Proper Sleep: You Need It. Here’s Why.

May 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment

I have heard people brag about not needing more than a few hours of sleep. They would stop bragging if they knew what they were doing to their body.

There are always a few exceptions. Some time ago, I helped celebrate the 104th birthday of Jack Heart who smoked and also drank a half pint of bourbon a day. I’ve attended many more funerals since for people with similar bad habits. One should not plan on being an exception.

Research has shown that getting enough sleep (at least seven hours a night) does the following:

  • Helps prevent type II diabetes
  • Helps to balance blood sugar
  • Reestablishes the immune system
  • Helps prevent cancer
  • Increases your ability to deal with stress
  • Helps prevent brain degeneration
  • Allows for release of HGH which can slow down aging and promote repair and healing
  • Promotes healthier youthful skin and fights wrinkles
  • Helps prevent mood swings and bad behavior including ADHD
  • Is very essential for cardiovascular health
  • Is essential the preserving your Telomeres

So many times our solution to a health problem is to take a pill and your doctor might even agree and prescribe one. This is the typical case of treating the symptom and not the cause. There are many causes of poor sleep and each can be corrected by a specific treatment.

Some of the more common causes of poor sleep are:

  • Bad sleeping habits such as irregular bedtimes or watching TV in bed
  • Poor diet and eating habits
  • Drinking alcohol
  • Sleep Apnea
  • Stress, or worse, distress

There are many more causes, but I will just address these common ones for now. Bad sleeping habits consist of irregular bedtimes, sleeping with lights on or disturbing sounds.  The brain has a built in clock that can be affected by light. Humans did 99+% of our evolving without lights which forced our sleeping hours. Staying up late watching TV, or worse, watching it in bed, can throw off the brain clock making sleep very disturbed.

Poor eating habits and bad diet can also be an enemy of sleep. You should try to eat a simple dinner early enough to have it mostly digested by bedtime. You know how kids get hyper on sugar? Adults are prone to that as well. Desserts should be deserted except for special occasions.

A poor diet low in minerals and vitamins can cause sleep problems. Taking natural supplements Niacin and Magnesium right before bed can help. Those prone to hot flashes should try Niacinamide.

Having a “night cap” may help you to go to sleep, but the effects reverse about three or four in the morning. Alcohol is not the answer to sleep problems, or for that matter anything related to good health.

Sleep Apnea us usually accompanied by snoring which of course affects sleep partners as well. I have some sleep apnea patients that don’t snore; they just hold their breath and gasp. Anyone who has this problem should be tested for sleep apnea and if he or she does not have this specific condition the snoring can be decreased with an oral appliance.

Stress is actually good for you. It is distress that causes serious health problems. In my TMJ clinic, when the patient really wants to be helped, I suggest a book by Hans Selye entitled “Stress with out Distress”.

This book suggests ways to change distress, which is stress with no goals or purpose, into stress and then how to deal with it.  An example would be recognizing that the root of ones distress might be a hating one’s job, and beginning training to move into another occupation might still be stressful but there is and end in sight, which takes away the distress.

The side effects of sleeping pills, antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds and muscle relaxants can be worse than the problem. In addition, the type of sleep that is achieved does not start to compare to the benefits of the real thing. Western Medicine must turn away from treating symptoms and move towards treating the patient and the root cause of his or her maladies.

Robert Brown, DDS has a TMJ, orthodontia, and sleep apnea practice in Danville and thoroughly enjoys discussing holistic medicine. You can contact him at 925-837-8048, at info@aodtc.com, or visit his web site at www.aodtc.com.

 

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Filed Under: Holistic Approach, WELLNESS

Low Thyroid Disease: The Auto-Immune Connection

May 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment

In a past article I went over the general aspects of thyroid disease and the options for successful treatment. In this article, I would like to concentrate on the most misunderstood cause of thyroid problems – an overly-active or over vigilant immune system attack on the thyroid gland. This particular autoimmune problem is called Hashimoto’s Disease. In the U.S., this is by far the most common cause of low thyroid function. In this condition the immune system, usually given the task of protecting you from foreign invader substances and organisms, falters and begins to attack the thyroid, slowly destroying tissue over time. This causes low thyroid function (hypothyroidism), leading to fatigue, hair loss, bowel problems, brain fog and a host of symptoms related to a general slowing of function in every cell in your body.

Genetics play a role here and can lead to susceptibility for thyroid disease and other autoimmune diseases as well. These diseases are known by the particular tissue the immune system attacks, like, rheumatoid arthritis (joints), celiac disease (small intestines), multiple sclerosis (central nervous system), psoriasis (skin), and, of course, Hashimoto’s disease (thyroid). It is really the immune system that is deranged and malfunctioning so it’s very important that it is evaluated and kept under control in order to decrease the potential devastating affects of this malfunction.

It sounds serious, and it is. You may be thinking, “Well if I have the gene for this, is there anything that I can do about it?” YES THERE IS!  There are natural treatments that can rectify this situation and restore balance without resorting to drugs that only mask the symptoms, allowing the condition to worsen.

These genetic tendencies are both controlled and triggered by diet, stress and lifestyle. Once a gene is switched in the wrong direction you can alter these same factors, THAT YOU CONTROL, to markedly decrease the effect. This is most efficiently done by finding and fixing the things that are causing your immune over reaction. This can be difficult, but is usually possible.

Emerging theories suggest that most, if not all, immune conditions come as the result of problems with an unhealthy digestive tract. This is because it is associated with the largest total amount of immune tissue of your body.

From beginning (mouth) to end (you can guess), your digestive tract has a surface area of about two full tennis courts. This surface, if injured or inflamed by poor diet choices or toxic exposure, will allow the entrance of substances that the immune system sees as “foreign” (antigens). This triggers an antibody attack. While the digestive system is designed to extract nutrients and fluid from your dinner, it is also designed to protect the gut from antigens. Unfortunately, with poor dietary choices, the digestive tract can begin to break down and start letting harmful substances into your blood including bad bacteria, yeast and even parasites. This is called “leaky gut syndrome.”  The antigens are identified as potentially harmful, and the war is “on.”  Inflammation (cytokines) increases and spreads to other structures in the body including joints, organs, brain and thyroid. No wonder autoimmune conditions are so varied it their symptoms.

The thyroid is one of the most susceptible organs to the immune response. Therefore, you could use thyroid symptoms as an early indicator of an “out-of-whack” immune system. Making sure you are addressing this before more organs go off line becomes crucial to maintaining your health and quality of life. At our clinic we can use appropriate blood, hormone and gut testing to see what exactly caused the wayward immune attack and can direct a treatment program for correcting these problems. In this way, our Functional Medicine protocol produces the most effective natural approach to the thyroid/autoimmune problem so you can feel good again.

Dr. Don Davis, D.C., DACNB is a BOARD CERTIFIED CHIROPRACTIC NEUROLOGIST in Walnut Creek.  He has been serving individuals with chronic pain for 30 years. For information about how you can get a free consultation with Dr. Davis, call (925) 279-4325 (HEAL).  Visit us at WalnutCreekHealth.com or WalnutCreekThyroidInstitute.com

 

 

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Filed Under: Chiropractic Care, WELLNESS

Help for Pinched Nerves & Bulging Discs, Naturally!

May 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment

If you are suffering from a pinched nerve or herniated disc, you know how debilitating it is and how the pain slowly leaks the vitality from your life. Since 1999 when Align Healing Center opened its doors, we have been specialists in treating pain naturally; whether it’s back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain or any other pain, we have been there to awaken the healing potential in the body and relieve the pain. That being said, we are always in search of miraculous new ways to relieve pain without the use of drugs, invasive procedures and certainly without inducing more pain! If you or someone you care about suffers from pinched nerves or disc related pain, it is worthwhile to explore the exceptional, non-invasive, natural therapies that are available today.

How can I heal my pain without drugs or surgery?

1. Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Therapy

Non-surgical spinal decompression is a state of the art treatment that has been helping thousands of patients with chronic neck or low back pain, sciatica, and herniated, bulging or degenerated discs. This is an entirely different treatment from traditional chiropractic adjustments. Many of the patients who are candidates for this procedure have already tried chiropractic, physical therapy, injections, and/or were told they would need surgery.

This breakthrough treatment works by gently separating the vertebra which decompresses the disc, thus causing the bulging material to be drawn back into the disc. It does this by reversing the internal disc pressure, thus creating a vacuum effect. According to the Journal of Neurosurgery (vol. 81, 1994), decompression was found to substantially reduce the pressure inside disc, therefore allowing water and nutrients to be absorbed and initiate the healing process within the disc itself. Non-surgical spinal decompression is very effective, has a high success rate, and can be utilized for both cervical and lumbar disc injuries.

2. Class IV Laser Therapy

Laser treatments at Align Healing Center are done with the K-laser 1200 Class IV Laser. Class IV Laser therapy gets to the root of the injury and treats it at the cellular level, providing energy to the cells so they can heal. This laser does not cut or burn but is gently absorbed by the tissue.  During each painless treatment, laser energy increases circulation, drawing water, oxygen and nutrients to the damaged area. This creates an optimal healing environment that reduces inflammation, swelling, muscle spasms, stiffness and pain. As the injured area returns to normal, function is restored and pain is relieved.

There is hope!

We have found that a combination of Class IV laser therapy and spinal decompression offers outstanding results in healing stubborn pain due to a pinched nerve, bulging discs or spinal degeneration.

As a general rule, most patients experience significant changes in symptoms within one to three sessions.  Occasionally, a more advanced degenerative condition or multiple level herniated discs may take 8-10 sessions before realizing a major decline in symptoms. Relief response varies according to age, body morphology and the degree of severity.

This unique combination of non-invasive therapy offers a chance for realizing a permanent cure for neck or back pain. This eliminates the long-term care commitment forced upon patients by other symptomatic low-back pain treatments, such as drugs, injections or surgery.  With proper care and rehabilitation of your spine you can be back to your healthy self quickly!

For more information about Dr. Niele Maimone, DC or to set up a complimentary consult call 925.362.8283 or visit www.alignhealingcenter.com.

 

 

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Filed Under: Getting Well, WELLNESS