WHICH ROAD ARE YOU TRAVELING?

Which Road Are You Traveling?
By Dr. Paula L. Ruffin

I just returned from Chicago where I received a certification as a First Line Therapy Therapeutic Lifestyle Physician. I realize now more than ever the importance of helping people reduce their risk of chronic diseases. A “therapeutic lifestyle” means making choices every day that will enhance your health and help prevent disease, enabling you to achieve a full, healthy life. We’ve all heard about doing things in moderation but even a little arsenic in moderation isn’t good!

Good Health
Isn’t that what everybody wants? We all would love to live a life with high energy, mental clarity, full function, and absence of disease well into old age. For those whose health is severely compromised, this may sound like a dream. However, research now confirms that many of today’s diseases are truly a result of lifestyle choices which means that you are not a victim of your family’s genetic path. You are merely the driver choosing the roads that turn on or off your genes. Your choice to drive a healthy road will keep the healthy genes turned on. Regardless of your current health situation, it is possible to turn onto the healthy road

Based on Science
First Line Therapy Therapeutic Lifestyle Program is based on extensive scientific research demonstrating that many of today’s chronic diseases associated with aging can be prevented or even treated by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Therapeutic lifestyle programs are now recommended by leading health organizations as a primary therapy for individuals with many conditions such as:

• Heart Disease
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Stroke
• Osteoarthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Cancer
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Fatigue disorders
• Polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS)
• PMS
• Menopause
• Other hormone-related symptoms
• Conditions related to overweight and obesity
• Stress-related disorders
• Metabolic syndrome

Fundamentals of Healthy Lifestyle Change begin with:
• Knowledge of a healthy lifestyle
• Balanced eating habits
• Regular physical activity
• Appropriate nutritional supplementation with condition-specific nutrients
• Stress management for internal balance
• Sleep for proper mind/body functioning

It is the orchestration of the fundamentals that what will help ensure your success in finding a healthier path. It’s simple when you have the information necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle and an “orchestra leader” to keep you on track. The end result is a program that not only helps control premature aging, but also helps to prevent chronic disease and prolong vitality.

Getting Started
In order to measure your progress, you first need to know your current health. Assessments may be performed, including a measurement of your body composition (the ratio of your body fat to your lean muscle mass). Excess body fat can greatly increase your health risks. Conversely, a higher ratio of muscle increases your metabolism and is associated with a lower incidence of illness.

Perhaps the most powerful tool in controlling the aging process and restoring vitality is to improve your muscle-to-fat ratio (body composition). But that doesn’t mean just a bodybuilding program in the traditional sense of the word. Proper nutrition and a healthy diet can give you a workout inside your body, requiring only a simple plan of physical activity to help you reach your health goals. Many weight loss programs only use a scale to measure progress. But, if you’ve lost 10 pounds, was it fat, muscle, or both? Because of its importance for our immune system we can’t afford metabolically to lose muscle mass. So, the more important issue is how is your body composition changing? Some people may not need to lose any weight. They may just need to change their body composition to improve their health. In a First Line Therapy Program your body composition will be closely monitored to ensure your body composition is changing for the better.

More people are getting sick at a younger age with diseases that are lifestyle related. By committing to an actual therapeutic lifestyle change program you are taking the first step toward better health. Understanding the importance of making better choices and reducing your risk factors will offer you better health now and for a lifetime. Start your new year off by traveling the healthy road. It’ll be a year to remember!

Dr. Paula L. Ruffin has been in private practice at New Hudson Chiropractic Wellness Center for over 8 years. She is a Certified First Line Therapy Therapeutic Lifestyle Physician and specializes in chiropractic health, nutritional and hormone balancing, weight loss. www.drruffin.com.

PART 2: Not All Supplements Are Created Equal. What Are You Putting in Your Body?

Eat your vegetables. Cut down on sweets and fats. Drink plenty of water. We’ve all heard these things as a way to improve our health. The truth is, there is always something more we can do to improve our body’s function. Optimal nutrition is essential for the healthy functioning of our bodies. Without it, subtle functional changes may occur that impede our progress on the road to vibrant health. Just because you don’t have awareness of any problems, doesn’t mean your body is functioning optimally.

What Does Your Body Need?

The nutrients required to sustain life are proteins, carbohydrates, and fats which supply energy and build tissue. Vitamins and minerals are used in the body in much smaller amounts but are important in the regulation of all your body processes. And, then, of course, we cannot survive without water.

By supplying our bodies with adequate amounts of these nutrients in the proper ratios, we help ensure optimal nutrition and solid foundation for health. We supplement because we don’t receive all the nutrients we need from the foods we eat. According to recent health surveys, few of us consume the recommended five daily servings of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables and most of us don’t even meet the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI). We each have our own unique needs as well so the RDI’s will vary for each individual and, in many cases, are quite inadequate.

Keep in mind 75% of the American population is deficient nutritionally and it takes 6 to 9 months to bring the body to sufficient levels through healthy eating, lifestyle change, and nutritional supplementation. If we only supplemented with the RDI’s, we would have a difficult time reaching sufficient nutrient levels in our bodies.

How Do You Know You Should Supplement?

All of the healthiest people I know supplement and rarely take drugs for illnesses. They understand the human body is capable of optimal health if just given the right tools. If you health is less than optimal then it is even more important to improve your dietary habits and include supplementation in your daily routine.

Some signs of optimal health are:

• High energy
• Ideal weight
• Good muscle development
• Smooth and clear skin
• Glossy, healthy, hair
• Clear eyes
• Normal appetite, digestion, and elimination
• Alert mental functions
• Good sleep habits
• A body that functions well in the absence of drugs (prescription and OTC).

Vitamins and minerals are essential for many bodily processes which include:

• Energy metabolism
• Growth and maintenance of skin, bones, and other tissues
• Immune system function
• Brain function
• Hormone production and regulation
• Detoxification

A single deficiency can interfere with many different body functions and impact your health. Obviously, your first line of defense is to eat a well-balanced diet of wholesome, nutritious foods. But due to our busy lifestyles this can be very difficult at times.

Since there are no FDA requirements on any nutritional supplements they will range from very poor quality to excellent quality or pharmaceutical grade. A company who provides third party assays of their products, performs double blind, placebo controlled, human clinical trials, and only uses the purest of ingredients holds themselves to the highest standard of giving you a quality product that will enhance your health.

So, short of calling each company to ask for third party assays, how do you find supplements without toxic ingredients? I agree it can be difficult. For starters, take this article (along with part 1) with you next time you are at the store. You will need to start reading labels and you may have to begin seeking out more reputable sources for purchasing your products. Professional and/or pharmaceutical grade supplements are typically available through doctors and other health care providers, certified nutrition consultants, and reputable health food stores. Pick and choose wisely if you are at a chain vitamin store. Don’t take the word of the salesperson. Ask if they have a trained professional on staff. (You may want to ask what their training is in also). It may be necessary to seek the advice of a professional in order to receive supplements that are specific for your own health needs.

In the meantime, if any of your current products contain any toxic ingredients they are probably doing nothing for you and in many cases causing you more harm. You have to take much more of a poorly made product to have even a slight impact on your health. Of course this means ingesting more of its toxic additives. You may pay more money in the end for a better product but you will know your money is well spent on a healthier you!

Dr. Paula L. Ruffin has been in private practice at New Hudson Chiropractic Wellness Center for over 8 years. She specializes in chiropractic health, nutritional and hormone balancing, weight loss, and lifestyle management. www.drruffin.com.

PART 1: Not All Supplements Are Created Equal. What Are You Putting in Your Body?

How often do you buy supplements because you can practically get a gallons size for really cheap! We also tend to gravitate towards products with powerful mass marketing campaigns. The truth is, good marketing and cheap prices do not make for a good quality supplement. In fact, what many people don’t realize is many of these mass produced/marketed products can actually do more harm than good. It can spin your brain staring at a wall of supplements and not knowing which product to choose.

I had a patient that was taking a very popular joint supplement. He called it his “miracle supplement”. However, he couldn’t take it at night because it would give him “restless leg syndrome”. I asked him one question to help him realize this product was far from a miracle and was actually harming him. “How can it be a miracle when it creates a massive reaction in your nervous system so badly that it causes your legs to jerk and prevent you from sleeping?” I read the label and there was a whole list of chemical additives. One additive is used to make plastic products and paint. He really didn’t need to read a label to know this was not a good product. He just needed to listen to his body.

Here’s a quick way to tell if the product(s) you have or want to buy are good for you:
1) Start with the ingredient list. If any one product lists dangerous chemical additives then assume the whole product line is made with the same poor quality. Additives to look for are:
a. Dyes of any kind ~ artificial or natural.
b. Avoid any and all artificial sweeteners ~ Acesulfame K, Aspartame, Nutrasweet, Sucralose, Splenda, Saccharin, Phenylalanine.
c. BHA/BHT ~ The National Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organization) has classified this as a possible carcinogen in humans. It is used quite commonly in many foods as well.
d. Caffeine ~ popular in many weight loss products.
e. Polyvinyl Chloride ~ More commonly known as PVC. Need I say more on this? Yes, many companies use this in their products.
f. Chromic Chloride
g. Anything listed with Sulfate/Sulfite ~ i.e. Manganese Sulfate. (Sulfates and sulfites are also commonly used in foods such as dried fruit and meats.)
h. Titanium and/or Zinc Oxide (only acceptable as a reflective agent in sunscreens ~ not meant for ingestion.)
i. dl-alpha tocopherol acetate ~ very poor and cheap form of vitamin E. It is the synthetic form of vitamin E which blocks the absorption of the natural form. Look for the d-alpha form of tocopherol.
j. Any product that blends probiotics (the good bacteria in your gut.) with other ingredients. This should be a stand alone product and always requires refrigeration.
k. Products that claim to “have it all”. Some nutrients prefer more acidity and some prefer more alkalinity for proper function in the body. When you mix these it disrupts their balance and they are simply not viable anymore.

The above list is by no means a complete list of toxic substances. One very popular multivitamin contains many of these dangerous, chemical additives and many more. Most of the chemical additives are classified as carcinogenic (cancer causing) and many are teratogenic (causes birth defects). DO NOT PURCHASE any product if it lists even one of these additives. And AVOID THE WHOLE PRODUCT LINE! If a company is willing to put dangerous chemicals in a product they tell you is good for your health, do you think they have your best interest at hand or does their interest lie more in their bottom line??

Product labeling can be very deceptive. Lesson #1: start reading labels to know what you are putting in your body! And, don’t sacrifice quality for price because what you don’t know CAN hurt you.

Stay tuned for Part 2: Choosing Supplements Wisely ~ What does a good supplement look like?

Dr. Paula L. Ruffin has been in private practice at New Hudson Chiropractic Wellness Center for over 8 years. She specializes in chiropractic health, nutritional and hormone balancing, weight loss, and lifestyle management. www.drruffin.com.

What's All The Hub -bub Over Omega 3 Fats?

What’s all the hub-bub over Omega 3’s??

Patients will commonly ask me which multi vitamin I would recommend. I commonly respond with, “do you take fish oils”? The answer is usually “no”. Many people have heard about the importance of Omega 3 fats in the diet but don’t truly understand how vital they are to our existence.

Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats are considered ‘essential fatty acids’. They are essential to our health but our bodies can’t produce them. We must get them from our diet in balanced amounts. The problem is the typical American consumes on average 20:1 Omega 6 (inflammatory fats ~ meat, cheese, butter, other animal fats.) to Omega 3 (anti-inflammatory, healthy fats ~ fish, olive oil, nuts.) This unbalanced consumption is contributing to many of the diseases in our society today.

Why Omega 3’s? By week 3 in a developing fetus, the brain and nervous system are beginning to develop. This vital system will help control and direct the perfect orchestration of events to bring a baby to full development. The brain and nervous system will feed on all of the mother’s Omega fats in order to develop. If mom is deficient in any way, the fetus will not receive all of the essential nutrients and development could be hindered. With each subsequent child we see more developmental issues if mom is not aware of the significance of having sufficient Omega 3 levels.

America is sick! When the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion compiled their Healthy Eating Index for 1999-2000, their findings were not so great. Only ten percent of the population had a good diet! The other 90% of the population is deficient nutritionally in some way. It can take 6 to 9 months to bring the body’s nutritional state up to sufficient levels that allow one to thrive and not just survive. About ½ of all pregnancies in the U.S. today are unplanned. So, why, then do we wait until we are pregnant to take some form of supplementation?

Fish Oil vs. Flax as Omega 3 sources? Both have great benefit to the body, however, in order for you to recognize the most benefit from flax seed oil, your body must be fully sufficient in it’s nutrients. (Remember only 10% of Americans are). Flax oil requires several conversions in the body to finally reach the useable, beneficial form of Omega 3 fats. If you are deficient in any conversion nutrient (i.e. calcium, magnesium) flax will not make its way to Omega 3. Current research shows us that you need to take 20 times the amount of flax oil to gain the same benefit from fish oil. So, which would you prefer: 1 teaspoon of fish oil or 20 teaspoons of flax oil??

Can’t I just eat fish every day? The answer is simply, no. All the water on our planet has some level of toxin mostly from the use of fossils fuels. If you eat fish every day, you will become toxic and then you’ll have many other issues to deal with! The recommendation for fish consumption for pregnant women is twice per month. Why is it okay for everyone else?

Fish oil is not just for pregnancy. Fish oil has numerous benefits. The brain feeds on these fats and every brain function will benefit ~ mental clarity, focus, concentration, calmness, neurological development, and vision. It is also the best anti-inflammatory on the market so think joint/arthritis pain, injuries, and nerve pain. Other benefits include heart health and circulation. It can help if you have high cholesterol (consider the damaging effects of statin drugs), depression, osteoporosis, dermatitis/eczema, allergies, poor immune function, infertility and the list goes on. It is vital to every cell and every cell function!

With all the pesticide use and genetic modification of our foods it is highly recommended that we all take some form of nutritional supplementation especially ALL women of childbearing years. My basic daily recommendation for everyone is 1500 to 3000mg of Omega 3’s, 2-4000 IU’s of Vitamin D3 (iso form), and a daily multivitamin. Keep in mind that not all supplements are created equal. Because there is no FDA regulation on supplements, quality can range from extremely poor to excellent (considered pharmaceutical grade). Do not sacrifice quality for price! It is best to purchase supplements through a doctor trained in nutrition or a qualified health care practitioner so that your money is well spent.

Next month: Not all supplements are created equal How to choose your supplements.

Dr. Paula L. Ruffin has been in private practice at New Hudson Chiropractic Wellness Center for over 8 years. She specializes in nutritional and hormone balancing, weight loss, and lifestyle management. www.drruffin.com