Genetics are being blamed for everything from heart disease, obesity, high cholesterol, depression, to breast cancer.  This is an attention diverter from how things really work and to program people into thinking their situation is hopeless and drug dependent.  Genes are blueprints that do not express without a trigger from the environment.  The environment is the key and it is the interaction with our cell membranes that dictate how genes express.

Much like entering a gated community, our cell membranes contain receptor proteins, that when stimulated by a resonate signal, open and allow entry into the cell.  Our "biocomputer" is similar to a computer chip.  Computers are programmable and so are cells.  Like a computer, the programmer is outside the cell.

The cell’s membrane receptors operate as the Central Processing Unit, converting external environmental information into what becomes our biology.  We can control our biology by how we edit the data we feed our biocomputer.  That is under our direct control.  Everything we eat, drink, and think affects us at the cellular level.  Yes, your thoughts play a major roll in creating your biology.  

Forget the disempowering misinformation about genetics and focus on the programming of your biocomputer. 

If you have any questions or comments, please call our office or email us.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Vitamin B6 is vitally important for health.  It is called the hardest working nutrient in the human body because it is used to operate hundreds of different functions every day.  It works primarily as a coenzyme, which allows other enzymes to complete their jobs, particularly in the area of protein metabolism.  Studies are showing B6 deficiencies are widespread.  Why?  Food processing depletes B6, particularly in regards to grains.  Up to 90% of B6 can be lost in the milling of wheat.  Oral contraceptives also obliterate B6 from the body.  It is ridiculous B6 isn’t recommended to women using these drugs.  People with liver function issues are also at risk.  B6 needs to be converted into its active form, pyridoxal 5-phosphate (P5P) to be utilized by the body.

There is an amino acid (homocysteine) formed in the body from the amino acid methionine, which is found in dietary proteins.  It can be damaging to arteries if levels get too high.  To eliminate it, the body must convert it (to cystathionine) and that requires B6 or the conversion won’t happen.  As this potentially harmful substance builds up (in the absence of B6), it forms a reactive compound that also aggregates LDL cholesterol, causing free radical damage to the artery wall, with resultant plaquing.

This explains why populations that consume adequate protein foods along with highly processed, refined and preserved foods are more susceptible to arteriosclerosis.

The B6 theory of heart disease explains a lot that the cholesterol theory does not.  There has never been a clear connection between total cholesterol and heart disease.  Because there was such emphasis being put on making cholesterol the “terrorist” at the time, and developing a new market for no cholesterol foods (highly processed and many were also high in sugar and hydrogenated fats), this theory was suppressed.   It was a deterrent to that errant objective by people with questionable motives.  By the way, since the cholesterol paradigm has reigned supreme, not only has cardiovascular disease not gone down (in fact, congestive heart failure is epidemic), but obesity and diabetes have skyrocketed.

The active form of B6, pyridoxal 5-phosphate, is available as a supplement to ensure utilization of this most important vitamin.  Contact my office for more information. 916.962.3101

Many people are not aware of the fact that one of the most common causes of low back pain is kidney stress.  This type of back pain is characterized by stiffness, usually worse, first thing in the morning.  There may also be some sharp pains that are often experienced when leaning forward from the waist (lumbar flexion) and/or when twisting from your waist (rotation).

How does this happen?  – When the kidneys become stressed, the nerve that innervates them gets “irritated”.  That same nerve supplies the quadratus lumborum muscles.  These are the muscles that go from the bottom of your rib cage to the top of the iliac crest, (hipbone).  If you press on either of these locations, it is common to feel pain. If you experience sharp pain in your lower back, near the top of your hipbone, the source may be your kidneys.

What stresses the kidneys?  The following is a non-inclusive list of common stressors.

1.   Diet – One of the big offenders is milk and other dairy products.

2.   Dehydration – The kidneys require water for optimal functioning – The amount of water your body needs varies, depending on your body size. *(See note below) 3.   Allergies – When the pollen count is highest, I see more of this type of back pain.  Undigested pollens (or anything else) are molecules that are too big for the kidneys to pass and it stresses them to try.4.   Nutritional needs – The kidneys, like other organs, have nutritional requirements.  Some are vitamin A, vitamin D, amino acids, and fatty acids. Spinach and asparagus are a good foods for your kidneys, as are mung beans and aduki beans. Some helpful herbs are mullein, parsley, and alfalfa.

5.   Digestive incompetencies – Again, anything not digested can stress the kidneys.  Undigested sugar is a common offender.  The answer is appropriate digestive enzymes and dietary modifications.

Structural work focuses on calming down the muscles in spasm. Cold laser treatment over the kidneys and also on specific kidney acupuncture points, can bring a sense of relief. Adjustments at specific points in your back also works. 

Applying heat, with hot packs or a heating pad, can help.  Be sure to avoid anything cold, including iced drinks.  We’ve also found certain Chinese herbs very helpful in restoring the kidneys to health. 

So, if you’ve been suffering from back pain, it could be your kidneys at the source of your problem.  If you make the lifestyle changes recommended above and your pain continues, be sure to give us a call to schedule a visit, or a phone consultation. Why continue to suffer when natural remedies are so close at hand?  Our motto is to find and treat the source of the problem, instead of just masking the symptoms. 

*For the adequate amount of water you should drink: The rule of thumb is to drink the number of ounces that is equal to half of your body weight. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, your body needs 80 ounces of water a day, if you weigh 120 pounds, you’ll need 60 ounces, 180 pounds, 90 ounces, etc.  

Les Brown is one of my favorite speakers who always has a great message, but I find it’s his actions that can teach us even more.  It’s not just that he was an adopted orphan who was labeled educationally mentally retarded as a youngster, he went on to become a state senator and after that, one of the most successful professional speakers in the country.  it’s how he has handled his personal health issues that I want to address here.  Approximately ten years ago, Les was diagnosed with prostate cancer that was so advanced, that the best doctors in the most esteemed hospitals in the country, basically told him there wasn’t much that could be done.  The outcome was inevitable.  Get your things in order.  Today, Les is alive and well.  He has made a full recovery.  What might we learn from this? 

Les had already learned from his youth not to base his future on what others thought.  Obviously, the diagnosis of his mental capabilities was incorrect.  When he learned to believe in himself and listened only to others who had faith in him, he knew there were no limits to his potential.  He carried that same attitude over to his health.  While his diagnosis was correct, he knew the prognosis based on impossibility thinking was not set in stone.  He quit listening to the “experts.”  He searched and found people who had recovered from the same condition and he asked them what they did.  He then did the same things and got the same results.

Why buy into what can’t be done?  If a condition is called incurable it only means that the treatments being utilized are ineffective.  The fact is that if only one person has recovered from a label or illness, it is possible for others.  That includes you and me. 

In the last health tip, I talked about the intestine affecting the lower back and creating disk problems.  I would like to address anther very common, almost always overlooked or misdiagnosed cause of low back pain.  That is the connection between the kidney and low back pain.  Here is how it works.  When the kidneys become stressed, the nerve that innervates the kidneys becomes irritated and that in turn affects the muscles supplied by that same nerve.  Remember, we have one nervous system that goes to everything.  Now the muscles that go from the bottom of the rib cage to the top of the pelvic bone, go into spasm, the kidneys themselves can hurt, but so can these muscles, usually at the attachments.  Stiffness, difficulty bending forward, and twisting without pain, are the consequences.           

What stresses the kidneys?  It could be not enough water, undigested sugars, a lack of amino acids, fatty acids, vitamin A, or a number of other possibilities.  Foods that help are asparagus, spinach, parsley and mung beans.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and aspirin can both add further stress.

Treatments that help relieve the nerve irritation and restore balance expedite results tremendously.  Gentle adjustments, along with cold laser treatments, are helpful.

If you are suffering from back pain, it could be your kidneys are the source of the problems.  If you try some of the mentioned suggestions and your pain continues, give me a call and I can determine what your specific needs are.  There is no reason to suffer, when effective, natural solutions are available 

Most Americans will experience low back pain (LBP) at some point in their lives.  While there are several causes of this sometime debilitating condition, what I want to address here is pain coming from a disk involvement.  Low  back pain costs the country about 60 BILLON dollars per year and the treatments being employed are generally ineffective.  I want to propose that the model that is being followed is flawed.

1.         Except for trauma (picking up a pencil is not trauma), low back pain from a protruding disk is NOT the cause of the problem. Yes, it causes pain, buy WHY is the disk protruding?

2.         Pelvic rotation is what puts pressure on the disk.  The other side bulges.

3.         The main cause of pelvic rotation is an intestinal imbalance from either too much toxic undigested food, or pathogens (bacteria, parasites, etc.)  The same nerve that innervates the intestines supplies a broad pelvic stabilizing muscle (iliacus), triggering it to weaken on one side resulting in the pelvic dysfunction and a grinding down on the lower disks.

Solutions include specific intestinal detoxing, colonics, probiotics, natural anti-inflammatories and proteolytic enzymes for the pain and swelling of the disk.

I believe it is worth noting that orthodox or allopathic medicine is relatively new. Before World War 2 there were more homeopathic doctors and herbalists in the United States than there were pharmaceutically oriented physicians. I find that most people are not aware of this. During the war there was a surge in chemical warfare research and development that was the impetus for drug development and marketing. There was a successful campaign to eliminate much of the natural practitioner population. Most people today don’t realize the the United States, before this time, had many of the world’s experts in herbal medicine. Using legislation, the popular press, and other means to sway public opinion were, and still are, being utilized. Today, however, there is an ever increasing interest in natural medicine. Why?

The emphasis in medicine is on disease. More and more people are realizing that they want more out of health care than just disease diagnosis. People are becoming aware that what they eat and drink, how they think, and how they move are extremely important to their overall health picture. The diagnosis and treatment of disease has been the primary focus of allopathic physicians for the past half-century, but it has some limitations. One, there is very little, if anything, done preventively. Waiting until late stages of ill health to implement therapy is expensive, especially when compared to the results.