Lifestyle

Keeping Men Strong- June Special

I can’t tell you how many times I hear a female patient tell me that she is worried about her man’s health, but she can’t get him to take care of himself.

Of course, there are exceptions.  Some men are working out and eating a healthy diet. But many are over-weight, stressed from work, and counting on the thing that has always worked before- their strength and ability to just push through.

When that doesn’t work, the first urge may be to push through harder. If that fails there may be some mood issues, like irritability or depression. Hormones rule the body, and the adrenals are where testosterone, adrenaline and cortisol are made.

Just pushing through is a bit like driving your car with a punctured tire. You don't know how long before it shreds or blows, and it won't fix itself.

Testosterone determines the sexual characteristics and gives muscle mass and strength. Adrenaline kicks in with excitement or fear. Cortisol is the hormone that gets us up and out the door in the morning, when levels should be highest. High cortisol at night keeps the body awake. When cortisol is released during a period of stress (freeway driving, for example) but is not used up by physical activity (sitting in your car, then sitting at a desk all day) then cortisol may cause more fat deposits around the belly.

All of these hormones can be disrupted by: 1) andropause/aging 2) weight gain because fat cells produce more estrogen 3) high stress, which depletes cortisol 4) environmental toxins such as plastics and soy products, which are estrogenic 5) high carb and sugar diet, which causes yo-yo blood sugar. When there is too much sugar in the blood, the body signals the release of insulin from the pancreas. The job of insulin is to carry the sugar into the cells or send it to the liver. Continuous release of insulin makes the cells begin to resist the influence of insulin. This is the beginning of Type II Diabetes. The low fat, high carb and sugar diet of the past few decades have given us an epidemic of Diabetes.

The new epidemic caused by low fat, high carb and sugar diet is Alzheimer’s, which is now being called Diabetes Type III. High carbs and sugar also produce inflammation, which is turning out to be the highest risk factor for heart attacks.

The good news is that men have a great advantage over women in addressing these issues. Due to their greater muscle mass, which gives men a faster metabolism, just cutting down on the carbs, snacks and sugar often gives a dramatic result in a short amount of time.

The trick then becomes adopting a healthy long-term lift style so that bad habits don’t creep back in. Eating more healthy fats can reduce the urge to snack in the evening. A protein shake with fruit and coconut oil after dinner works for many guys. With long summer days, going for a walk in the evening can get you out of the house and away from the refrigerator and bags of chips.

Prostate problems, belly fat, heart disease, low libido, high blood pressure, Diabetes, GERD and other “diseases of modern civilization” are not normal or inevitable. They are all preventable or reversible with the right natural approach. This is a case when wisdom becomes power and knowing how to manage a body takes wisdom, when powering through no longer works.

To celebrate Father’s Day, we are offering hormone testing, plus body and nutritional analysis, for men. Find out your testosterone, estrogen and cortisol levels. If your hormones are out of balance, natural medicine and herbal medicine can restore them to normal levels, boost metabolism, and give guys back their stronger selves.  

The June Special is Male Saliva Hormone testing plus consultation for $200, 30% off the regular price. Saliva testing tells us what hormones are left, after they have interacted at a cellular level. Blood tests tell us about the presence of hormones in the blood. But hormones must lock onto the cells, in order to carry their message.

Also in June, a new male patient consultation, without Saliva Testing, is $100, $35 off the regular price. If you have been thinking about getting on top of your health, June is a great time to do that!

Adrenals can be repaired, testosterone can be boosted, excess estrogen can be cleared out, and blood sugar can be stabilized, all without drugs. GERD is easily remedied and stress levels can be dramatically improved with herbs like Kava. Adrenals respond beautifully to nutritional medicine, weight drops off with dietary changes and detoxification and blood sugar can stabilize. We can use herbal preparations like Tribulus, which boosts testosterone in men, or we can use topical creams for Testosterone or DHEA. DHEA is another adrenal hormone that peaks at 18 and declines with age.

Men of any age can be strong, and healthy, with the right game plan.

Lower Blood Pressure Naturally

 

The standard advice for elevated blood pressure has been to reduce salt intake. However, salt is a vital mineral and the human body cannot function without salt.

Even if you reduce salt to a minimum, the salt content of the blood remains the same as someone who over-salts their food. The body maintains a consistent level of salt in the blood.

New research indicates that the benefits of cutting out salt are debatable, and may even increase your risk of heart disease. ?ttp://www.medicaldaily.com/sugar-hurts-heart-health-more-salt-mostly-heart-disease-and-blood-pressure-313780

Of course, no one is suggesting that you should eat processed or fast foods, which do contain levels of sodium that are off the charts. But salting your whole, natural foods to taste, with sea salt or Himalayan salt,  both of which contain other trace minerals, appears to be beneficial. And if your adrenals are weak, salt is even more vital. http://www.drlam.com/articles/adrenal_fatigue_and_blood_pressure.asp

How can you safely lower your blood pressure? By reducing sugar. Eating 25% of your calories from sugar can triple your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Sugar causes inflammation which is more damaging to your arteries than salt.

Fruit sugar is not the culprit, although I suggest limiting your fruit intake to 1-2 servings per day to see if your body responds better. Fruit juice should be completely avoided. High fructose corn syrup and agave should never be used. Agave is just anther form of high fructose corn syrup, made from cactus.

Honey in moderation should not pose too much risk, and real maple syrup may be enjoyed. If you also have Diabetes, even these sweeteners should be used only in the smallest amounts.

Bread and other simple carbs like rice, oats, and corn also break down into sugar in the blood, so regard these as foods to avoid.

If you are on blood pressure medication, and you increase your healthy fats, and limit sugar and grains, you will have to monitor yourself carefully because your need for medication may diminish or cease altogether.  Work with your prescribing physician to adjust your medication accordingly.

One diet plan that you can try is the Ketogenic plan. It is Paleo to the extreme and will challenge all we have been taught about healthy eating. Ketogenic eating causes your body and brain to operate off ketones instead of glucose and it is how many people like Inuits (Eskimos) have eaten traditionally. The Inuits had no history of heart disease, cancer, obesity or Diabetes. So they were on to something! To calculate your ratio of carbs to fat to protein and calories you should consume, you can use the Ketogenic calculator. http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/  Check it out-you may be surprised what it says.

One factor in blood pressure appears to be the flexibility of our veins and arteries. Naturally aging and poor diet can make arteries stiff and brittle. Blueberries consumed daily appear to reduce inflammation, measured in blood work as C-reactive protein, and to reduce blood pressure over an eight-week period. Frozen blueberries may be used, so you may want to include blueberries as your daily serving or fruit.  http://www.medicaldaily.com/blueberries-may-help-control-blood-pressure-321276

My theory on aging is that it is all about keeping the body supple and hydrated, with water, good oils and minerals. How you eat has everything to do with how your feel and how well your body functions. We don’t treat our cars as badly as we do our bodies. A new car only becomes a vintage collectible when someone gives it the proper maintenance all its life!

 

 

Real Help to Quit Smoking

 

Many of you have loved ones who smoke and have expressed concern about their health and future.

Smoking was made cool and glamorous by pure propaganda from the original “spin” doctor, Edward Bernays, who was a nephew of Sigmund Freud. He studied the subject of how to influence people in crowds, when their inhibitions were reduced, and behavior altered. He also proposed methods to influence the subconscious mind. Soldiers were given free cigarettes in their packs during World War I. Bernay’s secretary and a couple of other women smoked in public during the famous Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Bernays had them photographed for the newspaper and suddenly it was acceptable for women to smoke. Now lung cancer is the number one cancer for women.

So, here are some tips to pass on to smokers you care about.

Fish oil reduced cravings for nicotine in a study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. After one month on high dose fish oil there were fewer cigarette cravings, even when exposed to common triggers. The fish oil contained 2,710 mg EPA and 2,040 DHA. http://www.betternutrition.com/fish-oil-may-help-smokers-quit/

Homeopathic medicine can be used to quit smoking. Lobelia 30c, Tabacum 30c and Carbo Vegetabilis 30c can be taken alternately through the day. All homeopathic medicines must be taken away from any food drink or other things used orally, such as tooth brushing or gum chewing. These remedies are available at Health food stores or online.

Gall bladder/liver cleanses or general detoxes may be effective to help people quit, by reducing general toxicity. The lungs of a smoker are filled with tar. The body seems to crave toxins when it is most toxic.

Balancing blood sugar and improving nutrition may help smokers by reducing cravings. When the body has a drop in energy, it seeks a quick fix. Sugar, alcohol and other drugs are craved more when blood sugar is low or when the diet is low in nutrients. Eating plenty of vegetables, fruit, protein and good fats will help keep nutrient levels and blood sugar at healthy levels. Supplements can be included, including minerals such as zinc, potassium and iodine.

This is why so many people gain weight when they quit smoking. Addiction is hard to beat completely, so a substitute is often found. Sugar is a common and acceptable substitute for alcohol or cigarettes. So, it is very helpful to do a cleanse and increase nutrition, with fish oil and other supplements.  Dr. Royal Lee formulated a supplement called Pneumotrophin, specifically to help heal the damage to the lungs from cigarettes. We use a lot of Pneumotrophin in the practice, because so many viral coughs from recent flu seasons seem to linger. Some of you have used Pneumotrophin for these coughs, as it will often knock out bronchitis or cough from flu more effectively than antibiotics.

Doing a real program, rather than just quitting cold turkey, may be the key to long term non-smoking status. Don’t fall into the Vapor cigarette trap or the marijuana trap. Breathing smoke of any kind into the lungs is a very bad idea, health-wise. There is no smoke that is healthy for lung tissue. Lungs not only allow us to breath oxygen, they also filter the air we breathe, and allow the oxygen to pass into the blood to be carried to all the cells in the body. To function correctly, and prevent cancer and malignancy, the cells must have oxygen. So smoking interferes with a vital function of life and survival.

Take a few deep breaths and notice how you feel.  If you have any other tips for quitting smoking, let me know and I will pass them along.