Vitality Wellness Chiropractic

01/26/2023

Heat therapy also boosts growth hormone, needed for repairing and rebuilding your tissues, joints, skin, and hair. Two 15-minute dry sauna sessions a day increase growth hormone release by 500 percent. Saunas also help your immune system fight infections and cancer and reduce inflammation.

Any type of heat therapy works, including saunas, infrared saunas, steams, hot baths, hot springs, and even hot yoga! Finding a way— even just a hot bath—to regularly boost your temperature is an easy, cheap, and rejuvenating strategy to improve your health span and address the root causes of aging.

To learn more about the effects of heat therapy and how to extend your longevity, pre-order my new book, Young Forever. It’s out on February 21st. YoungForeverBook.com

05/08/2022

One soda per day for a month equals 455 teaspoons of sugar which is over 4 pounds!! That is crazy!! 😣😱

04/25/2022

The USDA's new labeling requirement for bioengineered foods went into full effect on January 1, 2022. Here's what you should look for.

04/22/2022

I recently shared an image and suggested that some types of thyroid medication were safer than others. It got some strong responses and I thought it was worth explaining further.

The main considerations are T4 and T3. The thyroid primly secretes T4 (80-90%). Much (20-80%) of the T4 is made into inactive (reverse) T4. The remainder is made into active T3.

The image I shared showed that some thyroid hormone receptors respond to T4 and some to T3. Quite simply, the body needs both.

All T3 comes from T4, but no T4 comes from T3.

We have medications that are just T4 like Synthroid; those that are just T3 like Cytomel; and those with both like Armour Thyroid.

Thyroid medications are often not needed and they are often not effective. But, when needed, they can be used safely.

The simplest principle to consider is that one should try to restore natural healthy function. If the body is not working right on its own, one should try to help it be in the same state it would be in if it was. In the case of thyroid hormones, our bodies make both T3 and T4 - mostly T4. If one’s thyroid doses not work well enough by itself and they need medication, their blood levels should be similar to those of healthy people free of thyroid disease. This means their TSH, T3, and T4 levels should at least normal if not optimal. T3 only therapy does not make this possible.

The conventional world almost always uses T4 only. Many people do much better when their treatment includes T3.

Some ‘natural’ doctors encourage only T3. They argue that people feel better on it and that it carries no risks. There are some articulate advocates of T3 only therapy, also known as T3 monotherapy. I do believe people should have choices and I don't doubt the sincerity of those who say no other therapy worked as well for them.

My only concern is that many T3 monotherapy advocates go too far and deny that the approach has risks. It does as you'll hear soon from a shocking case story.

For starters, let’s think about how we go about establishing risk.

My son used to walk our property barefoot at night. We warned him about desert critters. He did this for years until he stepped on a scorpion. Even if that never happened, the risk was still there.

It takes much less evidence to suggest a risk than it does to refute a risk.

Case in point - smoking
The majority of smokers don’t get sick. Roughly 51% of smokers have no higher rates of lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, or early death than non smokers.

You can easily point to thousands of examples of smokers who lived long and healthy lives. Yet this does nothing to refute the real risk from smoking.

Before the risks were clearly established, the criteria needed to suggest risk were quite small. A few cases of lung cancer. Some of early heart disease without other apparent risks. These do not prove risk, but the do suggest it. Once risk is suggested, it is reasonable to weigh possible risk into decisions unless large studies clearly refute it.

Some of the last patients I saw when I did patient care were classic examples of the risk from T3 only.

It was sad.

It was a husband and wife, both in their early 40s with 3 school-age kids. They were non-smokers, had reasonable cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure. Neither had family histories of heart disease.

Yet both were in the final stages of congestive heart failure.

There were no treatment options to reverse their condition. They likely had less than a decade to live.

They had been on T3 only therapy for the last 6 years. Before then, neither had any cardiac issues. Their cardiologist attributed their heart disease to their thyroid medication. There were no other factors, that type of heart disease is extremely rare in young people, especially without risk factors. Being spouses, of course they were not biologically related.

Early heart failure is extremely common in certain forms of thyroid disease.

With T3 therapy, their blood panels were not like those in people with normal thyroid function. Both had suppressed levels of TSH and T4. Each of these is independently known to create cardiovascular damage. People with hyperthyroidism from disease or from high doses of thryoid medications have higher rates of heart disease. That is irrefutable.

They were under the care of a doctor who is a well-known promotor of T3 only therapy. He has written that it is completely safe and gave them the same assurances. His evidence of its safety was the fact that he had seen countless patients who did well on it.

Do we know he tracked all patients carefully? Of those who did not do well, did they follow up with him or just change doctors?

He promised them increased energy and easy weight loss. They told me they felt more energy on occasion, but it was hit or miss. Over time, they were more fatigued than before starting T3 therapy. Neither lost weight.

On reviewing their case, it became clear that neither had a diagnosis that would had benefitted from thyroid medication of any type.

I gave suggestions for a transition to safer versions of thyroid medication that included T4 and T3 and were reasonable for their body size. I told them they may not need any thyroid medication long-term but it was possible that the years of the high dose shut down their glands. Only time would tell.

Their lives were already compromised. Neither could walk more than a dozen steps without being winded. They had painfully swollen ankles that got worse throughout the day. They were constantly adjusting medications for their heart conditions. All caused side effects of their own but they were worse off without them.

I asked them if they would have gone on T3 only therapy had they known the risks. The husbands’ face flushed red. He swore and said of course not - they should have been warned.

Let’s say they did feel that T3 only was helpful and by 5 years into therapy had no obvious signs of harm. Shouldn’t they have still been warned?

I have nothing to gain personally by sharing unpleasant stories. If anything I would gain a much larger following if I promoted popular views and did not disagree with my peers.

But I can’t do that. I see so many examples of people given dangerous treatments without ever being warned. I can’t let that happen to you.

04/06/2022

A new study published in a special issue of the journal iScience links low doses of antibiotics around birth to significant changes in the infant microbiome. But not just that, neurological concerns as well! 🧠

“This research, “Effects of Early-Life Penicillin Exposure on the Gut Microbiome and Front Cortex and Amygdala Gene Expression,” may help explain the disturbing rise in neurodevelopmental disorders that we’re seeing in children in the United States and other industrialized countries around the world.”

In other words, due to antibiotic exposure, “the gut-brain axis is perturbed leading to organizational effects that permanently alter the structure and function of the brain,” according to the scientists.🤯

None of this is new to us practicing integrative and functional medicine, but I am glad to see it circulating for others to see.

1/3 of babies receive antibiotics before, during or after delivery in our country! 1/3‼️ Their microbiome is set up poorly from the start and there is no follow up to fix it. And even worse, antibiotics account for 80% of the medication that women consume during pregnancy; again altering the microbiome (prophylactic antibiotics included).

Here are some of the articles ⬇️⬇️

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004221007653

https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/iscience/special-issue/102L86PHVSM

Photo credit:SBS

04/04/2022

Let me start by saying this title may be slightly misleading - there’s no ‘one size fits all’ job description for a postpartum doula. The offering of every doula differs slightly, and every motherhood journey is different. I’ve trained thousands of professional postpartum carers, and it always surprises me how different they all are!

Technicalities aside, the overarching purpose of a postpartum doula is to help women step into the role of ‘new mother’ with confidence and satisfaction. As non-medical professionals, we provide emotional and physical support during this life-changing transition.

If you’re curious about becoming a postpartum doula, let’s delve deeper into what this job title actually means.

Doulas Versus Postpartum Doulas

I typically get one of two responses when I say I’m a doula: people either have never heard of the word before and say, “Oh, a jeweller! How Lovely.” Or they ask, “How many births have you been to?” I don’t make jewellery and I’ve never been to a birth.

It’s safe to say many people are still unfamiliar with the work doulas do - let alone the different types of doulas that exist!

As the name suggests, a postpartum doula accompanies the mother after the birth of the child. We work alongside women after childbirth, supporting them to navigate this new stage of life. I also like to refer to postpartum doulas as ‘postpartum support professionals’ or simply ‘postpartum professionals’. You can also switch out the word postpartum for postnatal and it means the same thing.

A postpartum doula differs from a birth doula, who provides support and assistance before and during labour and childbirth. There are also doulas for death, abortion, grief and loss.

What Does A Postpartum Doula Do?

How long is a piece of string? The work of a postpartum professional is varied and fluid, making it all the more magical. Their sole purpose is to support women during the motherhood journey; some like to say that doulas’ mother the mother’.

In the past community would come together to support new mothers. Now we live in nuclear families and culturally don’t have much understanding of women’s needs after childbirth. Sadly many new parents feel isolated, overwhelmed and exhausted.

We support new parents to bond with their baby and spend time together. We help parents deeply understand their child’s personality and temperament and feel confident in their unique parenting style. We provide companionship and emotional support to mothers by actively listening, providing a shoulder to cry on, and simply sharing a cup of tea and laughter.

Emotional support is a given with every visit and the number of sessions varies depending on the mother’s needs. Some postpartum professionals visit for a few hours during the day, whilst others work overnight.

Branching out beyond emotional support, a postpartum support professional helps navigate parenting decisions by providing evidence-based information about basic baby care and normal breastfeeding. Of course, we will always make referrals where appropriate, preventing longer-term problems. An excellent postpartum doula will have a ‘little black book’ of resources, professionals, and hotlines to ensure families get timely and accurate support,

Postpartum support affects not only the mother and baby, but the whole family. Having a baby is a big transition for everyone, from partners to siblings and extended family. A postpartum professional is well-versed in navigating family dynamics and will use this understanding to support positive communication. A postpartum doula can also assist if the mother needs help setting boundaries or managing visitors.

We also seek to create sustainable support systems around the mother; after all, an entire community would come together to support new mothers in the past. Nowadays, we can try our best to recreate this magic and build a community by connecting the new parent with fellow families, classes and groups. It takes a village to raise a mother, and part of our job as postpartum doulas is to build the villages we’ve lost.

A Look into a Postpartum Professional’s Job Description

There are many facets to a postpartum professional’s role. After all, our purpose is to bring comfort and joy to new mothers, and this can look different for everyone.

For example, some doula services include massage, breastfeeding support, baby massage instruction, food preparation, and building your ‘village,’ to name a few. I like to think of a buffet - various services are available depending on the client and how she’s feeling on any given day. One client might want her doula to cook loads of food, but another will be better supported with a massage. Some clients will want both, and others will want one thing on one day and a different thing on the next! We do what brings our clients peace and joy...

Read More Here: https://newbornmothers.com/blog/what-does-a-postpartum-doula-do-a-look-into-their-job-description

03/30/2022