St Louis Chiropractor: 2009

Thursday, December 17, 2009

MSG: The Danger Lurking in Your Cabinet

When I mention MSG to my patients they usually say "Oh I don't eat Chinese food." Well sorry to say but Chinese food is the least of my worries. This harmful chemical really is lurking in almost all processed foods that we eat. Some common examples are soup, crackers, candy, lunch meat, bread, seasonings, bouillon cubes, and even many "health foods."

MSG is put into foods to enhance the flavor. I'm guessing because it is in so many of the processed foods that it really does a good job. The problem with it is the side effects. This website explains that MSG is tricking the taste buds into sending the signals that we are eating a healthy protein rich food. Unfortunately for us it may even make us overeat that food and make us overweight. So how in the sea of MSG containing foods do you avoid this additive? Well that's where it gets complicated.

MSG can be part of other additives and therefore called many different things. Here is a "shortened" list of some of the most common names I have found that could contain MSG:
MSG, Gelatin, Calcium Caseinate, Monosodium glutamate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP), Textured Protein, Monopotassium glutamate, Hydrolyzed Plant Protein (HPP), Yeast Extract, Glutamate, Autolyzed Plant Protein, Yeast food or nutrient, Glutamic Acid, Sodium Caseinate, Autolyzed Yeast, Vegetable Protein Extract, Senomyx, Modified Food Starch, Maltodexrin, Natural Flavoring.

Ok it wasn't that short but believe me the list goes on. So what can MSG do to you? Well it makes different people react different ways. One common way is that it causes headaches. That could actually be a symptom of what is really going on. Free glutamic acid (a component of MSG) acts in the brain as an excitotoxin. An excitotoxin is a chemical transmitter excite your brain cells to death. Sounds like loads of fun right? Well in the book "Excitoxins: the taste that kills" Dr. Russel Blaylock explains this process in detail along with how some other nasty substances like artificial sweeteners do the same thing.

So how do I stay away from this substance? Well the truth is I sometimes go out to eat and I sometimes to eat it unknowingly. But what I focus on is that I generally am aware and stay away from it. If you stay on the outsides of the supermarket (fruit, veggies, meat, eggs... etc) and avoid the processed foods in the isles you are generally safe. I used to also keep a list of the common names for MSG in my purse but now I know them pretty much by heart. There are some good manufacturers out there who do not use these additives so I've just learned to buy from them. Do your best and you'll be healthier for it!

Need a St Louis Chiropractor? Give us a call today!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Natural Ways to Avoid the Flu.

So It's that time of year when the days are getting shorter and if you live in St. Louis, its rained more here in October than ever recorded. All of that combined makes it prime season for colds and the Flu.

Have you ever asked yourself why are Fall and Winter considered the flu season? Many people have speculated it has to do with the close proximity of people indoors which transmits germs. New research being done refutes those previous claims. When it's cold and rainy what do people normally want to do? Stay inside and warm. So what are they missing? Sunlight! For years now we have been thinking of the sun as our enemy but the truth is we can't live without it. The truth is that Vitamin D is naturally made by our amazing bodies when our skin is exposed to sunlight. When we are inside for the colder and darker months we actually have a vitamin D deficiency. Now we have enough vitamin D in our diets usually to keep us from getting rickets but not enough to keep us healthy. Vitamin D plays a key role in keeping our immune system functioning.

The recommendation that I've heard many times is a few minutes of direct sunlight on skin without sunscreen is needed. So what does that mean? What if its cloudy? So I discovered this fabulous calculator that takes many factors like time of year, skin color, latitude and longitude, time of day and even surface that you are on.

So on an overcast day like today I calculated what I would need for adequate vitamin D and it was OVER AN HOUR! I'm not going to be able to be outside that long today so I'm going to supplement with a liquid vitamin D3 supplement.

So here are my recommendations for cold and flu season to keep your immune system healthy.

1. Keep you nervous system working in tip top shape through specific chiropractic adjustments when needed. Only your doctor of chiropractic is trained to find and remove misalignments that could be causing nervous system stress. When the nervous system is giving the body the correct signals the immune system responds correctly.

2. Vitamin D3 supplementation when adequate sunlight is unavailable. Some sources are saying 35 IUs(international units) of vitamin D3 per pound of body weight. So for an individual that weighs 200 lbs that's 7000 IUs per day!

3. Keeping your hands washed and avoiding contact with your eyes, mouth, and nose. That doesn't mean you need to disinfect your hands, just plain old soap (not antibacterial) does the job and those hand sanitizers don't do the job and are quite toxic.

4. Reducing or removing the sugar in your diet (including white breads, pastas, and starches) has a positive effect on the chemistry in your body. Also aerobic exercise gives the immune system a boost.

So if you follow these easy natural steps it will give your immune system the boost it needs to not only get through the cold and flu season but enjoy it because you feel so great!

Need a St Louis Chiropractor? Give us a call today!