Chiropractic Care For Southern Maine

Do you eat breakfast every morning?

Or do you skip breakfast to “save” those calories?

A recent study confirms that you should be eating breakfast if you don’t want to gain weight.

According to the largest study to follow the breakfast habit of teens, those who skipped the breakfast meal were 5 pounds heavier on average than those who ate the morning meal.  They also ate less healthy during the day and exercised less frequently.

Unfortunately, the obesity rate for adolescents has tripled over the past 20 years, and this may be one of the contributing reasons.

The bottom line here is the teens who skip breakfast are more likely to be obese.  And the same thing can happen to adults.

So make sure you take the time to eat a morning meal, even if it’s grabbing a banana on the way out the door.

Dr. Pete Gay

Source:
Bloomberg.com March 3, 2008

{ 0 comments }

I found some very interesting information on “fat” in our diet that I wanted to get to your right away.

The question is…”Do we have too much fat in our diets?”  The answer may surprise you.

Any way you look at it, there’s a debate over whether or not American’s health problems are consequence of a “high fat” diet.

Here’s the deal: Americans are not eating a diet abnormally high in fat.  Before this idea became commercialized, politicized, used to market and sell products, distorted by vegetarian wishes, and adopted by the “mass media,” no one ever really proved that our diets are too high in fat.

The average American averages 35% of their calorie from fat.  Seem like a lot?  Look closer.

Surviving native pre-agrarian (pre-agricultural diet) cultures average 38% of their calories from fat.  It’s not uncommon for them to have 50% of their caloric intake come from fat.  And even with this fat intake, they do not suffer from the epidemic heart disease problem afflicting America.

That is our prototypical diet.  We’ve eaten this way for millions of years.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are definite problems with modern dietary fat.  But lowering your fat intake will only worsen your deviation from your natural diet.

So what should we do?

In today’s diet, we typically eat too many carbohydrates.  So try to lower your total carbs and stay away from carbohydrates that have a high glycemic index.  Some foods that have a high glycemic index are cereals, potatoes, breads, and pastas.

Fat is not necessarily the enemy.  You do not want to give up having fat in your diet.  The key is to choose “healthy fats” and monitor your carbohydrates.

Dr. Pete Gay

(Source: The Paleo Diet by L. Cordain)

{ 0 comments }

Do you use Tylenol when you have pain?

If so, the next time you reach for your bottle of Tylenol, consider this: There is evidence that many people who take maximum doses of this over the counter pain reliever had abnormal livers.

In other words, taking Tylenol as recommended on the bottle can create problems with your liver.

In the study, 40% of participants showed signs of liver damage after just two weeks.

Also, the leading ingredient in Tylenol is acetaminophen, and researchers warned that it’s easy to take more than the maximum daily amount of acetaminophen because its found in other medications that people take routinely.

The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, pointed out that acetaminophen overdose is the leading cause of acute liver failure.

So to minimize the risk of damaging your liver, which can happen very quickly, try natural forms of pain relief.  Several options are now available in our office or the natural grocery store.

As an example, start taking a high quality fish oil.  It has been widely proven to reduce inflammation and should help ease your joint pain.

Just be careful with the over the counter drugs.  They can cause some serious problems if they are used too often.

Dr. Pete Gay

{ 0 comments }

Even though we are fast approaching the winter months, it’s still important that you get out in the sun when you can.

It’s well known that there’s a proven association between darkness and depression.  And now there’s a new study out that reveals the profound changes that light deprivation causes in your brain.

In this study, neuroscientists kept rats in the dark for 6 weeks.  The animals not only showed depressive behavior but also suffered brain damage in regions of the brain that are known to be underactive in humans during states of depression.

Also, neurons that produce the neurotransmitters involved in emotion, pleasure, and cognition began to die.  (Not a good thing.)

These dark induced effects may stem from a disruption of the body’s clock.  When an organism is not receiving normal light, it may lead to changes in the brain that affect your mood.

Both “Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)” and “Winter Blues” are directly related to a lack of sunlight.
 
The takeaway message here is this: getting minimal sunlight for prolonged periods of time can negatively impact your mood.  Your body is designed to be in the sun and get sunlight.  So make sure you take advantage of those sunny days this winter!

Talk to you soon,

Dr. Pete Gay
Sources:
Scientific American, August 2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences March 25, 2008, vol. 105 no. 12 4898-4903

{ 0 comments }

If you have young children or grandchildren, then you’ll want to read this post.

Many patients new to chiropractic care don’t realize that infants, toddlers, pre-teens, and teens get chiropractic care.  They often ask, “Why would kids get chiropractic care?  Thy don’t have back pain.”

The answer is simple.  Chiropractic is so much more than back and neck pain relief.  Chiropractic adjustments make the body work better.  They boost the immune system.  They reduce stress on the physical body.  They do all sorts of amazing and beneficial things to keep you healthy.

There is no age limit to receiving the awesome health benefits of chiropractic care.  In our office we see patients from birth to death.  Chiropractic care can make a difference at any age.

Now, what about this question: “Are kids who receive chiropractic care healthier than kids who don’t receive chiropractic care?”

What do you think?

A research study was done several years ago to figure this out.  Here’s what they found:

1. There is a “definite” correlation between chiropractic care and superior health.

2. 69% of the chiropractic children (kids who receive chiropractic care) have never had an ear infection, while only 20% of the children who only receive medical care.

3. Medical treatment is disease treatment.  Chiropractic healthcare is primarily preventative.

4. 95% of chiropractors considered that chiropractic had a positive effect on their children’s health.

5. The study has shown that children raised with getting chiropractic care are less prone to infectious processes such as ear infections and tonsillitis and their immune systems are better able to cope with allergens like pollen, weeds, grasses, etc. compared to children who do not receive chiropractic care.

6. Chiropractors responded that the “recovery time from any trauma or illness by their children was more rapid than that of their children’s peers.”

7. The study has shown that there is validity in the premise that chiropractic has a positive effect on the health status of individuals.”

8. The results of the study confirm the benefits of the chiropractic model of health care on the health status of children.

So there you have it!  Chiropractic works great with kids!

Dr. Pete Gay

Source: The American Chiropractor, November 2008

{ 0 comments }

Every fall and winter I get asked by patients if they should get a flu shot.  Before I answer, let me say this…

 

Before I make a decision regarding the health of myself and my family, I do research.  I educate myself.  I investigate.  I NEVER, and I mean NEVER follow the herd of society and just do what everyone else is doing without checking into it first.

 

With any medical treatment, such as a flu shot vaccine, the risks and benefits always need to be considered, and you should always educate yourself before you stick a needle in your arm or agree to have a needle stuck in your child’s arm.  Things aren’t always what you think they are.

 

Every year I go through articles and the scientific research to see what the latest information is on flu shots.  I want to see if there are any reports of harm from the flu shots or if there is any proof that they even work.

 

So let’s look at the flu shots from an educated point of view:

 

1. The flu shot is made up of 3 dead strains of “old” flu viruses combined with preservatives.  The problem is, if this year’s flu strains don’t match the strains in the flu shot, then the flu shot will not be very effective.

 

2. The flu shot contains thimersol, a preservative with a high concentration of mercury.  Mercury is a proven neurotoxin and one of most poisonous metals you could put into your body. (1) It is known to cause neurological disorders.

 

3.  The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention admitted that last year’s flu shot only worked about 40% of the time. (2) That mean’s your chance of the flu shot working is less than the flip of a coin…not very good odds.

 

4. In 2006, the British Medical Journal looked at the research behind flu shots and came up with some interesting conclusions: (3)

 

a. The evidence shows that flu shots have little or no effect.

 

b. There is little comparative evidence that the flu shots are safe.

 

c. The authors noted a “gap” between guidelines that call for mass flu shot vaccination and the evidence to support those guidelines.

 

5. The elderly and young children are considered to be at the highest risk for the flu.  In people over 70, flu shots did not reduce the number of deaths but it did reduce hospitalizations. (4)

 

6. A 2008 study of children ages 6 months to 5 years old found that the flu shot vaccine was not effective in any kids, regardless of age, where they live, or when they got the shot. (4)

 

There is an overwhelming amount of proof that the flu shot is basically a money maker for drug companies and they offer no real benefit to you or your children (or grandchildren).  In an effort to not let this email get too long, here are some links you can go to see even more proven research information on the flu shot vaccine and its ineffectiveness.

 

I highly recommend you review the information in these links because it comes from very credible sources:

 

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/11/18/do-flu-shots-work-ask-a-vaccine-manufacturer.aspx

 

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/10/21/avoid-flu-shots-vitamin-d-is-a-better-way.aspx

 

Let’s go over a few things you can do to prevent the flu this season.

 

1. Get chiropractic adjustments.  Getting chiropractic adjustments boosts your immune system and helps your body function better.

 

2. Make sure your vitamin D levels are in optimum range

 

3. Reduce your sugar intake.  Viruses LOVE sugar!

 

4. Eat garlic regularly

 

5. Exercise regularly and get an adequate amount of sleep

 

I can tell you that I personally do not get a flu shot and my wife and kids don’t either.  And because we get regular chiropractic care, all of us rarely get sick.  There is little to no scientific evidence that flu shots are effective.  The truth is, flu shots are a billion dollar profit maker for drug companies, so they will try to convince you that you need them. 

 

But do you?  I don’t think so, but you are going to have to make your own decision when getting the flu shot.  Just make sure it is an educated decision based on facts and research.

 

Have a great day!

 

Dr. Pete Gay

 

References

 

“Influenza Virus Vaccine Fluzone 2005-2006 Formula,” package insert, Aventis Pasteur. (Company name has since changed to Sanofi Pasteur MSD.) Update Feb. 14 2006

Associated Press, Feb. 15, 2008.

Brit Med J, Oct. 28, 2006;333:912-915.

Szilagyi PG, et al. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2008;162(10):943-51.

 

{ 0 comments }