Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Practicing Chiropractic Without a License


Now don't get me wrong, I really appreciate it when my patients pay attention and appreciate my professional advice, but one doesn't want to cross that line. Why just today, Dan, a patient, and a dear man, was second guessing my advice to a new patient that he had referred to my office. Apparently, he said, "she's probably taking an epsom salts bath right now." While this was merely conjecture, it is one step away from giving advice, and practicing chiropractic without a license.

I know, I am one step away from practicing comedy without a license.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Gluten and Dairy: culprits again!

Most just don't know, so it is my responsibility to report it and repeat it. Gluten from grains (primarily wheat), and casein in dairy products are extremely common causes of pain and illness.

Still others, know, but find themselves in the clutches of powerful addiction to these foods.

On Sundays you might think that a doctor would take a break from health issues, but not this doctor. While working in my organic vegetable garden, one of our wonderful neighbors, a construction worker, dropped by to wish us a belated happy thanksgiving. One thing lead to another and before I knew it he was telling me that he had found that gluten and dairy products make his musculoskeletal pains worse; keeping them out of his diet results in diminished pain.

In the office, in the garden, it's all the same; a lot of folks are sickened by gluten and dairy!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Updated Guidelines for ADHD - Really?

courtesy mdanys @ flickr
"For the first time in a decade, the American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP] has issued an updated set of guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) ...". While I appreciate updating, I can't say that I am impressed with this one.

Key recommendations include: [I have only included these 3 recs]
  • first line of treatment for preschool-aged children 4 to 5 years old should be evidence-based parent- or teacher-administered behavior therapy;
  • titrating medication doses to achieve the maximum benefit with the least adverse effects; and
  • for adolescents, the primary care clinician should prescribe FDA-approved ADHD medications with their consent.
These recommendations are fascinating! Given that both medical science and parents are in agreement that foods can, and do cause behavioral changes, why would the AAP encourage behavioral therapy as the "first line treatment" with no mention of diet, one of the most powerful factors influencing behavior and causing specific behaviors? Many children simply can not control the behaviors that foods can cause. Asking for behavioral change from a child without removing foods that are affecting his nervous system, is analogous to asking an adult to walk a straight line while intoxicated.

So, the AAP skips the most powerful and safest therapy for ADHD, diet, and moves immediately to "titrating medication" for the maximum benefit, with the least damage. Titrating means, experimenting with the individual child to get the best balance of good and harm.

And finally, be sure to use drugs that the FDA approves.

Not only have I successfully treated some children with marked forms of ADHD (severe enough to be failing in school and impossible for the parents), but have done so primarily with diet change, and vitamin supplementation.

Medical experts such as Dr. Michael Lyon have also found that dietary change with nutritional supplementation can often resolve ADHD. These safe treatments address the causes of the condition and the needs of the child; drugs do not. These safe and science-based approaches are customary in the practice of what is called Functional Medicine.

It is my hope that by continuing to speak and write about the overwhelming evidence of the effects of food and nutrition on behavior, that some children with be spared the harsh life of "misbehaving" and its consequences. It should not be forgotten, the painful and exhausting effects of a hyperactive child on caregivers (read - MOMS).

If you know, or have a child with behavior problems, please seek guidance from a doctor who can help uncover and treat the causes of the condition. Life could be so much easier and joyful!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Breast Tenderness Miraculously Relieved

I have know for years that deficiency of the mineral magnesium, can be a cause of breast tenderness in women.  What was shocking was the instantaneous effect!

On November 9, 2011 I was treating a 61 year-old female whom I have seen many times over the last 25 years. On a number of occasions she has experienced discomfort from breast tenderness when lying face-down on my treatment table. This time she was unable to lie still and moved and tried to reposition herself; to no avail. She had never experienced this much discomfort on my table.

Knowing that it would not help with her current pain, I nonetheless provided the patient with some Cenitol, a powdered magnesium glycinate manufactured and distributed by Metagenics, dissolved in water. Immediately after drinking the magnesium solution, I placed her face-down again on my treatment table. I was surprised to see that she did not move or reposition herself at all. After a few minutes I inquired about how she was feeling. She reported that she was amazed to find that her breast tenderness had decreased by approximately 70% within the minute that it took to drink the magnesium solution and lie back down on the table.

No placebo here: neither the patient nor I believed anything like this was possible!

PS: Who cares? Breast tenderness, though itself not a major health problem, is an indicator of probable magnesium insufficiency. Magnesium insufficiency is of critical importance. It is associated with muscle and joint pain, muscle cramps, menstrual cramps, dysmennorhea, high blood pressure, arrhythmias, anxiety, constipation, insomnia, asthma and more.


Friday, November 11, 2011

Highest Rated Chiropractor in Ventura, California

Ratings clearly don't tell the whole story, but I appreciate that for the time being, I am Yelp's highest rated chiropractor in Ventura, California!

The best part for me is reading the reviews written by 21 of my patients. It is rewarding, and I am so grateful that my care, enthusiasm and expertise are felt and known by my patients.

If you go to the Yelp site and search for Ventura Chiropractic & Massage, you will initially only see 3 reviews. The other 18 have been "filtered" (hidden) because Yelp's computers have trouble sorting out the legitimate from fake reviews (all businesses have trouble with this). On the far left, beneath the 3rd visible review, you will see in a very lite gray type "(18 filtered)". When you click on "(18 filtered)" you will be asked to verify that you are a real user, by typing the words that you see. Then the other 18 reviews will appear.

Please review and make public comment about those who serve you. Most people don't know who to turn to when they need a chiropractor or other provider. Your experience and your words can help another make a better, a more informed choice!




Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Holidays Without Illness or Weight Gain

As John Lennon said, "Imagine"

Lennon was talking about something much larger, but would you join me in a small imagining? We could have a conversation, a free video conference this coming Thursday evening, the 10th, about being healthy through the holidays, and not even gaining weight. You may say I'm a dreamer, but why not withhold judgement until you have given it a whirl?

The November meeting of Community of Health ~ Ventura will again be a virtual event through Google+ video conferencing. The topic is “Holidays Without Illness or Weight Gain”. There is no charge for attendance. This is an educational gathering, and is not for sales.

If you are not yet a Google+ user, and wish to join us, go to: https://plus.google.com/up/start/?continue=https://plus.google.com/&type=st&gpcaz=edd05831. and create an account. Google+ is simple and free to use. You need an internet connection, a microphone and video camera connected to your computer.

I understand that Google+ will only accomodate 10 video conference connections at a time. First come, first served; which means some blend of those who contact me ahead of time to confirm attendance, and those who show up on time. I will try to be "fair"; and I trust you will be understanding.

We will meet online from 7-8:30 PM on Thursday the 10th of Nov. The first 10 first-time attendees at one of my Google+ conferences will receive $10 off on their next chiropractic appointment.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

'Project Runway' star Santino Rice is a Man After My Own Kale


I have vaguely heard of 'Project Runway'. Never heard of Santino Rice. But Lisa McKinnon's column in the Ventura County Star on November 5 rang my bell peppers!

The words: organic, vegetable, Ojai, greens, fresh, farmers, and juicing filled the page!

Some of my favorite local organic farms were named!

And the icing on this story is that if Santino eats cake, he does so only if it is gluten-free! His testimonial will save another few lives in a culture that is slow to grasp simple and profound answers to health.

Below I have pasted the words and parts of McKinnon's story that I found both healthful and delicious.

"'Project Runway' star Santino Rice has designs on local organic produce

Santino Rice shops regularly for fresh produce at the Ojai farmers market. Fresh greens are among his favorite ingredients.

... when Los Angeles-based fashion designer Santino Rice, a love-him-or-hate-him fan favorite from "Project Runway," walked through the farmers market in search of dark, leafy greens on a recent Sunday, it was hard to resist craning one's neck to get a better look.

After existing for most of his life on such on-deadline fashion-industry staples as greasy takeout food washed down with gallons of coffee, Rice has gone not only organic but vegan and gluten-free.

Making the switch has kicked his existing love affair with Ventura County — which is home to several organic farms — into high gear, he said.

Santino Rice, "Project Runway" star, also is an avid juicer. The Ojai farmers market is a favorite stop for fresh produce.

Rice, who now focuses on making one-of-a-kind pieces for private clients, was shooting the Lifetime series "On the Road with Austin and Santino" when he began having the health problems that led to a complete change of diet, he said.

"I was eating all of this gluten and other stuff and the only sleep I was getting was on planes. I was waking up exhausted," he said.

When that feeling didn't go away, Rice went to a series of doctors until one diagnosed him as having celiac disease, which causes those who have it to suffer a variety of autoimmune-system reactions to gluten, the protein in wheat.

"I had got to the point where I thought I had cancer. It took me becoming extremely ill to learn that there even was such a thing as celiac disease," said Rice.

Cutting gluten from his diet had such an immediately beneficial effect that Rice went on add meat and dairy to his list of foods to avoid, he said. And because so much of what he buys at farmers market and other sources goes through a juicer, it's especially important that those ingredients be organic, lest pesticides enter the equation, he added.

"I've been doing this for five months now; I've shed 30 pounds, my skin's great, my thought process has never been clearer and ..."

Rice paused. "It's a bit like talking religion to people — a little goes a long way," he said with a smile. "And it's a bit off topic for a fashion designer, I know. But fashion and food are about using quality ingredients. So I definitely see a connection."

Before heading home, Rice bought several bunches of spinach and rainbow chard from The Farmer and the Cook of Ojai.

Already in his bag were dandelion greens and celery from Roots Farm of Santa Ynez, black kale from Tutti-frutti Farms of Lompoc, and arugula and collard greens from B.D. Dautch of Ojai's Earthtrine Farm."

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Who You Gonna Call When You've Got Health Issues? Ghostbusters?

Few Americans have a proven and valued health mentor, a health guru, a real doctor. And face it, few Americans have enough experience to be their own guide in the frontiers of health and disease.

Most of us focus on health only when we have lost it.

Few Americans actively practice health maintenance, and even fewer study health.

When illness does "strike" we are apt to seek symptom relief. Unfortunately, chances are that our healthcare practitioner will be interested in the same thing we are. There will probably be no discussion of the causes of the illness, nor the lifestyle factors that could predictably restore and maintain health.

Right now American health is on life support, but if we are going to be the change we would like to see in the world, here is what we might do:
1) begin gently to study health. You could start reading Dr. Gundry's Diet Evolution,
2) start practicing basic health; you know, vegetables, walking, forgiveness,
3) find yourself a great health mentor; a example would be Mark Hyman, MD,

Who you gonna call now?