Statin Medications Are Not The Answer

If you have read most of my other newsletters you will already know, lowering your cholesterol can be very dangerous and unhealthy for you. Your body and your brain NEEDS cholesterol to function. Every symptom is the body doing the right thing at the right time. Your liver is producing more cholesterol to help protect your brain and also to make every hormone in your body, and these are just some examples.

An article done years ago, entitled, "Statins for stroke prevention: disappointment and hope" had been published in the peer reviewed journal Circulationin 2004. In the article, the authors point out that "Epidemiological and observational studies have not shown a clear association between cholesterol levels and all causes of stroke." So they set out to discover if lowering cholesterol levels was an effective way to decrease the risk for strokes.

The researchers combined the data from nine different trials that studied the effect of statin drugs to reduce strokes. The trials included 70,070 men and women. The findings were worse than dismal for the drugs. Overall, statin drugs decreased the risk less than 1% of the time. The authors concluded, "Statins have not yet been shown to reduce stroke risk in the typical general population, nor have they been shown to prevent recurrent stroke in patients with prior stroke."

So -  if its not cholesterol causing strokes, what is it then? It's not the cholesterol, its the INFLAMMATION of the cholesterol. If your cholesterol is low but that cholesterol inflames, it will thicken up, harden up, and it can create a stroke or heart attack.

The key to diminishing your chance of a stroke or a heart attack is STOPPING and REDUCING your inflammation.

Here are the steps to reducing inflammation.

1. Follow ML advanced plan eating. This diet keeps your sugars low, reduces your bad fats and increases your foods that bring down inflammation. (Recipes and step by step instructions of the diet are in our Maximized Living Nutrition book)

 

Increase supplements that reduce inflammation:

2. Balance your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Take ML Optimal Omega!

3. Curcumin/Turmeric is a scientifically proven inflammation buster. A 2004 study published in the journal Oncogene found that curcumin (found in turmeric) was found to be an effective alternative to allopathic drugs as an anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative agent against tumor cells. Be sure to buy the organic non-irradiated version of this healing spice.  
Get Daily Defense!

4. Like turmeric, ginger is also a powerful anti-inflammatory food. Ginger contains potent anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols. The February 2005 issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine reported that ginger suppressed the main pro-inflammatory compounds cytokine and chemokine.

5. Fix your Gut. Probiotics are necessary to maintain a healthy flora balance between good and bad bacteria in your gut, enabling your immune system to function effectively. Probiotics also relieve intestinal inflammation. Your gut and the probiotic organisms who live there comprise 80% of your immune system. A study published in Pathogens, a publication of the Public Library of Science, demonstrated the anti-inflammatory and pathogen protection benefits of probiotics beyond the gastrointestinal tract. This is an amazing product to help heal the gut. Get Max GI!

Does Your Sunscreen Cause Cancer?

Summer is here and we’re cautioned to use sunscreen at all times in order to protect our skin from the sun’s harmful rays. The funny thing is, most of the sunscreens on the market can potentially be more harmful to our bodies than the sun is.

Although sunburns and too much UV exposure are absolutely not healthy for our skin, it’s pretty ironic that the very thing we’re told to do to protect ourselves – applying generous amounts of chemical-laden sunscreen – can actually contribute to cancer and disrupt our hormonal functioning. Makes you re-think your habit of slathering on sunblock before going into the sun, right?

While I don’t recommend prolonged laying in the sun, getting 15-30 minutes of the sun's rays (without sunscreen) can be very beneficial, depending on where you live and the time of day! The skin needs to be bare and sunblock-free in order to optimize production of all-important vitamin D, which is crucial for immune system function and cancer prevention. After 15-30 minutes, though, it’s important to protect yourself from burns. Make sure to wear a hat, protective clothing, and choose a healthier, safer sunscreen.

More and more research is proving that raising the minimum year-around serum 25(OH)D level to 40 to 60 ng/mL would prevent approximately 58,000 new cases of breast cancer and 49,000 new cases of colorectal cancer each year, and three fourths of deaths from these diseases in the United States and Canada, based on observational studies combined with a randomized trial. Such intakes also are expected to reduce case-fatality rates of patients who have breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer by half.

The best way to raise your Vitamin D levels is to supplement Vitamin D3.
Recommendations:
Adults - 5000ius day
Children - 2000ius day

The best Vitamin D3 is MaximizedLiving® Vitamin D3 + Probiotics® it is a whole food formula featuring 5,000 IU of Vitamin D3, 10 billion CFU of Probiotics and FOS Prebiotics.  Pick up this week in our office, we have a limited supply, or click here to order NOW!

One of the Healthiest ways to START your DAY!

Why do I begin EVERYDAY with a glass of room temperature filtered water (24 ounces) with 1/2 - 1 lemon squeezed in it?

The way you start each day is incredibly important. Most people don't realize what you do first thing in the morning matters and it matters a lot! It's so simple and the benefits are AMAZING. Water with lemon produces clean energy by hydrating and oxygenating the body to extraordinary energy and mental clarity.

Room temperature water with lemon benefits:
1. Boosts your immune system - Lemons are high in Vitamin C and potassium. Vitamin C is great for fighting colds and potassium stimulates brain and nerve function and helps control blood pressure.

2. Balances pH - Lemons are an incredibly alkaline food, believe it or not. Yes, they are acidic on their own, but inside our bodies they're alkaline (the citric acid does not create acidity in the body once metabolized). This will help you begin your day balancing your pH and most of you know how important this is to your health as well as cancer prevention.

3. Helps with weight loss - Lemons are high in pectin fiber, which helps fight hunger cravings. It also has been shown that people who maintain a more alkaline diet lose weight faster.

4. Aids digestion - The room temperature water serves to stimulate the gastrointestinal tract and peristalsis—the waves of muscle contractions within the intestinal walls that keep things moving. Lemons are also high in minerals and vitamins and help loosen toxins in the digestive tract.

5. Helps you detox and flush out faster - Lemon juice helps flush out unwanted materials because lemons increase the rate of urination in the body. Toxins are therefore released at a faster rate which helps keep your urinary tract healthy.

6. Clears skin - The vitamin C helps decrease wrinkles and blemishes. Lemon water purges toxins from the blood which helps keep skin clear as well.

7. Hydrates the lymph system - When your body is dehydrated, or deeply dehydrated (adrenal fatigue) it can't perform all of it's proper functions, which leads to toxic buildup, stress, constipation, and the list goes on. Your adrenals happen to be two small glands that sit on top of your kidneys, and along with your thyroid, create energy. They also secrete important hormones, including aldosterone. Aldosterone is a hormone secreted by your adrenals that regulates water levels and the concentration of minerals, like sodium, in your body, helping you stay hydrated. Your adrenals are also responsible for regulating your stress response. So, the bottom line is that you really don't want to mess with a deep state of dehydration!





Now, go get some water and lemons!

Cholesterol High? Your chance of Alzheimer's and Brain Cancer reduces!

Cholesterol High? Your chance of Alzheimer's and Brain Cancer reduces!

Did your recent blood test show you have high cholesterol? Does it mean your going to have a heart attack?

I'm going to sum this up! What is HDL and LDL?
HDL and LDL are carriers (containers) to carry cholesterol to vital organs of your body.

Example:
When your body needs to make more ESTROGEN, the brain recognizes it, the brain sends cholesterol to the ovaries and then the ovaries can make estrogen but NOT UNTIL there is CHOLESTEROL.

Every time you have to think, your brain HAS to have cholesterol to make synapses and for communication between every synapse in your brain to occur. So if want to THINK?
Your brain needs cholesterol.

The importance of cholesterol for the brain:
*The brain is only 2% of the bodies weight but it contains 25% of the cholesterol to support brain function.
*Cholesterol in the body and the brain serves as a powerful antioxidant and protects the body and the brain from damaging effects of free radicals. (when free radicals affect the brain they have the ability to create brain lesions, brain tumors, brain cancer, parkinson's, dementia and Alzheimers.)

So in essence - Cholesterol is ABSOLUTELY necessary for the brain to function and the less healthy fat and cholesterol you bring in to the body through diet and the lower your cholesterol is - The chance of brain disorders and sickness occurs!

Should you stop checking your cholesterol?
NO!

Cholesterol being high or low is just a symptom and a warning sign.
The most important blood tests you can get a long with cholesterol is CRP and Homocysteine. Both of these are inflammatory tests, if you have high cholesterol or low cholesterol and your CRP and Homocysteine is high, your chance of a heart attack or stroke increases.
It is not your cholesterol, it is the inflammation of cholesterol.

Screw The Scale

I know, it is all about the number, right? WRONG!

As a culture we have gotten so stuck on the fact that we have to be a certain weight, and it is based on how we "feel" about the number or what the chart on a wall says. It is craziness.

Although there is a epidemic of obesity in our country, I believe that there is an equally dangerous epidemic. This epidemic has not hit the mainstream media yet, but it is called, skinny fat. Commonly seen in teenage girls or middle aged women. The problem is that they may be skinny but they have very little muscle mass and they eat crap (low cal or reduced fat). So now they are skinny but sick.

I see it everyday, some of the "lightest" people are the sickest most diseased people in my clinic.

As you begin to transform your lifestyle (mindset/stress, nervous system, nutrition, exercise, and detoxing), your body begins to change. Instead of just looking at the scale to see if your getting results, ask yourself if your clothes are fitting better.

When you focus on getting healthy, the results that you desire to have last month begin to come your way. Remember, we are a last month, easy to do, free culture...Guess what? HEALing talks longer than a month, can be difficult to do, and it costs money. It is literally easier to be sick our culture than it is to be healthy.

It is all about going after HEALth. It is worth it. Trust me.

So, screw the number on the scale...Get well and all else will follow...Maybe even the number, but who really cares anyway

What Does Raw Meat Have To Do With A Fever?

Would you eat raw meat? NO! You would cook the meat to get rid of any bacteria that may be in the meat. You essentially created a fever in the meat! Crazy, huh?

What about a fever? What should I do? My Doctor tells me to take Tylenol. When is it too high?

This are the questions that I have been asked a few times this week! Let's take a look at the answers .

Fevers are your body doing exactly what it is suppose to do at the perfect time. What does that even mean, right?

When your body has a fever, it is trying to kill off any bacterias or viruses. It is your immune system burning out the bad things, it is your body HEALing!

Honor your symptoms...We are taught that if you have a fever to lower it with Tylenol! That is just flat out wrong. If you have a fever, you should monitor it but you must understand that your body is doing what it is suppose to do to get you HEALthy.

Here is what can/should you do to when you have fever...
1. Monitor the temp...Monitor to be sure that you or your child do not get lethargic. It is not about how high the number gets, its about what you do with it and how your body responds.

2. Hydrate with 100% Water (not juice, tea, sports drinks, etc.). This means you need to drink water - half your body weight in ounces of water per day. If you are having a hard time getting water into your body, take a warm bath! Your body will actually absorb the fluids to prevent dehydration

3. Do not feed the infection...No sugars or grains!

4. Vitamin C & Vitamin D3 helps the immune system and will help the fever break!

5. Chiropractic Adjustments are essential helping the HEAL!

As you grill your healthy animal meats this summer, remember to let your body cook out the bacteria and viruses in your own body as well.


You Are HEALing,

Dr. Nick Barnes
www.drnickbarnes.com

Do You Have A Bluetooth System Inside Of You?

I know it sounds like a crazy question but let's dissect this...

Some of you think that I am going to discuss the fact that technology is everywhere and our bodies can't handle it...You are correct! BUT, that is not what this blog is about.

First thing is first...Your body is a fearfully and wonderfully made. It is designed to heal and your body desires to heal. Every single millisecond thousands of chemical reactions are taking place without you being aware of it. YOUR BODY IS AMAZING. You are not broken, you do not have too many organs, you are not sick from a lack of medication, it's not your age or genetics that have gotten you to where you are (good or bad).

What is up with the bluetooth comment? Well, here we go, hold on tight...

Your body, does not have this technology. In my career as a Doctor, I have seen so many people over think their body's design. Although it is amazingly designed by God, it really is quite simple! Do NOT over think your body.

For example, if you have a fever, there is a cause! Your body is trying to burn out a virus or bacteria!

For example, if you have a runny nose/drainage, there is a cause! Your body is trying to remove allergens that have invaded your sinus cavities! 

For example, if you have diarrhea or are vomiting, there is a cause! Your body is trying to remove a virus/bacteria!

It is simple, listen to your body, find the cause, and let the body heal! What controls the HEALing in your body??? Your dial up/wired system...Your Nervous System!

Your brain, spinal cord, and nerves do not operate like a bluetooth! They operate like the old school AOL dial up system - ONLY its super fast! These super fast signals travel from your brain down your spinal cord and across your nerves to every cell, organ and tissue in your body at 300 MPH!

Imagine that! For your stomach to digest food, for your heart to beat, for your lungs to breath, for your body to create a fever when it is suppose to, for your hormones to be balanced, for your bladder to work and to simply LIVE, your NERVE SYSTEM controls everything.

Your skull and spinal column protect this dial up/wired system...If there are any kinks in the dial up/wired system from the spinal column putting pressure/interference on the wires (SUBLUXATION) - the signals from your brain to your organs can not get there at 300 MPH! That is not good...This can cause sickness, symptoms & disease...BUT the worse thing is that 92% of the time, you CAN NOT FEEL SUBLUXATION!

The number one way to see if you have subluxation in your dial up/wired system is to have a corrective care chiropractor due a full exam with x-rays!

Remember, every organ is wired to your nerve system! There is no bluetooth system in your body!

YOU ARE HEALing!

Dr. Nick Barnes

www.HealthFromWithinSTL.com
www.MaximizedLiving.com
www.DrNickBarnes.com