Healthy Life Newsletter, May 2023
Patient of the Month: Hakeem Jaheemjahamah
I was experiencing back pain and could not walk. No one could help without prescribing medications. A co-worker referred me to Khalsa Chiropractic. Since I had never been to a chiropractor before, I had some doubts that it would help.
I liked Dr. Mha Atma and his staff from the first visit. Dr. Mha Atma taught me some stretches and back exercises and gave me weekly adjustments for a while. My pain gradually disappeared.
I have been a patient at Khalsa Chiropractic since 2005. I’ve been recommending chiropractic to others about once every month since then. I tell them they will be surprised at how quick they will see results.
Dr. Mha Atma made me more aware of the importance of preventative maintenance. Chiropractic really helps, and without taking all those medications which only provide short term relief at best. I’ve been coming to Khalsa Chiropractic for almost 20 years because of the good results and the friendly office environment. I love chiropractic!
Children Need Vitamin D!
Over 90% of our children are not getting enough vitamin D – here’s why you should check their level, with steps to take if they are low.
Key Points
93% of children in the general US population have vitamin D levels below 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L), 16% of whom are below 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L). (Healthy D levels are 40 to 60, and under 20 is extremely deficient)
Vitamin D levels tend to drop among children and teens as they age, likely due to the need for increased intake as they grow; not testing children’s levels as they age and grow can easily lead to vitamin D levels below what is recommended
Studies show children can also benefit from having enough vitamin D to help decrease the risk of mental, emotional, and behavioral issues, childhood cavities, and severe COVID-19.
For more details and for solutions, go to grassrootshealth.net
How Vitamin D Levels Among Men and Women Affect Fertility and IVF Outcomes
Vitamin D is necessary for all stages of the life-cycle, and especially for pregnancy. Numerous studies have found that higher vitamin D levels in the range of 40-60 ng/ml (100-150 nmol/L) during pregnancy reduce the risk of adverse maternal and infant outcomes, including preterm birth, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (preeclampsia) and gestational diabetes.
Vitamin D is also involved in the process of conception, implantation and the development of the placenta, and vitamin D levels in both men and women can have an effect on fertility and the chances of having a live birth.
In women,
vitamin D plays key roles in the production of ovarian steroid hormones progesterone, estradiol, and estrone, as well as follicular stimulation hormone (FSH) and follicular maturation and selection
the vitamin D level of the woman facilitates the sperm selection process and influences the selection of the ‘best sperm’ during the fertilization process
vitamin D levels are strongly correlated with the rate of success among IVF patients, independently of age, BMI, ethnicity, and the number of embryo transfers
Studies in men have shown a correlation between vitamin D sufficiency and improved sperm count, motility, and increased fertility overall, as well as a positive association between vitamin D and testosterone levels among older men.
For more info go to: grassrootshealth.net
Neck Pain: Think Chiropractic
Neck pain is no laughing matter; depending on the severity, it can ruin your day, week or even longer. But before you turn to the medicine cabinet for your favorite pain reliever, why not consider a more permanent option that doesn’t just take away the symptoms of the problem, but actually addresses the root cause of the pain? That’s where chiropractic can make a difference.
Common causes of neck pain that can be addressed by your doctor of chiropractic are the result of the aging process (spinal degeneration, osteoarthritis) and daily life, including stress and poor posture. Other potential causes include faulty sleep position and improper movements – and these days, craning our necks to peer into our smartphone screens and other portable devices isn’t helping, either.
So, how can chiropractic help? A number of research studies support chiropractic care for neck pain. Here are a few examples from the literature:
A 2003 study deemed manual therapy (spinal mobilization) more effective than physical therapy and medical care (including medication) in helping patients with neck pain lasting at least two weeks.
A 2007 review determined “high-quality” evidence supports chiropractic spinal manipulation for chronic neck pain, with patients reporting significant reductions in pain.
A 2012 study found chiropractic care reduced neck pain to a greater degree than pain medications such as aspirin or ibuprofen. (Even simple exercises performed at home proved more effective than drugs.)
Ready to tackle your neck pain head-on, rather than ignoring it or taking pain meds to temporarily mask the pain? Don’t wait any longer. Make an appointment today with your doctor of chiropractic and begin the road to recovery.
Burn More Fat Early
Congratulations if you’re an early riser who hits the gym in your effort to lose weight; new research suggests you’ve got an advantage over people who work out later in the day. The reason: It appears to be the best time to burn fat. Let’s see why that’s the case and how much difference it can make.
Researchers used a mouse model to demonstrate the power of morning exercise on fat loss. A single exercise session performed early in the day (within three hours of waking up) burned more adipose tissue (body fat) than exercise performed in the late evening. The researchers analyzed adipose tissue every four hours after the exercise session (20 hours total) to see how exercise influenced fat burning based on time of day.
Late-morning exercise facilitated increased fatty acids in the bloodstream, both directly after exercise and 12 hours following exercise. By comparison, late-evening exercise did not facilitate any such increases. This difference corresponded with an estimated double the fat breakdown for morning exercisers vs. evening exercisers. (Fat tissue releases fatty acids during exercise for the body to utilize as energy. This process reduces the size of fat cells.)
Gene function also appeared to be modulated by early exercise; particularly genes related to fat burning, heat production and blood vessel production (all of which matter when it comes to fat loss and blood-sugar regulation). Findings appear in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Get Kids to Slow Down
The reason has nothing to do with avoiding injury risk – bumping heads on doorways, skinning knees on pavement, etc. So, why get your children to slow down? According to new research, it has everything to do with getting them to eat more fruit and vegetables – something most parents struggle with at the nightly dinner table.
The secret: don’t let them leave the table. No, we don’t mean forcing them to stay there until they “eat all their peas” (a method which has been shown to not work effectively). We’re talking about increasing the length of family meal time. Children ages 6-11 ate significantly more fruits and vegetables simply by extending mealtime by an average of 10 minutes (50% longer than the standard, all-too-common-these-days 10-minute meal).
Two other important benefits of extending the meal window: “Eating rate (bites per minute over the regular mealtime duration) was significantly lower in the longer than in the regular condition. … Children [also] reported significantly higher satiety [meaning they felt full – and presumably would be less likely to snack shortly thereafter] after the longer condition.”
While not investigated in the study, findings from which appear in JAMA Network Open, longer family meal time generally also means more time for parents and children to talk, laugh and well, bond; something in increasingly short supply these days as smartphones and social media replace human interaction. So, get your kids to slow down; sure, they’ll eat more fruit and vegetables; but they’ll also spend more quality time with you.
Eat Out Less, Live Longer
It seems simple enough, but consider that most people probably haven’t eaten out much in the past year, what with COVID stay-at-home orders, restaurant closures and other restrictions. That’s all likely to change soon (or already happening, depending on where you live), and eating out will once again become an important way for people to get together, get out of the house – and avoid slaving away in the kitchen.
If you can eat out less, you’ll benefit immensely when it comes to your health - in fact, you’ll live longer, suggests research.
People who eat two or more meals per day prepared away from home assume a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality compared to people who eat out much less.
Researchers followed more than 35,000 adults (ages 20 and older at the start of the study) who participated in the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 1999-2014. In evaluating deaths from any cause, cancer deaths and cardiovascular deaths during that 15-year window, researchers discovered that more people whose dietary habits included eating away from home frequently (at least twice a day) died compared to people who rarely ate away from home (less than once a week).
Published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, these findings were relevant even after considering other factors that could have contributed to / caused death during that time frame, including age, gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, body-mass index, and even other dietary and lifestyle factors. In other words, frequency of eating out was still an important factor.
So, how can people limit the amount of times they eat food from a restaurant, fast-food chain or other location that isn’t their kitchen? It’s a bit tricky right now since many are probably eager to get back to the “eating out” world to which they were so accustomed pre-pandemic. It starts with how you shop at the grocery store. If your fridge is empty all the time, eating out is a far-too-easy option. If it’s stocked with healthy foods you love to eat, then eating out can be the occasional treat, rather than the potentially deadly lifestyle this study suggests it could be.
Note from Dr. Mha Atma: The following is a bit long but only an excerpt of a two-part article by Dr. James Bogash, a chiropractor and devoted student of the medical literature, about causes and dangers of and remedies for high blood pressure. After you read this excerpt, you might be motivated to read the whole thing at modernhealthmyths.com and modernhealthmyths.com.
Natural Blood Pressure Remedies (Part 2/2)
I’ll assume that you care to keep your brain in the best state of health possible.
Nobody signs up for loss of brain function and memory as they get older. And no one checks the Alzheimer’s disease box on the list of chronic diseases he or she would like to get in the later years.
But if you don’t take care of your blood pressure, you’re damaging your brain.
Whether the brain damage is immediate in the form of migraine headaches, or long-term like cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s, the links between high blood pressure and brain damage are clear.
Natural Blood Pressure Remedies: Fish Oils
Healthy fats play a major role in protecting you against most chronic diseases, heart disease and stroke included.
Omega-3 fatty acids are one of the stronger players in this arena.
While they are typically referred to as “fish oils,” the source of the omega-3 fatty acids in fish comes from the algae and seaweed that they eat that is high in the omega-3 fatty acid DHA.
The fish then convert DHA to EPA, the other omega-3 fatty acid found in “fish oils.”
Higher intakes of these healthy fats in your diet (mainly from wild caught fish as well as seaweed, nuts and seeds—although nuts and seeds contain a different omega-3 fatty acid ALA),
There are hundreds of research studies pointing out the benefits of healthy fats on pretty much every chronic condition known to many, the focus of this writing is blood pressure.
As I’ve made clear, heart health = blood pressure / vascular health and vice versa.
In one study, researchers found that, in patients with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood, there was a 33% lower risk of having a heart attack (acute coronary syndrome).
The summary of evidence on omega-3 fatty acids and blood vessel health is strong. As I’ve made clear, there is no “one choice” that will improve your blood pressure and the health of your blood vessels, but healthy fats clearly need to be on your plate if you have concerns over blood pressure.
(Other natural remedies discussed in this article include: watermelon juice, berries, soymilk, cocoa and tea, melatonin, and biofeedback.)
Water Only Fasting
I’ve saved one of the most powerful natural blood pressure remedies for last.
I’ve covered many aspects of lifestyle that contribute to blood pressure issues. Enough to make it solidly known that the choices you make, either knowingly or unknowingly, contribute to your blood pressure.
What if you stopped putting things into your body that were toxic to your genes and allowed your body a chance to clean up?
Fasting has gotten a lot of play these past few years and there are a lot of different variations that people have adopted.
One of the most powerful of these to be used short-term is water-only fasting.
I won’t spend any time describing water-only fasting. Because, well…you should be able to figure it out.
Dr. Goldhammer is a chiropractor in California who had been doing water-only fasting with his patients for years to help them with various health problems, high blood pressure included.
It was years before he put his program to the test for research purposes. This allowed him to put 154 patients with high blood pressure in a hospital setting to control everything.
The results were nothing short of staggering….
89% of patients dropped to a normal blood pressure
The average of the systemic blood pressures at the end of the study was 117.5
Those who started with stage 1 high blood pressure (92) dropped 30 points
Those who started with stage 2 (57) dropped 40 points
Those who started with stage 3 (25) dropped….wait for it….SIXTY points
A sixty-point drop in systolic blood pressure. In less than 2 weeks.
There is no medication on the planet that is even remotely this powerful, works this quickly AND has no side effects.
This study has been around for a while. It’s not new news and yet I have never heard it recommended to a patient in my entire practice life.
Maybe it’s because most doctors aren’t aware of fasting used for anything other than pre-surgery or Ramadan. Or maybe it’s because most physicians think there is nothing more powerful than the drugs in his or her toolbox.
Water only fasting is not hard and the process is not as difficult as most would think. Hunger lasted a day or two. Other than that, there were no real problems with the program. The biggest challenge would be managing any medications as blood pressure dropped so that it doesn’t drop dangerously low.
After the fasting period, participants transitioned into a vegetarian diet afterwards. The blood pressure drops were maintained for months afterwards. In other words, this wasn’t something temporary—it was a fix.
At least for as long as whoever goes through this program doesn’t slip back into old habits that ruin blood vessel health.
Here’s my thoughts….
Water-only fasting for a short period (up to 7-10 days) allows the body to reset itself. The liver begins to get rid of backlogged junk it couldn’t otherwise detoxify. There is also the fact that food that is otherwise toxic to blood vessel health, like fast food and soda (as an egregious example….), is avoided.
But the biggest thing that happens is that prediabetes is almost completely reversed. Yes—it can happen that quickly. Studies have found that insulin-dependent diabetics can reverse diabetes in 2 weeks using a very-low-calorie diet, so we already know this works.
Water-only detoxification. In all my years of studying natural blood pressure remedies, this is the most powerful tool I have come across.