Cancer is the Answer

Heart Disease, Cancer and Stroke. These have been the top three killers in this country, in that order, for some time now.

Yesterday the World Health Organization came out saying that cancer would be moving to number 1 next year.

In a separate article, the immediate cost of cancer was at $232 BILLION in 200 and projected to top $300 BILLION in 2020.

If you factor in loss of work productivity, those numbers go over $960 BILLION and $1.4 TRILLION respectively.

That's a lot of money. Even by our government's standards.

So we are investing a QUARTER OF A TRILLION dollars a year, are we getting a good return on that investment?

I don't mean to be callous, I have had people in my family die from cancer just like you have and have people in my family who have cancer right now. Cancer is a big deal and I do not take it lightly.

Which is exactly why I am writing this post.

Did you know that before he left office, President Nixon declared "war" on cancer in the early 70's pledging millions to erradicate it?

Did you know that cancer was the #14 killer in the country at that time?

Are we winning the war? I think not.

Not that Livestrong, Race for the Cure, the Jimmy V Foundation and the like don't have value and are not trying their best, but frankly, they are putting their money in the wrong place if they are just supporting medical research.

There is obviously a broader problem than something medicine can simply fix if after pouring TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS into the problem, it continues to get worse.

I don't pretend I know the cure for cancer, but I do know one area we should look real close at and that is our lifestyle.

The physical, nutritional and mental health of this country and declined sharply in the last 35 years and we need to look real hard at that to find the answer to the cancer problem rather than raising more money for another treatment that just puts a band-aid on a TRILLION DOLLAR problem.

Nap Better than Starbucks

I am a big fan of naps. Take them often myself and you should to.

A new study that just appeared in the New York Times looked at the value of a nap over a caffeine pill.

The nappers had better motor skills, perception and verbal skills above and beyond the caffeine group.

What does this mean?

SLOW DOWN!

Quit rushing from one thing to another, guzzling down Red Bull's to get you through. Cut back on your to-do list, take a break and you will perform much better at the things you want to accomplish.

Randy Stonehill has a song and the chorus goes, "I'm in a hurry to get things done. I rush and rush until life's no fun. All I've really gotta do is live and die. I'm in a hurry and don't know why."

A pretty profound statement and not so bad advice.

No sugar, No flu

Parenting magazine just came out with a good article on 5 ways to fight the flu naturally. It is focused on children, but as the articlet admits, these rules are for adults too.

The first one is one of those rules that falls into the category of, "you don't know what you don't know."

Did you know that sugar weakens your immune system?

If you answered yes, then why do you eat and drink sugary things when you are sick? You are only slowing down the healing process.

If you answered know, than consider this quote:

There exists a direct link between the amount of these foods (sugary foods) that your child consumes and his/her health.

A direct link. Not an indirect one. A direct one.

Knowing this. Is candy and soda a good idea when you are sick?

What about cereal, yogurt, orange juice? These are all typically high sugar foods and should be avoided as well.

You might say, "vitamin C is good for me." Yes it is, but it is better to eat an orange than have processed orange juice. If you want the benefit of vitamin C without the sugar, get a good whole-food vitamin C supplement.

Read the labels. If it is high in sugar, avoid it when you are under the weather, let alone all together.

Scroll down to see my article on the flu season for some more facts.

Is your Middle Schoolers Health in a Mid-Life Crisis?

I need to make something clear. I love kids. Telling them they are fat is not way to get them healthy and leaner. I show this picture from the NY Times to get your attention and substantiate a very scary point about the health of our children.

A new study has come out showing that obese 13 year olds have the arteries of a 45 year old leading to a much great risk of heart disease, the number one killer in this country.

Let's just get this silly arguement out of the way. This is not genetic. No kid genetically eats junk on a consistent basis. This is all because of the diet we feed our children.

To be brutally honest, we are doing this to our children.

Right now over a quarter of all children under 18 in this country are considered obese... and the number keeps growing.

One of the author's of the study, Dr. Carl Lavie a leading heart surgeon, said this:

"There is concern that if the current obesity epidemic continues [and it actually seems to be worsening], we will soon see an abrupt end to the steady improvement in life expectancy in the U.S."

Let that sink in for a moment. The country with the greatest health care system in the world. The country that spends more on health care than any other two countries combined is actually decreasing in life expectancy because we are eating ourselves to death.

Does that make sense?

Here's the thing. The solution is easy. Adopt healthier habits and TEACH THEM TO YOUR CHILDREN.

Runners Live Longer

If you have read any of my previous posts, you know I love to run.

I love the challenge. Even after running thousands of miles, it still isn't "easy".

I love the health benefits. When I am training for a race, I am in the best shape of my life and have more energy than any other time.

Now I know I am going to live longer too.

That's right, in a study done at Stanford University researchers began studying 538 middle-aged runners back in the 1980s.

At the time, critics were convinced, as many are still today, that runners would suffer serious injuries and predicted an epidemic of knee replacements.

21 years of research show quite the opposite is true.

Data from the Stanford study, which was recently published in two peer-reviewed journals, show that the runners did not have higher rates of osteoarthritis and total knee replacements.

And the onset of disabilities appeared 12 to 16 years later in the runners' group vs. the nonrunners'.

That's huge; imagine living independently or delaying the use of a cane for an extra decade or more.

There were also half as many deaths in the runners' group than in the nonrunners' during the study.

So yes, running can be abusive to the body, but the body was also made to run.

It was not made to sit in front of a computer for 8 hours, have a 1 hour commute each way in a car and sit in front of t.v. for 3 hours before going to bed to do it all over again the next day.

That is what is truly dangerous to the body.

Annual Tummy Ache

It's Halloween time again. Cute kids, cute costumes, lots of candy.

It is that last part I want to talk about. Do you know American's spend over $2 Billion on Halloween candy?

What are you getting for that $2 Billion investment?

If you like sweets, your sweet tooth fix. But you also get and increase in sugar. What's so bad about that? I'm happy you asked.

Let's gloss right over the dental cavity issue. We have talked about that for years.

Do you know increasing your sugar in your diet immediately puts your body into a stress state? Meaning your body is no longer functioning as normal, it is now functioning like you are being chased by a lion and not the cute 18 month old in a lion costume.

What happens in the stress state is that vital blood rushes from your organs to your arms and legs so you are ready to run at a moment's notice. Now your organs, which keep you alive, do not have the nurtrition they need to take care of you.

Would you consider this a bad thing? I hope so or you are prioritizing that Snickers way too much.

It also drastically lowers your immunity. Little Billy getting a cold around this time of the year isn't because of the weather. It is because with all the excess sugar Halloween brings, his immune system has dropped drastically making him a lot more susceptible to common ailments.

Never mind how addictive sugar is and the long-term consequences of type II diabetes, obesity and early death that can come with that.

I don't write this to ruin your Halloween. Heck, I'll have some candy myself this Halloween. I write this to make sure you do not go in excess. That you enjoy all the treats of the season conservatively.

Having ADHD = The Greatest Olympic Hero

ADHD is a term that is used a lot in our society. Statstics show that 3 to 5% of children have it, but if you visit any elementary school, you will see alot more kids taking drugs like Ritalin and Concerta.

While I have a lot to say about those drugs, this article isn't about that. It is about the benefits of ADHD.

Benefits you ask?

Yes, there are benefits.

ADHD is classifed is someone who can not focus on certain things well. Generally these are broken down to the basics of reading, writing and artithmitic.

So should we addict our kids to mind-altering drugs to get them focused? And decrease brain activity since that is how those drugs work?

No, of course not. Do what Michael Phelps mom did. Her son didn't want to read books so she taught him how to read by reading the sports section. He didn't want to sit still, so she got him invovled in swimming where he focused all his energy on being his best. She was amazed that he would sit still for four hours at a swim meet, but not for 30 minutes in a class.

The secret to their success... channel all of that energy into something productive.

Now, not everyone can be a world class swimmer, but everyone is passionate about something. If you child likes dancing, have them learn to read through dance books and magazines. Get them involved in dance programs. Let them focus that energy so they can experience success when they focus all that energy.

It is debateable if ADHD is overblown in this country or not. It is not debateable that all kids need focus and focusing on things they enjoy is a whole lot easier than asking them to focus on things that bore them.

Read the article attached and learn how Michael Phelps mom adapted learning to bring out the best in Michael.

Tofu is no-food

A new Canadian study came out talking about how the typical Western diet of fatty, processed, salt-laden and fried foods increases your chance of a heart attack 35%.

On the converse side, if you eat more green leafies, you decrease your chance of a heart attack 30%.

Do either one of those stats surprise you?

Probably not. But here is one that might surprise you, eating tofu does nothing to help your chance against a heart attack and may actually increase it.

Why do I mention this?

Because so many people have convinced themselves that tofu and soy products are "health foods". It is not.

Excess amounts of soy are shown to increase your chance for thyroid problems, cancer, brain damage, reproductive disorders, kidney stones and weakened immune system.

The first comment I'll get is, "but Asian countries eat soy and they are the healthiest in the world." Yes they are, but they also eat much less soy than the typical soy-addict in this country and they eat soy, not the processed tofu which is shown to increase the health problems.

The moral of the story, do not confuse soy or soy products with "health food".

Keep eating those green leafies!

Flu Vaccine Doesn't Work for Kids

So what do you think of that headline?

I can't take credit for it, it was actually from an article in Time magazine. Yes, that Time magazine.

The University of Rochester did a study looking at children under 5 who got the flu against those that did not.

And what did they find?

The kids that got the flu shot were not any less likely to get the flu than those that did.

You might want to read that sentence again.

Isn't the flu shot suppossed to protect us from the flu? So why get one if you are still going to get the flu?

There's a question you might want to have the answer too.

So why is that if you get the flu vaccine you can still get the flu?

It is because there are thousands of strains of flu and hundreds more are discovered every year. The flu shot, assuming it even works which is a big assumption, only has protection against three strains of flu.

That means if you get one of the thousands of other strains, assuming the flu shot even works, you will still get the flu.

So should you get the flu shot? The choice is up to you.

Should you do a little more research into the efficacy of it before you get one? YES!

New Presidential Candidate announced... It's someone we know!

There's an effort to elect a person as President here in North Carolina (I guess they don't like the other two guys around these parts) so my patients started a grassroot effort to put someone we know as a write in candidate!

Watch this online video about the surprising new candidate for the President of the United States:

http://www.tsgnet.com/pres.php?id=380002&altf=Es41Nbuu&altl=Ifoofttz

While he might not be qualified by typical standards, at the very least, this is the best looking canidate out there... though I might be a little biased.

I Love Runny Noses!

Okay, that may be a bit over the top, but I really am a big fan of runny noses.

Why? Because they are a completely natural and HEALTHY process.

Yes I said healthy.

A running nose is your body saying, "you've got some junk up here that could really hurt you. I am going to clump it all together in this mucus and take it out these two big holes so you don't get sick or any sicker."

What is our response to our wonderful body trying to protect us?

We blow some of the stuff out onto a kleenex and the resulting pressure kicks more stuff deeper into our body leading to a greater chance of getting sick. Or worse yet, we take a drug that "stops" the runny nose and doesn't let all the toxic junk to get out.

When you honestly step back, does that make any sense at all? But we do it every day!

Think I'm goofy? Well, guess what, the drug companies agree with me.

Last year they put a warning on cold medicines for kids under two. This year they raised it to under 4 and pediatricians are calling for them to raise it to 6. Right now the Food and Drug Administration is studying if children under 12 should be taking them.

Don't believe, click on the headline and see the link yourself.

So why did they pull them? Because their independent research found the same thing the government's research found... THEY DON'T WORK!

Oh yeah and as the Food and Drug Administration added: "THERE IS DEFINITELY EVIDENCE OF SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS."

So next time you have a runny nose, take a kleenex and dab it dry. Don't blow, don't take cold medicine just let your body do what it does best... heal you.

A Slideshow from my Marathon

Happy it's Over

While I thought I would be a marathoner by the end of the day Saturday, I became an ultra-marathoner. An ultra-marathoner is anyone who runs over 26.2 miles.

Before I get to that story, let's start at the beginning.

I signed up for a trail marathon. Meaning 26.2 miles all on trails, a.k.a. dirt.

It rained 3 days straight before the marathon, so my dirt trail turned to a mud trail. Did I mention there was red clay all over the trail as well?

When you run a trail marathon, you are at the mercy of the directions. Usual given by volunteers at tricky turn and orange tape throughout the course. Well, let's just say there were not enough volunteers.

Myself and a group of runners missed a turn and did about 2 extra miles. To add insult to injury were the conditions.

The mud and past your ankle puddles were tough, they even forced one to walk when you didn't want to. The true challenge was the red clay, and there was a lot of it. When you hit a batch of red clay, your only choice was to walk. When you got out of the slop, your shoes were coated and weighed about 10 lbs each. As well, they had a glossy coating on the bottom that made you feel like you were walking on fresh ice in snow boots.

Not the easiest way to run.

So once you made it through a rough patch, you couldn't just start running, you had to try and stomp your shoes clean, run for a short stretch and come up to another mud patch.

Many people fell including myself. One man even separated his shoulder. Many quite. I didn't.

By the end my legs were tired and cramping to the point they would not bend. My heart and mind were still strong and I excited about a strong finish up until my last step.

My parents came in with my grandmother from Michigan to support me and Laura was with my in spirit every step of the way and my biggest support at every water stop and at the finish.

I did the marathon for a challenge. It was a challenge. I knew my greatest assest is that I was strong mentally going into it. That allowed me to finish the marathon.

While it was nothing like I expected, it was absolutely perfect.

I got my challenge and I succeeded. I finished the ASC Trail Marathon and anticipate more to come.

Drug Free America

Nancy Reagan started the "Just Say No" campaign back in the 80's. I still remember the green logo and all the buttons.

Supposedly this campaign was designed to limit drug use, but frankly, we take more drugs in this country than ever before. Actually, more than anyone else in the world.

A new study just came out showing that U.S. children take 3 times the antidepressants of the children in Germany and the Netherlands.

Do our kids really have that much more to be depressed about than German or Dutch children?

Let's get back to the "Just Say No" campaign.

If we want our kids to just say no, then we need to not indoctrinate them that there is a pill for every problem from birth.

That is what we do when we see a behaviorial issue and put them on Ritalin. That is what we do when we have a sniffle and give them cough medicine. An earache and give them antibiotics. A tummy ache and give them the pink stuff.

The list goes on and on. We are teaching our children that if they have a problem, there is a drug to fix it.

So when they have problems in high school and someone offers them marijuana or worse to "fix it", what do we expect them to do?

We have spent years teaching them there is a drug for every problem. Why is this one any different?

Nancy Reagan was right, "Just Say No".

Get Buff, Be Healthy

Okay, it is not quite that simple, but it is not far off either.

By now we have all heard that it is important to do resistance training to keep our muscles from deteriorating with age.

The first thing to go are our fast-twitch muscles which supply our quick movements. Hence, why we see a few older folks moving so slow.

The next to go are our slow-twitch fibers which control major movements like our legs. Another reason why we see older folks shuffle around, use walkers, etc.

A new study reinforces what we have heard for years: If you don't use it, you lose it.

As folks slow down with age, they don't necessarily challenge themselves as they used to when they were younger. While we are all not Jack LaLanne, it is important to do some resistance training to slow the effects of aging.

You don't need to join a gym. Start doing basic exercises with soup cans. Carry weights and swing your arms on a walk. Do pushups against the wall.

To slow the effects of aging on your muscles, it does not take much, but it does take something.

Get up and get moving!

Honoring a Modern Miracle

Many of us want to live to old age. How old is old though?

In the U.S., the average life expectancy is now 69.3 years, ranking us 29 in the world.

Japan leads the way in life-expectancy at 75 years and Tomoji Tanabe definitely helps the average. On September 18, he celebrated his 113 birthday.

Yes, you read that right, the oldest man in the world is 113 and active!

We will always jump to the question, what is his secret? When you ask him, he will tell you his secret is simple, he eats natural stuff, mostly vegetables and avoids alcohol.

Not necessarily a ground-breaking diet analzying calories, good carbs, bad carbs, being in The Zone, etc., but effective.

All he does is watch what he eats, stays active and keeps a positive attitude.

None of that should be a secret to you. We all know that is how we have better health, but why don't we do it. That is the real question?

I will let you answer that yourself and discuss it more at a later time.

Did you also know that his birthday, September 18, 1895 is Chiropractic's birthday?

Yep, D.D. Palmer performed the first adjustment that day on a man named Harvey Lillard who had been deaf 17 years at that point. After his adjustment, Mr. Lillard got his hearing back!

An awesome story that shows you the power of the body to heal itself when the intereference is removed.

Happy Birthday Tomoji Tanabe and Chiropractic

"Cell Phones Will Kill More People Than Smoking or Asbestos"

That scary quote came directly from renowned neurosurgeon, Vini Khuarna.

He recently reviewed over 100 studies on cell phones and found some scary statistics for our cell phone happy culture.

Now I know what you might be thinking, "I have heard studies from the cell phone companies saying there is nothing to worry about."

And that's true. By their studies standards, there is nothing to worry about. The problem is, all their studies were measuring the short-term effects of cell phone use.

A typical brain tumor takes 10 years to develop. So a short-term study will never show a positive result.

So how do these tumors develop and who is most at risk?

There are still some questions on how they develop but the fact is this. Cell phones are sending signals off satelittes to radio towers to our phones and back. They carry with them electro-magnetic radition. A known cancer causing agent.

Oh yeah, and did I mention that handsets (ie. Bluetooth's) turn your head into an antenna and increase the signal therefore increasing the risk of a brain tumore?

I think that might be interesting to know for those Bluetooth junkies reading this.

With cell phones getting popular in the late 80's, early 90's. We are just now seeing the long-term effects. They expect by 2010, we will begin to have hard data on just how more prevelant brain tumors have become.

In the long-run, check out things like the RF Raider on how to reduce your cell phone radiation and limit use of handsets. http://rfraider.com/

In the short-run, use speaker phone as much as possible and keep the phone at least 6 inches away from your head.

As always, click on the headline for a link to the article.

Eat Up... And Live 30 Years Less

Why don't we smoke?

It is probably because of two reasons: #1 we have all been educated that smoking is bad for our health and #2 it is socially unacceptable.

So why are 2/3 of adults overweight and 1/3 children?

We all know it is not healthy to be overweight. Is it because it is much more socially acceptable to be overweight than it is to smoke?

We are so used to seeing overweight people, that overweight is being redefined as normal.

But is it truly unhealthy to be overweight? Is it really worth the effort to get in a shape?

A July 2006 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine says yes.

In a study looking at 100,000 women who were overweight by age 18, they are most likely to die between the ages of 36-56.

The current death rate in the U.S. is just under 70 years. That means if you are overweight at 18, you are going to live 14-34 years less than the average American.

Just because everyone else is not taking care of themself does not make it right.

Losing 30 years off your life, is that enough motivation to take care of yourself?

Are we using the right weapons in the war?

Let me make this clear from the outset, cancer is a very big deal. It has effected my family directly just like it has likely effected yours. Please do not think for a second I am making light of cancer.

Now onto my thoughts.

Cancer is the #2 killer in this country, second only to heart disease. Not a day goes by where you do not hear about a charity like Race for the Cure, the Jimmy V Foundation, Livestrong, etc. raising money for cancer research. Just last week there was a benefit concert on all the major networks with a ton of celebrities involved.

So cancer is a big deal and we are pouring a lot of money into fighting it?

How are we doing? We hear stories about different people "beating" cancer and have people like Lance Armstrong who are the face of cancer survival.

The fact of the matter is this though. Right now, the Journal of Oncology says that 1 in 26 people will get cancer. By 2020, it will be 1 in 19.

Cancer is on the rise.

So the question is, with all this money going to cancer research, why is it on the rise so drastically?

I will tell you right now, I am not arrogant enough to say I know the answer, but there is one statement we need to all be aware of from the American Cancer Society in 2006:

"Poor diet, lack of exercise and unhealthy lifestyle are responsible for 65% of cancer deaths."

That's not me saying that, that is the American Cancer Society. Guys who make all their money from people giving to cancer research.

So does living a healthy lifestyle eliminate all cancers? Not likely.

But should we many use a few of those cancer research dollars in educating about the value of a healthy lifestyle to prevent cancer?

I would say yes.

Are your genes too tight?

FACT: We are made up of DNA.

FACT: Genes make up our DNA.

MISUNDERSTOOD FACT: Genes make up who we are.

It is with this last fact we excuse a whole lot of bad behavior.

Yes, our genese make up who we are. There is one important thing to know though, genes only work when you turn them on.

Let me give you an example.

Scientists have discovered the "alcoholic" gene. So if you have it, are you an alcoholic? What if you never take a drink?

So we can have all sorts of genes, but it doesn't mean it defines who we are. We have to turn the gene on.

Well, in a new study from the University of Maryland, scientist are saying they found a "fat" gene. Good news though, they found the "cure"... EXERCISE!

Pretty amazing discovery isn't it?

There may or may not be a fat gene. The fact of the matter is, if you watch what you eat and exercise, you will never turn on the "fat" gene.

You may say, "but all of my family is large, I have the fat gene."

Answer me this: Did you grow up in the same house as your family? Did you eat the same food? Did you develop the same exercise (or lack there of) habits?

Do you have the fat gene or were you raised with fat habits?

We're #29!!!

Generally speaking, we would say that the U.S. is a pretty healthy place right? We all watch CNN, we have seen other countries. They look they are wrecked with disease. We must be one of the healthiest nations... right?

Wrong. One of the ways to look at the health of a nation is look at life expectancy. In the 2004 World Health Report, the U.S. ranked 29th in life expectancy. That means there are 28 countries with a greater life expectancy than the U.S.

Quick, can you name 28 countries?

We are obviously not the healthiest country in the world. Why is this? We by far and away spend the most money on healthcare, take the most prescription drugs, have the best doctors, why aren't we the healthiest nation?

Well, I guess those things aren't the true gauges of health are they?

What we need to do is step back and look at the culture that these other countries. What are they doing differently?

They are doing some, if not all, of these three things better: they have less stress, they eat better food and they live a more active life-style.

Obesity is through the roof in this country and they are all enhanced by those three things. Not one country above us on this is more obese to than the U.S.

So how do we gain back the 6 years Japan has on us on life expectancy? It is improving the culture of health in this country, not throwing more money at it.

Beware of Subway Healthy Menu

Let me make this clear, Subway is still a lot better option than other places, but it is not perfect.

By now, we all know about Jared and his amazing weight loss. You the man Jared! It is quite impressive he has kept it off.

As well, Subway brags about their "less than 6 grams of fat" menu. Which gives us all the allusion that if we pick something from that menu, we are making a healthy choice.

For one sub, that is definitely not true.

My families favorite sub is the Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki. It is on the "6 grams or less" menu.

It is also on the list of "Most Sugar-Packed" sandwich. Because of the sweet onion sauce, the footlong comes packed with 38 grams of sugar and 740 calories.

That is nearly 10 teaspoons of sugar. As much as a can of pop!

So the moral of the story is this: you need to look at all aspects of health, not just one. Yes it might be on their low fat menu, but with all that sugar, if you have one of those subs daily for a year, you will pack on over 32 lbs!

I don't think Jared got so skinny eating one of those.

Double your Weight Loss

One of the most common questions I get is "how do I lose weight"?

For a long time I have offered a variety of suggestions because I have dropped over 50 lbs myself after I thought I was at my "ideal" weight.

Thing is, most people didn't follow the suggestions. They would start, then stop.

Honestly, that is fine and to be expected. If your only motivation is to look better in a swimsuit, you will never lose weight because you will always convince yourself "I don't look as bad as I think, this must be my ideal weight, I don't look as bad as ______," etc.

To truly lose weight, your motivation has to be better health. That is the only motivation that will keep you on track.

Last week Time magazine (click the title of this blog for the link) referenced an article from the American Journal of Preventative Medicince that found that if you keep a food diary, you will double your weight loss compared to those that didn't.

Pretty cool huh?

Now I know a food diary sounds annoying, but frankly after the first day, it is easy.

Check out the article, start your food diary. See some real change.

Where do we go from here?

A great friend of mine said recently, you should do a blog. I said why? He said, because you like to teach people and you like to talk.

I couldn't disagree with either of those thoughts, so here is my first blog post.

I am passionate about raising the bar for health for everyone I come into contact with. I not only study a healthy lifestyle, I live one.

Come back to get updates on great research going on, pictures of my amazing family and ways to live at your optimal health potential.