According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2014, more than 2 in 3 American adults were overweight, and 1 in 13 were obese. (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
We can contribute those statistics to our overwhelming addiction to sugar. What does your daily consumption look like? You may be surprised to find how much sugar is hidden in the things you consume almost daily. That grande vanilla latte – 34 grams of sugar – that’s over 2 Tablespoons. Add a blueberry scone to the order and you’re passing 50 grams of sugar and it’s not even 9am!
Obviously there’s a considerable amount of sugar in things like doughnuts and candy bars – but most of us are consuming sugar hiding in our processed foods and condiments. Did you know ketchup has about 3g of sugar in each Tablespoon?

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a...

Over the years we’ve seen numerous women throughout and following their pregnancy.  Many of these women bring their newborns in for treatment as well.  As we check in with mom we always check in to see how their babies are doing.  Are they sleeping enough?  Are their cries satisfied with changing or being fed? Are they pooping enough or too much?

As simple as these questions are, there are many times the answers are no to more than one of the above questions.  When a baby is struggling, the first question has to lead to diet of baby and mom.  If our patient is breast feeding, then we need to address her diet to find out where the babies distress is coming from.  

There are many foods that infants prove to be sensitive to causing symptoms such as colic, sleeping difficulties, diarrhea, constipation, digestive distress and gas.  Every patient is different, but the first foods to remove from the diet include:

• Beans
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• ...

We all know that the foods/drinks we consume contribute to the body shape we carry around. Did you know that even “healthy” foods can be inflammatory? Depending on the health of your gut you could be consuming organic, grass fed, wild caught, prairie raised eggs, fish, meat and fruits/vegetables that don’t agree with you so they cause inflammation in your body and thus you hold onto extra weight.

The eight most inflammatory foods include: Soy, Wheat, Dairy, Sugar (Alcohol), Peanuts, Eggs, Corn, Artificial Sweeteners.  Minimizing or completely eliminating the foods above will help you to drop a few extra pounds of inflammation. 

Not sure or want concrete evidence that your body doesn’t react well to those inflammatory foods? You have two options - complete an elimination diet or run a food sensitivity testing panel. Both will help you decide which specific diet modifications are right for you.

Studies show that upwards of 75% of Americans are...

Did you know that there are 11 deaths reported with the use of 5-hour Energy and at least 5 deaths reported for the use of Monster Energy Drinks?  It is important to note that the details surrounding these deaths are not all cited, so there is great possibility of adverse reactions of energy drinks with medications and/or alcohol.  

Energy drinks do not provide energy, such as the type we get from carbohydrates for example.  They provide caffeine, a stimulant to your nervous system.  The goal of an energy drink is to boost your mental alertness, appearing as an energy boost.

Consumerlabs.com privately tested the caffeine levels in some popular energy drinks.  

• 8-Ounce Cup Of Coffee: 95 milligrams

• Monster Energy M-3 Super, 5-Ounces: 206 milligrams

• 5-Hour Energy, 2-Ounces: 206 milligrams

One of the problems with energy drinks is the quick uptake of such high levels of caffeine.  Most people may have more than one cup of coffee a day, but they drink...

Every patient that has come into our office has heard about some form of arthritis. Whether that is osteoarthritis, arthritis, or the infamous rheumatoid arthritis. But when asked if they knew the difference between them, there is always a slight pause followed by silence. This blog is going to go more in depth about rheumatoid arthritis and explaining what the signs and symptoms are as well as treatment options.

Before getting into signs and symptoms let us discuss some basic information about the body.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system – which normally protects its health by attacking foreign substances like bacteria and viruses – mistakenly attacks the joints. This creates inflammation that causes the tissue that lines the inside of joints (the synovium) to thicken, resulting in swelling and pain in and around the joints. The synovium makes a fluid that lubricates joints and helps them move smoothly and prevents...

Contrary to popular belief, you can sustain a whiplash injury from more than just being rear ended!  Whiplash is an acceleration/deceleration injury…meaning, it’s a rapid forward and backward (or side to side) movement of the head and neck.  Although most common to occur during a car accident, whiplash is known to occur in other situations, especially sports such as football, gymnastics and boxing.

Whiplash is deceiving because after your vehicle is rear ended, you may feel pain quickly or you may not develop symptoms for several hours, weeks or even MONTHS!  This type of injury can occur at speeds as low as 5mph!  Whiplash is so dangerous because it can affect not only muscles, but ligaments, tendons, discs, joints, nerves AND your brain.

After an accident most people opt to visit their primary care or the ER.  It is important to note that the ER and primary docs are looking for fractures after a car accident.  Your...

What causes heat exhaustion and heatstroke?

Heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke, occur when your body can’t keep itself cool. As the air temperature rises, your body stays cool when your sweat evaporates. On hot, humid days, the evaporation of sweat is slowed by the increased moisture in the air. When sweating isn’t enough to cool your body, your body temperature rises, and you may become ill.

What is heat exhaustion?

Heat exhaustion happens when your body gets too hot. It can be caused by physical exercise or hot weather. You may experience:

• Heavy sweating
• Feeling weak and/or confused
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Headache
• Fast heartbeat
• Dark-colored urine, which indicates dehydration

What should I do if I think I have heat exhaustion?

If you think you have heat exhaustion, get out of the heat quickly. Rest in a building that has air-conditioning. If you can’t get inside, find a cool, shady place. Drink plenty of water or other fluids. Do NOT drink...

Although many people feel that Apple Cider Vinegar is something new on the health scene, it’s actually been around since 400 B.C.  Hippocrates, Father of Medicine, treated his patients with it!  Apple Cider Vinegar has been traced back to Egyptian urns and even Julius Caesar’s army used it to fight off disease.

Apple cider vinegar is made from fresh, crushed apples which are allowed to mature and ferment naturally in wooden barrels.  Natural ACV is brown in color, usually has a cobweb-like substance floating in it and never needs to be refrigerated.  It often has a very pungent odor and may even cause you pucker!  These are all good signs of a natural ACV!  That cobweb-like substance is called the “mother” and that is where all the benefits are found.

You may have noticed over the last few years it has become harder to find natural ACV.  Stores took some of them off their shelves because consumers buy based on...

I run into clients that are not regularly eating breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Just like most of you my schedule is hectic and limited. At least two days a week I’m out of the house by 6 am and do not return before 8pm. It’s imperative that I start with a healthy breakfast so keep me going on those 14 hour days. I often start the other 5 days with a 60-90 minute workout heavy on weight lifting. So how do I do it? How do I have time to make such a complete breakfast? What do I eat before/during/after workouts?  I often get asked by clients and friends alike what goes into my protein shake. So here are the answers.

Base: I keep it simple and easy and start with water. Depending on the amount of frozen ingredients I’ll use between 4-6 oz of filtered water. If I’m making the shake for my husband or company I’ll sometimes substitute some of the water for coconut or almond milk – just to mix it up a bit.

Veggies:...

Shopping for the right supplements can be an overwhelming task.  Nearly every store has an aisle from floor to ceiling filled with hundreds of different brands.  Not only are stores carrying supplements, BUT you can buy them off infomercials and individual sales companies.  Where do you start and who do you trust?

Supplements can most definitely help recovery time, improve energy and aid in nearly every function of the body; IF you are taking the right type.  The number one reason I hear in the office for why people stopped taking their supplements is they didn’t “feel” a difference.  Pending on the purpose and the quality of the supplement you will not always “feel” a change within your body.

If you take anything away from this blog post please know that generic supplements aren’t even worth the $5.00 that you paid.  I hate to put it so bluntly, but they are the lowest quality on the market.  The FDA...