By Lisa L. Houk, FNP, BC
Owner and Nurse Practitioner , North Texas Family Medicine

Our wonderful U.S. of A. is far from perfect in fighting cancer.  One of three people will develop cancer; and one of four will die from cancer.  The natural defenses are weakened through our lifestyles choices.  A good analogy is how radioactive sugar is injected into patients during P.E.T. scans to display where cancer cells accumulate.  Cancer cells can only feed on sugar.  Sugar is not a carcinogen, like tobacco, that creates cancer; however, it does help it grow.  In America, in the 1800’s, a person ate 12 pounds of refined sugar per person per year.  Now, on average, 154 pounds is consumed per person per year.  That is our poor choice.

David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD was a neuroscientist when he had been diagnosed with brain cancer at 31 years of age.  After going thru standard medical treatment of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, at 37 it reoccurred.  This led him to search multiple evidence-based ways to lead an anti-cancer lifestyle.  He wrote a book on “Anti-Cancer:  A New Way of Life”.  He, also, help found Doctors Without Borders.  From information he compiled, I would like to share the following with you on what you can do to defend yourself against cancer.

Daily decide to make good choices with regards to food.  Minimize carbohydrates and sugar by consuming “low glycemic index foods” listed at ada.org or glycemicindex.org.  (For example, choose a wheat bagel over a donut.)  Oregano, garlic, onion, thyme, mint, and basil are phytochemicals that destroy cancer cells and lower sugar.  The most potent antioxidants, according to Dr. Servan-Schreiber’s research, are green tea and the spice turmeric (yellow curry).  “Power house foods” that eliminate toxins from the body are of the cabbage family, such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, and spinach.  Since transfats double the growth of breast cancer, avoid all oils unless they are olive or canola oil.  Omega 3 is essential.  If a person ate fish twice per week, it would decrease colon cancer by 70%.

In America, every person over fifty has cancer cells in their body according to Dr. Servan-Schreiber.  For these cells to develop into full cancer, inflammation and/or a weakened immune state must exist.   The immune system should constantly detect and destroy cancer.  Inflammation around cancer cells stimulate growth, while penetrating and invading neighboring tissue.  Good nutrition, vitamin supplements, quality sleep, exercise, and minimal poor reactions to life stressors reduce inflammation and strengthen the immune system.  “Battlefield of the Mind: Winning the Battle in Your Mind” by Joyce Meyer is an excellent book on mental attitude while overcoming stressful situations.

Another proactive measure is to detect cancer early thru annual exams.  The P.S.A. lab test and digital rectal exam yearly after forty in men is the national guideline.  Women obtaining their Pap smears and Mammograms is essential.  Sigmoidoscopies or Colonoscopies are recommended in all adults past fifty and earlier for those with a direct relative with colon cancer.  A Chest X-ray is advised by the American Cancer Society after one has smoked twenty years.  These tests could save your life.

Bottom line is you have a choice.  Do not wait on the medical field to prescribe chemo, radiation, or medicines.  Make decisions today that will build your natural defenses.  In the meantime of fighting cancer you will decrease inflammation and strengthen your immune state.  This will lead to minimizing Alzheimer’s, Arthritis, Heart Disease, Diabetes, and maximize an overall better quality of life.  It’s your choice.

It isn’t just a woman’s problem

by Troy Hurst DC, DAAPM

Environmental estrogens are a real problem these days and if you’re not familiar with them, you should be. Environmental estrogens are synthetic substances that when absorbed into the body, function similarly to estrogen. They’re found just about everywhere and actually, they are difficult to avoid. They’re in plastics and easily leach into plastic-wrapped foods. They’re in pesticides, detergents, preservatives, carpets, and even in the air. As hormone disruptors, they cause some serious problems. Environmental estrogens are connected to everything from PMS to cancer and reproductive problems in animals – even generations after exposure. In fact, environmental estrogens have been found to change our genes and give our bodies the instructions to produce cancer.

In light of their pervasiveness and the obvious problems they create, the question becomes: How do we get environmental estrogens out of our bodies? Deep detoxification, including liver and colon cleansing, can be a large part of the answer as these methods remove considerable stores of environmental garbage from the body. But another part of the answer lies in the foods you’re consuming.

Cruciferous vegetables, including cabbage, broccoli, kale, and cauliflower, contain key compounds that help detoxify us, and specifically, they speed environmental estrogens out of our bodies. These compounds actually signal our genes to increase the production of detoxification enzymes – which jumpstarts our body’s detoxification processes. And of course, the more environmental estrogens and toxins your body can detoxify for you, the healthier you’ll be all around.

These foods also contain special compounds that change a dangerous cancer-causing form of estrogen into a benign, protective form of estrogen. In a society where most are heavy on estrogen, this is critical.

Cruciferous vegetables are so effective that many studies have found greatly reduced cancer risks by consuming them. One study showed that people eating these foods regularly have about half the risk of creating some cancers – when compared to others eating non-cruciferous vegetables. To get the benefits, these vegetables should be raw or only lightly cooked and it’s best to consume four or more servings each week.

Whether you are going to play a sport, lift weights at the gym or do an exercise routine, you’ll be better at it if you warm up first and you’ll be less likely to hurt yourself or strain a muscle.

One major and common mistake people make is thinking that they should begin with the stretching; never stretch before you warm up. Stretching is not a warm up.

Before you stretch, warm your muscles with a low-intensity activity, such as walking, while gently pumping your arms. For a specific sport, use the muscles and joints involved, moving in slow, circular movements both clockwise and counterclockwise. End the warm-up with a few minutes of aerobic activity before stretching.

Now that you’re warmed up, here’s an idea on how to start the stretches:
•  Do an easy stretch for the first 15 seconds. Stretch just to the point where you feel a mild tension. The tension should be comfortable, not painful, for these 15 seconds.
•  Then stretch a fraction of an inch farther until you feel the mild tension again. If you feel pain, you have stretched too far. Back off to the point where the pain is gone and hold your stretch there.
•  Realize that it takes time to lengthen tissues safely. Hold your stretches for at least 30 seconds or even up to 60 seconds for a really tight muscle. If you hold the stretch for this period of time, you only have to do it once.
•  Remember to breathe. Holding your breath as you stretch is very common mistake, you must breathe.  Exhale as you go into the stretch. Breathe s-l-o-w-l-y and evenly as you hold the stretch.
•  Don’t bob or bounce when you stretch – this is not effective and it can lead to injury.

After you have completed your workout or sports play, the best way to reduce muscle fatigue, soreness and even cramping (caused by the production of lactic acid from your maximal or near-maximal muscle exertion) is to perform a light warm-down and stretch.

A good warm up and the stretch routine will get you more out of your game or your exercise program.

by Gloria Prince

Now is the perfect time to rethink your skin care regimen.  Winter is hard on the skin.  Outdoor cold and dryness, as well as indoor artificial heat, take their toll on the skin by taking moisture away from the skin.  Hydration in excessive amounts makes up for the loss by environmental causes.  Excessive is the key word here.  Drinking water is not the best water replacement tactic, although it helps.  The   skin is the last body organ to benefit from drinking water.

Hydration can come in the form of hydrating mists and water based products.  Your skin has to have a perfect balance of water and oil to be in perfect balance and have that natural occurring glow.

Another very important issue is using an SPF, even in winter!  Daily use will help to control damage and prevent further damage that the sun’s rays do to our skin.  Another important aspect is reapplication. That is what SPF is all about.  Usually foundation and moisturizers have SPF in them.  Basically a 25 – 30 SPF is recommended.  Mineral make up is an excellent sun block.  There is a difference in sunscreens and sun blocks.  Sunscreens take the sun and disperse it after it has penetrated the skin.  Sun blocks diffuse the suns rays and do not allow them to touch the skin.  All skin types and colors need protection.  Skin cancer is not skin color specific.

Be sure to know your skin care products and have a skin care regimen that you can stick to.  These two steps in themselves will make a lot of difference in your skin’s health and appearance, especially during this season of cold.

Gloria Prince is the Esthetics Instructor for the Cosmetology Department at North Central Texas College in Gainesville.

by Dacia J. Coffey

Medical Weight Management has a message they want you to know: Obesity is not a social issue. It’s not a discipline issue. It is a disease entity which forces your body’s systems out of balance. It is nearly impossible to lose weight permanently without help.

In two years, over 4,000 clients can testify Medical Weight Management can help. Utilizing HCG as a powerful tool to quickly lose the weight, Medical Weight Management then provides a lifetime of support, education and tools to remain lean and healthy. Their team of professionals is passionate about fighting obesity one client at a time.

It is time to lead the life you always dreamed.

REVITALIZE YOUR HEALTH

HCG has been used around the world for over 50 years with amazing results. Boasting a positive side effect profile, HCG has helped clients lose weight quickly and easily. Post-treatment, many clients say their health issues have improved and they have a desire to eat healthier: blood pressure goes down, blood sugar levels go down, sleep apnea is eased or resolved, medications are reduced and even the psychological patterns of overeating and depression have disappeared. “Our clients report that their ability to read fullness and their level of happiness is improved,” explained Donna Beyer, RN, co-founder. “I feel blessed to be a part of Medical Weight Management. It is truly powerful to witness people feeling confident and turning their health around.”

Besides being a strong advocate for those battling weight issues, she can testify through her personal experience. Coming from a family riddled with obesity and the related co-morbidities such as diabetes, she had already undergone two open heart surgeries by the age of 50. A true metabolic syndrome case of weight gain, it affected her career as a nurse and her entire life, but finding the HCG diet changed all of that. “I lost 56 pounds in 78 days and have effortlessly kept it off for two years,” said Donna.

BEGINNING A CYCLE OF WELLNESS

“What sets us apart is our educational and preventative focus,” explained Lisa Kirk, D.O. and medical director of Medical Weight Management. When discussing how clients lose weight, she is clearly passionate about the new health profiles clients report maintaining. “We want people involved in how to live and maintain a healthy lifestyle once the weight is gone.” This enthusiasm for wellness translates into a lifelong resource and maintenance program that targets the many areas of a person’s life that can sabotage a healthy lifestyle. Medical Weight Management believes people are spiritual beings in physiological bodies, electrically stimulated and emotionally controlled, and thus the program has components to address each of these systems.

Clients learn how to eat differently, make good choices and indulge without sabotaging success. They report being able to stay within a few pounds of their goal weight and wanting to eat healthy.  Karen Burkhart, patient of Medical Weight Management from Fort Worth, said, “I battled with hypoglycemia. Every time I tried to lose weight, I would have a terrible time with my blood sugar levels dropping. When I learned about the HCG program – I gave it a shot. This time around, I had no trouble with my sugar levels fluctuating. I lost 35 pounds and 40 ½ inches! My energy level is up, my knees aren’t bothering me and I’m now wearing the same size I did back in my 20s!”

REMARKABLE CARE, TOTAL PASSION

But helping people shake off the shackles obesity enforces is more than general human kindness for Medical Weight Management—it’s personal. Dr. Kirk is a graduate of Lewisville High School and is thrilled to be helping people in her hometown.

“Donna and I have the same vision for helping people face obesity. Other physicians and specialists are now hearing about results from our clients and even referring patients to us,” she added.

Donna explains that losing weight can be similar to fighting any addiction—with one exception. Typically, a person tries to distance themselves from the object of their addiction, but when it is food you have to take the dragon out of its cage at least three times a day. “We know how hard weight loss is and it truly matters to us that our patients receive all of the support they need,” said Donna.

Medical Weight Management wants to help you change your body, change your health and change your mind about weight loss. It is time to change your life. Call today 866-979-4091. Visit www.HCGteam.com to view the incredible transformations.

HCG is a medical treatment for weight loss and should be used only under the supervision of a medical professional.

by Troy Hurst DC, DAAPM

Have you ever thought about how much processed food you and your family eat? If you’re like most Americans, fresh nutrient-dense whole food vegetables, fruits, lean meats whole grains are the exception rather than the rule in your day-to-day diet. Science shows that this will directly impact how well your brain works. And it is even more likely to significantly impact functioning of the brain of any child who happens to live under your roof and eat the food you eat.

Modern food processing results in near complete loss of naturally occurring vitamins, minerals, fiber and enzymes. In laboratory experiments, animals that are exclusively fed processed foods either die painfully and prematurely, or exhibit radical growth abnormalities. And even if you are eating a superlative diet compared to most of Americans, keep in mind that “fresh” produce has been shown to lose 50 to 70% of some nutrients before reaching grocery stores.

All foods suffer losses of neuro-nutrients when processed. The storage of food processing takes its toll on fresh produce. Spinach stored at room temperature loses 70% of its vitamin C content within just 24 hours after picking. Refrigerated spinach loses half of its itamin C content in just two days. Broccoli and asparagus will also lose 35 to 50% of their vitamin C in cold storage. Cooking destroys another 30% of the vitamin C and up to 70% of the thiamin and 50% of the riboflavin. Canned vegetables lose 50 to 90% of their vitamin and mineral content. Freezing destroys 50-70% of the B vitamin content. No study of the American diet has ever shown that we get all of the vitamins and minerals we need for the best possible health through food alone. Every study reveals deficiencies and sub optimal intakes of multiple nutrients. So do not be deceived into thinking you can get enough vitamins and minerals through the foods you eat alone.

The reality is, even in America, one of the best fed nations on the planet, nutritional deficits are remarkably common. We have access to virtually an unlimited number of calories, but vitamins, minerals and healthful fats are far harder to come by in our food supply. None of the many analytical surveys and studies of the American diet performed today has shown that the United States population regularly takes in all of the vitamins and minerals needed for optimal health through our modern food supply alone. Every study reveals deficiencies of sub optimal intakes of not one or two but multiple nutrients. The reality is that no scientific study has ever shown that adequate nutrition is obtained from the diet alone. In fact, the studies that do exist show the average American has grown accustomed to the distinctly subpar nutritional intake, and a great many experts agree, and the research reflects that this is a major cause factor in the rising incidence of many diseases. This lack of nutrients also zaps the passion and energy right out of life.

A quality multivitamin/multi-mineral product should deliver most or all of the following. Vitamin A 5000 to 20,000 IU, vitamin C 1000 to 2000 mg, vitamin D. 500 to 1000 IU, vitamin E 400 to 800 IU, vitamin B3 60 to 200mg, vitamin B6 50 to 100 mg, vitamin B12. 200 to 1000 mcg, folic acid 400 to 800 mcg, calcium 500 to 1000 mg, magnesium 400 to 600 mg, iron 15mg, zinc 15 to 35mg, selenium 200 to 250mcg. chromium 200 to 500 mcg, and potassium 100mg.