Swine Flu, Fact and Fiction

By Scott Beck

With the 2009-2010 flu season in full force, many Americans are searching for protection for them and their families. This year is particularly scary since we are faced with the first pandemic (global outbreak) in over 40 years because of the H1N1 influenza virus. As growing controversy over the safety and effectiveness of the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines spread, the question “what am I to do” often arises. To make an informative decision on your families health care options, we must first take a look at the facts.

Each day the media reports additional cases of H1N1 infections and rising death tolls attributed to the pandemic disease. In July of 2009, the World Health Organization issued a press release stating that it will no longer release the global table of H1N1 infections because it is “extremely difficult, if not impossible” to determine swine flu cases in laboratory testing. The Centers for Disease Control issued a similar statement on October 2, 2009. “Influenza diagnosis will not distinguish between infection with seasonal influenza vs. infection with A-H1N1.” However, we are told by our doctors and the media that it is imperative to have the flu and “swine” flu vaccine this season. Here are a few facts on that:
The nasal spray vaccine by MedImmune has demonstrated evidence in clinical trials of shedding the live virus for 3-21 days post-vaccination. This means that vaccinating large populations, especially school children, with the live nasal-spray vaccine may actually cause a rise in the number of those infected! Also, pregnant woman have been identified as a targeted risk group for H1N1 and seasonal influenza, therefore, they are urged to get the vaccines. However, Influenza vaccines are Category C pharmaceuticals, which means that no animal or human studies have been conducted for safety. Influenza vaccines have not been tested on pregnant women.
As a concerned and informed parent, you are now wondering what you can do to protect your family with a safe and natural approach. The simple answer: CHIROPRACTIC. One of the most important studies on chiropractic and the immune system was performed by Ronald Pero, Ph.D., chief of cancer prevention research at New York's Preventive Medicine Institute and professor of medicine at New York University. Dr. Pero measured the immune systems of people under chiropractic care as compared to those in the general population and those with cancer and other serious diseases. His initial three-year study was of 107 individuals who had been under chiropractic care for five years or more. The chiropractic patients were found to have a 200% greater immune competence than those people who had not received chiropractic care, and they had 400% greater immune competence than those people with cancer and other serious diseases. The immune system superiority of those under chiropractic care did not appear to diminish with age. Dr. Pero stated “When applied in a clinical framework, I have never seen a group other than this chiropractic group to experience a 200% increase over the normal patients. This is why it is so dramatically important. We have never seen such a positive improvement in a group.”
The immune system is affected by the nervous system through the connections with the endocrine and the autonomic nervous system. And chiropractic care improves the function of the nervous system through improving the movement of the spinal bones that encase and protect the spinal cord. Stressful conditions lead to altered measures of immune function, and altered susceptibility to a variety of diseases. Chiropractic care is a safe, gentle and effective way to enhance your immune system this flu season. Call today for a FREE consultation to discuss how our health care team can help your family!

How to Practice Gratitude.

Study after study shows that people who give time, donate money or simply help others are healthier and live more fulfilled lives. Here are some things you can do.

1.) Volunteer. Volunteer your time, skills and expertise. Volunteering helps, you build and sustain your community, which in turn will give back to you. It's a win-win situation. People volunteer to contribute their skills and knowledge however it's practically guaranteed that you'll walk away with more knowledge and skills than you had beforehand. There is little else in life that offers the same level of satisfaction like watching your hard earned efforts benefit someone in need. Volunteering also offers you new interests, new experiences, new people, and authenticity and credibility in your industry.

2.) Donate funds. What's your favorite cause or charity - something that's important to you, your family or your friends? Perhaps it is the American Cancer Society, the Humane Society, or the Nature Conservancy. These organizations thrive on two things: Volunteers and Donations. If you have causes, passions and charities which are near and dear to your heart, it's important to do what you can to keep them in the black, financially solvent, and able to continue to provide their services.

3.) Mentor. Mentoring is an exceptional way to share your knowledge and experience with others and give back to the world. Mentoring is when you meet with someone one-on-one and help them learn and grow. A mentee can be a child or young adult struggling with choices, a professional who is interested in growing their career, or a person interested in starting a business similar to yours. A mentor/mentee relationship is essentially, however you define it.

If history and experience have taught us anything it's that the more you give, the more you receive. When you take the time to give back to the world with the intention of improving the lives of others, the essential result is that you end up receiving so much more than you can possibly imagine. Give it a try. You'll be amazed what happens in your life.

I Feel Better. Why Continue?

The biggest mistake patients often make is quitting care too soon. Once symptoms resolve many patients feel they are fixed. This cannot be further from the truth. My years of observing relapses proves this.

It is impossible to correct mechanical flaws in joints, break up scar tissue and adhesion and strengthen the weakened supporting structures in a few visits. Your body is very intelligent and will avoid pain at all costs. Even at the expense of proper biomehanics. Ultimately the body will compensate which will only lead to a problem elsewhere in the body.

The goal needs to be correction of the joint problems and prevention of future problems. This takes time and effort. It is common to think you are fixed when the pain is gone but this is rarely the case.

Herniated Disc? Now what?

Not so long ago a diagnosis of a herniated disc often had you heading for an open surgery with a long recovery. This is no longer the case. In fact, it is most important to always verify the true cause of your pain or symtoms. For example, in many instances it may not be the disc causing the problem. We now know many people have disc herniations and are totally asymptomatic. There are many techniques and methods to determine and verify the true cause of your pain. The good news is there are many minimally invasive procedures such as spinal decompression, such as the DRX9000 or endoscopic disectomies that have patients regain their lives. It is important to make sure you seek out conservative options first prior to undergoing more invasive procedures.

Back pain to be concerned about

90% of Americans will suffer an episode of back pain in their lifetime. It is important to determine when medical action is needed. Back pain can be categorized into radiating and nonradiating or centralized back pain. Non radiating back pain is often caused by spinal misalignment, muscle spasms or facet irritaion. This type of pain is often uncomplicated and can be resolved fairly quickly with conservative hands on therapies. Radiating back pain is often more complex and can be more serious and chronic. Many times the radiation is caused by a herniated disc or nerve related issue. It is important to seek medical care to get a proper diagnosis so the appropriate treatment can be performed. A very serious condition called cauda equina syndrome is a medical emergency and is associated with bowel or bladder issues in conjuction with back pain. Back pain that lasts more than a few days will only create bigger problems down the road in the future so don't ignore the signs.

What is functional training?

The days of working out "body parts" are a thing of the past. For example, working out your back and biceps on one day and your chest and triceps on another. This methodology, although good for muscular growth, does not translate to real life activities. So what we create are muscular people who are not able to perform integrated movements successfully. In other words these people can lift heavy weight in one plane or direction but when you put the person in real life situations, where they need to move at certain angles, they cannot perform them and are subject to spine or joint injuries. Working out should prepare your body to prevent injury and pain syndromes and increase performance in everyday MOVEMENTS such as lifting, bending, reaching etc. In functional training the difference is in training movements and not muscles. When you train movements you integrate several muscle groups at the same time, strengthen your core and prepare the body for real life movement and performance.

The importance of ritual and routines

In in order to get more done in less time it is essential you stick to rituals and routines. Let me give you an example of some of my own

6am gym

7am read/check emails

8am breakfast with kids

10-7 office

730-9 family time

9pm read professional journals etc.

Granted there are always life circumstances that will get in the way but the key is to get back to the normal routine. This is the best way to move steadily and consistently on the path to your goals. When you fail to plan you plan to fail. Letting the day dictate your schedule vs. you dictating your schedule is a bad habit. Get to work on this simply by writing down tomorrow's routine!

Make your own rules to lose weight.

When is comes to nutrition you need to create rules and stick to them. Far too many times people consume an abundance of food on a Saturday night only to wake up Sunday morning and have another huge breakfast...and no gym in sight. If you want to play you must pay. How about this approach. I am going to indulge on Sat night but I will be at the gym first thing in the morning and I will eat a moderate breakfast. I personally make rules such as no alcohol during the week or no dessert during the week. Once again it all boils down to discipline. However, at least this way there is some accountability and you will feel the remorse when you break your "rules". They are your rules so make it fun. The bottom line is you must expend more energy than you consume.

Try this exercise to blast your core.

The renegade row is will strengthen your core, increase shoulder stability and blast you lat muscles. Check out the video.

This one nutrition tip can change your life!

I recently participated in Tom Phillip's Ultimate Body Transformation. Tom is my trainer and a group of his clients followed Tom's program as he trained for a natural bodybuilding show. Always looking for a challenge I jumped in. Although I have always been a good eater I was amazed at the power these 2 P's had in getting me the leanest I have been in years! The first P is preparation or better yet planning. As the saying goes, "If you fail to plan you are planning to fail. " This cannot be more true than when it comes to eating. You must take the time to prepare the meals in advance for your ENTIRE day. The next P is Portion control. You can eat the best, organic and healthy food choices, however, if you eat too much you will gain weight. It is simple math. You must burn more than you consume! I have heard it time and time again. "I eat healthy" or "I don't like sweets." Without preparation and portion control you will never get to your goals no matter how healthy you think you eat.

Did you make a health deposit or withdrawal today?

Huh? Each day we either move in the direction of health and wellness or towards sickness and disease. We rarely are staying in a neutral state. So how did you begin your day. Did you make a deposit or a withdrawal? Let me give some examples. Did you choose to get up early and exercise or did you hit the snooze button. Did you have the quality high protein breakfast or the sugary cereal? You have choices each day, all day. These choices are either depleting your health potential or enhancing it. Take a piece of paper. Make 2 columns. The left column is the deposits. The right column is the withdrawals. Take inventory. It may be a surprise you are as healthy as you are! This is only a testament to the amazing resilience of the human body. Take heed. Disease is not about bad luck. It is about your choices throughout your life.


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Thermogenic effects of food.

It is very important to realize the distinct difference between eating quality foods over processed refined foods. One of the differences that few know about is called thermogenics. Thermogenic is a property of a food type that causes the body to burn and use energy to digest food types. So lets give a basic example with simple math. If you eat 100 calories of raw carrots or raw veggies it may take 30 calores to digest the food due to the amount of energy that it takes to break it down. A net of 70 calories. However, if you drink a 100 calorie soda or 100 calories of pretzels it takes the body very little energy to break it down and digest due to the refined nature of the soda and pretzels. Perhaps it only takes 10 calories to digest the soda and pretzel. Net effect of 90 calories. For practical matter foods that are high in protein and raw veggies have a high thermogenic value. Processed and refined foods such as white breads, pastas, bagel adn soft drinks have a low thermogenic value. Doesn't it make sense to eat foods that will utimately raise your metabolism and leave you with less stored calories at the end of the day. Over time it adds up to a lot of weight loss...or weight gain if you choose the wrong foods.

www.advanced-wellness.net

What is wellness?

I am often confused by the term wellness. What is it? Is it going to a spa for a massage? Is it eating a plate of veggies? The reality is there is no perfect definition. I think the best way to explain wellness is "any activity or habit you do to better help one acheive a higher state of health." For example going to the gym regularly is a wellness habit. Doing this on a regular basis will certainly help you maintain an active life. The point is wellness is an action word. One must actively participate if they are looking to acheive a higher state of wellness. My top 3 wellness acts.
1. Exercise regularly. It can simply be a 20 minute walk but make sure you move your body daily!
2. Eliminate ALL refined carbs including white flour and white sugar.
3. Reduce your stress by emptying your plate. Learn to say no. Much of our stress is self inflicted. Don't commit to so much.

That's it for now. See you next time.

Dr. Cilea

www.advanced-wellness.net

Join us on our fitness journey. We will start an 8 week sprint in a few weeks. You can lose up 20 lbs in 8 weeks. Stay tuned.