I know I am Gluten Sensitive. Will this form into an allergy? Will it form into Celiac? I don’t have a crystal ball and today’s diagnostic testing for Celiac can be invasive (biopsy) and not always so telling. Sometimes I find myself in a situation at a friend’s house or out at an event and I haven’t eaten in hours and the only thing available is something that contains gluten. Well? I’m going to eat it. My son on the other hand has a gluten allergy. In the same situation, he will not eat it because he will develop immediate abdominal pains. It is interesting to me that although I am playing Russian Roulette in a way (I do not know how damaging Gluten is to me,) I will chose to eat it because I do not perceive any immediate adverse reaction. My son knows implicitly to avoid gluten because of the immediate pain it causes him. He would prefer to suffer with hunger than deal with that pain in his gut.

I struggle with this concept. And as a physician, I analyze how I react emotionally is this situation. I find myself surrendering to my cravings, allowing them to get the best of me sometimes, even when there are other food alternatives available. And I will sometimes even do this in front of my son who makes the healthier choice (of course I feel immediate guilt- which of course is still not as painful as the abdominal pains or I wouldn’t do it!) I observe my decision making process and even as a health care practitioner I see how often I eat based on feeling and not logic.

I now find myself working to retrain my likes and dislikes. I sometimes convince myself that I do not want that slice of pizza. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I fail. I guess this is the process we must go through to break bad habits and create new healthier ones.

Also, Anyone registered for The New Jersey Marathon can come in for a pre-race and/or post-race treatment for $25 per treatment (reg. price $75-$175). Set Up Your Appointment Today.

10. We heal when we sleep. You have finished up your training. To make sure those legs are fresh, get at least 8 hours of sleep each night for the week leading to your race.

9. While sleeping, try to sleep on your back with minimal or no pillow under your head and neck. Then slightly elevate your legs by propping them up under a few pillows (no more than 30 degrees.) This will facilitate the circulation of any inflammation out of any achy joints.

8. Prevent inflammation. I suggest natural anti-inflammatories regularly while training and certainly the week leading up to a race. For starters, try Curamin which is a plant based all natural herbal supplement which has shown to provide anti-inflammatory responses.

7. Breath! – Before bed and as soon as you wake practice how you plan to breathe when you run. Slow, steady concentrated breaths will keep those muscles well oxygenated.

6. Meditate! - The idea here is to sit still for 5-10 minutes without moving. You don’t need to be a guru to do this. Try to not think about anything at all. Empty your mind. This is meditation. If this does not work, don’t beat yourself up. Just sit still for 5-10 minutes daily and you will quickly find yourself at greater ease and peace.

5. Visualize! After you have meditated, see yourself achieving your goal. See that time you set for yourself as you cross the finish line. Feel it! And feel good about all of your success.

4. Eat Complex Carbs to fill your Energy pantry (called your Glycogen Stores). Pasta, Bread, Rice and sweet potatoes are all appropriate a few days before the race and leading up until a few hours before the race.

3. Make sure you eat enough Protein all week. It’s important to feed those muscles so they can do their job under the strain of the race.

2. Be Grateful – The fact that your body can run 26.2 miles is extraordinary. Be thankful for the gift.

1. Have fun! I am pretty sure most of you are not going to set the world record during this race. Relax and enjoy yourself.

And again as a reminder, Anyone registered for The New Jersey Marathon can come in for a pre-race and/or post-race treatment for $25 per treatment (reg. price $75-$175). Set Up Your Appointment Today.

I have been sneezing for a couple of days now.  Not just the random “AAHH CHOOOO,” but those sneezes that keep coming, one after another, like 5-10 in a row.  Then there is the break, maybe 10 minutes or so, and they come again.  There is something so relieving about the last sneeze in any given set, and a sense of peace.

I am grateful that I only sneeze like this three or four days a year. When I was a teenager, I would suffer with seasonal allergies for months at a time.  The deep freeze of winter was about the only time I caught a break from the constant irritation.

To treat this hypersensitivity and reaction to pollen, my doctors took a traditional medical route.  The scratch test was performed on me as a 12-year old where the doctor made scratches all over my back and then placed different allergens on the open wounds and measured how the allergens would react.  Needless to say, I was very reactive.

Treatment options were initially anti-histamines.  Do you remember Chlor-Trimeton? This was my go to medication.  It made me feel very tired and had other nasty side effects.  This anti-histamine and others like it have very similar chemical compounds to anti-depressants.  There are no studies in humans on how these types of medications affect the brain and especially that of a child.  I was a kid taking this daily.  Amazing.

Since the antihistamines didn’t work, I went to the EMT where I had two different treatments.  One was a periodic injection of a steroid directly in my nose with what I remember to be a very long and painful needle.

And then I received the allergy shots that many of you are familiar with.  I had to go to the doctor three times a week for months at a time to get my injections.  The purpose of these shots was to desensitize my immune system by injecting the allergens directly into my blood.  Quite a theory.  What a life.  They didn’t work either.

Chiropractic and Seasonal Allergy Relief

So, I suffered with allergies until the age of seventeen when after a mild neck injury playing football one of my classmates, Tammie, recommended me to her chiropractor by the name of Dr. Elis Kooby in Denville, NJ. The chiropractor found that my neck was out of alignment.  He explained how this could have poor effects on my overall health and that based on my x-ray, the misalignment appeared to have been present for a long time.

Not only did my neck pain go away after the first adjustment, but I found myself breathing easier.  After three weeks of treatment, my allergies were 90% improved.  Virtually gone!  I asked Dr. Kooby whether or not he believed there was a relationship between my neck alignment and my allergies and he pulled out a poster showing me exactly HOW the allergies were related to my neck misalignment.

You may ask, “Well, that’s great and all, but what about the other 10%?”

Acupuncture and Seasonal Allergies

A few years later I began acupuncture treatment.  The acupuncturist would needle (with VERY small gentle needles and NOT the monster needles that the EMT would inject into my nose back in the day!) a few points in my head and down my arms and on my feet.  Two points in particular the acupuncturist called the “cat whiskers” seemed to work very well to relieve any stuffiness in my nose and help me breathe easier.

Nutrition and Seasonal Allergies

As I continued to study to become a doctor of chiropractic, I took several nutrition courses.  My nutritionist’s name was Dr. Paul Goldberg.  Dr. Goldberg had a Masters Degree in Public Health and took a holistic approach to nutrition and health.  He taught me to use food as medicine.  He explained how food could be acid forming (and cause inflammation in the body), or alkaline forming (and remove inflammation in the body.)  Wow.  Food as medicine.  What a concept!

A Multidiscipline Approach to Heal Yourself of Seasonal Allergies at Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation

I have taken my own experiences over my lifetime with seasonal allergies and have created a program to help allergy sufferers heal themselves of seasonal allergies.  Here at my clinic in Red Bank, NJ, I use a combination of chiropractic, acupuncture, and nutritional treatments to help you sneeze less, breathe better, and live your life with greater health and enjoyment!

Contact our Red Bank office for a complimentary consultation to discuss natural treatment options for allergy relief.

So many of our patients are getting out of pain and getting fit.  Fitness includes everything from increasing cardiovascular health to losing some unnecessary fat.  The idea of getting fit after perhaps “hibernating” all winter can be a grueling process.  At the very least it takes work.  This entire process of getting fit after allowing your body to be, shall I say, less than fit, falls into the category of “Detoxification.”  No one likes toxins.  Even the word makes me cringe.  The idea of toxins in the body is something most want to avoid (or ignore) as the case may be.

I once took a basic economics class while in my first year in under-grad at Rutgers.  The instructor said something that has stuck with me for many years.  Although he used it in a different context, I have found it to be useful as it relates to health.   He said, “There is no such thing as a free lunch.”

No Free Lunches

We all have excuses for why we ate that extra slice of pizza (or even the first slice.)  We have excuses for why we stopped exercising over the winter.  We have excuses for why we have stopped spin class, stopped meditating, stopped eating our veggies.  Regardless of the excuse, we are now out of balance.  We are out of shape and we have put on some weight (specifically fat!)  Now we have to pay.  If we do nothing, we pay with poor health and eventually disease.  If we choose to whip ourselves back into shape, it’s going to take some work.  We will need to change some bad habits, and create new pathways of discipline.

Knowledge is Power

If you would like more information on my weight loss and nutritional detoxification program, I hold a free 45-minute class here at the office (7 Globe Ct., Red Bank) just about every two weeks.  This class covers some science, some anatomy, and most importantly ways to help reach your health goals!

Here is a link from our website to learn a bit more about my weight loss program. 

Here is also a link on detoxifying baths (an easy way to begin the process of paying back some of those free lunches!)

Today, more and more patients are seeking alternative medicine to avoid surgeries, stop taking medications that don’t solve specific conditions, and because it is more cost effective. Escape Fire expressed new, ‘innovative’ healthcare solutions from public and private areas in the field of medicine such as holistic remedies.  This month Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation turns 15 years old.  During this time, Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation has been using holistic treatments such as chiropractic, acupuncture, physical therapy, and physiatry to treat multiple conditions without surgery or pain medication. Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitations Interventional Pain Management Department in Red Bank NJ uses minimal invasive techniques such as Steroid Injections and Viscosupplementation. Interventional pain management in conjunction with customized physical therapy treatment plans addresses the causes of pain with rehabilitative practices and exercises. The Chiropractic techniques we use here at Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation correct misalignments in the spine that cause chronic pain. Chiropractic care is also used to treat other conditions such as allergies, asthma, whiplash, and migraines. Acupuncture improves circulation and relieves energy imbalances in the body improving the flow of the Qi (pronounced “Chee”)  to create health and wellness. Acupuncture is used to treat many conditions including chronic pain, anxiety, respiratory illnesses, and other conditions

To find out more about how Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation can treat conditions and concerns you may have in a holistic manner please contact us at 732.345.1377 or visit our website at www.MonmouthPain.com.

Sensitivity or not, gluten creates inflammation in your body and bogs you down.  Chronic inflammation can pose serious health risks – everything from heart disease and Alzheimer’s, to fibromyalgia.  Staying off the carbs in general can even have some significant positive side effects, such as helping you to shed those pounds you may have gained “hibernating” over the winter.

A detox diet may be the perfect solution to giving our bodies the spring cleaning it deserves.  Adhering to a diet full of a variety of nutrient-rich foods that decrease inflammation is a safe way to get a healthy cleanse.

The body needs fruit and vegetables so it can function normally, balance hormones and keep skin clear.  Rich in essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals, opt for a rainbow of fruits and veggies daily – fresh tomatoes, oranges, dark leafy greens and berries can do the trick.  Go organic when possible, too.  Steer clear of processed foods as these also contribute to inflammation in the body and even mess with our digestive systems.  If your diet consists of eggs and meat, look for hormone, antibiotic, and cage-free options.

For those who don’t suffer from gluten intolerance, include a minimal amount of whole grain complex carbohydrates in your diet as part of your healthy spring detox.  Not only is fiber essential to healthy digestive function, but whole grains are full of energy-inducing B vitamins.   Quinoa and brown rice are the perfect anti-inflammatory options.

Increasing your water intake is essential in rounding out your spring cleanse and should go without saying.   Water has no calories, no fat, and no sugar, and does wonders for kicking those inflammatory toxins to the curb!

The breaking point in the discovery and creation of antibiotics came in 1921 when Scottish biologist Sir Alexander Fleming discovered enzyme lysozyme and one of the main components in the antibiotic, penicillin. Seven years later, Flemings research lead him to reveal that Penicillin was successful in killing influenza bacteria, which to this day affects thousands of individuals.

Antibiotics work in either one of two ways. Bacteria in the body that hinders the formation of bacterium’s cell walls or the contents of a cell are treated with Bactericidal antibiotics. The other type of antibiotic, Bacteriostatic antibiotics, ceases bacteria from multiply, stopping infections in their tracks.

While antibiotics prevent, manage, and treat bacteria that cause numerous or infections that affect an individual’s overall health, there is one major risk in relation to antibiotics.

The Link between Antibiotics and Cancer

Research has provided evidence that increasing cumulative days of antibiotic use were associated with increased risk of incident cancer. Christine Velicer’s PhD., 2004 case control study of 2,266 women yielded that the use of antibiotics may increase the risk of cancer through effects on immune function, inflammation, and metabolism. This risk was observed in all antibiotic classes studied. According to the CDC, tens of millions of antibiotics are prescribed for viral infections that are not treatable with antibiotics. This contributes heavily to the troubling growth of antibiotic resistance (1).

A possible explanation as to why antibiotics may cause cancer can be associated with the fact that the prescription interferes with cells (just as it does bacteria) in our bodies that protect us from cancer.

The next time you encounter an infection, consider this risk. Is the use of antibiotics worth the even bigger risk of a life threatening disease?

Natural Prevention and Treatment in Red Bank NJ

Many of you now may be considering alternative approaches to treating infections that affect our bodies. Our multidisciplinary facility in Red Bank New Jersey offers treatments that are natural and effective. The Pain Management department believes strongly that the body is fully capable of healing itself. That is why we use other types of rehabilitation to avoid unnecessary use of medications. Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation’s facility in Red Bank New Jersey uses rehabilitation to treat not only pain, but infections that take a toll on our immune systems as well. Chiropractic and physical therapy treatment can correct nervous system disruptions by adjusting spinal misalignments and focus on returning your immune responses to the way the body always intended. Acupuncture works to ensure the immune system is not weakened in any way and keeps the body balanced and at peace. Our Medical Weight Loss program reduces inflammation (which often occurs in the lungs during influenza infections) by targeting fat loss to help our patients not only look better, but feel better too. Using multiple treatment methods together such as chiropractic and acupuncture can work effectively together to boost immunity that prevents infection and helps heal once the infection sets it. All of our treatments are put into place to assist our patients in returning to a healthy lifestyle.

Contact us to find out more about how Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation in Red Bank NJ can help you avoid the use of antibiotics when infection occurs

• Antibiotic Use in Relation to the Risk of Breast Cancer Christine M. Velicer, PhD; JAMA. 2004;291:827-835.

Most people have experienced numbness at some point in time. Whether it is from sitting on our legs too long and having them fall asleep on us, an injury, or from a medical condition. Numbness is typically defined as loss of sensation of feeling and occurs most often in the extremities such as the arm, hand, fingers or legs and toes. Finding the exact cause of the numbness can sometimes be difficult, but some possible causes can include:

• Herniated disk putting pressure on the spinal nerve(s)
• Extended periods of sitting or standing
• Trauma resulting in a nerve injury
• Insufficient blood supply to a certain body part
• Vitamin/Mineral deficiencies or abnormalities such as Calcium, Potassium, Sodium, B12
• Side effects from medications
• Radiation therapy
• Medical conditions such as Diabetes, Carpel tunnel syndrome, Seizures, Strokes, Multiple sclerosis, Migraines, etc.

Treating Numbness with Acupuncture in Red Bank NJ

At Monmouth Pain and Rehabilitation in Red Bank NJ we use acupuncture to help alleviate numbness by unblocking the channel/meridians that carry Blood and Qi flow. By unblocking the stagnation, Blood and Qi can again flow into the affected area and relieve the numbness.

Contact our office at (732) 345-1377 to find out more information on how we can help you with numbness.

A Very Quick Reference Guide

Think of your body as a machine.  This machine needs to be well oiled and tuned up for its best performance.  Think of nutrition as the fuel for your engine.  The better the fuel you use, the better the machine will perform.

Foods can be understood in three categories:

• Carbohydrates

• Protein

• Fat

All three are essential and necessary for top performance.  Too much or not enough of any of them can be harmful.  For optimal performance, balance is the key!  So what is the proper balance?

Balance your Plate

Here is a simple rule during mealtime that young athletes can utilize all year, both during the season and off-season to ensure proper nutrition.

Think of a large round plate.  Fill up the plate with the following:

1. Fill ¼ of the plate with 8-10 ounces of lean protein (chicken, fish, turkey, eggs, tofu, beans)
2. Fill ½ of the plate with dark leafy greens prepared however you wish (spinach, kale, collards, broccoli, Peas, ect.)
3. The rest of the plate is quality fat.  (nuts, olive oil (never heated above 125 degrees), flax oil (never cooked), avocado, ect.)

You may ask, where is the pasta? Where is the bread? Where is the rice? These are called complex carbohydrates.  As you will see next, there is a time and place for them for the young athlete.  However, to keep your engine at maximal performance, you only want to eat those complex carbohydrates specifically for energy to prepare for training and competition or to recover from training and competition.

Carbohydrates, Training, and Competition

15 hours prior to competition eat a high carbohydrate meal.  Here is where you can load up on your rice, bread, pasta.  Why?  By doing so, you fill your liver and muscles with energy to be used during competition.  How?  The carbohydrate converts to a sugar in your blood in the form of glucose.  Your pancreas secretes insulin gobbling up all the sugary glucose and storing it into the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen.  Glycogen is then released as energy when you need it!

After training or a competition, you want to refill the liver and muscles with stored energy (glycogen).  This is the time for more carbs.  Any complex carbohydrate that is eaten after the glycogen energy storage is full will convert to fat in your body.  This only hurts the athlete and his/her performance.

Protein

Young athletes need protein to build muscle. Research suggests 1.2-1.7 g protein/kg weight.  So, if you are 100 pounds, you need 50 – 80 grams of protein per day.  Too much protein causes stress on the engine.  The myth is that more protein intake leads to more muscle.  This is not the case.  Once of the reasons for Green Leafy Veggies is that they help the body with the assimilation of the protein.  More on this later.

Supplements

Keep it simple.  If you are eating well you do not need to supplement very much.   I suggest a multivitamin and 1000-3000 mg. daily of fish oil (I like Nordic Naturals Cod Liver Oil Gel Caps (lemon flavored)).

Dairy

Milk does not make the body strong.  Actually, research shows that the more calcium you intake through dairy, the weaker the bones become.  Milk comes from a 2000 pound animal.  It is designed for calfs to become 2000 pound animals.  Do you want to become 2000 pounds?  The milk protein (casein) is very difficult for most humans to absorb.  Minimal amounts are ok in most of us.  Keep dairy minimal if at all.

Running Your Engine at MAXIMAL Efficiency

You never want your engine to breakdown.  You never want your engine to become red and burn.  In your body, this is called inflammation.  Let’s say you get hit by a baseball in your arm. Inflammation is the redness you see right after you get hit.  Well, if you do not eat properly, the inside of your body and even your blood can become inflamed.  This inflammation causes increased fatigue and a decrease in overall production.

Most foods can either cause inflammation (acid forming) or reduce inflammation (alkaline forming).  It is important for the young athlete to eat foods that are alkaline forming if he/she wants to be a peak performer.

Acid  vs. Alkaline – Acid Forming Foods fatigue you, slow your recovery, increase inflammation, increase illness, and increase obesity.  Alkaline Forming foods ARE THE WAY TO GO! Alkaline forming foods clean the muscle cells.  Think of alkaline food as a cleaner for the muscles.  Similar to cleaning dirty windows. The alkaline foods clean out the dirt and grime that builds up in the cells to allow your engine to run at its best!

Examples of Alkaline Forming Foods:
Asparagus
Beets
Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumbers
Green beans
ALL  LEAFY GREENS
Spinach
Kale
Collard
Peas
Sprouts
Zucchini
Grapefruit
Lemons
Limes
Melons
Green Tea
Wild Rice
Quinoa
Squash
Sweet potatoes
Apples
Avocados
Bananas
Berries
Cherries
Dates
Figs
Oranges
Pears
Almonds
Coconuts

Examples of Acid Forming Foods:
Animal Fat
Animal Protein (chicken, fish, beef, turkey, pork, ect.)
Gluten
Breakfast cereals
Pasta
All Dairy (cheese, milk)
Artificial sweeteners
Candy
Coffee
White sugar
Oats
Rice
Peanuts
All types of soda

Creatine Supplementation
This is a naturally occurring amino acid (protein building block) found in meat and fish.  It is stored in muscles where it is used for energy as ATP.  There are NO studies that show the safety of this supplement for anyone under 19.  Do the risks outweigh the benefits?  Will it help the young athlete perform better?  Maybe.  Even probably.  But at what risk to the kidneys, liver or other organs? I say no.

Protein Supplements
Remember the rule established by the FDA and nutritional research: 1.2-1.7 grams protein/kg body weight daily.  More protein will not give you more muscle.  Use protein supplements only if you are not getting enough protein in your regular meals.  Remember that most of these protein supplements will be acid forming and thus be pro-inflammatory to the young athlete’s body.

Eat Organic When Possible
Certified Organic is no myth.  There is plenty of research to suggest that organic vegetables have 75%+ greater nutritional value (vitamins and minerals) than the same amount of conventional vegetables.

Water
Water intake should be at least ½ of your body weight in ounces.  So, if you weigh 100 pounds drink at least 50 ounces of water per day.  When training or competing drink more!

Everyone must be committed to his or her own body. We only have one chance to take care of our bodies to the best of our ability. Our bodies are made to perform amazing things. Often times many of us don’t take advantage of the things we are capable of. Start caring for your body and follow these simple steps to prevent musculoskeletal disease:

•     Engage different parts of your body.

•     Warm up your body

•     Get up and exercise!

•     Don’t overdo it – listen to your body and rest when you feel the need.

Thank you to Symmetry Spine and Wellness for sharing this inspirational video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3SWYUv-8eU