreatLakesBayGoodNews

Full article of this amazing story can be found here at this link www.mlive.com

Checking Your Vitamin D Levels

A few days ago I posted a video about preventing Seasonal Affective Disorder, and one of the tips was to increase Vitamin D levels. Many people ask how to get their levels tested, and how much should they take.

You can request a Vitamin D test through your primary care doctor or do an at home test through GrassrootsHealth www.grassrootshealth.net (I've done this test and it is easy to do, a simple finger poke and you mail the kit back to them). I recommend Vitamin D levels to be between 50 - 90 ng/ml. Check with your primary care doctor, but this calculator can be helpful in determining dosage of Vitamin D supplements to get your levels high enough for optimal health.

https://grassrootshealth.net

The Opioid Crisis Needs to End

We must break the "just pop a pill" mindset. 

Opioids are legally made and and legally prescribed but they are tearing peoples lives apart. We see people with opioid addictions on a regular basis. It only takes two round of taking opioids to get severely addicted. It quickly snowballs downhill from there. 

If you know someone who is heading towards an addiction or is already addicted, you have to take massive action to get them to change. Sometimes rehab is the only option. 

Reducing pain can be done naturally: 

1. Anti-inflammatory diet
2. Anti-inflammatory supplements
3. Anti-inflammatory spices/herbs
4. Proper joint mobility
5. Proper muscle flexibility
6. Positive mindset

Read article here: www.msn.com

The New Guidelines of High Blood Pressure

The new blood pressure guidelines say that anyone who has a BP of 130/80 or higher now has high blood pressure. 

"Under the new guidelines, hypertension now affects 46 percent of the adult U.S. population, which translates to an increase in the use of blood pressure-lowering medications."

Medication is big business, pharmaceutical companies want the guidelines to come down as low as possible so that they can get everyone on some sort of medication. 

Cholesterol guidelines continue to drop even though research doesn't support it. What better way to get more people on drugs than to scare them? 

You can never get healthy from taking medication, you will only cover up sickness.

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com

Strength Exercise as Vital as Aerobic

Doing body weight exercises or weight training has been shown over and over to be beneficial is almost all aspects of health.
"The largest study to compare the mortality outcomes of different types of exercise found people who did strength-based exercise had a 23 percent reduction in risk of premature death by any means, and a 31 percent reduction in cancer-related death."

Create a routine and stick to it. Even if it's just 20 squats a day, start somewhere!

Read the full article here: sydney.edu.au

How to Make a Veggie Shake, by Delaney, age 3

Veggie shakes have been a staple in our house for years, especially for our kids! Delaney, age 3, has been drinking veggie shakes since she could use a straw, it is an easy way to make sure she gets fruits and vegetables daily. 

Start making veggie shakes for your family today, it is so easy a toddler can do it! ;)


 

Resistance Exercise Training

With our fast paced world anxiety and depression are very prevalent. In most cases it can be greatly reduced or eliminated by eating healthier and exercising.

This study showed that people who did resistance training of any form greatly reduced their anxiety levels.

“RET (resistance exercise training) significantly reduced anxiety in both healthy participants and those with a physical or mental illness, and the effect size of these reductions is comparable to that of frontline treatments such as medication and psychotherapy,”

Article: www.reuters.com

Spice Tip: Turmeric

Spice tip: Turmeric

Turmeric is my all-time favorite spice. It has a unique flavor and seems to have unlimited health benefits. 

Typically used in curry dishes, this bright yellow spice is a staple in India. Known for its tremendous anti-inflammatory properties, it has been shown to provide pain relief just as powerful as most over-the-counter pain medicines, such as ibuprofen, but without the side effects. 

Inflammation in the body can lead to such problems as asthma, heart disease and cancer, so you can see why this spice can work wonders! 

Try putting turmeric on eggs or mixing it in with stir fry. You can also supplement with it, typically most people benefit from 800 mg to 1.2 grams per day.

Eat Wild

If you haven't ever checked out the website: http://www.eatwild.com/please take a minute to check it out. 

Eating local is healthier and it keeps money in our community. 

3 farms listed on this website close to the Great Lakes Bay Region are: 

Joe's Grass Fed Beef
Located in Standish but they sell from Bridgeport: http://www.joesgrassfedbeef.com

John Henry's Meats
Millington
www.johnhenrys.net

The Lavender Fleece
Midland
http://www.lavenderfleece.com

For anyone else outside of the Great Lake's Bay Region, take a few minutes to find a local farmer near!

Job opening - Therapy Technician in Midland

powered by Typeform

'What the Health' - Where This Vegan PR Film Went Wrong

I have had quite a few people ask me my thoughts on the new Netflix movie "What the Health" the past few weeks and told me that they are considering going vegan after watching it. 

1. I am not an advocate of a vegan diet for many reasons and this movie is pushing that diet hard. This type of diet misses out on many essential nutrients you can't get unless you are eating some level of animal protein. 

2. When you remove animal proteins and fats you replace them with lots of carbs so you can get enough calories which are turned into sugar and stored on the body as fat. It's very hard to eat a diet almost completely of carbs long term and keep your metabolism and health under control. 

3. Many carbs besides fruits and vegetables are very inflammatory, aka they have a high Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio. Eating them long term will cause inflammation and eventually health problems. 

The link below on Dr. Joseph Mercola's website has a longer overview of the movie, that I generally agree with

Click here: 

articles.mercola.com

A Healthy Lifestyle Increases Your Life

People who do not smoke, are not obese, and consume alcohol moderately can expect to live seven years longer than the general population. 

And not only are they living longer, they are spending the later years of their life being active and in good health. Many people spend the last 20 years of their lives in poor health just getting by and not actually enjoying their lives.

www.sciencedaily.com

Fatal Drugged Driving

Drugged driving is responsible for 43% of lethal car accidents and has passed alcohol as the #1 cause of accidents.

Many of these people were taking opiates for pain management, that were prescribed legally only to get them severely addicted not only ruining their life but ultimately killing them. And if they didn't die in an auto accident there is a good chance they would have died from an overdose. 

We need a healthcare system that instead gets to the root of the problem to reduce pain instead of covering it up. 

1. Get proper movement and mobility back into your body
2. Eat an anti-inflammatory diet
3. Take natural anti-inflammatory supplements
4. Learn how to live an ergonomic lifestyle to prevent problems in the first place

Source: articles.mercola.com

Environmental Factors Lead to Cancer

This recent study showed that 41% of cancers in Alberta were due to modifiable lifestyle factors (poor diet, lack of physical activity, smoking etc).

"Overall, an estimated 40.8% of cancer cases in Alberta in 2012 were attributable to modifiable lifestyle and environmental risk factors. The largest proportion of cancers were estimated to be attributable to tobacco smoking, physical inactivity and excess body weight."

You have a lot of control over your health, our bodies are constantly regenerating and repairing so if you start making healthy changes today you can prevent many problems down the road!

Source: http://cmajopen.ca

The Risk of a High Sugar Diet During Pregnancy

Eating a diet high in processed carbohydrates (sugar) during pregnancy is associated with a 100% increased risk for the babies to develop allergic asthma. 

Eating healthy is always important but especially for pregnant mothers. A high sugar diet during pregnancy can greatly impact the babies immune system causing allergies and asthma. 

"High maternal sugar intake during pregnancy may increase the risk of allergy and allergic asthma in the offspring, according to an early study led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) involving almost 9,000 mother-child pairs.

When comparing the 20 per cent of mothers with the highest sugar intake versus the 20 per cent of mothers with the lowest sugar intake, there was an increased risk of 38 per cent for allergy in the offspring (73 per cent for allergy to two or more allergens) and 101 per cent for allergic asthma."

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com

Positivity Reduces Risk of Chronic Disease

Thoughts and attitude do influence your health! 

" People who experience not just positive emotions but a diversity of positive emotions appear to have lower levels of systemic inflammation, which may reduce their risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, according to research published by the American Psychological Association." 

Try to look at things in a positive light, no matter what it is you are doing.

Read more on this topic at http://www.apa.org

How Olive Oil Protects The Brain

Our bodies require the proper types of fats on a regular basis for good health. Eliminating fats and going on a low fat diet is bad news for your brain, nerves and hormones. 

"In a study published online June 21 in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, the researchers show that the consumption of extra-virgin olive oil protects memory and learning ability and reduces the formation of amyloid-beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain -- classic markers of Alzheimer's disease."

In my opinion the two most powerful things you can do for mental health:

1. Reduce processed carbohydrates
2. Eat healthy fats

Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Chondroitin Sulfate Helps Knee Osteoarthritis

Do you have aches and pains in your joints? There is a lot you can do naturally from an anti-inflammatory diet to taking the right supplements. 

Chondroitin is a popular supplement that is typically combined with glucosamine, this article shows conclusive evidence on it's effectiveness. typically It will work for 50-60% of people by itself and when combined with turmeric it can work for up to 80% of people! 

Getting your knees and hips adjusted and doing proper stretching can also help.

Read the full article at www.medscape.com

Turmeric Reduces Inflammation

Cucurmin which is found in turmeric was found to help reduce depression and anxiety by 50% in people with severe depression while a placebo only worked in 13% of cases. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27723543]

Turmeric and curcumin are most well known for reducing inflammation in a similar way that NSAIDS (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) do but without the side effects. Depression is an inflammatory disease so it makes sense that curcumin would help.

Typically 1-2 grams of turmeric per day is where the therapeutic dose starts.

Eat Late, Gain the Weight

Food is energy. It doesn't make sense to eat a lot of food right before bed since it won't get used as energy but instead be stored as fat. However, it does makes sense to eat more food earlier in the day as it will be burned throughout the day and before bedtime. 

Another study looked at people who ate the exact same meals earlier in the day compared to later in the day. The people who ate the meals earlier in the day had greater weight loss than those who ate the meals later in the day.

Try shifting your meals earlier and don't binge eat before bedtime!

Read an article about timing your meals at sciencedaily.com!

City Market in Bay City - interview with Matt Meehan

City Market in Bay City is coming soon! I got a chance to chat with owner Matt Meehan.

Eat Real Food

Real food is not made in a factory.
Real food does not have an ingredients list.
Eat real food -- the easiest rule to live by when trying to get healthy.

Reasons Why We Are Fatter Than 30 Years Ago

Weight loss is so much more than just eating right and exercising more. This article does a great job bringing attention to a few other factors related to weight gain over the years.

Some of the factors that cause weight gain, or inhibit weight loss from the article: 

1. Pharmaceutical Drugs
2. Chemical Exposure
3. Altered Gut
4. Dehydration
5. Junk Food Marketing

I always talk about chemical stress in classes, it's something many people don't think or care too much about but it's going to have a massive impact on our health if we don't start addressing it. 

Also, I've never seen someone who's overweight and taking a lot of medications be able to lose weight either.

Full Article: www.collective-evolution.com

Breastmilk Contributes to Babies' Bacteria

Up to 40% of infant's gut bacteria is formed from being breastfed! 80% of our immune system comes from our intestines therefore breastfed babies are going to have a substantially stronger immune system and reduced risk of disease. 

"The study, published Monday (May 8) in JAMA Pediatrics, found that 30 percent of babies’ gut bacteria seem to come from the mother’s breast milk and that another 10 percent can be traced to skin around the mother’s nipple.

“Breast milk is this amazing liquid that, through millions of years of evolution, has evolved to make babies healthy, particularly their immune systems,” UCLA’s Grace Aldrovandi, the study’s lead author, said in a press release. “Our research identifies a new mechanism that contributes to building stronger, healthier babies.”"

Read the full article here: www.the-scientist.com

Drugs are NOT the Answer

Drugs, drugs, drugs, just take a drug for it, that's the american way right? Unfortunately, all drugs have side effects. 

Kids (and adults) who are getting the right nutrients will not get constipated. 

The amount of kids taking medication for constipation is insane and it's usually something that can be fixed relatively easy though dietary changes, chiropractic adjustments, magnesium, veggie shakes, etc.

I usually don't post articles that are not backed by research, however I just think it's absolutely ridiculous how many kids are taking multiple medications for things that could easily be fixed through lifestyle changes.

The defense for this article will be "There is no published research showing MiraLAX can cause neuropsychiatric problems" 

My response would be
1. Why are kids taking MiraLAX in the first place?
2. ALL drugs have side effects eventually.
3. When enough parents start making the same claim, you just haven't done the right research study yet to prove that it's true.
4. Every person has a different metabolic makeup, and research will never be done on every single person taking a medication. So to say that it can't cause a problem is a lie, because unless you study every person you won't know for sure.

Source: www.wpxi.com

An Avocado a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

If I had to pick one food that was going to be the most beneficial in all aspects of health it would be an avocado. Healthy fats, protein, fiber what more could you ask for in one food!

The saying should be changed to "An avocado a day keeps the doctor away!" Except for your chiropractor of course, you should still get adjusted to remove all that physical stress!

What's your favorite way to eat avocados?

Source: articles.mercola.com

Top 10 Sources of Calories in the U.S. Diet

After looking at this list it's no wonder we have an obesity problem in the United States. There are only two (maybe 3) things on this list that are potentially healthy. So 80% of our diets are coming from processed junk food. 

1. Grain-based desserts (cakes, cookies, donuts, pies, crisps, cobblers, and granola bars)
2. Yeast breads
3. Chicken and chicken-mixed dishes
4. Soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks
5. Pizza
6. Alcoholic beverages
7. Pasta and pasta dishes
8. Mexican mixed dishes
9. Beef and beef-mixed dishes
10.Dairy desserts

If you don't want to look like the rest of America, stop eating like the rest of America. Reduce processed carbs, increase protein and healthy fat.

Source: www.health.harvard.edu

No Sleep Leads to Negative Thoughts

This study showed that the later people go to bed and the shorter they sleep the more negative their thoughts. 

Which makes sense because if you don't sleep, you have higher levels of cortisol and feel more stressed out which leads to negative thoughts.

1. Go to bed by 10 PM
2. Sleep at least 7 hours per night
3. Take melatonin or Magnesium before bed if you have sleeping problems
4. Wear a sleep mask or use a sound machine

Source: sciencedaily.com

Saturated Fats Will Not Kill You

Saturated fat does not cause heart disease, inflammation does. 

Cultures have been eating high saturated fat foods forever with no complications. It wasn't until highly processed carbohydrates became more prevalent that heart disease skyrocketed.

Every class we teach focuses on tips to reduce inflammation naturally. The less inflamed you are the less your risk of every disease. 

Repeat after me:

Saturated fats won't kill me

Eggs won't kill me

Butter won't clog my arteries

Lard won't kill me

Red meat isn't an unhealthy food

Processed carbohydrates increase inflammation and cause heart disease

Obviously you want to find grass fed sources of these things to maximize their health benefits!

Source: bjsm.bmj.com

Cycling to Work Can Cut Cancer and Heart Disease

Time to get the bike out! It's easy on the joints and a great workout. Also, anyone who rides a bike is going to have stronger legs which is correlated with a reduced risk of falling. 

"During the course of the study, regular cycling cut the risk of death from any cause by 41%, the incidence of cancer by 45% and heart disease by 46%.

The cyclists clocked an average of 30 miles per week, but the further they cycled the greater the health boon.

Walking cut the odds of developing heart disease but the benefit was mostly for people walking more than six miles per week."


               Source: www.bbc.com

The Importance of Vitamin D-3

Everyone should have their Vitamin D levels checked regularly as it's one of the easiest, cheapest and most beneficial natural things you can do. 

If you have an auto-immune condition such as MS, fibromyalgia or RA you need to be especially proactive about your Vitamin D-3 status. Supplementing with high dose Vitamin D-3 has been shown over and over to be beneficial. This study had people taking 10,400 IU per day for 6 months and saw excellent results. 

"These results are exciting, as vitamin D has the potential to be an inexpensive, safe and convenient treatment for people with MS," says study author Peter Calabresi, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Multiple Sclerosis Center and professor neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Read how vitamin D can benefit people with MS at www.eurekalert.org!

Neonatal Gut Bacteria Might Promote Asthma

The worse the intestinal flora of babies the higher their chance of asthma later on. High carbohydrate foods (candy, breads, cereal, etc.) and antibiotics increase the amount of bad bacteria in the gut leading to these problems. 

"Abnormal gut microbiota communities present in some 1-month-old children promote inflammation that results in an almost threefold increased risk of developing allergies by age 2, according to a study published in Nature Medicine. More of these kids—who had lower levels of four commensal gut bacteria groups and 
higher relative levels of two types of fungi—developed signs of asthma by age 4."

Source: www.the-scientist.com

Antibiotics Are Not The Solution

There is a time and place for antibiotics but I see people taking them for every little sniffle and cough. Let the body heal naturally and your long term health is going to be substantially better. 

"Monash University study involving mice, published in the April issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, finds that childhood antibiotic use impedes the normal growth and development of gut bacteria. This, in turn, affects the function of the immune system ― around 70 percent of which is contained in the gut.

Previous studies have shown that the use of certain antibiotics can trigger autoimmunity, but now we have a better idea of how this happens."

Read the full article of antibiotic use at www.huffingtonpost.com.

Television is Affecting Your Health

A study by the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that for every hour an adult watched TV, their life expectancy was reduced by 22 minutes.

With the average American spending five hours a day watching TV, that means in over a period of a year of watching TV regularly, it decreases your life expectancy by nearly a month, 27.8 days.

A study by the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that reducing television viewing has an important role in preventing obesity and in lowering BMI in young children. The same 2008 study also showed that having a TV in a child’s bedroom increased viewing time by nearly nine hours a week.

While we all know the health risks that accompany smoking, research shows that
watching TV jeopardizes our health just as much as cigarettes.

What are you doing today instead of watching TV?

Reduced Risk of Disease from Consumption of Vitamin K

Researchers found an increased Vitamin K consumed resulted in a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer after following 7,216 people over the age of 55 for five years. 

Vitamin K is found in green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, kale, spinach, cabbage and brussel sprouts. 

Vitamin K is also required for proper absorption of calcium into your bones along with Vitamin D-3.

Energy Increase from Interval Training

As many of you know I'm a huge fan of changing your workout up and not doing the same exercise over and over. 

Research comes out daily showing how beneficial interval training is for our health. This study showed that after only 3 weeks of interval training our bodies ability to process and create energy was drastically improved! And the older someone was, the better results they saw! 

"The younger volunteers in the interval training group saw a 49% increase in mitochondrial capacity, and the older volunteers saw an even more dramatic 69% increase."

Start today and you will basically see an instant boost in your energy and your bodies ability to process food.

   

                 Source: sciencedaily.com

Melatonin Levels May Lower Risk of Cancer

In a lab setting you gave give animals cancer by not allowing them to sleep for extended periods of time. Sleep is when the body heals and if the body isn't healing properly cancer will form. 

This study shows a direct correlation between prostate cancer and melatonin levels which is correlated with lack of sleep. 

"Higher levels of melatonin, a hormone involved in the sleep-wake cycle, may suggest decreased risk for developing advanced prostate cancer."

Get to bed and do as much as you can to get good quality sleep!

Source: sciencedaily.com

E-cigarettes Helping Smokers Quit

"Smokers that switched from cigarettes to vaping had 97.5% lower levels of a certain carcinogen linked to cancer compared to smokers."

Everyone knows smoking is not healthy, but it's very addicting. If you know someone who won't quit smoking at least try to get them to make this transition to vaping, research is showing it to be very favorable when it comes to reducing cancer risk.

Read the full article at www.newscientist.com

Benefits to Drinking Tea

Family history of Alzheimer's? Start drinking tea! (and reducing processed carbs!) 

"Tea drinking reduces the risk of cognitive impairment in older persons by 50 percent and as much as 86 percent for those who are genetically at risk of Alzheimer's, new research suggests."

Source: www.sciencedaily.com