Welcome to Medicare - How's Your Vitamin D?

"Medicare covers all the costs for a one-time, comprehensive “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit during the first 12 months that you have Part B." At least that's what it says on the site.

How do you like that tagline, "My start to a healthy future."? At 65, one is going to "start" toward a healthy future? At 65, the future is now. On the positive side, at least it's a positive outlook.

I ran into my wonderful friend, Bill, at Rainbow Bridge yesterday. He recently turned 65 and very recently had one of these "preventive visits".

The first thing he told me about the visit was that he had had his Vitamin D levels tested and that his levels were low; 19 ng/ml. He didn't know it at the time, but this level is dangerously low. The broadly healthy range is 30-100. Truly healthy is probably more in the range of 60-100.

So here is what I think is important here:

1. How wonderful that Medicare covers Vitamin D testing!
2. How wonderful that Bill's MD ordered the Vitamin D test without being asked by the patient, Bill.
3. Bill has suffered with arthritis for many years; his arthritis could have been worsened, or been caused by his Vitamin D deficiency.
4. Bill's MD told him to take 5,000 iu of D3 daily; I told him to take 10,000 iu/day.
5. Retesting needs to take place in 2-3 months to accurately determine how much D he should take each day.
6. I have heard that Medicare will only pay for testing Vitamin D one time per year; not soon enough for Bill.
7. Major medical labs in the US have been charging as much as $250 for a Vitamin D test. At this time, I can provide the same exact test for my patients for $50 (cash only basis). Friends don't let friends flush $200 down a toilet.

Questions:

1. Regardless of whether you are of Medicare age, have you started toward your "healthy future"?
2. Regardless of your age, what is your blood level of Vitamin D?
3. Did you know that most Americans have low levels of Vitamin D in their blood?
4. Can you name 5 serious risks of being Vitamin D deficient?

Amazing what can come out of a simple trip to my local health food store!

http://www.ventura-chiropractor.com/

Dr Mehmet Oz and I Are Almost Friends

Oz, you know, Oprah's doctor.

I learned yesterday that filming would take place today at Dr. Oz's studio, for a future segment on "food as medicine". Oz recruited four doctors for the show; David Perlmutter, MD, Wendy Warner, MD, Mark Hyman, MD, and Susan Blum, MD (left to right in photo).

The theme "food as medicine" is powerful and still not understood by our culture. To the degree that we begin to learn and practice using our food to heal us, we will individually and as a nation be healthier, and we will spend less on disease.

These doctors that Oz has brought together are brilliant and inspiring leaders! First, I encourage you to watch this program on The Dr. Oz Show, and second, choose one of these doctors to follow and learn from. I assure you, you will learn a lot, and will be healthier and happier for it.

So ... , I say that Oz and I are almost friends, because Perlmutter, Hyman and Blum are all friends of mine. Through attendance for years at the annual International Symposium on Functional Medicine, I have come to know them, and greatly appreciate them. I figure it is just a matter of time before I meet Memhet.

Maybe, right now, Dr. Oz and his team are looking for a Functional Medicine Chiropractor to have on the show. I'm busy, but I could make the time. And maybe, David, Mark and Susan will put in a good word for me.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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!