Do-It-Yourself Apple Cider Vinegar For Your Health and Enjoyment

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is one of those super foods that is almost too good to believe.  Not only does it offer numerous health benefits but it is also very versatile around the house and for personal care.   You can find out alot about ACV at this page.  They will offer to sell you a book at the end of the page.  I have no connections with the seller, I only link to their page because they have done a fine job of simply, summarizing the benefits of ACV.  You can also do the research on your own with a simple Google search.

Would you believe me if I told you that Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) can be a delicious, refreshing and satisfying addition to your summer refreshments? I know, for most of you that have tried ACV, you are probably shaking your head thinking, "yea, right!". Sad but true that most commercial ACV is extremely acidic tasting and overly tart. Even raw, unfiltered, quality ACV such as Bragg's is missing the pleasant tasting experience.

DIY ACV is very economical.
You can use the parts of the
apple that would normally get
thrown away.

Enter the Do-It-Yourself, home brewed ACV with very little cost or investment. It is quite easy with not much of a learning curve. If you can peel an apple and measure sugar and water you can ferment your own ACV.  Most people I talk with about D.I.Y. ACV are under the misconception that they need a "mother" to create ACV.  My simple response to them is "not at all".    All you need is a glass jar, apple peels and cores (you can use the entire apple if you wish), sugar, water and a breathable cover for the jar (I use a paper coffee filter held in place with a rubber band. Keeps out fruit flies better).  It does take time to ferment, about 4 weeks, but very little effort.  I started by using this link as a reference.  One of the things that I have found fermenting ACV that this web page does not mention is that as the apple peels and cores float and protrude above the surface of the water they are prone to blue-green mold. Harmless to you, but not appealing.  I have a small glass dish that just fits inside the opening of my gallon jar which is heavy enough to hold all apple solids under the surface of the liquid but not so heavy that it sinks.  This has prevented the development of mold on my future batches.

We started fermenting by the quart but found that we drank it too fast to keep up and now my family ferments it by the gallon jar usually yielding about 3 quarts.  It is delicious!  It taste more like tangy cider than vinegar.  I actually did a pH test on my first couple batches of ACV to see if it was similar to commercial, raw ACVsuch as Bragg's.  My home fermented ACV pH tested at the same or slightly stronger acid pH than the Bragg's ACV, telling me that I actually did have Apple Cider Vinegar.

Most ACV pages will recommend 1-2 tablespoons of ACV per day to help with health.  It can be taken straight or diluted in water.  My family actually enjoys adding ACV to a glass of fruit juice, giving it a bit of a kick.  Another great way to enjoy ACV, especially during the summer is to make Switchel.  Switchel, or as it was often referred to "haymaker's punch" is as old as the colonies.  A very refreshing, energizing drink and an excellent electrolyte restorer.  No more sugary, caffeinated sport drinks.

Have a safe and healthy summer.

Yours for better health,

Dr. Heller

Children, Car Seats and Spinal Health

Parents often ask Chiropractors when car seats should be turned to face forward. Remarkable research on this issue helps parents make an informed decision that will best serve their family. Safety concerns led to the evolution of rear-facing car seats. Motor vehicle collisions typically take place withthe vehicle moving forward. The mechanism of this type of accident forces the head and neck of all passengers forward toward the windshield of the vehicle in a quick, jerking movement. The majority of injuries occur as the neck snaps backwards after the initial jolt toward the windshield. Any precaution that minimizes the forward-back jerking motion of the neck as a result of the collision will help lower the severity or prevent any significant bone and soft tissue injuries.

Research shows that the strength and stability of neck alignment and soft tissue will determine the extent of injury. Rear-facing car seats provide stability for an infant’s neck and soft tissue when the muscles and ligaments are not yet fully developed. An infant’s neck, spine, and muscles eventually develop to the point of being able to withstand the majority of trauma from a motor vehicle accident.

Research done in 2007 showed the inaccuracy of previous standards that allowed infants to be turned towards the front of a car after one year of age and a weight of at least 20 pounds. The study states that children up to 23 months old are almost 75 percent less likely to die or sustain serious injury in a rear-facing car seat than a forward-facing one. A rear-facing seat spreads the force exerted on a child's body during a crash more evenly across the entire body, limiting the motion of the head and reducing the potential for neck injury. The protective car seat also keeps the child more contained within the shell of the child restraint than a forward-facing seat. The benefits of a rear-facing car seat rated particularly high in side impact crashes as well.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and many child-passenger safety advocates expanded their recommendations to suggest that infants and young children should remain rear-facing until at least 23 months of age and a weight of at least 35 pounds. Infants and children routinely experience significant stress without ever experiencing a motor vehicle accident. Traumas from birth, falls, accidents, and learning to walk produce enough stress on the spine and nervous system to require regular Chiropractic spinal evaluations for all children. Chiropractors focus on caring for the spine and central nervous system through spinal adjustments and education. Proper car seat safety continues to be one of many important topics that help prevent unwanted spine and nervous system problems for infants and toddlers. Regular Chiropractic care helps infants and children achieve and maintain proper spine and nervous system health throughout life. Waiting to use a front-facing car seat protects the safety and well-being of a child, but not waiting to begin Chiropractic care ensures that every child will be given optimal chance to grow and develop a healthy brain, spine, and body.

Journal of Injury Prevention
2007 Dec; 13(6): 398–402
"Car safety seats for children: rear facing for best protection"
B Henary, C P Sherwood, J R Crandall, R W Kent, F E Vaca, K B Arbogast, and M J Bull

 

Chronic Pain and Depression

Stress, disappointments, feelings of inadequacy are all common at this time of year and can lead to or add to depressions which are not uncommon this time of the year.   Feelings of depression can be more intense and disabling if accompanied by chronic pain.

Our friends at the American Chiropractic Association put together some information for recognizing and dealing with chronic pain.

Depression is thought to be 3 to 4 times more common in people with chronic pain than in the general population. In addition, 30 to 80% of people with chronic pain will have some type of depression. The combination of chronic pain and depression is often associated with greater disability than either depression or chronic pain alone.

Signs and Symptoms

Some of the common signs and symptoms of chronic pain include:

• Pain beyond 6 months after an injury
• Allodynia—pain from stimuli which are not normally painful and/or pain that occurs other than in the stimulated area
• Hyperpathia—increased pain from stimuli that are normally painful
• Hypersensation—being overly sensitive to pain

Signs of major clinical depression will occur daily for 2 weeks or more, and often include many of the following:

• A predominant feeling of sadness; feeling blue, hopeless, or irritable, often with crying spells
• Changes in appetite or weight (loss or gain) and/or sleep (too much or too little
• Poor concentration or memory
• Feeling restless or fatigued
• Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities, including sex
• Feeling of worthlessness and/or guilt

What is the treatment for chronic pain and depression?

The first step in coping with chronic pain is to determine its cause, if possible and addressing the problem.  Consult with your doctor of chirpractic, they are very knowledgeable and effective in helping control many types of chronic pains.  Aside from that:

• Stay active and do not avoid activities that cause pain simply because they cause pain. The amount and type of activity should be directed by your doctor, so that activities that might actually cause more harm are avoided.
• Relaxation training, hypnosis, biofeedback, and guided imagery, can help you cope with chronic pain. Cognitive therapy can also help patients recognize destructive patterns of emotion and behavior and help them modify or replace such behaviors and thoughts with more reasonable or supportive ones.
• Distraction (redirecting your attention away from chronic pain), imagery (going to your “happy place”), and dissociation (detaching yourself from the chronic pain) can be useful.
• Involving your family with your recovery may be quite helpful, according to recent scientific evidence.
   
   Stay well, be safe and enjoy the Holiday season with friends and family.
   
  For your better health,
  Dr. Heller
  
  
   
   

"Selling Sickness" - How Pharma-Medical industry Creates Customers

We are told almost daily that preventative actions is the most effective way of maintaining good health.  the problem is, in the pharmacol-medical industry, the definition of prevention has become perverted to mean early detection, not healthy living.  This is most likely the true reason for our run away health care costs in this country.  We focus on fixing problems rather than avoiding the problem in the first place.

In their new book "Selling Sickness:" authors Ray Moynihan and Alan Cassels, MD examine the tendency of the healthcare industry to ignore lifestyle-based primary prevention, focused on the three pillars of diet, exercise and stress management, and over the past generation, increase emphasis on mass screenings of asymptomatic populations for early signs of disease, and for markers (blood tests, radiologic findings) that might indicate an increased likelihood of disease in the future, thereby finding new customers for their products and services.

As a very interesting read, they explore how the industry creates or refines disorders for which their therapies can be used; how clinical trials are designed to maximumize appearance of benefits of the therapeutics/drugs being tested; direct to consumer disease awareness campaigns and how the FDA approval process relies on self interest research and pharmaceutical industry funding.

If you are truly interested in how the pharmaco-medical industry is using you and your family's health and well-being to line their pockets.

There is a great review of this book that can be found here.

Proper Sitting For a Healthier Body

I see many patients through the weeks that complain of worsening problems with desk work.  I came across this graphic that can help those individuals and thought it good enough to get out to all my readers.  This is a very good graphic to keep in mind when working at a computer work station. The only thing they have ignored is the possible use of a cushion/wedge to help increase the angle of the hip.   With proper hip angles the "need" for a lumbar support is virtually eliminated.

For proper support of the low back we want the hip joint (located at the back corner of the side pocket seam) slightly higher than the middle of the knee joint. They show it being done with the seat adjustment, but I have found that in real life that is nearly impossible, due to the "popular" constructions of office chairs.

You, your family and friends can have access to more helpful information such as this by liking us on FaceBook at: David City Chiropractic and Acupuncture or visit our website at www.dcbetterhealth.com,  you can even join our mailing list to receive our free newsletter.    

Yours for better health,
Dr. Heller

Tylenol: The not so safe pain reliever

Even though we consider acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol) a safe pain reliever for both children and adults it can be extremely dangerous and causes significant side effects.  Acetaminophen has been linked to over 100,000 calls to poison control centers; 50,000 emergency room visits, 26,000 hospitalizations, and more than 450 deaths from liver failure each year.

The folks at GreenMedInfo.com have once again done a wonderful job of reviewing the problems and history of acetaminophen.  Below is the exerpted article.

Enjoy. 

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The Dangers of Tylenol: Is it Time for the FDA to Remove it From the Market?

www.greenmedinfo.com

Posted on:  Thursday, August 8th 2013 at 1:00 pm

Written By:  Dr. Michael Murray     

                                                            

photo from Wikicommons

Introduction

Most people consider acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol) as being an extremely safe pain reliever for both children and adults. The reality is that it can be extremely dangerous and causes significant side effects. Each year acetaminophen causes over 100,000 calls to poison control centers; 50,000 emergency room visits, 26,000 hospitalizations, and more than 450 deaths from liver failure. In addition, regular use of acetaminophen is linked to a higher likelihood of asthma, infertility, and hearing loss (especially in men under 50 years of age).

The FDA has done a poor job alerting the public to the dangers of acetaminophen. In my opinion, it is a drug that serves no real medical purpose in the 21^st century. Its use should be curtailed or even eliminated entirely.

Background Data

Acetaminophen is the only remaining member of the class of drugs known as "aniline analgesics" that is still on the market. The rest were discontinued long ago. Acetaminophen only blocks the feelings of pain and reduces fever, it exerts no significant anti-inflammatory action.

Acetaminophen is very hard on the liver and is known to reduce the liver's store of the important detoxifying aid and antioxidant glutathione. When acetaminophen is combined with alcoholic drinks or other compounds toxic to the liver including other medications, its negative effects on the liver are multiplied. It should definitely not be used in anyone with impaired liver function.

Acetaminophen is often the drug of choice in children to relieve fever. However, use for fever in the first year of life is associated with an increase in the incidence of asthma and other allergic symptoms later in childhood. Asthma appears to be another disease process that is influenced greatly by antioxidant mechanisms. Acetaminophen severely depletes glutathione levels not only in the liver, but presumably other tissues as well and should definitely not be used in people with asthma.

New Data

On August 1, 2013 the FDA released a notification on acetaminophen that it is now associated with rare, but severe and sometimes fatal skin reactions even at recommended dosages.

These skin reactions, known as Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), and acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) are associated with reddening of the skin, rash, blisters, and detachment of the upper surface of the skin. These reactions can occur at any time while acetaminophen is being taken – they can happen the first time it is used or after long-term use. Other drugs used to treat fever and pain/body aches (e.g., non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDS, such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen) also carry the risk of causing serious skin reactions, which is already described in the warnings section of their drug labels.

The FDA's solution is that they will now require that a warning be added to the labels of prescription drug products containing acetaminophen to address the risk of serious skin reactions. FDA will also request that manufacturers of OTC acetaminophen drug products to add a warning about serious skin reactions to the product labels.

Comment

It just might be time to pull the plug on acetaminophen. Can you imagine if the side effects and risks associated with acetaminophen were associated with a dietary supplement? It would be yanked from the market immediately. The FDA needs to quit following a double standard and instead look after the public's best interest not only by calling for more warnings on labels, but also by pulling from the market outdated, potentially dangerous drugs especially those available over-the-counter.

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Here is one more reason to not cover the pain with medication and over-the-counter pain relievers.  To be truely healthy and avoid unnecessarly side effects visit your doctor of chiropractic to have those lingering aches and pains evaluated.  Through proper spinal care you may find the pain relievers are no longer necessary and you can confidently enjoy life again.

If you or a loved one is regularly taking acetaminophen or other pain reliever call our office to schedule a no cost, no obligation initial consultation to find out what we may be able to do to help you live life to the fullest.  

Yours for better health,

Dr. Heller

 

Reference

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm363041.htm

Influence of Pharmaceutical Ads on Healthcare

A study appearing in the October 2012 issue of the Annals of Family Medicine explores the question of how drug companies are influencing both the practice of medicine and the health of patients who seek care from medical providers.

The authors note "Spending on prescription drugs in the Unites States has risen nearly 6-fold since 1990, reflecting substantial increases in treatment of chronic conditions and subsequent polypharmacy (multiple prescriptions). As many as 45% of Americans have at least 1 diagnosed chronic condition, and 60% of the most prescribed medications were for hypertension, high cholesterol levels and diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 11% of the US population and 40% of people older than age 60 take 5 medications or more." 

The authors focused their review on management of type II diabetes and hypertension, two of the most common chronic health conditions.  The study examined the overwhelming prevalence of prescription drug use in managing these two conditions and focused on the influencing factors more closely.

Factors recognized: 

 

Lower diagnostic thresholds – This mean that more people are diagnosed with a disease they didn't previously have.   

The lowering of fasting glucose (blood sugar) levels from 140 to 126 in 1998 resulted in an additional 10.3 million people being medically defined as diabetics.  Pre diabetes glucose levels were lowered to 100 in 2003 from the previous levels of 110, creating more pre diabetic cases.  

The definition for hypertension (high blood pressure) was lowered in 1993 from a pressure of 160/95 to 140/90 in non-diabetic patients. In 1998, the hypertension level for diabetics was set at 130/80, lower than that of non-diabetics. These two changes created an estimated 22 million additional hypertension diagnoses. The pre hypertension level was also established in 1998 at 120/80. 

Clinician Incentives - Medical doctors are often rewarded for keeping their patients below certain standards based on established guidelines.  

"The committees and organizations setting the standards often have substantial pharmaceutical industry support and include many individuals with industry ties." According to the authors, "many insurance companies assess individual clinicians on the basis of whether their patients meet these standards, often paying substantial bonuses that encourage clinicians to respond to marginal test results with aggressive use of pharmaceuticals."   

The Prescribing Cascade – As most people know, prescription drugs can have adverse impacts on patients.  They can produce symptoms that prompt the prescribing of additional drugs to combat the side effects of the first. 

Two-thirds of patients with diabetes and hypertension reported symptoms which they attributed to their medications, with several patients hospitalized because of symptoms, prompting a medication change.  This study found 89% of the patients "reported taking multiple medications, averaging 4.8 prescriptions with more than half (51%) taking 5 or more." The sad fact is that many of the patients were expected to continue taking these medications "permanently."   

What to Do? 

The authors call for a reform on how much influence the pharmaceutical industry has on the practice of medicine: "At a minimum, we urge policies excluding individuals or organizations with financial conflicts of interest from involvement with guideline-writing panels. They also suggest that physicians "be discouraged from seeing drug representatives."  

So what is the take home from this information? 

We see that chronic illnesses are experienced by 45% of the population.  

These numbers are tremendously high, considering that almost all chronic diseases are due to lifestyle.  Without the proper lifestyle changes, drugs will have little effect on these conditions other than suppressing the symptoms and creating even more problems.  Are we starting to see where part of the problem with our rising healthcare costs are coming from? 

Drug manufacturing is a business, run for profits.  The public is persuaded to believe that these companies have only altruistic intentions; to help the masses be “healthier”.   This is often the furthest thing from the truth.  As we saw in the above study, guideline criteria are often modified to increase the “market pool” for the drugs.

The pharmaceutical industry was a $325 Billion business in the US in 2012.  For years the most profitable business in the U.S. has been the pharmaceutical corporations, which routinely top the annual fortune 500 list. 

An essential part of the pharmaceutical industry’s overwhelming ‘success’ lays in the liaison between the corporations and the ‘symptoms management’ health care industry: The pharmaceutical representative. The men and women we see meeting with physicians, walking into offices with gifts of lunch for the staff, meeting with the doctor while you wait for your appointment.   These individuals are working for their paycheck, not your health. 

As concerned individuals we must take it upon ourselves to regain and maintain our health and well being.  This is the goal at David City Chiropractic; to coach and empower or patients to live healthier and more wellness oriented lives by modifying lifestyle habits from simple postural correction to nutritionally enhancing the body for optimal immunity and hormonal health.  If this sounds interesting to you, contact our office for more information. 

The answer to the nation’s healthcare crisis is not more drugs and technology to treat sick people but fewer people getting sick.

Yours For Better Health,

Dr. Heller