Update! 21 Day Weight Loss - Week 2
—Jul 22, 2010It’s the morning of Day 16 and so far I have lost 11 pounds. The program has become much easier this second week, especially now that we can eat chicken and fish [feathers and fins as my Uncle John used to say]. I only had one day that was tough. For some reason, I was hungry all day even though I had two giant shakes, salads with chicken and fish and snacked on fruit all day long. It was a bit annoying, but it was only one day and I toughed it out. For two days this week, I had a sharp pain on the right side of my abdomen [a referral point for liver/gallbladder]. It didn’t double me over in pain by any stretch, but I knew it was there. Now it’s gone. I can only assume that the liver was cleaning house.
All in all, this has been a good experience. Digestion has improved and I’m sleeping better. Now, I am looking ahead beyond the end of the program. I plan to take some elements of this program and make them part of my lifestyle. I will likely drink a shake for breakfast. It’s quick and easy, you get a balanced blast of nutrients and a solid dose of fiber. And it tastes good. Pack a piece of fruit for a mid day snack and you’re good to go. I don’t need coffee to start the day anymore. I don’t see any reason to go back to it. That’s saying something for a guy who drank a pot in the morning and iced tea all afternoon!
This week, Dr. Lee and I will be getting blood work done. It will be interesting to see if there are any major changes from last year’s testing.
Expect a final report next week.
— Richard Fink, DC, FIAMA
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Saga! 21 Day Purification/ Weight Loss Program – Part 1
—Jul 14, 2010Dr. Lee and I have begun the Standard Process 21 day Purification Program. Standard Process is a whole foods supplement company. They have been in business since 1929 selling products that are organically grown in Wisconsin. I consider it a trustworthy company with a solid product line. We had two reasons for diving into this program: a) improve our health and b) evaluate it for our patients.
So what is this 21 day program? Simply put it is a way to cleanse your vital organs and change your eating habits at the same time. Dr. Lee and myself started on July 6th. As I’m writing this, it is our eighth day in the program. Is it easy? No. But if you want to get rid of toxins and lose some weight, it’s a good way to do it.
First, you are giving up coffee, alcoholic beverages, sodas, meat, breads, pastas and other grains. Instead you’ll be drinking shakes made with fresh fruit, standard process supplements and fiber. In addition you take cleansing capsules to promote toxin elimination. The rest of your meals are fruits and vegetables, with the emphasis on the veggies. After the first 10 days, chicken and fish are added to the diet. And, of course, plenty of water.
As the song goes, the first days are the hardest days. The headache from caffeine withdrawl was a killer and I was extremely fatigued. I took a nap in the afternoon the first day [something I never do] and went to bed at 9:30PM. By the end of the second day the headache started letting up. As for Dr. Lee, she had flu-like muscle aches for the first three days along with periods of fatigue. None of these symptoms are unusual. As your body lets go of the bad stuff, you will feel the change. Day four was a real turning point. Now, at the end of our first week, both of us are doing very well. Dr. Lee has noticed improvement in her skin. She swears that a couple of her facial lines are fading. More importantly, the nagging muscle spasm in her upper back [that neither chiropractic nor acupuncture could resolve] is now gone. As for me, I have more energy and less pain. The muscular soreness that always follows the day after my workouts isn’t coming around anymore.
Now the big news. In this first week, I’ve lost 8 pounds and Dr. Lee has lost 4.
I will keep you posted as we progress through this program. On Friday, we can start adding chicken and fish back into our diet. I’m looking forward to that!
Expect another update in about a week.
— Richard Fink, DC, FIAMA
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The Abuse of Antibiotics
—Jun 30, 2010When Dr. Lee and I went on our honeymoon [about a hundred years ago] she came down with a nasty stomach virus on board a cruise ship. She asked if an antibiotic would help. This was long before either of us went to chiropractic college. The doctor said that it wouldn’t help at all but he would be happy to give her a shot anyway if she wanted it. She elected to tough out the virus.
Everyday parents bring sick kids to doctors’ offices who also cannot be helped with antibiotics but they leave with a prescription anyway. The prescription makes the parents feel better not the kids. On the surface, this practice seems harmless. It’s not.
Antibiotics were a great discovery in the last century. Had they been used judiciously, they would be just as a effective a tool in the war against bacterial inflections as they were 60 years ago. Instead the abuse of antibiotics has created a plethora of superbugs resistant to almost all of our drugs. Why? When people take antibiotics they kill off the vast majority of bacteria in their system…but not every last bug. The drug resistant survivors multiply. It has been said that the abuse of antibiotics has propelled the evolution of the microbe by 50,000 years in the last 60 years.
Antibiotics are also rampant in our food supply. Since cattle, chicken and pigs are raised in factory-like conditions, diseases spread very quickly. To deal with the problem antibiotics are routinely fed to the animals. Those drugs end up in our food chain. The FDA has just made recommendations to food producers to eliminate antibiotics in meat production because of the huge problem of antibiotic resistant inflections. Note that these are recommendations which are little more than suggestions. I doubt this will curb the use of the drugs. The food industry cares about profits not the health of the population.
So what can you do? For starters you can eat lower on the food chain. That means less meat and more veggies. Secondly, you can go to local organic farmers who don’t abuse antibiotics. Yes, the meat is more expensive but it is better for you. Lastly, you can live a lifestyle that keeps you healthier. That means exercise, proper supplementation and regular chiropractic care for a healthy spine.
— Richard Fink, DC, FIAMA
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Processed Poison: A New Meat Study
—May 19, 2010If you have a sandwich in one hand and a mouse in the other, I can guarantee you that you’re not going to like this article. A new study sheds light on the dangers of processed meats. That means favorites like sausage, bacon, hot dogs and deli meats. These tasty items are linked to a 42% increase in heart disease and 19% increase in the risk of developing diabetes. And we’re not talking a lot of it either. A daily 1.8 ounce serving [that’s one hot dog, folks!] was enough to increase risk.
The good news is that unprocessed meats like lamb and beef did not demonstrate the same health risks. The obvious conclusion is that, once again, the food industry is poisoning us for profits. The chemicals used in the processing are the culprits, not the meat itself.
Of course, the president of the American Meat Institute said that these facts are no reason to make dietary changes. And you can trust him. So just forget the whole thing and finish that salami sandwich. In the meantime, I have a refrigerator to clean out.
— Richard Fink, DC, FIAMA
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Pilots on Prozac? Happy Landings!
—Apr 26, 2010I don’t like to fly. It freaks me out. Yes, I know. Air travel is safer than driving a car. And, admittedly, it’s way safer than me driving a car. But that bit of logic doesn’t give me any comfort. And neither does this. A couple of weeks back the FAA cleared pilots for taking anti-depressants. On the surface, one might think that makes sense. After all who wants a depressed pilot at the controls of a giant flying coffin [sorry, I meant jumbo jet]. However, if you invest five minutes into researching these ‘wonder’ drugs you come up with a long list of disturbing side effects.
Take Prozac for instance. I’m not going through all the side effects. I just want to touch on a few. In clinical studies, some of the most common side effects are: Insomnia (33%), drowsiness (17%), anxiety (15%) and dizziness (9%). Vision changes are also reported in over 1% of study respondents. Of course, anyone can have more than one side effect at a time. So, it’s possible to end up with a pilot who hasn’t slept well, is drowsy, dizzy and whose vision is a bit blurred. On top of that, he or she is anxious. I don’t blame them. That is just a few of the common side effects. Unusual but reported side effects also include aggressive behavior, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts. You get the picture.
Personally, I would like the airlines to come across with additional information when booking a flight. They already let you pick your own seat. Why not give us the option of flying with a pilot who doesn’t need happy pills? You know, someone naturally alert? I would be delighted to pay more for that flight. Since that’s probably not going to happen [because of a pilot’s version of the patient privacy act?], maybe I’ll make other travel arrangements. Swimming to the Bahamas is looking better and better.
— Richard Fink, DC, FIAMA
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Summer is Coming. What’s Your Exercuse?
—Apr 26, 2010Well, it won’t be long now. Pretty soon it will be time to go to the beach or the pool clad in your favorite bathing suit. Just for fun, when nobody else is home, get in your bathing suit and take a good long look in a full length mirror. You can stop moaning, groaning, screaming and crying now. Take heart. There is still time to get that bod back in shape. But you know something? How you look isn’t all that important…except for your ego.
Your mind, body and spirit all need exercise. Sure, it’s going to be great to strut down the beach with that perfect buff body in a couple of months. (Take note that I am projecting positive energy your way…I know you can do it!) Yes, looking good is a great motivator, but what’s going on under the skin is infinitely more important to your quality of life. Exercise needs to be part of your lifestyle…as natural as breathing. So why isn’t it already? That’s simple. You have a really good reason for not exercising, don’t you? It’s called an Exercuse.
Here’s a few examples:
a)I don’t have time. [A rift in the time-space continuum has left me with less hours in a day than everyone else on the planet.]
b)I have more important things to do.[ My favorite rerun of Lost is on again.]
c)I don’t need to exercise. [Yes, I am immortal!]
Okay, enough exercuses! Set aside 20 minutes a day to walk, bike or do some floor exercises. Workout with a friend. It’s a great way to keep each other motivated. Cut back on the carbs, eat less at night and you will drop a few inches between now and those lazy days of summer!
— Richard Fink, DC, FIAMA
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PSA Testing: A Public Health Disaster...According To The Inventor
—Mar 22, 2010Okay, men over fifty, here’s your quiz for the day. What blood test does your medical doctor want you to get on a regular basis and what does it check for? If you answered the PSA [Prostate Specific Antigen] test and prostate cancer, you win a gold star. That’s what we have all been told. At least one person has an issue with the PSA test as the gold standard for prostate health testing. He just happens to be the one who invented the PSA test in 1970.
Richard J. Ablin is currently a research professor of immunobiology and pathology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. He states that PSA testing amounts to a “hugely expensive public health disaster.” In his op-ed piece in the N.Y. Times he points out that since the test doesn’t distinguish between the prostate cancer that will kill you and the one that won’t, it’s not much better than a coin toss. The PSA test was approved by the FDA because it could detect 3.8 percent of prostate cancers which was an improvement over the digital rectal exam. Ablin states that men are much more likely to die with prostate cancer than from it. In short, he believes that the billions of dollars spent on the test are a huge waste of resources and lead to many unnecessary procedures.
It will be interesting to see if the PSA test inventor’s opinion shakes up the status quo on prostate recommendations. Personally, [and cynically] I don’t think it will. There’s too much money at stake.
— Richard Fink, DC, FIAMA
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New Alzheimer's s Research: Could Plaque Be Part Of The Brain's Defense?
—Mar 22, 2010As many of the regular readers of the Wellness Wave already know, I read everything I can on Alzheimer’s disease. Even so, the latest research on this dreaded disease took me by surprise. In Alzheimer’s plaque forms in the brain that deadens the signals between the nerves. Memory disappears because thought becomes impossible. According to a new study from Harvard, the protein that makes up the plaque beta amyloid [or A-beta for short] may be part of the immune system. It is nearly identical to one of the immune system proteins. In lab testing A-beta proved remarkably effective in killing bacteria. This property was unknown until now, but it makes perfect sense. Antibodies that circulate through the body cannot cross the all important blood brain barrier. So, if an infection does manifest in the brain, these proteins may become activated to kill off the intruder.
The idea that infection is the underlying cause of Alzheimer’s has been proposed before, but has not been accepted widely in the research community. If infection kicks off this downward spiral, my money is on the gut as the primary source. Digestion is one of the most important keys to health. An unhealthy digestive tract leads to an unhealthy body and maybe an unhealthy brain.
— Richard Fink, DC, FIAMA
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Healthy Brain Workout
—Feb 04, 2010I just came from a great seminar this past weekend called Neurotransmitters and The Brain. While it might not sound as riveting to you as the season finale of Lost it kept me glued to my chair. The health and well being of the brain has been a key interest to me [as it should to you as well] since my father died of Alzheimer’s disease.
I won’t go into detail on the way the brain works. I think that few patients are interested in the cascade of chemicals that make the brain and body work. It’s a little like our relationship to a microwave. Most of us have no idea how it works but we do know how to get it to work.
Here are the brain basics. The magnificent computer inside our skull needs two things. Fuel and activation. The fuel is sugar, which is why glucose metabolism is so important. When our bodies lose control of sugar [diabetes and hypoglycemia] it’s a very big problem. The brain is activated by stimulation. The how and why our body loses control of sugar is the subject for another day. Right now, let’s focus on what stimulates the brain.
First and foremost, the services we offer {chiropractic, acupuncture and massage] at Fink Family Wellness already do that. A good example of this is a study in the Journal of Neuroscience which evaluated the brain/body response to massage. The result? An increase of the vital neurotransmitter dopamine and a dampening of cortisol production. Cortisol is a hormone that makes it easier to pack on fat around the stomach. That’s just one study, there are many more.
So getting adjusted, massaged or receiving acupuncture treatment has a direct positive effect on the brain. Is that the only way to increase brain stimulation? Not by a long shot.
The easiest way to accomplish this is regular exercise. It stimulates the brain directly. The effects of exercise on the brain are well documented. Regular exercise can stave off dementia and even reverse memory loss. A recent article by Dr. Mercola summarizes these findings.
Now you have another reason to get off the couch and start working out. It’s more important than firming up and looking better…it’s about the health and well being of your brain.
— Richard Fink, DC, FIAMA
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Antidepressants...Do They Really Work?
—Jan 17, 2010Manufacturers of prescription antidepressants have to be happy. Millions of people pop these pills every day. These products swell the corporate till and make stock holders very, very happy. So you can just imagine that the latest study on the effectiveness of antidepressants caused a wee bit of depression in the drug company boardrooms. In fact, executives would love it if you would stop reading this article and forget about the study and pop a few more pills.
Antidepressants are no more effective than placebo [fake] pills for the vast majority of people suffering from depression. That’s right. According to a meta-analysis study done at the University of Pennsylvania, these drugs are only effective for people with severe depression. And that’s a long way from the garden variety blues.
So, if there’s no point in taking these drugs for mild or moderate depression [who needs all the side effects if the pills aren’t going to help anyway], what can you do? In a word, exercise. Exercise releases endorphins, the great feel good chemical that your body makes with a little bit of encouragement from you.You don’t have to take my word using exercise to stem depression, visit the Mayo Clinic website for a good summary on the subject. Beyond that, exercise is one of the magic bullets for good health, done regularly it lowers the risk of many life threatening diseases. And let’s face it, nothing is more depressing than being unhealthy. So, start working out and get on the road to saying goodbye to the blues.
— Richard Fink, DC, FIAMA
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