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Health Newsletter - Spring '09

Prepared By Burdi Chiropractic & Massage; Dr. G. Burdi, D.C.
Celebrating 30 Years Of "Light-Force" Adjusting, Massage & Wellness

Welcome to our health newsletter. It is meant to entertain, inform, and even inspire you to better health. Help others by sharing your thoughts and experience. They will thank you profusely.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • Respiratory Help From Broccoli
  • Kidney Stone Prevention
  • Spinal Degeneration Linked To Organ Disease
  • Fibromyalgia Facts & Suggestions

Food

Respiratory Help From Broccoli - In Clinical Immunology March 2009 a UCLA study concluded that Broccoli spouts, rich in sulforaphane, may help prevent respiratory inflammation linked to asthma, allergic rhinitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases stimulating increased production of antioxidant enzymes in the airway. This protects against tissue-damaging radicals humans breathe in every day in polluted air, pollen, diesel exhaust, and tobacco smoke which leads to inflammation. 65 people who received varying doses of broccoli (rich in sulforaphane) for three days. They found a two- to three-fold increase in antioxidant enzymes in the nasal airway cells of study participants eating broccoli sprouts. These antioxidant enzymes helped the compound's effectiveness in blocking the harmful effects of air pollution, which most of us experience unless you moved to a smog free area. So MOTHER WAS RIGHT, EAT YOUR BROCCOLI!  Vegatables are the staff of life.

Stone

Kidney Stone Prevention - Kidney stones are the result of super-saturated minerals and acid salts (calcium, uric acid, etc.) in the urine which crystallize to form solid masses if consuming insufficient water, having highly acidic or alkaline urine, or taking certain drugs like Lasix (furosemide), Topomax (topiramate), or Xenical. About 10-15 percent of U.S. adults in their lifetime will be diagnosed with a kidney stone.  Calcium oxalate most common type followed by calcuim phosphate. Plus after occurence the chance of another is 70-80% and increases if experienced at a young age. Ironically reducing calcium intake does not reduce the occurrence of kidney stones. Dietary calcium binds with oxalate (stone culprit) in fruits and vegetables to prevent intestines from absorbing oxalate which would prevent kidney stones. High blood pressure and digestive disorders are high risk factors for developing kidney stones.

Symptoms that occur when stone moves from the kidney to the bladder through the ureter are: Side and back pain below the ribs feeling like waves going into the lower abdomen and groin; episodes of varying intensity pain lasting 20 to 60 minutes; bloody, cloudy or foul-smelling urine with pain during urination; persistent urge to urinate; and if an infection is present, fevers and chills.

After having been diagnosed, preventing stones is extremely important by considering this:

  • If mainly calcium oxalate stones, minimize the amount of created oxalates in your body (as opposed to reducing your calcium intake). Two foods in particular contribute to creating oxalates, namely soy (unfermented) and beer. Other foods that contain high levels of oxalate that you’ll want to avoid include: spinach, rhubarb, chocolate, parsley, beetroot, strawberries, wheat flour, pepper, and nuts.
  • A diet high in sugar is bad since it upsets the body mineral relationships by interfering with calcium and magnesium absorption.
  • Diets high in processed salt (like in processed foods) are also bad since salt increases the amount of calcium and oxalate in urine. 
  • Avoid sodas, since they are loaded with phosphorous. Amazingly the average American drinks 56 gallons per year. Children at 5 years of age are stuggling with kidney stones with sodas a major contributor. 
  • Stay away from high levels of ascobic acid (man-made Vitamin C) intake.


Probably the single most effective way to prevent and treat kidney stones is to have enough water. Check out our December '03 Newsletter for reading a fascinating book, "Your Body’s Many Cries For Water" by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D., illustrating how vital drinking 2-1/2 quarts of water each and every day. Important to make sure the daytime urine is clear or light yellow (taking vitamin B will darken it). Don't wait until thirsty since this is usually a sign of dehydration. Using a sipper bottle helps consume water more easily.

Spinal Degeneration Linking Organ Disease

Spinal Degeneration Linked To Disease - Ever wonder why regular spinal checkups are really needed, like with teeth? Here is an old medical study that convinced me at an early age, and hopefully you too. - Henry Winsor, MD, studied and published his disection results on human and animal cadavers. He wrote: "The object of these necropsies (dissections) was to determine whether any connection existed between minor curvatures of the spine... and diseased organs... or whether the two were entirely independent of each other. If chiropractors were right in their theory than a misaligned verebrae that impinged a nerve going to the kidney for example could weaken the kidney and cause kidney diseases. If the theory was wrong then a misalignment in the "kidney place" of the spine would not find any corresponding problem with the kidney organs."
 
Of the 221 structures of the body found to be diseased, 212 were observed to belong to the same sympathetic (nerve) segments as the spinal vertebrae in the curvature. There was nearly a 100% correlation (wow) between "minor curvatures" of the spine and diseases of the internal organs. Some of these were 9 for the stomach, 26 for lung, 13 for liver, 5 for gallbladder, 3 for pancreas, 11 for spleen, 17 for kidney, 8 for  prostate/bladder, 2 for uterus, 20 for heart, and 2 for thymus organs with nerves traced back to their respective spinal levels. 

In conclusion, if one does not take care of the spine the risk of organ disease increases. Obviously all of us will degenerate with age but speeding it up due to inflammation from joint misalignments (subluxations) or trauma (accidental falls, impact sports, auto accidents, etc) is not good. Then once the spine is trained to keep aligned, regular exercise is important to help it stay that way. Of course any subsequent traumas should be treated right away and alignment re-checked so one does not stayed that way for long and not speed up the degeneration. Paying attention to your body is very important. It can not be replaced like teeth or tires!

Ouch!

Fibromyalgia Facts & Suggestions - Fibromyalgia is a very real, painful, and sometimes debilitating health condition. It’s estimated that 2 to 4 percent of the U.S. population has fibromyalgia, and nine out of 10 are women. There is still no conventional test to diagnose this condition. One usually has significant pain when applying pressure to the elbows, collar bones, knees, and hips with the pain usually symmetrical. It can be all over the body, including muscles, ligaments and tendons, and results in feeling exhausted. One can also have other nebulous conditions, such as Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), depression, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), and headaches with usually significant sleep disturbance.  Rather than take medications, which just treat the symptoms, a natural approach would be to learn to sleep well (certain nutrients help), do, within your tolerance, aerobic and strength training exercise (helps to sleep better) shown in a  Harvard study.  After just 20 weeks participants showed improved strength and less symptoms. However, consult your doctor if pain worsens after doing the exercise. Slow progress is the goal. Interestingly, some of the new research in vitamin D shows it is very effective for muscle pain with adequate vitamin D levels.  “Eating right for your body type” means concentrating on fresh, whole, organic foods grown locally. There are several food items that can aggravate fibromyalgia symptoms and should be avoided, such as corn, wheat, dairy, citrus, soy, and nuts. Obviously your level of emotion and nervous state is important so get spinal checkups and possibly acupuncture to ensure the nervous system is and stays balanced. Be persistent since this condition is difficult to treat.

Balls lined up

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