Chiropractic Elk Grove

Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the body lacks sufficient thyroid hormone. Since the main purpose of thyroid hormone is to “run the body’s metabolism”, it is understandable that people with this condition will have symptoms associated with a slow metabolism. Most research says if you live in the United States you are less likely to be deficient in iodine but over five million Americans have this common medical condition. In fact, as many as ten percent of women may have some degree of thyroid hormone deficiency.   Hypothyroidism is more common than you would believe…and, millions of people are currently hypothyroid and don’t know it!  Iodine is an essential mineral for the body’s production of hormones.  The thyroid gland doesn’t only regulates the body’s metabolism but also growth and development and the healthiness of skin and hair.  Iodine is needed to produce the thyroid hormone thyroxine.  If one is iodine deficient the thyroid gland will swell and is called a goitre.  Goitres typically appear during puberty or pregnancy.  The complications during pregnancy, if iodine deficient, are: increased rate of miscarriage, mental retardation of the child, increased infant mortality, decreased fertility rate, neurologic defects and growth abnormalities known as cretinism.  Worldwide, iodine deficiency is the leading cause of preventable mental retardation. 

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
• Coarse, dry hair
• Dry, rough pale skin
• Hair loss
• Cold intolerance (can’t tolerate the cold like those around you)
• Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
• Constipation
• Depression
• Irritability
• Puffiness around the eyes
• Memory loss
• Abnormal menstrual cycles
• Decreased libido

Have you heard of that word before?  If you see a chiropractor, have you heard of it being mentioned in the office.  It is the basis of chiropractic philosophy.  Without the innate we are not alive.  The definition of the word is from the Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary:  1 : existing in, belonging to, or determined by factors present in an individual from birth : native, inborn <innate behavior> 2 : belonging to the essential nature of something : inherent 3 :originating in or derived from the mind or the constitution of the intellect rather than from experience.  We use at in the sense of definition number 1.  We, as chiropractors, believe there is a power that you are born with.  This power you have is what makes you well when you are sick and is what is in danger when you are sick.  When our innate is at work we are well.  If the innate power is not functioning well so goes the body.  Our health relies solely on the health of the innate.  Adjustments turn this innate power on.  After the adjustment our body knows what to do.  Our body knows also knows what to do without the adjustment but if the nerve signals are not the right ones or things are askew already because of different things we have done to our bodies then the body will react in fixing the body in the “wrong” way, all the while thinking it’s doing the right thing.  You have to get the nerve interference out of the way.  Allow the innate power of the body to fix things with the least amount of interference.  That is why we talk to you about eating properly, exercise, electrical and air pollution, both on a large and small scale.  We also believe that our bodies get well, present to the world in a healthy manner from inside - out and from above - down.  These directions are they way we function properly.  That is a topic for some other day. 

Let Innate,

Dr. Munoz

If you have nothing to do this weekend you can go to the 14th Annual Stawberry Festival.  It takes place in Galt, California.  It opens Saturday at 10 am with Arts & Crafts and Food vendors.  There will be carnival rides and entertainment shows.  Saturday there will be a custom car and bike show.  You can go to the Galt District Chamber of Commerce website, at www.galtchamber.com, for more details.  One of our doctors, from our office, Dr. Douglas Ferguson will be there doing a screening.  Stop in and get your spine checked.  Have him check your posture and see how much weight you carry more on one leg than the other.  You shouldn’t be off by more than one pound in difference comparing one side to the other.  There is a connection between body issues and posture, he’ll show you.  He will invite you back to our office for a more detailed exam and consultation.  It’s going to be hot so dress right for the two day event; short, visors and keep well hydrated. 

Stand Up Straight,

Dr. Munoz

Acid reflux is one of the most common forms of digestive upsets that affect as many as 61 million Americans.  That brings me back to diet and stress and the nervous system.  The breakthrough research in 1976 by Hans Selye, M.D., documented that during periods of prolonged stress, the nervous system can cause the over-secretion of the adrenal hormone ACTH, which inhibits digestive function and increases the risk of gastric ulcers.  A more recent study in 2001, done at a major hospital in Sweden, found that stress related conditions directly contribute to gastrointestinal symptoms.  Another study done in 2001 at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio came to similar conclusions as Dr. Selye, which found that when a person is under stress, the body diverts blood flow away from the digestive system resulting in indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, incontinence, or colon spasms.  Stress also increases acid production which can aggravate ulcers and contribute to acid reflux.  Aloe vera, licorice, ginger, and the herb peonae are thought to be effective in relieveing gas and acid reflux.  A 1998 research article found that diet also plays a key part in the relief of digestive disorders.  A diet high in fiber and low in refined sugar, additives, and preservatives is recommended.  The use of tobacco products, and the consumption of alcohol and caffeine have been shown to aggravate digestive problems.  The nervous system controls the digestive system.  Do you think you should get your nervous system checked out, if you have digestive problems?    Research done in two independent studies, compared people with ulcers that were under chiropractic care and those that took the traditional medical route, both on the same diet.  The patients that were under chiropractic care showed faster relief than those that saw there medical doctor. 

Get Checked,

Dr. Munoz

Source: DC Digestive, Dr. Singer

Heart disease is the leading killer for men and women in this country.  For some of you the warning sign will show up after checking your cholesterol.  If you are over the age of 20, you should be checking your cholesterol levels every 5 years and more often if you have had a test come up over 200 mg/dL before/in the past.  You should also check it more often if you are a man over the age of 45 and a woman over the age of 50.  If you have your HDL (”good cholesterol”) under 40 mg/dL you should check it before the 5 years are up and if you have a personal or family history of heart disease and other heart risk factors.  Then you may want to consider checking your cholesterol anywhere from 1-5 years.  Smoking increases your risk to having high cholesterol.  It speeds up the build up of the cholesterol on the inside lining of the blood vessels that will in turn can lead to a heart attack and stroke.  Women going through menopause should watch their cholesterol because it may increase over the age of 50.   If you have diabetes you are more apt to acquiring high cholesterol.  High cholesterol is also attributed to having stress in your life.  We can’t get completely away from stress but you can learn to deal with it better like;  You do know that cholesterol is made by your body naturally, right?  The liver makes it.  It is needed for your body to function.  It is in every cell of your body.  The problem arises when the amount of choleserol is too much or the balance betweent he “good” and “bad” cholesterol has been lost.  So on your next visit to your doctor’s office ask for him/her to check your cholesterol levels.  The first step is knowing.  Then you can help control with diet and exercise. 

Protect Your Heart,

Dr. Munoz

No, I am not done.  It’s in over the counter drugs like Alka Seltzer Plus, Tums, Rolaids, Tylenol medications, and  Metamucil.  It’s in your morning breakfast cereals like Fiber One.  It’s even in some lipsticks.  It has been added to these things to increase the sweet taste without added the calories.  The assumption is that you are health conscious if you are eating Fiber One, Metamucil, TAB, Weight Watcher products, and Crystal Light.  If you are really concerned with what you are eating you wouldn’t be eating these because of the Aspartame in them.  If you are taking Tums and Rolaids you are just masking the acid problems and not fixing the problem and to boot adding a toxin like Aspartame to the mix.  I think you would agree that Aspartame is not good for your immune system after all that has been said about it yet you add it to your system when you take and Alka Seltzer Plus. 

You are worried about gaining a few pounds and I understand that.  And yes sugar will make you gain weight but Aspartame is not any better.  You really shouldn’t be on any of these over the counter medications or diet foods.  Eat all natural foods, exercise properly, and you will lose weight.  I am not suggesting you gain weight either.  Being overweight kills you too.  What would you like to die from?  You get to choose.  Old age?  Heart attack?  Cancer?  Lung cancer?  Brain Cancer?  It is a choice and make it everyday with the day to day choices you make.     Fix the problem, find the solution to your problems, cleanse your system of toxins, fix the acid/base problem of your stomach, rest when you get sick,  wash your hands frequently.  Don’t just mask the symptoms.   

Your Wellness Coach,

Dr. Munoz

More on Aspartame…It will produce symptoms that mimic those of Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, Thyroid Problems and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  They have directly connected Aspartame to brain tumors, Lupus, Manic Depression, ADD, ALS, and Hypotension.  If you have any one of these three diseases I suggest ceasing the intake of the artificial sweeteners.  When Aspartame is broken down by the body it results in Formaldehyde (embalming fluid) as a product.  Today, embalming is done by injecting chemicals directly into the bloodstream to preserve the corpse’s appearance. The most commonly used chemicals for embalming are formaldehyde and ethanol.  If you want the body to last even longer you embalm the body with formaldehyde only.  I am sure that bodies used to decompose faster in the mortuaries now compared to before on account of our more recent changes to our diet that include such substances as Aspartame.  We are walking around this world as the living dead in more ways than one.  Aspartame is made by the company, Monsanto.  In 1995, Monsanto split there company into two different parts.  It separated the Food part that produces the Aspartame and the Agriculture part.  The article I read, “Mary Nash Stoddard Research Findings on Dangers of Aspartame at Tesla Conference” (1995), says Monsanto did so in order to preempt the problematic legal suits they foresaw happening because of the diseases connected to their product and the falsification to the tests they had initially done on Aspartame.  All this and I am not done…I’ll leave you to think about this.

Live Toxic Free,

Dr. Munoz

Source:  wiseGEEK.com, What is Embalming?

So I hope this is not the first time you’ve heard of this.  I am just repeating what I have known for a while - hope you know that Aspartame is bad for you.  This is in your diet sodas.  Although soda is not great for you, I would rather you drink regular soda than the diet ones.  It’s also in the diet powders sold to add to water, like Crystal Light.  When given to lab animals it gave them brain, pancreatic, mammary and uterine tumors.  This substance changes your DNA.  It also lowers your threshold for seizures in some people.  Some lab animals died and in others sexual dysfunction was a side effect.  It is used as a sugar subsitute with no calories.  It was discovered/created on accident.   I am not sure what made the scientist who discovered it taste it but he did and found out it was sweet.  He was trying to make a medication for peptic ulcers.  This may be the cause of your migraines.  Have you ever thought of that?  If you suffer from migraines why don’t you try and take Aspartame out of your diet and see if they go away.  Did you know it is outlawed to use/sell in Canada?  Did you know that it is the “sugar-free” gum?  Did you know that they will not allow a pilot to chew a piece of gum with Aspartame in it before taking flight because it has given pilots seizures during flights before.  Have I educated you enough?  Have I scared you enough?  Into not drinking things with Aspartame in it?  I sure hope so.  If not,  I’ll have more for you tomorrow. 

Drink Water,

Dr. Munoz

Hey chocolate lovers, here’s some good news for you.  They say we need chocolate to keep us happy during this economic crisis we are going through.  In small amounts it won’t do us harm.  The best kind is getting the dark, high cocoa percentage, less added milk and sugar.  Organic is best.  It’s good for us.  It contains seratonin, a natural mood enhancer.  The best way to increase the seratonin levels is through exercise.  So go for a walk or take a yoga class.

The Mexican Aztecs and Mayans must have known something about the powers of chocolate.  They called it liquid gold, drink of the Gods.  Happy Cinco de Mayo by the way.  You just might be able to forget your problems if you have a mouthful of chocolate, at least momentarily.  I don’t know what to tell those of you that don’t like chocolate.  I don’t understand it.  God made us with different tastes or else the chocolate would all be gone.  What it also means to me is that there is more for me!  Try the chocolate drink the Aztecs made below.  It has no sugar - pure chocolate flavored. 

1 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup boiling water

ground pepper or chilies to taste

Grate the unsweetened chocolate into a bowl and cover it with a little of the boiling water.  Mash the mixture into a paste.  Add the rest of the water and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer until frothy.  You could also use a molinillo or blender (on high speed) to beat the mixture as well.Add the pepper or chilies to give the drink a little kick.  The chocolate does not totally dissolve in the water using this technique. Tiny particles of chocolate will float in the water, and you will be able to taste the grittiness in the drink. For a more authentic drink, allow the chocolate to cool and beat it into a froth just before you drink it.

Sweet Dreams Tonight,

Dr. Munoz

In over the past few years have you noticed allergies have been on a rise?  One reason we might be more allergic to the foods we are eating is because of the genetically modified organisms or foor such as fruits and vegetables and even occurs in meat (also known as GMOs) that have been created.  The same time the modifications started happening the allergies started appearing.  GMO foods can be allergenic, toxic, carcinogenic and anti-nutritional.  We don’t know the effects yet of eating these GMOs over several years.  They created them in the first place for what sounded like great reasons/ideas, like to create cold tolerance, insect reistance, drug production or immunity to common pesticides.  The concern is about the safety about ingesting these foods/organisms.  These genetically modified organisms and foods are saving some companies money and passing on the savings to you but at the cost of your health. 

Think Before You Buy,

Dr. Munoz