Good Gut Health, Again!!

Research is bringing to light more & more every day the connection between the state of your gut health & your physical & mental health.

Your gut contains 5 lbs of microbes called microbiota which produce hundreds of essential chemicals, they are critical in fighting disease, & they have a major affect on the way your metabolism, nervous system (including conditions like depression, anxiety & autism) & heart works. 90% of the genes in your body are not human genes but microbes in your gut!!

Your microbiota can predict such health conditions as obesity, diabetes, depression, high cholesterol, if your prone to heart disease, autoimmune diseases & even more!! Your gut IS intrinsically involved with you brain function. This means, if your not healthy in the head or in the tummy, you will develop disease. One will be worsening the other.  

Good gut health begins in the mouth & carries through the whole enteric system (stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, intestines, rectum, etc.). You can further encourage good gut bacteria by taking a good probiotic (something we can discuss together) & eating a good diet. 

Drink lots of water & eat plenty of veggies, fruits & lean meats. Fermented foods give you an extra boost!! Sauerkraut, kimchi & kombucha are common ones. Avoid such things as fast food, processed foods, sugary or starchy foods. 

Mental health in another big component of total well-being. Exercise, a good diet, water, meditation/relaxation, sleep & reduced stress are key.

Don't forget, I have needles to help with your head & your tummy as well as an arsenal of herbal & whole food supplements that can keep you feeling great!!

Don't Obsess Over Lower LDL?

The American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association & the Nation Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute have made a new cholesterol recommendation:
Quit trying to lower your LDL (low-density lipoprotein or "bad" cholesterol) number to a target of 100 mg/dL or less.

Why, after years of hearing that you must? These experts agree there is no evidence to support that lowering your LDL to 100 mg/dL or lower will have any affect in keeping you from having a heart attack. In other words, this symptom alone will not cause you to have a heart attack.

The main cause of heart disease and heart attacks is the terrible, toxic American Diet!! It has so many nutritional deficiencies, its high in fat, cholesterol, salt & sugar, very imbalanced.

Treating just your cholesterol levels is treating a symptom. To effectively treat any disease/condition, you must treat the underlying cause(s). That my friends, is what Acupuncture does.

While no one is telling you not to pay any attention to your cholesterol levels, understand it is a piece of the healthy puzzle that is you. Pay attention to all factors of your health, especially when your heart is involved. But there's no need to obsess about reducing your LDL.

As I've said before, Acupuncture, Herbs, Reiki, Massage, Stress Reduction, Diet & Exercise are the BEST medicine!! Most of which you can do for free!!

Integration Matters!!

Acupuncture & modern medicine, when used together, have the potential to support, strengthen & nurture the body towards health & well-being. Practitioners of this ancient medical practice have experienced clinical success with a variety of health issues. There's never one way to optimal health. Integration of medicines & home healthcare (taking care of yourself through good nutrition, exercise & rest) all combines to keep you your healthiest!! Don't leave anything out!!

BP Meds, Over Prescribed.

How many people do you know who are on medication for High Blood Pressure/Hypertension? I know too many!!

I believe BP meds are over prescribed. Out of 1,000 people who have high BP but don't take meds 2 will have a stroke at some point. If the same 1,000 people took BP meds, 1 of them would have a stroke. 

This means that 998 of the people would get NO benefit from taking their meds since they weren't going to have a stroke anyway!! Their just living with the nasty side-effects. Some of which include; erectile dysfunction, leg cramps, leg weakness, asthma, depression, insomnia, dry hacking cough, skin rash, even possible loss of taste. & who knows what else that we don't even know about!!

130/40 is the low end of "high". You can easily reduce it!! "Normal" is 120/80. There's a lot of controversy over these #'s. Are they a product of drug companies to get you to take meds? I won't answer that here. Me, you & your physician can discuss whats right for you. I can tell you most true hypertension will come with symptoms such as feeling or being flushed, headaches, irritability or dizziness.

High BP is a generally Curable condition!! Good nutrition, exercise, acupuncture, herbs, meditation, massage, sleep & reducing stress are all affordable (in comparison to the cost of BP drugs) or free solutions!!