Fitness TIps from HealthNOW

We wanted to change things up a bit this month and offer a fitness tip this month. Please give us your feedback and let us know what you find to be most helpful.

Most of us sit the majority of the day and we wanted to review some common mistakes we often see in our patients.

1. Don't sit more than 50 minutes at a time without either getting up for a few minutes or stretching in place. There are some easy "Stay Fit While You Sit" stretches that the PT department can give you for this.
2. While many companies offer ergonomic evaluations for their employees, we may forget to apply those same principles at home. If you sit a lot at home, evaluate your furniture and desk for appropriate ergonomic features. We can provide details for you if you wish. Simply ask the next time you come in.
3. Unlike aerobic exercise, stretching can be done in short bursts and still be effective. Therefore taking 2 – 3 minutes to perform some stretches several times per day is as effective as doing 15 – 20 minutes all at once. And we can all carve out 2-3 minutes!
4. When you get into your car next ensure that your head rest hits the back of your head squarely. Should you have to stop short, a properly positioned head rest can prevent or at least greatly reduce whiplash.

I hope you find these tips helpful. It is true that taking a few minutes out of your day in order to give your body a break from sitting is not difficult and yet very effective.

By the way if you haven’t taken advantage of our Free Fitness Evaluations (worth $130) the offer is good until the end of the summer. Restoring physical fitness is important for longevity and prevention of chronic disease.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

To your good health,
Dr Rupa Chakravarty
Director of HealthNOW Physical Therapy

Are "Less Leaves and More Seeds"
Associated with Depression & Anxiety?

Much of the plants that we rely on in our diet are grains or seeds. They are efficient and can be profitably fed to animals as well as produced in a wide variety of processed foods – think soy, corn and wheat.

Leaves provide nutrients such as antioxidants and phytochemicals that cannot be found in seeds.

Interestingly, leaves also produce fat – especially omega-3 fatty acids – that vital nutrient that we associate with fish consumption. Guess where the fish get it from - a plant (algae).

An essential fatty acid named alpha-linolenic acid is an omega-3 fatty acid found in all green plants. If you didn’t know that green plants contained fat, don’t worry, you are in very good company!

Seeds on the other hand tend to contain more of the essential fatty acid of the omega-6 variety.

Omega-3s are important for the nervous system (mental development and IQ), they prevent clotting, they are mood stabilizers, they encourage weight loss and they are anti-inflammatory, making them important in not only diminishing chances of heart disease and stroke, but causes of mortality of all types. (Ref: Joseph Hibbeln, et al., "Healthy Intakes of n-3 and n-6 Fatty Acids: Estimations Considering Worldwide Diversity," American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2006; 83 (suppl): 1483-93.

Falling levels of omega-3 are associated with depression, suicide and learning disabilities.

Omega 6’s are involved in rigidity, clotting and inflammation. While we need our body to provide these functions to some degree, when they occur in excess such problems as blood clots, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer’s may ensue.

While supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids in the form of fish oil has proven beneficial, dietary changes must also occur concurrently.

Here at HealthNOW we are frequently asked by patients if they can simply “take a pill” instead of having to change their diet. Our answer is a consistent "no" with the explanation that while the micronutrients found in supplements are very important, they can never outweigh the vital necessity of the macronutrients found in food.

Omega-6 fatty acids bring home this point in that they counteract the effects of omega-3s. Therefore simply adding omega-3s in a supplement while leaving unchanged one’s consumption of omega-6s such as seeds, seed oils, processed foods and foods made from animals raised on grains, will not be very beneficial. Without diminishing omega-6s from one’s diet, little health gain will be achieved.

To give you an example of the quantity of omega-6s that have infiltrated our diets- a full 9% of the calories in the American diet come from an omega-6 fatty acid called linoleic acid, most of it from soybean oil. (Courtesy of "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan).

The researcher Joseph Hibbeln, cited above from the National Institute of Health, conducted population studies correlating decreased omega-3 consumption with many conditions including depression and suicide. He further stated that the billions of dollars spent on anti-inflammatory drugs is likely spent to undo the negative effects of too much omega-6 in our diet.

He went on to state that: "The increases in world omega-6 consumption over the past century may be considered a very large uncontrolled experiment that may have contributed to increased societal burdens of aggression, depression and cardiovascular mortality."

The shift from leaves to seeds affects more than the levels of omega-3s and 6s, it also contributes to the excess calories, sugar and refined carbohydrates of our unhealthy diets.

To summarize, hormones are made from fats but all fats are not created equal. Omega-3 fatty acids are known mood stabilizers while their cousin, the omega-6s, create the opposite affects of depression and anxiety.

Once would have to have been living under a rock to not have heard of the benefits of fish oils but, as mentioned above, supplementation without a simultaneous decrease of the "bad" omega 6s is insufficient to get the job done.

Plants (organic, dark green variety) are a wonderful source of nutrients including omega 3s. As you add more of them into your diet you may very well find that cravings for processed foods and refined sugars diminish. We see this occur every day in our patients.

There is a laboratory blood test that measures the essential fatty acids (both 3s and 6s) that we have been utilizing here at the clinic for many years. It can be very helpful to precisely determine any imbalances of these critical nutrients.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

To your good health,

Dr Vikki Petersen
Founder of HealthNOW Medical Center
Co-author of "The Gluten Effect"

How much should I Eat?

While we often address what to eat rather than how much, I had an interesting experience recently, while in Europe, that I wanted to share.

Upon arrival in Venice I noticed how few natives were overweight. Eating in restaurants I noticed that serving sizes were more suited to what I could eat as compared to the US where I usually find myself eating between a half and a third of what I'm served.

The French are famous for saying that they don’t get fat because they stop eating when they’re no longer hungry, or 80% full. As compared, Americans state that they stop eating when their plate is empty or the "bag" is empty.

While quality is much more important than quantity, both must be considered. If you have some weight to lose I'd like you to consider trying the following suggestions:

1. Eat slowly. Chew your food well, swallow it and take a moment before taking your next bite. Yes it will take more time to eat, but that's a good thing actually.
2. Try to observe when you're no longer hungry. It takes your brain 20 minutes to receive the signal of satiation, so if you consume your meal in less than 20 minutes it's very likely that you'll overeat. However if you do #1 above you can also successfully do this step: Stop eating when you are no longer hungry. If you discover that in fact you are quite full after a meal, realize that you'll need to eat more slowly during your next meal. Stopping when you are no longer hungry will avoid the sensation of ever feeling overfull or "stuffed".
3. Eat more plants. Plants are fruits and vegetables and if they are organic they are better for you. Go to your local Farmer's Market and eat what’s in season. While beans and some whole grains are fine, these are not as high in the phytonutrients found in fruits & vegetables. We simply do not eat enough fruits and vegetables in this country. Revolve your meal around them – you'll feel better, you'll be healthier and you will lose weight.
4. This is just a little visual trick, but until you get used to points 1 and 2 above, it will help. And if you were taught to "clean your plate" as a child this will definitely help. At home, put your food on a smaller plate and purposefully serve smaller portions. You'll be surprised to find that you are no longer hungry after a much smaller portion than you're used to.
5. When dining out, ask for a salad plate and take about one-third of your meal and put it on the salad plate and eat that first. Remember all the points above and you may just find that the rest can come home for lunch the next day. If you do need some more food, eat the vegetables first.

These are not difficult to do but please remember that they in no way act as a substitute to the healthful diet that you have been placed on here at the clinic. If there's something that you are sensitive to, don't eat it. These guidelines are simply a quantitative action to be added to the qualitative one you are already working on.

I hope you find this helpful. Please let me know.

To your good health,

Dr Vikki Petersen
Founder of HealthNOW Medical Center
Co-author of "The Gluten Effect"

Watch Out for the Malt

Growing up with Scottish and English relatives I knew all about malt vinegar. It was what you put on fish 'n chips. The fish was battered (gluten) and the "chips" are what we know as "French fries". They were fried in the same oil as the fish, hence a source of gluten contamination. The malt vinegar was probably the one thing that seemed innocuous of the trio. But, alas no.

You might wonder why I bring up malt vinegar. Obviously standard fish 'n chips is not on anyone's gluten-free menu. As it turns out, malt vinegar can be found in other places than as an accompaniment to fish 'n chips. Last week a family member brought home a bag of potato chips. They were a malt vinegar and salt variety. They were purchased from Whole Foods, a store that we consider safe due to its awareness of gluten and the fact that labeling of gluten has improved so dramatically. Fortunately I saw the bag just before it was opened and enlightened my family member just before a gluten "accident" could take place.

All vinegars (except the malt variety) are safe and gluten-free because they are distilled. The distillation process removes the gluten protein, regardless of what grains it might be made from. Malt vinegar is the only exception because while it is fermented, it is NOT distilled and the barley protein it is made from is therefore still intact – a no no for the gluten intolerant.

Unfortunately this product did not mention that it contained gluten, it simply listed malt vinegar as an ingredient. This may be one of the few "loopholes" left in the hidden sources of gluten. Most others have been remedied by the labeling laws.

So while plain vinegar is fine, do be alert for malt vinegar. All too often when a patient suddenly begins having trouble, we discover they've unwittingly introduced a new food that contains gluten. Usually it IS on the label and they've simply missed it due to a long ingredient list. But in this case, unfortunately, there is no gluten listed as part of the ingredients.

To your good health,

Dr Vikki Petersen
Founder of HealthNOW Medical Center
Co-author of "The Gluten Effect"

Power over Genetics: You CAN Change Your Genes

Are genes controllable? Haven't we been told that the genetic hand we're dealt from our mothers and fathers is "cut in stone"? It turns out that the "stone" is more like flexible plastic!

In a recent US News magazine, the cover story was "Epigenetics: How you can change your genes". Epigenetics means "above genetics" and deals with the control of gene activity and expression that does not involve alterations to the genetic code but still gets passed down to at least one successive generation.

Imagine you are home, you've paid your electric bill but all the lights are out. Let's further imagine that you don't know that lights can be turned on so you assume there is no light available. Someone comes along and shows you that you have control of switching on and off lights as needed. It's the same in your body. Genes "express" themselves in different ways depending on whether they are turned on or off.

There's evidence that lifestyle choices like smoking and overeating can change the epigenetic marks atop your genes in ways that cause the genes for obesity to express themselves too strongly and the genes for longevity to express themselves too weakly. This not only will affect you, but it can predispose your offspring – before they are even conceived- to disease and early death. That was a depressing paragraph. Let's now look at the good news:

These portions of your genes that alter expression can be turned on and off by not only lifestyle changes but also by specific nutritional products.

Suppose that heart disease ran in your family. This is likely due to a SNP (pronounced "snip"), little genetic side roads responsible for the differences between all of us. You inherit SNPs from either one or both parents. Since most people's DNA is virtually the same – 99.9% in fact - SNPs represent the remaining 0.1% that cuase us all to be different from one another. SNPs can account for minor things like the color of your hair, or they can make your genes perform below their optimum level, triggering various disease states.

The combination of these SNPs, like genes, can be responsible for high cholesterol levels, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's and heart disease, to name but a few.

We have known of this science for many years. But the testing was not readily available and extremely cost prohibitive. That has all changed and we're very excited about the possibilities for improved health that this opens up for our patients.

Genetic testing, via blood or saliva, allows us to determine which SNPs you possess. Knowing this then allows us to use nutrition and/or dietary measures to decrease or increase the expression of the gene. This is not only exciting for you, but for your potential offspring as well. Using natural means, one can not only diminish one’s own likelihood to develop a disease, but can literally alter the genetic expression of one's offspring for the positive.

There are 6 different panels which, depending on yours and your family's health history, can be tested for the presence of different SNPs. These tests are only performed once. Since genes don't change (only their expression) there is never a retest required.

Please let us know if we can provide you more information.

To your good health,

Dr Vikki Petersen
Founder of HealthNOW Medical Center
Author of "The Gluten Effect"

New Discovery - Appendix Provides an Important Function!

Did you think it was unlikely that you possessed a body part that had no function? I know I did. Well after a very long wait the reason why we have an appendix has been discovered.

It turns out that the appendix houses probiotics. What are probiotics? A major constituent of the intestinal immune system consisting of 100s of trillions of organisms. You have more (at least you should have) of these organisms in your gut than you have cells in your body!

It's estimated that 70 - 80% of your immune system is housed in your gut. This is why we spend as much time as we do ensuring that our patients' digestive systems are working optimally. More and more research is supporting the premise that without a healthy digestive tract, good health is all but impossible.

Not only do these good bacteria help defend you against infection but some amazing new research was just released that shows that they have an ability to modify gene expression.

What does this mean? The researcher was evaluating why certain people "turn on" celiac disease and gluten sensitivity at different ages. If it's genetic, as we know it to be, then why doesn't that first teething biscuit or gold fish cracker begin the symptoms of gluten sensitivity? It does in some of course but for many the symptoms begin in later decades of life.

This research, Dr Alessio Fasano, believes that it's not enough to have the gene and have the presence of gluten, but there must be a third factor, an initiator, that creates an insult to the gut enough for gluten to then be able to cause its inflammation and subsequent damage.

It's like the spark that begins the forest fire. You can have a windy day and dry tinder but you need the spark to begin the decimation.

Dr Fasano believes that the "spark" is an unhealthy balance of good and bad probiotics in the gut. The good ones are protectors, but the bad ones are initiators. The make-up of probiotic populations actually have the ability to turn on and off genes at will.

This is terribly exciting and at the very least should have you interested in "who" is being housed in your intestines! There is a simple lab test that provides the data and treatment is similarly easy but very beneficial.

I hope this helps.

p.s. Don't worry if your appendix was removed. You can still restore health to your intestines.

To your good health,

Dr Vikki Petersen
Founder of HealthNOW Medical Center
Co-author of "The Gluten Effect"

Do You Have This Health Problem?

Sometimes important problems have simple solutions. And what could be simpler than drinking water?

Now you may be thinking - big deal - water, that's not anything special. Exactly! But there is a large percentage of our population that's dehydrated. Dehydration can prevent weight loss, detoxification and a host of other important bodily functions.

A foundational step of the HealthNOW program is ensuring our patients drink adequate amounts of water. Notice I didn't say fluids - drinking juice, coffee or tea is not the same as drinking water. A recent study stated that the average body requires 8 glasses (a glass is considered to be 8 oz) of water per daily just to perform its daily functions adequately. The study then went on to point out that an individual who did a moderate amount of exercise would require and extra 2 glasses per day while an elite athlete would require an additional 2 or 3 beyond that.

Another study said that a person should simply divide their weight in pounds in half and that would be their requisite ounces of water per day needed to maintain health and optimize any weight loss needed.

Patients who don't drink much usually give me a look of incredulity when I suggest 8+ glasses of water per day. The most common response is that they are concerned they'll be residing in the restroom most of the day. While this initially may seem to be the case, it all balances out as your body gets re-hydrated. The other nice result is that your body starts to crave the water it needs. When you miss drinking adequate amounts, you'll feel thirsty.

Don't miss out on a basic of health. Start drinking clean (no tap please!) water.

To your good health,
Dr Vikki Petersen

Does Fat Make You Fat?

If you listen to most commercials or read ads you'd presume that the way to avoid getting fat is to avoid eating fat. It makes intuitive sense.

Twenty plus years ago we went on a nationwide "experiment" in that arena. Low-fat and non-fat versions of many foods were produced with the intent of making Americans not only less obese but there was also the hope that it would reduce heart disease, our number one leading killer.

What did we find after almost twenty years of dutifully eschewing fat at (almost) every turn? We were fatter, heart disease risk had risen and diabetes risk had skyrocketed.

What went wrong? It turns out that fat doesn't make you fat - simple carbohydrates, however, do.

When you remove the fat from a food, like cookies for instance, you have to still keep them palatable somehow. That is done by raising their sugar content. Sugar and simple carbohydrates such as grains, cause the body to produce an insulin release. While it's normal to produce some insulin in response to a meal, those meals that are very high in simple carbohydrates (imagine a large bowl of pasta) cause a large release of insulin. Insulin has many jobs, and one of them is that it's a fat storage hormone.

Therefore eating high simple carbohydrate meals (with very low fat), over time, induces the body to store fat! Counterintuitive perhaps, but true nonetheless. And insulin is so efficient at storing the carbs that blood sugar tends to plummet rather quickly after a high carbohydrate meal, leaving you not satisfied and craving more carbs rather quickly. You are now officially on the carb craving, insulin and fat producing merry-go-round!

Plus, with the advent of low fat diets we also saw more depression and anxiety. Why? That will be answered in a future health tip...

Stay tuned!

To your good health,
Dr Vikki Petersen

Poor Sleep Leads to Cancer and Weight Gain

Sleep deprivation comes with a heavy price tag. A nine-year study of nearly 7,000 Alameda County residents, found that those who routinely slept six or fewer hours a night had a 70 percent higher risk of dying (in the same age groups) than did those who slept seven or eight hours per night.

There are several symptoms of insomnia:

• It takes you more than 20 minutes to fall asleep.
• You're a light sleeper.
• You awaken in the middle of the night and have trouble getting back to sleep.
• When you it's time to get up you don't feel refreshed and energetic.

All too often people ignore sleep problems or take sleeping pills. Long term such an approach could be hazardous to your health.

The body performs growth and repair functions when at rest. Special immune cells called natural killer cells are released at night when you're in a deep sleep and they destroy infectious agents and cancer cells. If you're not in a deep restorative sleep these cells are unable to do their job efficiently.

Melatonin, the sleep hormone, keeps you in a deep sleep and is known for its anti-cancer and anti-aging properties. Deficient melatonin can be responsible for poor sleep and taking a sleeping aid does nothing to help this. Melatonin increases with darkness and is inhibited by light making it very important to ensure total darkness in the room where you sleep.

A study showed that blind women have a 36 percent lower risk of breast cancer compared to sighted women. Why? Because they are unreceptive to light. This means that their bodies maintain high melatonin levels at night regardless of how much light is in the room.

Research has found that the less people sleep, the more likely they are to gain weight, as the lack of sleep triggers hormone imbalances that boost the desire to eat. Specifically the hormone ghrelin (produced in the stomach), makes you feel hungry when you don't really need to eat, and the hormone leptin (produced by fat tissue) when decreased, urges you to keep eating although you've already gotten all the calories you need.

Ref: Cell Metabolism April 2005, Volume 1, Issue 4: 279-286, Medical News Today April 12, 2005

What should you do?

The HealthNOW program isolates the root cause of sleep issues. Whether it's caused by a food sensitivity, a hidden infection or a hormonal imbalance, we'll diagnose it and assist you to get the restful sleep your body needs to ensure good health.

Please contact us if you need help in this area or know anyone who does.

To your good health,
Dr Vikki Petersen

Caffeine - Making you tired and Fat

Did the title get your attention? Good.

When we suggest that a patient removes caffeine from their diet we often receive a less than enthusiastic response. The patient is concerned about getting a headache, feeling tired and losing their "edge".

These same patients, if compliant, are startlingly amazed when they find that without caffeine they are more energetic, sleep better, are mentally "sharper" and begin losing weight!

Caffeine is a stimulant so when you initially ingest it you're going to get increased energy metabolism. But those effects are temporary. Let's look at what happens long term.

Consider this: It's 3 pm in the afternoon and you're feeling tired. You're having trouble concentrating and if you could do whatever you wanted you would find a nice couch and take a nap. But that's not possible so you reach for some caffeine. Sound familiar?

Okay. The real problem is that it's only 3 pm in the afternoon. Why are you tired? There are many underlying reasons but the most obvious one is that your adrenal glands, which are responsible for making adequate adrenaline, are unable to keep up with demand and you therefore have insufficient energy.

Caffeine seems like a great "solution" but in the long run it only weakens the exact part of the body we're trying to repair - the adrenal glands. When the adrenal glands are fatigued, caffeine only stresses them further. And caffeine over a long period of time will act as a stressor to even healthy adrenal glands.

Symptoms of Adrenal Exhaustion

• Interruptions in sleep
• Difficulty waking in morning
• Fatigue
• Joint and muscle aches
• Weight gain that is resistant to diet or exercise
• Frequent infections
• Lightheadedness/fainting
• Depression/mood swings
• Low blood sugar
• Poor concentration/memory
• PMS/menstrual abnormalities
• Allergies (environmental)
• Asthma

If you saw yourself in any of the above symptoms try removing caffeine for a few weeks and see what happens - you'll be glad you did! Replace it with green or white tea or just nice clean water.

If you get a headache it normally lasts 1 to 3 days and never reappears (as long as you don't start consuming caffeine again).

Please let us know if you have any questions.

To your good health,
Dr Vikki Petersen, DC, CCN

Splenda Health Risks Revealed!

A recent study from the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health examined the effects of Splenda revealing that it decreased good intestinal bacteria by 50%.

This is very significant and should concern all who consume it. Why? Let's look at what intestinal bacteria do for you.

Benefits of intestinal bacteria:

1. They keep your immune system strong and vital.
2. They help you to digest food so that you can obtain nutrients from what you're eating.
3. They produce substances that help you to successfully fight off and eliminate unhealthy bacteria, viruses and cancers.

You have a trillion cells in your body, yet your intestinal bacteria outnumber them. The weight of these bacteria in your gut totals about 3 to 5 pounds. 70% of your immune system is housed in your intestines.

Now imagine that the defense army that protects you from bad bacteria and cancer cells is suddenly cut in half! That is the significance of this new research.

Weight Gain

It has been well established that artificial sweeteners as a whole lead to weight gain predominantly through their ability to impair your appetite regulation. This particular study revealing decreased gut bacteria only compounds the weight gain problem since studies support that good bacteria create a substance called leptins (chemical messengers) which let us know when we've eaten enough. Without adequate amounts of good bacteria leptins decrease and we're more likely to overeat due to altered signaling.

Here at HealthNOW we doctors we spend a great deal of our time trying to increase and balance this critical gut ecosystem. Poor food choices, infections, use of antibiotics all whittle away this critical component of health.

Having this study released that confirms Splenda literally annihilates by half a trillion the number of good bacteria in your intestine should be cause not only for concern but outrage. You've been told that it's safe by virtue of the FDA approving it for human consumption, right?

A little investigating into the "studies" conducted to determine the safety of this product might also be quite eye-opening.

Splenda's approval by the FDA was given after it reviewed more than 110 animal and human safety studies. It turns out that only two of these studies were conducted on humans and the longest one lasted only four days and evaluated only 36 men total!

Despite the fact that 36 people doesn't sound like a lot, it gets worse: only 23 total were actually given sucralose for testing, and the longest trial at this time had lasted only four days, and looked at sucralose in relation to tooth decay, not human tolerance.

Based on one human study of 6 men, the FDA generalized the findings to include everyone including women, children, the elderly, and those chronically ill.

The FDA states they have reviewed over 100 studies conducted on Splenda but in truth the vast majority of these were on animals. Even the animal studies revealed problems, including:

• A 23 percent death rate in rabbits, compared to a 6 percent death rate in the control group
• Spontaneous abortions in nearly half the rabbit population given sucralose, compared to zero aborted pregnancies in the control group
• Decreased red blood cells -- sign of anemia.
• Increased male infertility by interfering with sperm production and vitality, as well as brain lesions at higher doses

Further, the web site The Truth About Splenda lists a variety of consumer complaints, such as:

• Weight gain
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Migraines
• Seizures
• Dizziness
• Allergic reactions
• Blurred vision
• Blood sugar increases

Reference: Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health A. 2008;71(21):1415-29