Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Why I Never Get Flu Shots

Every year about this time, quite a few people ask, "My Doctor tells me to
get my annual flu shot. Should I do it?" Well, I don't diagnose or
prescribe, and what you do with your body remains entirely up to you and
your doctor (if you still go to a doctor), but I'll gladly tell you what I
do regarding flu shots...
I avoid them like the plague.
In fact, it would take a Marine nurse and at least four burly wrestlers the
size of Hulk Hogan to hold me down and give me one. Perhaps you already
sense I have strong feelings about flu shots? These feelings stem from
personal opinion, research, and a plethora of patients' bad experiences.
First off, I don't think toxic chemicals and virus strains grown on living
tissue belong in the human body, even when they're packaged in nice sterile
glass vials.
I have found some general information at the Concerned Parents for Vaccine
Safety web site, where I learned about some of the ingredients used to make
vaccines.
Do you want any of the following vaccine constituents in YOUR bloodstream?
* 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 and 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.
Vaccines are also grown and strained through animal or human tissue like
monkey kidney tissue, chicken embryo, embryonic guinea pig cells, calf
serum, and human diploid cells (the dissected organs of aborted human
fetuses as in the case of rubella, hepatitis A, and chickenpox vaccines).
Well, I refuse to put all of the above in my body, and I hope when your
doctor starts telling you it's time for your annual flu shot that you'll
require him to defend the annual injection. You or your insurance company's
probably paying eighty bucks for a visit, so get your money's worth.
Have your doctor read you the insert that comes with the vaccine.
Then have him/her explain why it makes sense to inject toxic chemicals into
the human body, and how such substances can aid the delicate immune system.
Chances are he/she will fall back on questionable statistical and
demographic explanations that the medical establishment has used for decades
to justify immunization.
Try to engage your doctor in a non-confrontational discussion because this
is an opportunity for him/her to actually give some serious thought to what
he/she is injecting into bodies of patients day after day after day. Many
traditional doctors who have not studied diet and lifestyle are not going to
change unless we help to educate them to what drugs and vaccines may really
be doing long-term to people.
When one digs into the vaccine history (check out the Swine Flu vaccine if
you want a real horror story) and scientific research (especially in
Europe), it quickly becomes apparent that nobody really knows what these
toxic stews of chemicals and microorganisms do in the human body.
I've approached the yearly flu shot hype with the understanding that if I
eat and live properly, I won't have to worry about catching the flu. The
flu vaccine I use -- eating and living as close to nature as I can --
actually works.
I might add that I haven't missed more than two consecutive days of work
from an illness for nearly a decade, so a non-vaccine approach does work for
me. This non-drug approach has resulted in a level of health that
continually amazes me, especially when I see other men and women who are
miserable and without energy. Men and women who spend all too much of their
time drifting from doctor to doctor in endless pursuit of solutions that
don't get to the cause of their problems - diet, lifestyle and poor
neuro-immune system function.

IMPORTANT QUESTION:
How many of you still think that the main benefit of being part of this
office is to get "cracked" so your back, head and neck will stop hurting? I
hope few of you think this way.
How many of you understand that when you get adjusted your body's health
potential actually goes up? Probably few of you understand what I really
mean by that statement, which is why the next several newsletters will focus
on immune system function, cold and flu myths, vaccines and cough syrup side
effects, natural vs unnatural means of building immunity, and how the
chiropractic adjustment actually improves your health potential from the
inside-out.
"I hope you share what you learn here in this office, and thereby play an
active role in making this world a better place. Whether you realize it or
not, people are depending on you to help them find better answers and
solutions like those we offer in this office."


Your Maximized Health Mentor,


Dr. Craig

Monday, October 30, 2006

Too Little Sleep May Accelerate Aging

Regularly catching only a few hours of sleep can hinder metabolism and
hormone production in a way that is similar to the effects of aging and the
early stages of diabetes. Chronic sleep loss may speed the onset or increase
the severity of age-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood
pressure, obesity, memory loss, etc. The research shows that just one week
of sleep deprivation can alter your hormone levels and your capacity to
metabolize carbohydrates. People who trade sleep for work or play may get
used to it and feel less fatigued, but is that healthy?
During sleep-deprivation, researchers have found that men's blood sugar
levels took 40% longer to drop following a high-carbohydrate meal, compared
with the sleep-recovery period. Their ability to secrete and respond to the
hormone insulin, which helps regulate blood sugar, dropped by 30%. These
changes echo the effects of insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2
diabetes. In addition, the sleep-deprived men had higher nighttime
concentrations of the hormone cortisol, which also helps regulate blood
sugar, and lower levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone. These raised
cortisol levels mimic levels that are often seen in older people, and may be
involved in age-related insulin resistance and memory loss.
Sleep debts are sort of like stress. Most sleep-deprivation research has
focused on what it does to the brain, but it is likely that sleep has many
functions. In the study, subjects' blood sugar and hormone concentrations
were restored after the sleep-recovery period. Earlier research has shown
that in developed countries, the average night's sleep has grown shorter
since the beginning of the century, from 9 hours to 7.5 hours. Many people
give up sleep to make room for work and leisure. An adequate amount of sleep
is as important as an adequate amount of exercise. Sleeping is not a sin,
but a necessity.
This topic is particularly important as we begin adapting to the clock
shift. I believe that 7-8 hours is a minimum requirement for maintaining
health. I also believe that sleeping should not be restless (waking up
often). If you are having trouble sleeping or are not getting an adequate
amount of sleep, keep an eye out for our NEW time/stress management seminar
coming up in January, which will include healthy strategies for better
sleep. In this seminar we will teach easy to implement strategies for
getting your day more organized so cutting sleep time becomes unnecessary.
FYI
Our Wednesday night seminar, "Lifetime Wellness, A Plan For Living A
Maximized Life" was a great success! I believe that every person who
attended got a glimpse of how easy & important it is to PLAN FOR HEALTH. I
also believe those of you who were there will have a better quality of life
for having attended. I hope those of you who could not attend will be able
to next time. Remember getting well and staying well is about Educating
Yourself!
Your Maximized Health Mentor,


Dr. Craig

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

How Long Will You Live?

Centenarians, people who live to be 100 years or older, are becoming more
and more common in the United States. In 1950 there were 2,300 U.S.
centenarians and today there are more than 40,000. According to one
researcher in the November 2003 issue of Discover magazine
<http://www.discover.com/issues/nov-03/cover/?page=1> , the number of
centenarians is doubling every decade.
There are different theories as to just how long the human body can last,
and why certain cultures have longer life expectancies than others, but one
would expect that since the United States spends more on health care than
other nations <http://www.mercola.com/2003/may/24/health_care.htm> , the
life expectancy would reflect that spending. However, the United States
ranks 24th on the list of disability-adjusted life expectancy
<http://www.mercola.com/2000/jun/10/us_healthcare.htm> , while Japan ranks
first.
Naturally, this is pretty explicit evidence that traditional U.S. health
care is not the secret to longevity. In fact, health care in the United
States would be more aptly named if it were called "disease care," as the
system only serves to treat disease--not protect health.
There are obviously other factors involved in living to be 100 years old or
more. Some scientists believe that people may be able to live for hundreds
of years based on their study of round worms.
The study, published in the October 2003 journal Science
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_u
ids=14576426&dopt=Abstract> , found that by manipulating the worms' insulin
signaling and removing their reproductive systems, the worms could live six
times longer than normal. According to the researchers, this corresponds to
a healthy, active lifespan of 500 human years.
It is quite clear that elevated insulin levels
<http://www.mercola.com/2003/feb/8/longevity.htm> are indeed one of the
most significant physical influences that contribute to rapid aging, and
there is no question that optimizing insulin levels
<http://www.mercola.com/2001/jul/14/insulin.htm> is the key to optimizing
the aging process.
However, I firmly believe that our maximum lifespan is about 120 years and
manipulation of even insulin genes will be highly unlikely to improve our
lifespan significantly beyond that. Ironically, even though most people
express an interest in living to their maximum potential, many people refuse
to use the available methods that are sure to slow down aging. If they did,
we would surely not be facing the ever-increasing epidemics of obesity,
diabetes, heart disease and cancer in this country.
If you want to increase your chances of living a longer, healthier life, one
of the first things you should do is start practicing a nutrition plan, like
our Body By God "Un-Diet" nutrition plan. You'll notice that at the heart of
the program is the elimination, or at the very least a large reduction, of
grains and sugar in your diet. Consuming sugar and grains will increase your
insulin level, and that is the equivalent of slamming your foot on the aging
accelerator. There is simply no more potent way to accelerate aging than
eating sugar and grains.
Fish oil is another strong factor in helping people live longer, and many
experts believe that it is likely the predominant reason why the Japanese
are the longest lived race on the planet
<http://www.mercola.com/2002/aug/17/life_expectancy.htm> . When choosing a
fish oil brand, it is important to find one of high quality to ensure that
it has been purified of mercury and other toxins.
You may also want to look into some specific foods that may slow down aging.
Blueberries are rich in antioxidants that have anti-aging effects. Most
fruits and especially vegetables contain antioxidants, but blueberries have
been ranked #1 in antioxidant activity by the USDA when compared to 40 other
fresh fruits and vegetables. I try to maximize my antioxidant (anti-aging)
intake by consuming the greens powder supplement we have in the office.
This is the most effectively efficient way I know of to consume large
amounts of nutrients typically found in vegetables.
Another excellent anti-aging food is coconut oil
<http://www.mercola.com/forms/coconut_oil.htm> , and this one is doubly
beneficial because it can be eaten and applied directly to your skin.
Coconut oil can be used in place of oils, margarine, butter or shortening
and used for all your cooking needs. It can help you lose weight, or
maintain your already good weight, reduce the risk of heart disease and
lower your cholesterol, among other things.
Researchers are also looking into the anti-aging effects of resveratrol, the
antioxidant found in red wine
<http://www.mercola.com/2003/sep/10/red_wine.htm> that has been found to
extend the lifespan of yeast cells by up to 80 percent.
Easily, implementing a nutrition plan is an excellent way to slow down aging
and improve your quality of life. There is no quick fix with this, no pill
and no magic fountain. For most of us living a healthy life well into our
100s will take some dedication and planning, and it's up to you to decide if
the effort is worth it for you.

TRIVIA QUESTION: What famous actor once said "If I could do it all over
again, the one thing I would definitely change is- I would take better care
of my health."?

REMINDER
Our Wednesday night seminar, "Lifetime Wellness, Maximizing Health and
Minimizing Stress" is tonight. If you want to live to be 80, 90 or even
100... you better have a plan in place to do so! Tonight we will be helping
people develop a strategy for living a longer, healthier life. Please join
us!
See the front desk if you are not already signed up for this seminar.

Your Maximized Health Mentor,


Dr. Craig

Monday, October 23, 2006

The Aspirin Myth -- Does it Really Help You?

Over 10 percent of patients who take low-dose aspirin to ward off a heart
attack develop peptic ulcers, which often have no symptoms.
This was the finding of researchers from the University of Western Sydney in
Australia. Using endoscopy, they studied 187 patients who had been taking
between 75 milligrams and 325 milligrams of aspirin daily for at least one
month.
An Annual Ulcer Rate of 28 Percent
The researchers found that 10.7 percent of patients in their study developed
ulcers at least 3 millimeters in diameter. However, only 20 percent
experienced symptoms that were significantly different from patients with no
ulcers, which means many people may not know the ulcers exist.
After three months, the endoscopy was repeated among the 113 people who did
not have ulcers when the study began. It was found that:
* Over 7 percent had developed an ulcer during this period
* This boosted the annual ulcer rate to 28 percent
Other factors that increased the risk of developing ulcers included being 70
years of age or older or having a bacterial infection with H. pylori.
The researchers said the benefits of using aspirin should be carefully
assessed before those who have low cardiovascular risk take it for a
long-term period.
Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics
<http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2005.02649.x?p
revSearch=allfield%3A%28aspirin%2C+ulcers%29> November 2005, Volume 22,
Page 795

Dr. Craig's Comments:
Aspirin has developed a reputation in conventional medical circles for being
a useful approach for lowering the risk of heart disease -- just take one a
day to prevent heart attack or stroke.
Although, let's not forget that aspirin is in fact a drug.
Once you understand natural medical principles it is easy to see that any
drug is not the solution for a chronic degenerative disease. Although it may
seem to provide some initial benefit, the long-term overall view is rarely
appreciated, as it nearly invariably shows a combination of side effects
that far outweighs any benefit.
The case of Vioxx is quite clear. Tens of thousands of people around the
world paid the price with their lives for choosing some temporary pain
relief in exchange for a fatal heart attack.
In the case of aspirin, if you read the studies by British
<http://www.mercola.com/2000/jul/2/aspirin.htm> and American
<http://www.mercola.com/2002/nov/16/aspirin.htm> researchers, you will see
that taking aspirin can cause much more harm than good.
The chance of developing ulcers is just one potential side effect. Others
include:
* Increasing your risk of pancreatic cancer
<http://www.mercola.com/2003/nov/12/aspirin_cancer.htm>
* Damaging your kidneys
<http://www.mercola.com/2005/jun/9/aspirin_seniors.htm>
* Gastric bleeding
<http://www.mercola.com/2005/jun/9/aspirin_seniors.htm>
* Increased risk of stroke
What is the best alternative to aspirin? Simple lifestyle changes such as
taking fish oil <http://www.mercola.com/2005/jan/12/fish_oil_heart.htm> and
exercising <http://www.mercola.com/2005/apr/9/heart_disease.htm> can have a
tremendously positive effect on your cardiovascular system. To make a
misunderstood concept real easy... stop taking aspirin- unless you actually
want a bubbling, bleeding, oozing ulcer.

TRIVIA QUESTION: Do you know who actually coined the phrase, "An aspirin a
day will keep the doctor away."?

ARE YOU SIGNED UP FOR THE NEXT SEMINAR YET?
In our Wednesday night seminar, "Lifetime Wellness, Maximizing Health and
Minimizing Stress" we will attempt to strengthen your understanding about
stress, health and disease. We will also be teaching those in attendance
strategies for improving their life, now and in the future!
In essence we will help you better define your understanding of health, and
more importantly teach you how to remain healthy for the rest of your life!
Please, sign up now and reserve your seat at the front desk.

Your Maximized Health Mentor,


Dr. Craig

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Minimize Your Stress - Maximize Your Health

Chronic stress, which has been called America's number one health problem,
is not something to take lightly--it can have profound effects on your
immune system and your overall health. Estimates have placed stress-related
problems as the cause of 75 percent to 90 percent of all primary care
physician visits.
Most people associate stress with worry, but stress has a much broader
definition to your body. Any kind of change, whether it be emotional,
chemical or physical can be stressful. Even positive events, such as getting
a promotion or taking a vacation, can be stressful and can gradually weaken
your health before you realize what is happening. If you have recently
experienced a change in your sleep patterns, feel fatigued, anxious or a
lack of enjoyment for life, or have multiple aches and pains, you are likely
overstressed.
It was recently discovered that people under chronic stress had above-normal
levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), an immune-system protein that promotes
inflammation and has been linked with heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis,
rheumatoid arthritis, severe infections and certain cancers.
It appears that stress increases levels of IL-6, which in turn accelerates a
variety of age-related diseases. Further, stress can weaken a person's
immune response, leaving them more susceptible to infection, and can lead to
unhealthy lifestyle habits. For instance, stress often leads people to
overeat, lose sleep, and neglect exercise, all of which can create health
problems on their own.
"There is a whole new field called "neuroimmunology" that studies the
effects of stress on the immune system. Scientists in this area have
demonstrated alterations in the normal function of immune cells in animals
during times of stress. Excessive physical stress (poor posture / unhealthy
spine) significantly changes our immune cell profile.
Without a properly functioning immune system, our bodies are vulnerable to
invasion by opportunistic germs such as fungi, viruses and bacteria.
It's not practical to advise people to avoid stress because--let's face
it--we all have it. What is practical, however, is to emphasize the
importance of dealing with stress before it takes a toll on your health. It
appears that stress impairs the immune system, which allows underlying
infections to cause damage.
There is ever increasing evidence that most diseases have an infectious
component. Such is the case with most autoimmune disease like rheumatoid
arthritis (RA), which--like most all other diseases--is a result of things
that happen, or more frequently, things we allow to let happen to us, such
as stress overload.
Unfortunately, for most people, no one has ever taught us how to identify
stress in our lives. In addition, most people have absolutely no idea how
to minimize or eliminate stress.
How much stress do I have? Where is the stress in my life coming from? Can
my stress(ors) be eliminated or minimized, and HOW? More importantly, how
do I keep the stress from coming back? These are questions that most people
have or at least should be asking themselves.
In our next seminar, "Lifetime Wellness, Maximizing Health and Minimizing
Stress" we will strengthen your understanding about stress, health and
disease. We will also be teaching those in attendance strategies for
improving their life, now and in the future!
In essence we will help you better define your understanding of health, and
more importantly teach you how to remain healthy for the rest of your life!
In a day and age where people are losing their health due simply to a lack
of understanding how to maintain it... how can you afford not to attend a
free seminar that guarantees RESULTS?!?
Please, sign up now and reserve your seat at the front desk.


Your Maximized Health Mentor,


Dr. Craig


P.S.

"Planning for health in the future requires a little work, but is so much
easier than managing a disease!"

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Are You Choosing Life or Early Death?

Medical Model Maximized Health Model
1:2 people die of Heart Disease 200% stronger immune systems
1:3 people die of Cancer Less Medications
2 people die every minute Less Hospital and Doctor visits
1.5 Million Americans injured in hospitals Building Health
Every 30 seconds someone is diagnosed w/ Cancer Preventing Disease
999,936 people die due to medicine 100% Nervous System Function

If you or your family is living in the medical model your one step closer to a life of sickness, suffering, disease and an early death!

If you and your family are living in the Chiropractic Maximized Health Model you’re living a life of health, wellness and vitality!

You either get it and live it- or you don’t!
It’s a simple as that!
Which model are most Americans living in?
The statistics say it all!

If you’re missing appointments, not doing your spinal exercises, eating poorly, taking dangerous medications and not exercising regularly, your one step closer to a life of cancer, heart disease and early death! It’s your choice! You can live in the Maximized Health Model or end up another statistic in the medical model…ITS UP TO YOU!

“After suffering from migraines for over 15 years (sometimes as long as 6 days a week) I read your chiropractic article in the Local Value Magazine. It sounded exactly like what I was looking for. I have seen regular chiropractors and several different medical doctors and the only results from that were different types of oral medications. It was frustrating because I knew we were only treating the symptoms and not the cause.”

“Since starting with Dr. Craig I have only had to use my prescription medication once and that was over 10 weeks ago. The philosophy for treatment coincides perfectly with mine.”

“I am very happy with the results and tell anyone who has similar problems they should make an appointment ASAP.”

“Thanks for improving my quality of life so dramatically!”

Jacque (written August 3, 2006)

Jacque is definitely on the right path to health and wellness now. Who is next? Perhaps it will be you, a family member, a friend or a coworker? Congratulations to Jacque! We love having you as part of our Chiropractic Family.

Your Maximized Health Mentor,

Dr. Craig

Monday, October 9, 2006

Are You Playing Russian Roulette?

You don’t see it a whole lot in real life, but in the movies we’ve all seen Russian Roulette – where someone sticks a bullet in one of the 6 chambers, points it at their head or someone else’s, spins the chamber, and then pulls the trigger. No matter how many times I see this, the emotion is overwhelming and I flinch just like the person on film when you here the “click” –happy it’s not the “BAM!”

The truth is, in real life, people play Russian Roulette every day. The difference is how many bullets are in their gun. You can put in none, one, two, four, or all six.

v If you or your child is overweight or obese research shows there are two bullets in the gun!

“Being obese triples the risk of heart disease, as well as produces a tenfold increase in the chance of developing diabetes.” -ABC News, December 22, 2004

“A prospective study of 527,265 American men and women, who were 50 to 71 years old when the study started, found that being overweight at midlife (age 50) increased the risk of death by up to 30%.” -New England Journal of Med, 8/24/06

If you are taking medications there are two bullets in the gun!

“The conventional medical system is the LEADING cause of death in this country.” “2 people die every minute living in the medical model” -www.lef.org

“Medication mistakes injure well over 1.5 million Americans every year in hospitals alone. A hospitalized patient is subject to at least one medication error per day.
-7/21/06 Associated Press –CNN, NY Times Report

v If you are subluxated research shows (but it’s probably much higher) there are two bullets in the gun! Subluxations are misalignments, losses and/or increases in the curves of the spine that damage the spinal cord and nervous system.

Research shows that a loss of the cervical curve, and increase in the thoracic curve, or scoliosis all increase mortality (speed up death) and takes up to 14 years off your life. -1“Spine” Volume 30(21), November 1, 2005 pp. 2388-2392 revealed work done by Shimizu, Kentaro MD; Nakamura, Masaya MD; Nishikawa, Yuji MD; Hijikata, Sadahisa MD; Chiba, Kazuhiro MD; Toyama, Yoshiaki MD. 2 J Bone Joint Surg Am-1981 Une 63 (5): 702-12 Weinstein SL, Zavala, DC, Ponseti IV

This is real life. It’s not a dress rehearsal. In real life, I don’t want to put a gun to my head or the head of anyone I love with 2 bullets in a 6 chamber pistol (1 out of 3) and pull the trigger. That’s not a Russian game of chance, that’s suicide or murder. Sadly, most people have at least 4, if not all 6 in the chamber!

Truth is more dangerous then fiction. Adjustments, our classes on nutrition, exercise, and doing the best you can to lower or eliminate chance of disease and use of medications is just like taking bullets out of the chamber and/or a (loaded) gun out of your hand.

The study above showing that a problem with the curves in your spine can take up to 14 years off of your life?!? WOW!!! And, to make the study even more credible in support of the Chiropractic profession- it was done by Medical Doctors!

When Mark and I refer to the work we do as “SAVING LIVES”, you now know what we are talking about. And, perhaps most importantly, why we are so serious about your case, and the referral of those who need help- before it’s too late!

I hope this week’s newsletter is an eye-opening experience for all you. We are so happy that we have the opportunity to serve you!


Your Maximized Health Mentor,

Dr. Craig

Tuesday, October 3, 2006

Soy: Is it Healthy or is it Harmful?

In recent years soy has emerged as a ‘near perfect’ food, with supporters claiming it can provide an ideal source of protein, lower cholesterol, protect against cancer and heart disease, reduce menopause symptoms, and prevent osteoporosis, among other things. But how did such a ‘perfect’ food emerge from a product that in 1913 was listed in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) handbook not as a food but as an industrial product?

According to lipid specialist and nutritionist Mary Enig, PhD, "The reason there’s so much soy in America is because they [the soy industry] started to plant soy to extract the oil from it and soy oil became a very large industry. Once they had as much oil as they did in the food supply they had a lot of soy protein residue left over, and since they can’t feed it to animals, except in small amounts, they had to find another market."

And another market was what they found. To put it simply, after multi-million dollar figures spent on advertising and intense lobbying to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), about 74 percent of U.S. consumers now believe soy products are healthy.

If you’re thinking the health claims surrounding soy sound too good to be true you just may be right. For just a brief look at what’s really going on, consider that numerous studies have found that soy products may:

Soy products also contain:

    • Phytoestrogens (isoflavones) genistein and daidzein, which mimic and sometimes block the hormone estrogen
    • Phytates, which block the body's uptake of minerals
    • Enzyme Inhibitors, which hinder protein digestion
    • Haemaggluttin, which causes red blood cells to clump together and inhibits oxygen take-up and growth

Further, most soybeans are grown on farms that use toxic pesticides and herbicides, and many are from genetically engineered plants. When you consider that two-thirds of all manufactured food products contain some form of soy, it becomes clear just how many Americans are consuming GM (Gentticall Modified) products, whose long-term effects are completely unknown.

Perhaps the most disturbing of soy’s ill effects on health has to do with its phytoestrogens that can mimic the effects of the female hormone estrogen. These phytoestrogens have been found to have adverse effects on various human tissues, and drinking even two glasses of soy milk daily for one month has enough of the chemical to alter a woman’s menstrual cycle. The FDA regulates estrogen-containing products; however no warnings exist on soy. Two senior toxicologists with the FDA, Daniel Sheehan and Daniel Doerge, have even come out saying "The public will be put at potential risk from soy isoflavones in soy protein isolate without adequate warning and information." Soy is particularly problematic for infants, and soy infant formulas should be avoided. It has been estimated that infants who are fed soy formula exclusively receive five birth control pills worth of estrogen every day.

There are some redeeming qualities to soy, however these are found primarily in fermented soy products like tempeh, miso and natto and soybean sprouts. If you want to get some health benefits from soy, stick to these four forms and pass up the processed soy milks, soy ‘burgers’, soy ‘ice cream’, soy ‘cheese’, and the myriad of other soy junk foods that are so readily disguised as health foods.

After the Un-Diet seminar many people had questions regarding milk and soy. I strongly recommend Rice Milk as a healthier substitute. You can still have your cereal and your cookies and “milk”, but if you are avoiding the cow’s milk and soy milk… you are better avoiding the health problems associated with each.


P.S. I was very happy to see such a large turnout at the Un-Diet Seminar. There were many people in the audience who stated that they finally received information that made sense. For those of you who could not attend because of a previous engagement, I look forward to seeing you at the next seminar. And for those of you who “think” you have nutrition figured out… think again! I am still figuring it out. It seems to be a never ending process, and maybe that is the point. Our life is a journey, and along the way we must continually strive to learn more and improve. After all, consider the alternative to not improving!

Your Maximized Health Mentor,

Dr. Craig

Monday, October 2, 2006

ARE YOU STILL DRINKING THAT STUFF?

It always amazes me to discover just how many consumers have been brainwashed by dairy industry advertising into thinking that milk from cows is some sort of essential food for humans. In reality, cow's milk is perfect nutrition for baby cows, but nutritionally incompatible with humans, most of whom are actually allergic to the substance.


Humans are the only species that will drink the mammary gland extract of another species. And we didn't even choose a species close to us like monkeys or gorillas. No, we've chosen to drink milk from furry, four-legged creatures mostly because they're the easiest ones to control and dope up with synthetic hormones that turn them into milk-generating machines for profit-motivated dairy operations.


All commercial milk from cows contains pus and blood, by the way. The USDA actually sets allowable limits of pus as a federal standard. (Check MilkSucks.com to see how much pus is found in milk in your State!) And that's not to mention the toxic chemicals, PCBs, pesticides, perchlorate and other substances frequently found in milk products. Even if they were somehow free of these chemicals, nearly all commercially-produced milk is pasteurized and homogenized -- a process that turns milk fats into artery-clogging substances that promote heart disease and atherosclerosis.


Yet western populations chug milk by the gallon, and then the people wonder why they suffer
from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, obesity, heart disease, sinusitis, acne, constipation and even diabetes. The answer is cow's milk, folks. You'd be better off drinking human milk, but even that's only for babies.


Truly, drinking milk from cows is about as silly as pushing a baby calf away from its mother and sucking on the teat yourself. Which is, of course, the very concept this comic is attempting to portray.


Another thing… paid for advertisements for milk suggest that milk is good for bones. Did you know that milk produces an acidic residue in the body after consumption? The result is a direct, negative effect on your bones. Science is now shedding light on the link between milk consumption and osteoporosis. How is that possible? Isn’t milk supposed to be good for bones? Apparently not!


Signed up for the nutrition seminar yet?


Speak up and educate others
Dr. Craig


Seminar signup at the front deskP.S. NUTRITION SEMINAR… MONDAY… 6:30-7:30… PLEASE ATTEND!