6 WAYS TO SAFELY REDUCE BLOOD PRESSURE

6 WAYS TO SAFELY REDUCE BLOOD PRESSURE

Over 65 million Americans suffer from High Blood Pressure - a very big and real problem - but like most real problems, it has real causes and real, natural solutions.

Most people are addressing the problem with medication, for example: Anything ending in -pril like Lisinopril, anything ending in -olol like Atenolol, diuretics like HCTZ, or blood thinners like Aspirin. Most typically prescribed hypertension drugs are: ACE Inhibitors, Diuretics, Beta Blockers, and Calcium Channel Blockers. These drugs all have major side effects, and they are often used in combination with other medications - even though certain combinations have proven to cause kidney failure! (ACE Inhibitor, Diuretic, and NSAIDs - “The Triple Whammy of Kidney Failure”)1

Fortunately, there are plenty of safe and effective ways to bring down your blood pressure and reduce your reliance on ACE inhibitors and other dangerous drugs. Among the scientific literature, there are hundreds and hundreds of natural substances and practices that have been proven to aid hypertension, like meditation and yoga. Some of the research-proven nutraceuticals that aren’t mentioned below include: flaxseed, cocoa products, grape seed extract, and L-arginine.

Here are my top 6 tips to safely and naturally reduce blood pressure (in no particular order):

  • Vitamin D – a new study from the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology has shown that low levels of this essential hormone are a direct cause of elevated blood pressure. Most mainstream literature suggests supplementing with 2000 IU, I recommend taking at least 5,000 IU daily. But, you never know for sure until you get it measured! 50-70 ng/mmol is where I like to be and like my patients to be.

  • Fish Oil – the blood pressure lowering effect of fish oil has recently been confirmed in a systematic review of 17 clinical trials (although the changes were small).8 The omega 3’s EPA and DHA from fish oil decrease inflammation and have been shown to reduce stiffness of your arteries.9 I typically recommend between 1000-2500mg/day, but I also strongly recommend that you get your Omega 6: Omega 3 levels and ratios tested!

  • CoQ10 – taking 100 to 200 mg a day can reduce blood pressure by up to 17 mmHg systolic and 10 mmHg diastolic, and in a study of hypertensive patients taking 200+mg/day, 51% were able to get off at least 1-3 antihypertensive medications 4 months after beginning taking CoQ10.4 Make sure you take the most bioavailable form of CoQ10, known as Ubiquinol. When doing Customized Supplementation Plans using blood and urine lab testing, this is the single most common deficiency and most needed supplement in our patient base, and many experience great results after beginning taking CoQ10. THIS IS A MUST FOR PEOPLE ON STATINS FOR CHOLESTEROL!

  • Garlic – has been found to reduce blood pressure in several studies, including one that showed time-released garlic tablets dropped total blood pressure by more than 10mmHg.5 I think it’s better to include it in your diet, the main ingredient allicin is only potent right after you have smashed it, so freshly smashed garlic is more potent than capsules or pills, although many people choose the capsules for their breath. But it’s good for you!

  • Exercise -- Exercise has been shown to improve hypertension for many, many years and is the single most researched health intervention under the sun. There is very little that it hasn’t been shown to improve. I sometimes think it’s obvious, but it’s amazing how many people do not get enough exercise. This probably means you! That means movement, like walking, but it also means actually exercising and getting your heart rate elevated and giving your heart a good workout! THink about it - your heart is having to work harder to pump blood through your arteries. That’s high blood pressure. So what happens if you strengthen the heart? Lower the heart rate? Increase its efficiency? Exercise is a no-brainer for high blood pressure!

  • Get Adjusted! There are now dozens of studies looking at chiropractic adjustments and the responses of the nervous system, the stress response, and particularly the cardiovascular system - including many on Heart Rate Variability and Blood Pressure.6 One study has shown a total drop in BP of 27mmHg after undergoing chiropractic care to the upper cervical area!7 Many of these studies are looking specifically at adjustments of the upper cervical area, specifically the occiput or skull and C1, or the atlas bone. The proposed mechanism for the drop in blood pressure is that adjusting the atlas and brainstem area cause a parasympathetic response, which lowers blood pressure, as opposed to a sympathetic response, or fight-or-flight response. Most people today are stuck in a sympathetic dominance from far too much stress (mental, physical, chemical), and the parasympathetic response elicited by an atlas adjustment can help much more than their blood pressure, as the parasympathetic nervous system also controls things like digestion, healing, and hormone balance. So get adjusted!

Article By: Dr. Taylor Krick

  1. http://www.realdiabetestruth.com/blood-pressure-drugs-hidden-dangers-of-ace-inhibitors/

  2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10772593

  3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26768241 - The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, news release, June 25, 2014

  4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7752851

  5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19390538

  6. http://www.chiro.org/research/ABSTRACTS/Blood_Pressure.shtml

  7. Atlas Vertebra Realignment and Achievement of Arterial Pressure Goal in Hypertensive Patients: A Pilot Study - Journal of Human Hypertension 2007 (May);   21 (5):   347–352

  8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22345681

  9. Pase MP (2011) Do long-chain n-3 fatty acids reduce arterial stiffness? A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials” in the British Journal of Nutrition  doi:10.1017/S0007114511002819

Disclaimer: These statements are of a general nature and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult your physician before using any product, information, or suggestions found on this site.

OMEGA 6 : OMEGA 3 RATIO AND INFLAMMATION

OMEGA 6 : OMEGA 3 RATIO AND INFLAMMATION

We talk a lot about fats - eating fat to burn fat, increasing good fats, eliminating bad fats, ketogenesis - it's a popular topic. As it should be- damaged, inflammatory fats are one of the leading contributors to disease (especially heart disease the #1 killer!) and top threats to our health today while on the other hand, healthy fats are one of the biggest missing nutrients. All fats are not created equal though, and improper fatty acid ratios can lead to inflammation, toxicity, and cell membrane permeability issues!

Led by industry and financial ties, good fat became the enemy decades ago. This caused an increase in our intake of GMO vegetable and seed oils, like Canola, Cottonseed,  Corn and Soybean oils along with a large decrease in healthy fat consumption from animals.  Here are two charts showing the decrease in healthy fats and the increase in oils during the “war on fat” period. Take note of where our obesity crisis began!

As you can see, we had a shift away from natural animal products and towards rancid GMO vegetable oils.

Many people purposely avoid vegetable oils, eat things like avocados, nuts, seeds, and try to eat fish regularly, but my question to you is this:

Could you be eating too many "healthy" foods that are too high in pro-inflammatory Omega 6's without knowing it?

This is what the current scientific literature suggests regarding omega 6: omega 3 ratios and their importance in disease prevention:

"Several sources of information suggest that human beings evolved on a diet with a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) of approximately 1 whereas in Western diets the ratio is 15/1-16.7/1. Western diets are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, and have excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids compared with the diet on which human beings evolved and their genetic patterns were established. Excessive amounts of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and a very high omega-6/omega-3 ratio, as is found in today's Western diets, promote the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, whereas increased levels of omega-3 PUFA (a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio) exert suppressive effects. In the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, a ratio of 4/1 was associated with a 70% decrease in total mortality. A ratio of 2.5/1 reduced rectal cell proliferation in patients with colorectal cancer, whereas a ratio of 4/1 with the same amount of omega-3 PUFA had no effect. The lower omega-6/omega-3 ratio in women with breast cancer was associated with decreased risk. A ratio of 2-3/1 suppressed inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and a ratio of 5/1 had a beneficial effect on patients with asthma, whereas a ratio of 10/1 had adverse consequences......A lower ratio of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids is more desirable in reducing the risk of many of the chronic diseases of high prevalence in Western societies, as well as in the developing countries, that are being exported to the rest of the world." (Emphasis mine)

-Simopoulos AP1., Biomed Pharmacother. 2002 Oct;56(8):365-79.

As stated, the literature suggests that 1:1 is the ideal ratio, and while various studies have tested different ratios and their effects, he summarizes by saying that a lower ratio is more desirable in reducing the risk of disease. So what's your ratio? The only way to know is to measure it in the blood, typically as an AA:EPA ratio. I actually just picked a dozen random lab results from our office and averaged them - our patients averaged 20 : 1! I can tell you I would have never expected mine to be 30 : 1 a few years back, but after seeing these charts I’ve compiled below, I can understand how they got that way - avocados and nuts. My trans fats were low, my omega 3s weren't too low, I was just really really high in omega 6s.

Here are some of the foods that might commonly be found in a "healthy" diet and their Omega 6 : 3 ratios:

Vegetable and Seed Oils

Palm Oil: 45.5 : 1

Corn Oil: 46.1 : 1

Cottonseed Oil: 258 : 1

Grapeseed Oil: 696 : 1

Surprisingly Bad Ratios

Almonds: omega 6’s only

Cashew: 48.3 : 1

Avocado: 15 : 1

Pistachios: 55.3 : 1

Pumpkin Seeds: 107.8 : 1

Sesame Seeds: 137.7 : 1

Olive Oil: 11.7 : 1

Differences in Meat

Grass-Fed Beef: 2.67 : 1

Grain-Fed Beef: 17.19 : 1

Good Omega 3 Ratios

Chia Seeds: 1 : 3.03

Flax Seeds: 1 : 3.86

Caviar: 1 : 83.8

Mackeral: 1 : 12.19

Salmon: 1 : 15.03

You can see why vegetable and seed oils have to be avoided at all costs, but what about a healthy "paleo" diet that is high in nuts, seeds, and avocados? Think about someone who may be having trouble losing weight, low energy, always in pain, maybe a friend (or yourself) with an autoimmune disease that is making attempts to eat a healthy diet and not getting the results they are expecting? Someone could easily eat an avocado a day and snack on cashews and almonds and be massively disrupting their Omega 6: Omega 3 ratios and fueling inflammation!

This is one of the most important lab tests someone could ever have. We have tested dozens of patients, and nobody is ever perfect and it's usually a surprise which levels are higher than others. The testing is quick and easy, you can prick your own finger in the comfort of your own home. We measure omega 3s, 6s, trans fats, and important ratios - 12 metrics in total. Contact Align today to order your test.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12442909

http://thepaleodiet.com/vegetable-oil-fatty-acid-composition/#.Vpwqfa9HaK0

http://authoritynutrition.com/6-graphs-the-war-on-fat-was-a-mistake/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratio_of_fatty_acids_in_different_foods

Article By: Dr. Taylor Krick

Heart Disease is Killing Us

Heart Disease is Killing Us

The statistics on Heart Disease in our country are disgusting, yet I still don’t feel like it receives as much attention as other diseases, like breast or prostate cancer for example. It kills more people each year than all forms of cancer combined, it kills more women than it does men, and the worst part is IT IS PREVENTABLE AND LARGELY REVERSIBLE!

  • Heart disease (which includes Heart Disease, Stroke and other Cardiovascular Diseases) is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States, killing nearly 787,000 people alone in 2011.

  • In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 34 seconds. Every 60 seconds, someone in the United States dies from a heart disease-related event.

  • Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined.

  • While 1 in 31 American women dies from breast cancer each year, 1 in 3 dies of heart disease.

  • Heart disease causes 1 in 3 women’s deaths each year, killing approximately one woman every minute.

  • Only 1 in 5 American women believe that heart disease is her greatest health threat.

  • An estimated 43 million women in the U.S. are affected by heart disease.

  • Ninety percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.

  • Since 1984, more women than men have died each year from heart disease.

These are STAGGERING STATISTICS, especially for women!

The downstream effects of heart disease are often seen in middle ages (heart attacks, strokes), but autopsy studies have proven that heart disease begins in childhood. Autopsies of American children have shown up to 50% having atherosclerosis, or plaquing in their arteries, by 10-14 years old! So true heart disease prevention HAS TO START IN KIDS!!!

What’s worse is that the most common methods of treatment have major side effects and are often ineffective at best.

Aspirin - An aspirin a day keeps the heart attacks away right? WRONG. A recent study out of Japan studying over 14,000 people ages 60-85  “…found no major difference in heart-related deaths or non-fatal heart attacks and strokes between people who took aspirin and those who didn’t.” Not to mention there is evidence to support that long-term aspirin use increases internal bleeding and could lead to increased stroke risk. Just because it’s what we’ve always been told to do doesn’t mean it’s true! Who told us - Bayer??

Statins - In the U.S. some 40 million people take cholesterol-lowering medications called Statins - like Lipitor, Zocor, or the generic name Simvastatin. This is the highest selling category of drugs at over $20 Billion, and Lipitor is the highest-selling drug of all time. So do they work?

They do lower cholesterol on a blood test. But they DO NOT DECREASE THE RISK OF MORTALITY/MORBIDITY!! Many review studies have been published showing their lack of efficacy in preventing heart attacks and most importantly, preventing death. One review found that "current clinical evidence does not demonstrate that titrating lipid therapy (trying to lower cholesterol with statins) to achieve proposed low LDL cholesterol levels is beneficial or safe." (emphasis mine) Following up on this, in a major independent review of studies funded by the Ministry of Health of British Columbia, Canada on statins and primary prevention, researchers reported that "statins have not been shown to provide an overall health benefit in primary prevention trials."

So the research does not really support that statins work very well. So what. Can I take it “just in case”? The side effects are even worse than the fact that they don’t prevent death - they can cause it! Statins have been scientifically linked to over 300 side effects, including:

  • Cognitive Loss

  • Muscle Loss (including the heart!)

  • CoQ10 depletion

  • Diabetes

  • Cancer

  • Erectile Dysfunction

So many people take statins “just because the doctor told me I had to.” The doctor isn’t your mother. I can’t legally tell you what to take and what not to take, but I would strongly encourage you to do your homework on statin drugs and be well aware of the risks and the rewards.

Blood Pressure Medications - These typically include things like ACE inhibitors and diuretics. ACE inhibitors block the action of an enzyme that breaks down something called bradykinin, which relaxes arteries. So taking an ACE inhibitor means more bradykinin in the bloodstream, more relaxed arteries and lower blood pressure. This can obviously create side effect though, which include:

  • Headaches, dizziness, fatigue and nausea;

  • A relentless, dry cough that just won’t shift;

  • Angioedema, a swelling of the face, tongue and throat that can occur with alarming speed and can cause suffocation by blocking the airway;

  • Impaired kidney function, particularly if taken together with diuretics and NSAID-type painkillers.

NSAIDs (like Aspirin, Ibuprofen, and Aleve) have been shown to cause high blood pressure and “cardiovascular events” or heart attacks and strokes! Merck’s NSAID Vioxx, one of the most popular drugs ever which was pulled off the market in 2004 due to it’s direct link to heart attacks and strokes, was estimated to have caused between 88,000 and 139,000 heart attacks. I hate this one because my mom was on Vioxx. Heart disease-drug-induced kidney failure is very common among patients who are combining an ACE inhibitor, a diuretic, and NSAID drugs. The medical literature calls it a “triple whammy” of devastation.

The two scariest parts of Heart Disease are:

  1. It’s happening to EVERYBODY - your parents, your siblings, your KIDS. I have two sisters and a mother - 1 of them will die from heart disease, statistically speaking. I have two daughters and a wife. Prevention starts now. You have to be actively preventing it in the whole family, non-negotiably.

  2. Very rarely is somebody on only 1 medication for heart disease. More commonly it’s a pharmaceutical cocktail which may include a statin, an ACE inhibitor, a diuretic, an NSAID, an aspirin...and due to the combination of chemicals and side effects, it won’t be long until more drugs are added into the mix. Being on a single blood pressure medication is something that would concern me MASSIVELY because I know what happens next.

The two best parts about heart disease are:

  1. It’s preventable. Many many things have proven to prevent heart disease, with exercising and following an anti-inflammatory lifestyle at the top of the list.

  2. It’s reversible. Studies have shown that arterial stiffness can be improved, that arterial plaquing can be improved, that blood pressure can go down, cholesterol can balance out, triglycerides can go down. The body is the most amazing healing machine when you give it what it needs and remove any interference!

That’s what we teach. Schedule a heart health consultation with us in the office. Go back through our archives and listen to podcasts, read articles, and begin implementing the Real Health Lifestyle that will keep you and your family healthy and heart- (and other) disease-free. Then go out and tell someone you love and care about and don’t let them become a statistic.

      • Bartolucci, A.A., S. Bae, et al. A Bayesian meta-analysis approach to address the effectiveness of statins in preventing death after an initial myocardial infarction. 18th World IMACS/MODSIM Congress. Cairns, Australia. 2009

      • Vrecer, M., S. Turk, et al. "Use of statins in primary and secondary prevention of coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke. Meta-analysis of randomized trials." International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 41(12): 567-577. 2003.

      • Hayward, R.A., T.P. Hofer, et al. "Narrative review: Lack of evidence for recommended low-density lipoprotein treatment targets: A solvable problem." Annals of Internal Medicine 145(7): 520-530. 2006.

      • University of British Columbia  "Do statins have a role in primary prevention? A review by the Therapeutics Initiative of the Department of Pharma cology & Therapeutics of the University of British Columbia." Therapeutics Letter (48). 2003.

      • http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/10/09/statin-cholesterol-lowering-drugs.aspx

      • Diuretics, ACE inhibitors and NSAIDS--the triple whammy. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10772593

      • Nephrotoxicity associated with concomitant ACE inhibitor and NSAID therapy. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2218652

      • Can Pharm J (Ott). 2013 Mar; 146(2): 80–83.

Article By: Dr. Taylor Krick

Don’t Wake Up on the “Wrong Side” of Your Health: 4 Tips for Better Sleep

Don’t Wake Up on the “Wrong Side” of Your Health: 4 Tips for Better Sleep

By Dr. Taylor Krick

 

 

 

We all know what it feels like to wake up on the “wrong side of the bed” after a poor night’s sleep, but waking up on the “wrong side” too often can have devastating effects on your body’s ability to fight disease and repair itself, and it can lead to very serious Real Health problems down the road. Poor sleep is horrible because you don’t just deal with it at night. It affects every area of your life during the day, and if it is a chronic problem it continues to get worse and worse.

 

How We Sleep

 

At least 40 million Americans suffer from chronic, long-term sleep disorders, and an additional 20 million experience occasional sleeping problems. Sleeping problems account for an estimated $16 billion in medical costs each year, while the indirect costs due to lost productivity and other factors are without a doubt much greater. Sleep deprivation not only interferes with your ability to think, work, and drive safely, but it also interferes with your body’s ability to heal itself. 1

 

Chemical messages in the brain called “neurotransmitters” control whether we are asleep or awake by acting on different areas of the brain. These neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, are produced at the base of the brain in the brainstem. These messages keep some parts of the brain active while we are awake. Other cells located in the base of the brain begin to send signals for us to fall asleep, such as melatonin from the pineal gland, which is triggered by the presence of darkness and by our sleep cycles. These signals, when working properly, “switch off” the messages that keep us awake which leads to drowsiness and eventually sleep. If these signals are dysfunctional, our “awake” signals never get switched off.

 

During sleep, we cycle through five stages of sleep: stages 1, 2, 3, 4, and REM (rapid-eye movement) sleep. These stages progress from stage 1 through REM sleep and then repeat, with the largest amount of time spent in stage 2 sleep. Stages 3 and 4 are known as “deep sleep”. All five stages are necessary for the body to rebuild, regenerate, and repair all of its cells and tissues. Proper sleep is also required for the immune system to function properly. In fact, research has shown that even a moderate loss of one night’s sleep will decrease the number and activity of circulating white blood cells, natural killer (NK) cells, lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells, and decrease production of interleukin-2 (IL-2).2 In simpler terms, losing sleep decreases the function of your immune system and your body’s ability to fight off invaders like bacteria and viruses, therefore decreasing your body’s ability to fight cancer or regulate autoimmunity.

 

How much sleep do you need each night, and how can you be sure you are getting enough? Each person’s individual needs for sleep are different. For example, infants typically require about 16 hours of sleep per day, while teenagers require about nine. Adults require an average of seven to eight hours per night. Some adults need as few as five hours and others need as many as 10 hours per night.1 The key is to listen to your body every day and decide how much sleep you require each night to feel rested and base your sleep schedule around your individual needs. If you feel like your sleep could use improvement, here are a few tips to ensure you get a proper night’s sleep for your body:

 

 

  1. Get the right mattress. Your mattress is your home for about one-third of your life. You want a mattress that provides proper support for your spine, yet comfortable enough that you have no problem falling asleep on it. It is important when mattress shopping to take your time, spend plenty of time on each mattress and don’t make quick decisions that you will regret. Make sure you know your preferences, and then ask the experts to help you find the right match. The right mattress can make all the difference in the world. I am a huge fan of Intellibed for 3 big reasons - 1 - it supports your spine better than any other mattress (see the pressure point picture on our website) 2 - they take toxicity seriously - no off-gassing toxic foam and 3 - they have an amazing 30 year warranty.

 

 

  1. Exercise regularly. Studies have shown that regular amounts of exercise increases the amount and quality of sleep in older adults.4 Exercise has also been shown to increase energy and concentration, making you feel less tired throughout your day. Movement is great all day, but exercising hard in the morning is the most effective for better energy and sleep. Not only do you get your exercise done while you still have the most will-power, but it also helps balance the hormonal cycles that regulate sleep. My favorite way for patients to exercise is performing high-intensity, short duration “bursts” or “surges” of exercise (20 seconds to 1 minute) followed by an equally short period of rest and repeated for 10-15 minutes, because these surge-type exercises have been shown to have the greatest impact on your hormones with the least amount of time required. Too much long-distance endurance exercising without proper recovery can negatively impact sleep and health. If you are having sleep problems and you are already exercising a lot, you may need to cut back!

 

 

  1. Get your spine adjusted. Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to increase patient’s quality and duration of sleep. In fact in a study of 154 participants, one-third of patients stated that their sleep pattern was changed immediately following a chiropractic adjustment.5 Long-term correction of spinal misalignments also has a positive effect on sleep outcome, especially misalignment of the C1 (or atlas) vertebra, which surrounds and protects the brainstem, the area where the brain meets the spinal cord and where many sleep-related neurotransmitters (such as serotonin) are produced. Many of my younger, healthier patients (in other words no chronic pain or disease) state that improved sleep is one of the reasons they continue to get adjusted.

 

 

  1. Mind your melatonin. This does not mean take your melatonin. Melatonin is most commonly known as the over-the-counter natural sleep aid, but it’s actually a hormone known as the sleeping hormone or the darkness hormone, and you can naturally control melatonin through lifestyle habits. Not only does melatonin regulate the circadian rhythm, or sleep cycle, but it is a powerful antioxidant. Melatonin is triggered by the presence of darkness and even the anticipation of darkness, which is why it’s so important to turn off the electronics early in the night and dim the lights. Doing something as simple as turning on a bright lamp will immediately decrease melatonin, which is why it’s so important to “mind it”! Read my article Mind Your Melatonin here to learn more ways to manage and regulate your sleep cycle by managing melatonin.

 

 

The last thing you should ever do to get a good night’s sleep is to take a sleeping pill. Sleeping pills are dangerous drugs that do not provide you with a natural good night’s sleep, and have been linked to dozens of adverse side effects including cancer, increased mortality (early death), and suicide.3 If you or someone you know is taking these dangerous drugs, talk to your physician about getting off of them now!

 

If you are taking these basic steps and you are still not getting a good night’s sleep, you need to do something about it. During sleep you are not only recharging your body’s energy stores, your body is repairing and regenerating new cells and tissues, and chronic poor sleep will always create problems. Often our stress hormones are so out of whack that we are tired all day but then can’t fall asleep at night, this can be addressed naturally, but it’s hard to do on your own. Many people have imbalanced neurotransmitters in their brain and have trouble concentrating, and either feel wired or tired all day, this can be addressed also, but once again is hard to do on your own. Let Real Health Coaching help you put the pieces of the puzzle together. All of these are Real Health problems with Real Health Solutions. Remember we don’t ‘treat’ sleeping disorders, we support Real Health, because people experiencing Real Health don’t have sleeping problems. Schedule your Free Phone Consultation today.  

 

  1.     http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/understanding_sleep.htm

  1.     M Irwin, et al. Partial night sleep deprivation reduces natural killer and cellular immune responses in humans. The FASEB journal, 1996 – FASEB

     

  1.     Dr. Daniel F. Kripke, M.D. The Dark Side of Sleeping Pills. http://www.darksideofsleepingpills.com/

 

  1.     King, A. et al. Moderate-Intensity Exercise and Self-rated Quality of Sleep in Older     Adults. JAMA.1997;277(1):32-37.          

  1.     Jamison, J. PhD. Insomnia, Does Chiropractic Help? Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics Volume 28, Issue 3, March–April 2005, Pages 179–186.



3 Must-Have Tools For a Successful Ketogenic Diet

3 Must-Have Tools For a Successful Ketogenic Diet

Dr. Taylor Krick

 

 

As the ketogenic diet continues to gain popularity, more and more people are trying to implement the diet. As a wellness physician who has prescribed low-carb diets for years and done a ketogenic diet personally for several years  with a lot of bio-hacking, here are 3 things I would not suggest doing the ketogenic diet without. These are photos of my actual products that I use regularly and recommend.

 

If you are unfamiliar with the terms ketosis, ketones, ketogenic, fat-adapted, or keto-adapted please download and read my eBook The Real Health Guide to the Ketogenic Diet and watch the webinar of the same title.

 

 

  1. Blood Ketone Meter

 

I do not recommend doing a ketogenic diet without measuring the ketone levels in your BLOOD!

 

I have seen many people implement what they call a ‘ketogenic diet’ and begin to reduce their carbs while boosting their fat intake. Inevitably, they begin to feel better and they come to me and say “I think I’m in ketosis!” but when we measure their blood, they are disappointed to find out that they are in fact NOT in ketosis, or at most they are in mild ketosis.

 

Although you do need to monitor your macros (carbs, fat, protein) to achieve ketosis, a keto diet is very hard to do by measuring macros alone and virtually impossible to do by simply monitoring the way you feel. Depending on the diet and lifestyle you are accustomed to, practically everyone can expect to feel better when they reduce their carb intake and their blood sugar begins to regulate. Everyone’s metabolism is unique however, and some people can become fat-adapted at 50g of carbs/day while others will have a hard time breaking into ketosis at 30g of carbs/day, and after following the diet some can maintain ketosis at 100g carbs/day. Measuring is the only way to know how your body is truly responding.

 

I recommend the Precision Xtra from Abbott which can be bought on Amazon for $25, and I personally get my strips on eBay ($20 for a 10 pack is a great price).

 

The reason I suggest the blood meter is because 1) it’s inexpensive (the Precision Xtra costs $25 on Amazon) and 2) it gives you an exact number to work with. Using urine strips can tell you whether or not you are in ketosis, but it doesn’t give an exact number, and from what I have seen it can be misleading. It’s also possible to be creating ketones that are immediately excreted in the urine but the blood would indicate that those ketones are getting to the brain. Because the blood strips are expensive, a good combination would be to use urine strips while keto-adapting and then begin measuring the blood to know your exact numbers.

 

Using a blood meter can tell you how ‘strong’ or ‘weak’ your state of ketosis is. You generally want to be between 0.5mmol and 3.0mmol of blood ketones. If your blood meter shows a ketone level of 0.4mmol, you know you are almost into mild ketosis, whereas if it shows 1.5mmol you know you are in ketosis, and if it shows something like 2.8mmol you know you are in strong ketosis and your body is mobilizing lots of fats. Likewise, if you are eating 40g carbs per day and you are in strong ketosis, you may be able to increase your carbs to 50g or even 60g and stay in strong ketosis, and you can only know this by monitoring your blood levels. This can help you fine-tune your keto diet to get you into the strongest ketotic state! You can see in the picture below that around 11:30am my blood sugar was 77mg/dL and my ketone level was 1.1mmol. My highest readings are around 3, I have clients who have gone above 8mmol during extended fasting periods. Above 3.0 there is not much further therapeutic benefit.

 

 

 

  1. MCT Oil

 

All fats can be ketogenic to a degree, but there are good, better, and best keto fats. Medium Chain Triglycerides, best found in an MCT Oil, are the best. These fats, found in coconut and palm oil are able to be converted to ketones fastest, and have also been shown to improve weight-loss, decrease cravings, and preserve lean muscle mass.

 

Triglycerides are made of 3 fatty acid ‘chains’ attached to a glycerol backbone. The length of the ‘chain’ can be short, medium, or long. The shorter the chain, the less effort your body has to put into breaking down that triglyceride. Medium chain triglycerides have chains of either 6, 8, or 10 carbons.

 

The reason chain length is important is because longer chain (12+) triglycerides have to be broken down in the liver, while shorter chains (MCTs) can bypass the liver and become immediately available as energy, especially to your brain. This means that a medium chain triglyceride can be turned into ATP (the energy that all of your cells use) in only 3 steps, while sugar takes 26 metabolic steps. This means it becomes energy faster and easier than other energy sources and creates fewer by-products.

 

Think of a longer chain fat like a whole fruit or vegetable, and a shorter chain fat like a smoothie - it’s already broken down. That is why shorter chain (MCT) fats can be quickly and easily be made into ketones!

 

The 3 triglycerides that truly act as medium-chain TG’s are:

C6 - Caproic Acid - not much found in coconut oil

C8 - Caprylic Acid - around 6% of coconut oil - the best for the brain!

C10 - Capric Acid - around 8% of coconut oil

 

It’s important to note that coconut oil is a good source of MCTs, but 80% of what is referred to as MCT in coconut oil is Lauric acid, which is 12 carbons long. This is misleading to be labeled as an MCT, because Lauric acid does in fact have to stop by the liver for breakdown, so it behaves more like a long-chain triglyceride. So coconut oil is a great source of MCTs, but MCT oil is better, and a C8 Caprylic Acid source is the best option. Lauric acid is still incredibly healthy, it just doesn’t have the same fast-acting energy benefits as the shorter-chain MCTs.

 

MCT oil can be added to your diet in many ways. A great way to start your day with a quick burst of good ketogenic fats is by putting MCT oil in your coffee, popularized by the Bulletproof brand, who make really great MCT products. I put MCT oil and grass-fed butter into my coffee each morning (the key is to blend it!). Not only does it provide ketogenic fuel first thing in the morning, but I love the taste and the frothy texture from blending. MCT oil also makes a great salad dressing, and can be put on virtually any keto meal. Here are two brands that I have been testing and comparing. They each have their benefits, but I like the Now brand better because it contains only C8 and C10 MCTs, while the Onnit brand contains C12 Lauric Acid.

 

 

 

  1. Real Salt (Sea Salt, Pink Himalayan Salt, Celtic Salt, Mineral Salt, etc)

 

One of the benefits of a low-carb diet or going into ketosis is the reduction of insulin. This is a great result, because elevated insulin causes insulin resistance, weight gain, diabetes, inflammation, and shortens life span. However, insulin also tells the kidneys to retain sodium, so lowering insulin can reduce sodium levels and cause electrolyte imbalances. The best way to combat this is by consuming more than your typical amount of sea salt.

 

Common electrolytes include sodium, chloride, potassium, and magnesium. While initially low-carbing or ‘keto-adapting’, it’s not uncommon to go through a few days of feeling sick - low energy, dizziness, brain fog - known as the ‘keto flu’. This is caused by electrolyte imbalances and can easily be avoided with the right action steps. Keto-friendly electrolyte-rich foods help to balance electrolyte levels while on a low-carb diet including nuts, fish, avocados, and dark leafy greens, but the best way to combat electrolyte imbalance and avoid the keto flu is by adding more real salt.

 

Typical table salt is only sodium and chloride, while real salt contains 60-80+ trace minerals and electrolytes in their natural ratios, which can replenish sodium and balance electrolytes. This can be Himalayan pink salt, Celtic Sea salt, Real Salt, etc. I suggest a variety of salts! Sea salt should be added to foods and can be taken with water. A good rule of thumb is 2 teaspoons of additional salt each day.

 

I personally will add additional salt to all of my meals, will add it to my keto coffee in the morning (not too much, it ruins it!) and when I feel like I need to I will dissolve a teaspoon in a cup of water.

 

All three of these are simple, inexpensive action steps that I would not recommend doing a low-carb or ketogenic diet without. This diet is not easy, but with the right tools you can make it work for you and continue to burn fat, reduce inflammation, fuel your brain in the healthiest way. Make sure you check out www.RealHealthResource.com for all your other ketogenic diet resources and other podcasts, articles, and webinars for Real Health!



6 Ingredients For Your Keto Coffee

6 Ingredients For Your Keto Coffee


 

Adding beneficial fats to coffee or tea has become very popular lately, but did you know you can add other healthy ingredients to your Keto Coffee? Often referred to as Bulletproof coffee (for the brand which has popularized the concept), I refer to this as Keto Coffee because it is a great way to supplement your ketogenic diet.

If you aren’t familiar with a Ketogenic Diet, this is when you have used your diet to train your body to run on fat as fuel (instead of sugar or carbs), which then produces ketones. The presence of ketones in your blood indicates that your body is burning fat (which is a good thing!), but ketones are also a preferred fuel source for your brain. Following a ketogenic diet will not only help with weight-loss but can also help sharpen the brain daily and reduce cognitive decline in the long-term. If you aren’t familiar with the terms ketogenic, ketone, ketosis, keto-adapting, fat-adapting - please read my eBook The Real Health Guide to the Ketogenic Diet and watch the webinar of the same title. 

One of the more useful tools while following a low-carb or ketogenic diet is Keto Coffee. Giving your body some good ketogenic fats early in the day can kickstart you into ketosis (fat-burning) and help keep you there the rest of the day. 

A powerful tool to utilize with a ketogenic diet is intermittent fasting, most commonly performed by skipping breakfast and remaining in a fasted state until later in the day. This fasting period allows your blood sugar to stay low and allows your body to continue to rest and digest, which has been shown to boost fat-burning hormones dramatically in both men and women. When combined with intermittent fasting, keto coffee can give your body good ketogenic fats while not affecting your blood sugar, which keeps you in a fasted state and keeps your body in fat-burning mode. 

Below I outline six ingredients I put in my own Keto Coffee, the first two being the most important. I don’t typically do all six because I feel like it’s too much, but I’ve tried every combo of these six ingredients. My number one Keto Coffee recommendation is to BLEND YOUR KETO COFFEE IN A HIGH SPEED BLENDER! This only takes about 10 seconds but it will emulsify the fats and turn your coffee into a frothy, creamy, delicious treat. I wouldn’t want Keto Coffee without blending it!

 

1. MCT OIL

 

 

Medium Chain Triglycerides, or MCTs are found in coconut and palm oils and are your body’s fastest source of energy and best source of ketogenic fats. Medium Chain refers to the length of the fatty acid chain - either 6, 8, or 10 carbons long (Read our article here on 3 Must-Have’s For Your Ketogenic Diet to learn more about MCTs). MCTs are the most ketogenic fats because when the chain is shorter the fats don’t need to be broken down by the liver, so these MCT fats can bypass the liver and be immediately available in the brain and body as energy. To give you an idea of how much faster the metabolism is - MCTs can be made into ATP (cellular energy) in 3 steps, while sugar takes 26 metabolic steps! MCT Oil can be used as salad dressing and put on almost any keto meal, but the best way is to add it into your coffee or tea and get those good ketogenic fats early in the morning while in a fasted state. A general rule of thumb is 2 tablespoons of MCT oil each day while on a low-carb or ketogenic diet.

Purchase Here:

 

  

 2. Grass-Fed Butter

 


MCT Oil and Grass-Fed butter or Organic Grass-Fed Ghee are the most popular additions to coffee because of their ketogenic properties - fueling your brain, reducing your cravings, and stimulating fat-burning for the rest of the day. Grass-fed butter & Ghee have many brain and health benefits. They contains good Omega-3 fats (which are lacking in our diet) which help the integrity of your cellular membranes. Butter contains Conjugated Linoleic Acid which has been shown to help fat-burning, and it contains short chain fatty acids which are very ketogenic and provide quick energy. It is very important that your butter is grass-fed, as conventional butter does not have nearly the same benefits and can actually be harmful.

Just like MCT oil, grass-fed butter is a great addition to any keto meal, but the best way to take it is to start your day by adding it to your coffee and blending and consuming it in a fasted state. This gives your body another source of great fats for brain fuel, it kickstarts fat-burning, reduces cravings, all while keeping your blood sugar low and encouraging further ketosis or fat-burning. A general rule of thumb with grass-fed butter on a low-carb ketogenic diet is also 2 tablespoons per day added to  your diet. The most popular brand is Kerrygold, which can now be found at Costco. Get the unsalted and add your own salt!

Purchase Here:

 

 

 

 

  1. Real Salt (Sea Salt, Pink Himalayan Salt, Celtic Salt, etc)

 

 

One side effect of lowering carbs and lowering insulin is that your body excretes more of its sodium, which can create electrolyte imbalances and lead to what’s known as the ‘keto flu’. This can be avoided by increasing real salt intake (Sea Salt, Himalayan Pink Salt, Celtic Salt, etc). Salt can be added to all keto meals or it can be taken in a glass of water, but a pinch of salt in your keto coffee can be a very nice addition (too much can ruin it though!). Start small with the salt and increase as your taste buds prefer. A general rule of thumb with increasing real salt on a low-carb or ketogenic diet is 2 teaspoons per day.

 

 

 

  1. Cinnamon

 

 

I love the taste of cinnamon, so I add it to everything (meat, salads, etc), but my favorite is my keto coffee. Cinnamon not only adds great flavor, but is incredibly high in antioxidant capacity and has been even been shown to help balance blood sugar levels, so it’s not just for taste! I make sure my cinnamon is organic to minimize any contamination with toxins.

 

 

 

  1. Cayenne Pepper

 

 

I’ve only recently started trying this, but when combined with the creaminess of the good fats from MCT oil and grass-fed butter, cayenne can add an amazing new flavor to your coffee while also providing further health benefits. Like adding salt, a little bit goes a long way and too much will quickly ruin it, so start small! Once again I only choose organic spices to avoid contamination with toxins.

 

 

 

  1. Gelatin (Collagen) Protein

 

 

Gelatin is a great source of collagen, a prominent protein in connective tissue. One of the major reasons that bone broth is so beneficial is the gelatin and collagen that is pulled from the bones. Gelatin is great for the digestive tract and other connective tissues because it provides amino acids that are often lacking in our diet and provides an abundant source of collagen protein. For this reason, gelatin is touted to help hair and nail growth, improve joint health, increase skin elasticity reducing wrinkles and cellulite, and even improve the quality of sleep.

 

 

Adding gelatin to your keto coffee is great because it can provide additional protein building blocks while having no effect on blood sugar, allowing your body to remain in a fasted state. I personally don’t enjoy the texture in my coffee. Once again the suggested method is to start small and make sure you enjoy the taste (there isn’t much taste) and texture, blend in a high speed blender, and enjoy!

4 Steps when Buying Supplements: Quality Matters More Than Anything!

Supplements: Why Quality Matters More Than Anything

The global supplement industry was reported as $133 Billion in 2016, with projected growth of 9.6% each year until 2024, which means it will exceed $200 Billion in the next few years.1

 

 

That is crazy market size and growth, which makes it a prime industry for profit-seekers. Everyone is jumping on this supplement bandwagon, and as a doctor I can’t tell you how many people I have had email, call, or come into my clinic telling me about “the next big thing” or a supplement that is “changing lives”. When you closely evaluate the supplement industry it can be scary because there are very few rules and loose regulation standards, and taking a tainted supplement could be harmful. You have to watch out for vendors selling shady products online, there are legitimate retailers (often the most popular stores) selling products that don’t contain what their labels claim, and most of the products on the shelves are loaded with added chemicals, GMO products, synthetic vitamins, food dyes and other dangerous additives.

 

 

Most people today have tried taking many different healthcare products, and if they are sick they haven’t tried one they have probably tried dozens, they have spent $1000’s of dollars and they are a little jaded on taking supplements, perhaps rightfully so. I have also seen supplements - along with the right specific lifestyle changes like diet, exercise, stress management, and chiropractic care - absolutely work magic and change lives.

 

 

YOU HAVE TO BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL PURCHASING SUPPLEMENTS!

 

 

Supplements can be a huge benefit to your health. We use them extensively in protocols, but I’m also very familiar with the brands and how to use product appropriately. Unfortunately there are more bad products available than good, and also often more bad information than good information. Even when you buy a product that you think is good you could be doing harm. I was very upset years ago when a third-party lab ran toxicity tests on greens powder products and sure enough my greens powder that I had in my fridge was one of the highest tested in heavy metals. Some of the more popular and recognizable brands, even in the organic/health-food market, have had less-than-ideal third-party test results. When it comes to your health, nothing is more important than paying more money (very little) for high-quality supplements from a trusted supplier if you want it to do what it is supposed to do.  Here are four things to watch out for in the supplement industry:

 

 

 

1. Don’t Buy Health Products on Amazon

 

 

 

Amazon is amazing, and I order things from Amazon all the time. We have been prime members for years, since long before it was really a big thing. With that being said, I would not buy my supplements or any health products from Amazon.

 

 

Amazon has been making headlines lately with reports of all the knockoff vendors that sell on the site, including verified vendors who look 100% legit. Forbes recently published an article titled Amazon.com: The Place Where American Dreams Are Stolen By Chinese Counterfeiters, where they uncovered that 25% of Amazon’s marketplace was occupied by Chinese knockoffs!2

 

 

Even verified vendors on Amazon have been found to be illegitimate, and it’s become a growing concern for the actual legit small businesses. My suggestion is to avoid Amazon for any health-related product.

 

 

 

 

2. Don’t Buy Supplements from Major Retailers

 

 

 

 

Major retailers buy and sell products based on margins, not based on the safety of ingredients or the long-term benefits. In 2015 the New York attorney General did an investigation into supplements sold at four of the largest retailers in the U.S. and the results were scary. According to the New York Times3:

 

 

The authorities said they had conducted tests on top-selling store brands of herbal supplements at four national retailers — GNC, Target, Walgreens and Walmart — and found that four out of five of the products did not contain any of the herbs on their labels. The tests showed that pills labeled medicinal herbs often contained little more than cheap fillers like powdered rice, asparagus and houseplants, and in some cases substances that could be dangerous to those with allergies.

 

 

So, when they tested these products labeled as herbal supplements  (Ginkgo Biloba for example), they found no Ginkgo Biloba but they DID FIND a bunch of fillers that weren’t on the label at all! This was just with herbal supplements, but I would recommend being leary of all of the health products (multi-vitamins, fish oil, vitamin D3, etc) at major retailers - I wouldn’t give them to my family.

 

 

Although you may think that the label is telling you exactly what is in a given product, it could be telling you virtually nothing about the true quality. One of the probiotic manufacturers I trust (Klaire Labs) ran a third party, independent laboratory test of one of their probiotic products along with 3 anonymous companies on the market. Company A claimed 12 billion CFU on their label while the lab tests showed they actually contained only 11.4 million CFU (.10% of what they claimed); Company B claimed 15 billion CFU and tested at 25 million CFU (.17%); and Company C claimed 20 billion CFU on their label and tested at only 26.3 million CFU (.13%). Klaire Labs claimed 25 billion CFU and actually tested at 47.9 billion CFU (192%).

 

 

 

3. Don’t Follow Standard American Conventional Wisdom

 

 

 

This rule applies to almost everything with your health - don’t follow the masses. Ask anyone on the streets what to do for osteoporosis or bone health and I bet that 80% or more would say either “drink milk” or “take calcium”. This is thanks to fantastic marketing by the milk industry!

 

 

The research on calcium is very unclear with many large, long-term, very valid studies and reviews published in top medical journals showing that calcium supplements provided no decreased risk of fracture in the elderly, and some evidence even showing an increased risk of fracture. Not to mention, several studies have shown calcium supplements raises the risk of heart disease or atherosclerosis in the arteries, our #1 cause of death!4,5,6 My point is not to review all of the literature and give a thumbs up or thumbs down on calcium, my point is that conventional wisdom will tell you one thing, but more often than not conventional wisdom is wrong.

 

 

Standard American Conventional Wisdom will tell you to take a multivitamin every day (most are filled with junk), take calcium, give your kids Flintstone’s (from a major retailer of course!) so they get their vitamins. Marketing will tell you to take the product with the best commercial advertising. Nothing could be further from the truth! Standard American Conventional Wisdom is created and developed by marketing and sales, not by science. The standard American citizen is also obese, depressed, taking multiple medications, and dying early from chronic disease. Don’t follow the crowd!

 

 

 

4. Find a Trusted Resource

 

 

 

I’m definitely not knocking supplements. I sell supplements ;) Supplements can do amazing things for your health. I have seen incredible results in our clinics with different supplement protocols supporting the body’s natural, God-given ability to heal and function properly. Sometimes it takes a lot of supplements quite frankly. Sometimes high doses. There is often no way around it - I use supplement protocols for detoxification. I use supplements to shift the immune system. I use supplements to help people decrease inflammation. Just like there are many poor quality, knock-off supplement providers, there are also many highly reputable manufacturers that truly care about the quality of their products and the health of their customers. My #1 suggestion is to find a good, trusted resource to get your high-quality supplements from.

 

 

In our clinic and in our online store we try to use Physician-Grade products whenever possible. This means that the manufacturers only sell their products to physicians, so they are not available in retail stores. To me this indicates the highest level of accountability. This shows that the manufacturers are clearly not putting profits before people, because I’m sure they could sell more products if they bought their ingredients from a lower bidder to increase their margins or if they sold more products through a larger retailer. There are also many great brands who are not sold through physicians only, but whose products you can find in health food stores or on their website, or there are online health product retailers who sell trustworthy products.

 

 We sell a variety of brands on our site that I use clinically, including but not limited to:

Apex Energetics

CellCore Biosciences

Systemic Formulas

Pure Encapsulations

Klaire Labs

NuMedica

These are physician-grade brands that I trust and I have seen great results throughout the years. Check our store for more information!

 

 

1.https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/dietary-supplements-market

 

2. https://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=https://www.forbes.com/sites/wadeshepard/2017/09/27/amazon-com-the-place-where-american-dreams-are-stolen-by-chinese-counterfeiters/&refURL=https://www.google.com/&referrer=https://www.google.com/

 

3.https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/03/new-york-attorney-general-targets-supplements-at-major-retailers/

 

4. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.116.003815 Journal of the American Heart Association. 2016;5:e003815 Originally published October 11, 2016

5.https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/calcium_supplements_may_damage_the_heart


6.http://cjasn.asnjournals.org/content/5/Supplement_1/S3.full