Think Before You Drink...Fiji Water

I am not a fan of plastic bottled water as a rule for several reasons:
1) Cost
2) There are no purity standards
3) Plastic leaches into the water and contributes to the severe hormonal imbalances found in a majority of Americans
4) The enviromental impact of bottling and shipping water all over the world
5) It is one of the major contributors (plastic bags being the other) to the plastic waste problem that the world is facing along with the Eastern Garbage Patch that is already the size of Texas found in the Pacific Ocean

Now I have one more to add after reading this article on the irreparable damage that the Fiji Water Company is doing to the island of Fiji, the people and the environment.

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/08/24/tale-of-fiji-water-too-familiar-sounds-like-industrial-colonial/

A good way to make sure that you and your family have clean, environmentally responsible drinking water is distillation. You can find countertop distillers on Amazon.com or Gaiam.com. They require a investment of $200-$400 which is easily made back with avoiding plastic bottled water.
Distillaton removes

• Bacteria, viruses & other microorganisms
• Fluoride, sodium, nitrates and other soluable inorganic salts
• Organic chemicals like pesticides, PCBs, THMs
• Radionuclides
• Heavy metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, etc.
• Soluable minerals such as calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, etc.

What distillation does not remove are gases and volatile organic compounds but this is easily remedied by incorporating a carbon filter which most countertop distillers have.
It is important to note that most distillation does require electricity so a easy way to minimize your electric bill is to run it over night. Using glass or stainless steel bottles to store the distilled water in the refrigerator allows for busy families to grab and go.

The controversy that is brought up over distilled water is that is devoid of minerals...which is true but the claim that ingesting distilled water will leach minerals out of the body is false. Once distilled water hits our stomach it mixes with our stomach juices and immediately loses its leaching abilities.

An easy solution to make your distilled water into absorbable mineral water...a few grains of brown rice in your water bottle!

If we are going to claim to be "GREEN", we have start speaking with our money and skipping the bottled water, especially Fiji Water, is a good start.

Understanding the Nervous System

Every day in my office I explain how the nervous system works and that chiropractic is not really about neck and back pain but about caring for the nervous system.

Leave it to Schoolhouse Rock to make it so simple: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTwASnQ3S6Y&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Efacebook%2Ecom%2Fhome%2Ephp%3Fref%3Dhome&feature=player_embedded

Worried About Swine Flu? Get To Your Chiropractor

If you are freaking out about the newest virus, consider the benefits of chiropractic.

In 1917, there was a flu epidemic across the nation and the world. In the midst of the tragedy, the benefits of chiropractic were undeniable! Take a look at these statistics.

Davenport, Iowa (home of Palmer College of Chiropractic)
MD: 4,953 cases, 274 deaths
DC: 1,635 cases, 1 death

Rest of Iowa
MD: 93,590 cases, 6,116 deaths - 1 patient out of every 15
DC: 4,735 cases, 6 deaths - 1 patient out of every 789

Similar numbers were reported in Oklahoma, New York and even France.

Why, you might ask, does chiropractic have anything to do with the flu? Chiropractic’s health benefits are much greater than the relief of back or neck pain, it is whole-body health care. It emphasizes the relationship between the spine and the nervous system, and how that relationship affects function and health. Spinal misalignments (known as vertebral subluxations) can interfere with the transmission of information from the brain, over the spinal cord and/or nerve roots to any and all systems of the body. The resulting altered information produces altered function and lowered resistance.

If you want to read more, check out the rest of the article. http://www.danmurphydc.com/Rhodes_Flu.pdf

High Fructose Corn Syrup - Don't Believe the Hype!

The corn refiners association is in full propoganda mode. I am sure most of you have seen the ridiculous commericials and even now have the news organizations reporting that there is no difference between high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and sugar.

Let me be very clear...there is a HUGE difference. HFCS is dangerous to your health and should be avoided.

Sucrose or sugar is made up of 50% glucose & 50% fructose. HFCS is only made up of fructose. The fructose can only be metabolized in the liver. Glucose, on the other hand, is metabolized in every cell in the body including the brain which accounts for 25% of the glucose metabolism of the entire body.

Mice given a diet of fructose only showed livers plugged with fat, cirrhosis of the liver, male rats did not reach adulthood, anemia, high cholesterol, enlarged heart and delayed testicular development. In the same study, the mice that were given glucose only diets were unaffected.

Other problems with HFCS is the that most corn in the US is genetically modifed and has high levels of pesticide. Recently, there has evidence that HFCS contains high levels of mercury due to the processing.

Please do not go running for the artificial sweetners, they are even more dangerous. While sugar is not a health food, your body does know how to metabolize it. Use it in moderation along with lots of good proteins and veggies and your health should not suffer.

http://www.westonaprice.org/

Attention All Mothers!

Attention all mothers, you have powerful instincts...use them!

We all know that animals in the wild often only have their instincts but for some reason we believe that because we have brains our instincts should be ignored. Moms are bombarded daily with decisions about their children. Sometimes it is something as small as when to put shoes on a baby to choosing whether or when to vaccinate. Your instincts have nothing to do with your knowledge on a particular topic, it is the feeling, the voice, the pause that is your queue. Your instincts need a workout, when you start to listen to them, you become more confident which leads to stronger feelings and more trust in the gift. Moms tell me all the time that "something didn't sound right" or "I just had a feeling" but they are intimidated by somebody with maybe more education, more children or just more opinions. Be brave and your instincts will lead the way.

Reconsider the Flu Shot

The whole premise of the flu shot is a problem because flu virus strains are constantly mutating and there is no way for researchers to determine this year’s flu strain

According to the Centers for Disease Control, The National Institutes of Health, and 30 years of data, the flu shot has not saved any lives

The flu shot can not only cause the flu, especially if given to a person with a weakened immune system like the elderly, small children and pregnant women, but it also exposes the recipient to toxins such as mercury, formaldehyde & aluminum

Consider this:

-A single dose of the flu vaccine will expose a person to 25 micrograms of mercury in one day
-Mercury has been proven to kill brain neurons
-According to the FDA & EPA, the maximum mercury exposure for the average 6 mo old should be no more than 7/10ths of one microgram of mercury in one day.
-Mercury can cause failing memory in adults
-Individuals who get too many consecutive flu shots can have 10 times the chance of developing Alzheimer’s as those who received one, two or no shots

Ingredients in a Flu Shot
•Ethylene glycol (antifreeze)
•Phenol, also known as carbolic acid (this is used as a disinfectant, dye)
•Formaldehyde, a known cancer-causing agent
•Aluminum, which is associated with Alzheimer's disease, seizures and also cancer producing in laboratory mice (it is used as an additive to promote antibody response)
•Thimerosal (a mercury disinfectant/preservative) can result in brain injury and autoimmune disease
•Neomycin and Streptomycin (used as antibiotics) have caused allergic reaction in some people.

Possible Side Effects of the Flu Shot
–Flu
–Allergic reactions (especially in those with egg/poultry/feather allergies)
–Guillain-Barré Syndrome (a de-myelinating disease caused by acute infection with an ascending paralysis, if not treated immediately can cause death due to inability to breathe)
–Temporary neurological disorders (encephalopathy, optic neuritis/neuropathy, partial facial paralysis, brachial plexus neuropathy)
–Vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels)

Feed A Cold, Starve a Fever?

Actually it is Feed a Virus, Starve a Bacteria

According to New Scientist, January 2002,

“Dutch scientists have found that eating a meal boosts the type of immune response that destroys the viruses responsible for colds, while fasting stimulates the response that tackles the bacterial infections responsible for most fevers.”

It is important to note that viruses can cause fevers along with bacterial infections