Look Good, Feel Great New York

How Barbara Got Her Energy Back & Lost Weight Too!

2011-02-05T16:18:00.012-05:00

Introducing "UltraSound Body Composition Analysis"

2011-01-28T14:47:00.003-05:00

Santa gave Better Body Solutions a great gift this year, a BodyMetrix which measures the percentage of fat in your body. Some of the benefits include:

- Displaying & Measuring the amount of superficial fat in a specific area of your body

- Comparing that measurement to an "after Zerona treatments" measurement

- Measuring the percentage of Lean Muscle Mass

Here are the interpretive ranges of body fat percentages for men and women.

Males:

5-13% - Athelete
14-18% - Fitness
19-24% - Acceptable
25% and above Obese

Females:

13% - 20% = Athletes
20% - 24% = Fitness
24% - 31% = Acceptable
31% - Over = Obese

If you're goal oriented or like to actually see an accurate ultrasound image of the fat and muscle beneath your skin the BodyMetrix can help motivate you to attain your ideal shape.

We utilize this body composition technology before and after treatment with the Zerona laser. The Zerona, as you know, is proven to remove fat from the fat cells without any surgery, incisions or side effects. The BodyMetrix is a great tool to measure our progress.

The 2-Minute Thyroid: The Second Most Important Thing

2011-01-08T13:28:00.026-05:00

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Hashimoto's Posts

Food Coaching Workshop Calendar - January 2011

2010-12-22T06:53:00.006-05:00

Quite a few patients have expressed the desire to receive help with planning, shopping and preparing tasty foods without spending an exorbitant amount of money or time. Please join us on any or all of the following dates to receive lots of tips to be healthier and look your best. Whether you're trying to lose weight or improve your heath you'll learn a lot at hour long presentation.

Food Coaching Workshops are perfect to help with weight loss, hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's, diabetes and food sensitivities.

The Upcoming Food Coaching Classes for 2011 are as follows:

Tuesday, January 4th

Wednesday, January 12

Tuesday, January 18

Wednesday, January 26

All classes start at 6:30 and are by reservation only. Classes Limited To 10 People. Call 212-286-9098 to reserve a seat. You are welcome to bring friends, family and co-workers.

Each Week We Will Answer Your Questions And Discuss Various Topics Including;
How to plan your meals 1 week in advance.

How to shop for healthy, economical food.

How to prepare tasty, healthy meals.

How to lose weight without being hungry

How to snack for energy

The most important meal of the day

Foods to avoid

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

2010-12-17T12:15:00.002-05:00

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is a common diagnosis for those
who suffer from vertigo. Approximately one-third of all vertigo cases are
diagnosed as BPPV. Symptoms of BPPV include dizziness, lightheadedness,
imbalance and nausea.

BPPV is not the result of a serious pathological condition. Rather, it is caused when crystals of
calcium carbonate known as otoconia (ear rocks) migrate from their normal
position into the semicircular canals of the inner ear . Normally, fluid moves
in the canals when the head is turned. An ear rock immersed in the fluid of the
canal can disrupt normal balance receptors when the head turns, rotates or bends.
This causes information from one side of the head to be different from the
other. The result is BPPV.

A thorough examination is needed to rule out pathological causes of
dizziness, such as stroke, severe hypertension, diabetes, tumors and viral
infections.

The primary test used to diagnose BPPV is the Dix-Hallpike manuver. In this
test, a person lays down with their head turned 45 degrees to one side and
extended about 20 degrees backward. A positive Dix-Hallpike test is noted
when a burst of nystagmus occurs: The eyes jump upward and twist so that the
top part of the eye jumps toward the down side.

There is a good chance of full recovery from BPPV. We use an ear rock
repositioning techniqe called Epleys Maneuver, which will be the subject of
another post.

The Hypothyroid Stomach

2010-12-17T12:07:00.006-05:00

It's hard enough to have symptoms like fatigue or lack of motivation when
you are suffering from hypothyroidism or Hashimoto's, but it is common
to have stomach problem too. Normally, the stomach pH is very acidic but
hypothyroidism tends to slow metabolism in general which, among other
things, causes the parietal cells in the stomach to produce less stomach
(hydrochloric) acid. Proteins cannot be properly digested in this environment
and food putrefies. Secondary organic acids are produced and these acids
can be too acidic even for the tough lining of the stomach.

Over time, lack of proper stomach acid production can lead to
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and ulcers.

In my clinical experience, the majority of hypothyroid patients also have
abnormal cortisol levels at different times of the day. Cortisol is one of
the many hormones involved in the web of chemical events that affect thyroid
metabolism. Cortisol, too, lowers hydrochloric acid production. It thins the
mucous that protects the stomach lining and it inhibits the normal cellular
repair of the stomach. These three factors all can contribute to the poor
digestion experienced by so many hypothryoid patients.

In this way, hypothyroidism indirectly causes gas, bloating, stomach pain,
burning, heartburn, bad breath and other unpleasant symptoms. Poor acidic
content can also interfere with the absorption of B12, iron and folic acid,
which can cause anemia.

When a patient presents with these symptoms we analyze their blood work for
markers that suggest poor protein digestion. We use functional ranges
instead of conventional laboratory ranges because they are generally
narrower. This is useful for detecting abnormal metabolic shifts in
individuals (Lab ranges cannot tell whether a marker is normal and healthy,
only that the marker is within a range established by 95% of the population
of the lab.).

The good news is that once properly diagnosed low stomach acid is usually
fairly easy to correct.

5 Ways A Clean Liver Can Help You Burn Fat

2010-12-07T16:03:00.004-05:00

As part of our new "Turbo-Charged Zerona Cleanse" we take great care to cleanse the liver. Why? If the liver is overwhelmed by the presence of abnormal microbes in the intestine, food sensitivities or abnormal immune function for example, it can’t do one of its most important jobs: keep weight and body fat under control.

Here are five ways this super-organ of detoxification helps keep you slim.

Thyroid
The liver influences hormone activity, which can significantly affect your ability to maintain your desired weight and shape. For example, the liver produces about 80 percent of the active thyroid hormone T3. T3 increases your body's metabolism meaning that you burn more calories when your T3 levels are normal. Some people who suffer from hypothyroidism or Hashimoto's can
have trouble with this conversion.

Inflammation
Every day we are exposed to a variety of external and internal toxins that the liver must neutralize in order to keep us healthy. Buildup of toxins can result in a sluggish liver with decreased fat-burning capacity. This can happen because the inflammation caused by some toxic substances inhibits fat-burning chemicals, or enzymes.

Estrogen
The liver breaks down excess estrogen. Too much of this hormone can cause weight gain. Also, excess estrogen increases the amount of fat the body stores. It does this in a number of ways such as by interfering with normal thyroid hormone activity - causing hypothyroidism.

Cortisol
The liver decreases the amount of circulating cortisol. Cortisol, also know as the stress hormone, is a culprit behind the build-up of abdominal fat. High levels of the hormone interfere with the normal breakdown of fats and increase the activity of enzymes responsible for producing fat. This is why stress can actually make you fat.

Insulin
Similar to cortisol, the liver also keeps insulin levels in check. Too much insulin slows down fat metabolism and causes weight gain.

Chances Are Your Thyroid Gland Isn’t The REAL Issue!

2010-12-07T15:48:00.002-05:00

For 75 to 90 percent of hypothyroid sufferers in the United States the thyroid gland is not at all defective. For this vast majority of patients their thyroid gland is (or was) capable of functioning normally. Yet, they still experience hypothyroid symptoms like fatigue, depression, weight gain, lack of motivation, depression, feeling cold all over, etc. Why is this?

The trouble lies with the immune system.

Normally the immune system attacks foreign antigens (invaders) like viruses and bacteria, but in Hashimoto’s Thyroid the immune system mistakenly recognizes the thyroid gland as an antigen and actively destroys it.

Hashimoto’s is the most common autoimmune disease. It affects approximately 7% of all Americans. If you have Hashimoto’s chances are your immune system is attacking another body structure as well. Common targets of autoimmune disease in the Hashimoto’s patient include the stomach, brain and pancreas. These autoimmune attacks can cause conditions like anemia, vertigo and diabetes respectively.

What You Can Do:

1. Rule out Hashimoto’s with blood tests that look at TPO and TBG antibodies. If these tests are normal don’t be surprised – autoimmune diseases wax and wane. Go ahead and eat plenty of gluten (found in pasta and bread) for 3 weeks. Repeat the tests. Chances are that if you have Hashimoto’s it will show up with these tests.

2. There are other specialty tests that can be run to rule out Hashimoto’s. I cover these on my DVD “Dr. Ungaro’s Healthy Thyroid Program.”

3. Learn what is provoking your immune system. Usually it is a combination of environmental and food sensitivities (think gluten), and abnormal microbes in the intestine.

4. Undergo a comprehensive blood test and ask a doctor who understands the multiple factors underlying Hashimoto’s thyroid to review it.

5. Check out Dr. Kharrazian’s Book, “Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Blood Tests Are Normal?”

Vertigo: Diagnosing an Autoimmune Disorder

2010-11-29T17:08:00.000-05:00

Autoimmunity is the failure of an organism to recognize its own constituent parts as self, which allows an immune response against its own cells and tissues.

Most patients who come to me suffering from vertigo, dizziness or balance disorders have been told that their conventional, allopathic medical doctor can’t help them anymore. They’ve had a number of tests to rule out tumors, strokes, hypertension, inner ear problems, virus and a host of other maladies that can cause vertigo. One area that may be overlooked is abnormalities within the immune system.

Although it isn’t a common diagnosis by conventional practitioners, vertigo can sometimes result from an autoimmune reaction against an area of the brain called the cerebellum. In other words, autoimmunity can cause some cases of vertigo. It should be considered when conventional testing and treatment fails to yield results.

Although autoimmunity is on the rise, conventional testing for many autoimmune conditions is, sadly, deficient. Antibody tests exist for conditions such as Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus and Hashimoto's Thyroid. There are no equivalent tests, however, that are specific to the cerebellum, or even the brain as a whole.

In the absence of targeted tests of an autoimmune response against the brain, some doctors perform other autoimmune tests to try to ascertain whether a patient has an abnormal attack against any part of their body. The problem with this approach is that it’s “hit or miss”, not very specific and not dependable yielding many false negatives. (A false negative means that the patient has an autoimmune response against their brain but the testing suggests otherwise.)

Thanks to fairly new and ongoing research into the immune system it may be possible in the near future to test for antibodies (autoimmune disease) against the cerebellum. Until then, doctors need to keep an open mind what may be causing vertigo or balance problems and run tests that are available. If autoimmunity against the cerebellum is found, there are a number of nutritional strategies which can effectively reduce vertigo and other associated symptoms.

Introducing…The Turbo-Charged Zerona Cleanse

2010-11-27T15:53:00.001-05:00

Earlier this month I went to a conference in San Diego to learn the newest information about weight loss and natural body contouring. One of the presenters described getting great results from the combination of Zerona treatments with a cleanse. So, I came back home determined to put a program together for people who want to lose the maximum amount of weight and/or inches in just 3 weeks.

We're calling it the "Turbo-Charged Zerona Cleanse".

The Zerona Cleanse is for people who are willing to change their diet, eat healthier for three weeks, and takesupplements in order to get their best results.

The Turbo-Charged Zerona Cleanse consists of the following:

1. Nine Zerona laser treatments over a 3-week period.

2. Nutritional support to reduce inflammation, assist in fat burning, enhance weight loss and promote good health. Twice weekly, our staff reviews patient food choices.

3. A diet that is not calorie-restrictive but instead relies upon abundant vegetables and foods high in protein such as fish, chicken, turkey and lamb.

4. Elimination of foods that are known to cause food sensitivities like gluten, soy, dairy, eggs and yeast.

Each patient also receives a comprehensive workbook that provides information about low-level laser therapy, food selection and nutritional supplements. The workbook also includes recipes and a daily food diary.

How good are the results? Well, our first Turbo-Charged Zerona Cleanse patient lost 15 pounds and 9 inches. Not bad for 3 weeks!

Secrets Of A World Class Endocrinologist

2010-11-20T11:41:00.002-05:00

Author and functional medicine doctor, Datis Kharrazian D.C., tells a story about taking a leading expert on endocrinology and thyroid function to lunch. The esteemed doctor is not only the head of the faculty at a prestigious medical school, but he writes endocrinology textbooks that are used nationwide. During the course of their lunch, the following conversation occurs:

M.D.: “What you say about the immune system and the thyroid is very interesting.”

Dr. K: "Yes, it is."

M.D.: (slowly nodding) "Very interesting indeed."

Dr. K: "Yes, it is."

Dr.K: "Do you know how understanding how the immune system causes thyroid problems will impact endocrinology?" (He's excited to hear the answer because so many Americans are suffering from hypothyroid symptoms and the medical treatment hasn’t changed much from the 1950s.)

M.D.: "Not at all."

Dr. K: "How can that be?"

M.D.: "We're endocrinologists, not immunologists."

This is the age of (over) specialization and many specialists can't see the forest for the trees. In other words, they're trained in one specific area—not how one system interacts with other systems in the body.

A functional medicine practitioner offers the best chance of a successful outcome for thyroid patients because he can puzzle together information from specialties that relate to thyroid function, including endocrinology, immunology and gastroenterology, for example.

After all, thyroid problems are very complex. Every cell has a thyroid receptor so the impact of thyroid hormone is felt throughout the body. This is why thyroid patients complain of such diverse symptoms such as lack of motivation, osteoporosis, gall bladder disease, elevated cholesterol or triglycerides, fatigue, headaches, weight gain, feeling cold all over, hair falling out, dry skin, etc.

Some of these problems are capable of further worsening thyroid symptoms creating a viscous cycle. For example, brain function and thyroid metabolism influence each other: Abnormalities in certain areas of the brain affect thyroid metabolism, which can then exacerbate dysfunction in the brain.

It’s important to understand the different approaches of conventional doctors and functional medicine practitioners when seeking treatment for diseases that are complex.

Exercising With Zerona

2010-11-16T16:37:00.001-05:00

Many of our Zerona laser patients have a history of exercising. For some patients exercise is effective at keeping them in shape, but for many others exercise fails to remove fat in "problem areas”.

What Happens When You Exercise

Exercise is work that increases the metabolic rate, which in turn burns more calories. Ideally, calories burned would consist of stored fat, but that is not what happens initially. After the body utilizes the small amount of readily available energy in the form of blood sugar, it turns to glycogen—stored carbohydrates in the liver and muscles.

After approximately 25 minutes of moderate exercise the body will then begin to use fat stores to create energy. Fat is broken down into molecules of water, glycerol and free fatty acids. Free fatty acids are energy dense and break down much slower than blood sugar or stored glycogen. Even if you work out long enough, the fat you’re burning may not be from your problem areas.

You can’t target specific areas through exercise.

What Happens When You Use the Zerona Laser

In contrast, the Zerona laser metabolizes fats in the areas where the laser is pointed. The Zerona Laser liberates approximately 40 to 60 grams of fat in 40 minutes. Since a gram of fat is 9 calories this equates to at least 360 calories of pure fat—and that’s in just one session. Compare that to an exercise session: You may burn between 400 and 600 calories but it won’t be pure fat.

The key to losing the fat for good is increasing metabolic demand around the time of the laser session. We do that through a combination of short-term calorie restriction before the laser treatment and a 10-minute session of whole-body vibration after.

This combination increases the body’s immediate need for energy and fat liberated by the Zerona laser can then be utilized. Lose the fat by exercising immediately after your Zerona session.

I’ve previously blogged about several other strategies to achieve maximum fat reduction. We always work with each individual patient to determine the best strategy for maximum fat reduction. Our latest service is the Turbo-Charged Zerona Cleanse. In this treatment, we combine the Zerona laser with a medically assisted cleanse to burn the maximum amount of fat. More on that later…

What's Your Thyroid Story?

2010-11-16T06:15:00.001-05:00

Many of the patients who have come to our clinic tell a similar story: Nobody believed that they had hypothyroidism. The patient did enough research to learn that their symptoms could be caused by hypothyroidism, but their doctor told them that their blood tests were normal.

As their condition worsened they eventually received a diagnosis of hypothyroidism and were prescribed medications that helped some. Still many hypothyroid symptoms persisted. So they started their journey within the alternative community. Here they were told that they needed a single nutrient like iodine, tyrosine, zinc or a glandular containing an animal source of thyroid gland.

After years of bouncing from one doctor to the next and taking one pill after another hoping that it was the silver bullet that would make a miraculous difference, the thyroid patient begins to lose hope.

Reality check
The vast majority of hypothyroidism sufferers find themselves in this situation—they’re often left without any significant improvement after years of treatment.

The truth is there is no silver bullet.

Your thyroid physiology is complicated and that’s why you probably haven’t gotten the results you’re looking for – no single thyroid pill or nutrient is capable of correcting the widespread dysfunction in the web of chemical reactions throughout the body.

Volumes of peer-reviewed research illustrate the complexities of thyroid physiology. For example, your thyroid function can be influenced by your blood sugar, cortisol (a stress hormone), testosterone, estrogen, the immune system and brain function. A problem in any one system is capable of affecting all other systems.

Ideally, you want to work with a doctor who understands these interactions that are capable of affecting thyroid metabolism. That is, you want someone to unfurl the web. As a patient, you will also need to be willing to follow through and make any necessary changes to your diet and lifestyle to improve your health. There may me no silver bullet but you can still hit the bulls-eye for good health.

Vertigo & Your Blood Sugar

2010-11-14T12:14:00.002-05:00

When I started practicing in 1986 I asked a female patient to perform Rhomberg's Test, in which a patient stands with eyes closed and arms stretched out in front of them like a sleepwalker. If the patient sways or their arms drift from midline, the test is positive—there is a problem. My female patient fell over.

She was later diagnosed with diabetes. To date, this was the most dramatic relationship between balance and blood sugar that I’ve ever witnessed.

Sugar is the brain’s sole source of energy. If blood sugar is too low (hypoglycemia) or high (hyperglycemia) the brain may not be able to function normally. Abnormal blood sugar levels can cause vertigo, dizziness and balance problems. The problem is that hypoglycemia isn't easily diagnosed because:

1. To determine whether or not you have a healthy glucose level, you must fast for 10 to 12 hours before the blood test is performed. Many of my vertigo patients have had their blood tested in a non-fasting state, which often does not accurately reveal abnormal glucose levels.

2. To interpret blood test results, you need to consider the “functional range” for glucose in the body. There is a difference between a functional range and a lab range, the range typically used to interpret blood tests of glucose level. Lab ranges are determined by a statistical analysis of all the blood that goes to a lab. Your glucose level is compared to the glucose levels of all other lab samples. If your glucose level is worse than 95% of the populace, then your test will be flagged as abnormal. Lab ranges for fasting glucose levels are often 60 to 99.

In contrast, functional ranges are based upon what the American Institute Of Chemists determines is a normal range. A functional range is not based on a sick population but rather normal physiology. Functional ranges for fasting glucose levels are 85 to 99.

Remember, in the medical model once pathology is ruled out for a vertigo patient, often a diagnosis of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)—or “inner ear problems” is given. Many patients don't respond to the medication or vestibular rehabilitation for this diagnosis. It's important to consider other factors that can cause or play a role in vertigo—and blood sugar is one of them.

Here are some of the symptoms of abnormal blood sugar levels:

- Craving sweets but eating sweets does not satisfy craving
- Irritability if meals are missed or delayed
- Dependence upon caffeine (coffee/tea) to keep yourself going
- Getting lightheaded if meals are missed
- Eating relieves fatigue
- Fatigue after meals
- Feeling shaky, jittery, tremors
- Feeling agitated, easily upset, nervous, anxious
- Poor memory, forgetful, confusion upon wakening
- Blurred vision
- Bad temper, mood swings
- Waist girth is larger than hip girth

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms along with vertigo, blood sugar abnormalities may be to blame. Talk with a functional medicine practitioner to get the treatment you need.

Hypothyroidism & Your Brain: Depression

2010-11-06T18:36:00.003-04:00

Many patients suffering from hypothyroidism are depressed—they can't think clearly and have trouble with motivation. They have all but given up. For this reason, next to thyroid hormone replacement therapy, anti-depressants are the most prescribed drugs for patients with hypothyroidism.

Why do depression, as well as other cognitive problems, affect individuals with hypothyroidism? There are several possible reasons, which can be found in the brain.

1. Suppressed frontal lobe activity. The frontal lobe is the part of the brain that is referred to as the Executive Center and is responsible for planning, organizing and following through with decisions, recognizing consequences of behavior, and deciding between good and bad.

2. Decreased use of dopamine. Dopamine is responsible for reward-oriented behaviors. Lack of dopamine can cause the feeling of being overwhelmed by stress, hopelessness, preferring to be isolated from others, distraction from tasks, difficulty completing tasks, anger & aggression when under stress, and being tired despite adequate sleep.

3. Increased neurodegenerative changes in the brain. These changes cause premature aging of the brain in hypothyroid patients.

4. Damaged brain tissue. More than 50 percent of patients with autoimmune disease experience an autoimmune attack against more than one part of the body. It is not unusual for a patient with Hashimoto's Thyroid to also suffer an autoimmune attack against the brain.

In our clinic, we specialize in managing hypothyroid patients. We are aware of the detrimental effects of hypothyroidism on the brain and we utilize treatment strategies—nutritional and neurological—to improve cognitive functioning, reduce depression, and counter the aging process.

If you have hypothyroidism, “Don't give up!"

What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know About Vertigo & Your Cerebellum

2010-11-06T17:46:00.003-04:00

The cerebellum, or “little brain” in Latin, is the part of the brain that significantly influences posture, muscle tone and equilibrium. Conventional doctors often fail to evaluate the functional role—they may scan the brain with an MRI but poor cerebellar function cannot be visualized this way.

Chiropractic neurologists recognize that a poorly functioning cerebellum is wholly capable of causing vertigo, dizziness and balance problems. Through a Functional Neurological Evaluation of the patient, they may be better equipped to identify cerebellar problems.

Here are two common ways that cerebellar problems can cause dizziness, vertigo and balance problems:

--A disc injury or pinched nerve can affect normal nerve transmission in the cerebellum (these are typically the cause of vertigo in people under 45 years old). Normally your cerebellum receives input from your muscles, tendons, joints and head movements like tilting. The right side of the cerebellum processes information from the same side of the body and the same goes for the left side. If the information from each side doesn't match up, problems arise.

--Premature aging of the cerebellum can also cause dizziness. Each day we lose thousands of brain cells. If too many brain cells are lost the cerebellum becomes unable to properly process sensory information. In a sense, the brain is like a group of muscles: If one side of the cerebellum is more neurologically active (stronger) than the other this can cause balance problems and vertigo. Thankfully, our brains are capable of re-wiring, an attribute known as neural plasticity, and it is possible to “strengthen” the weaker part of the cerebellum. If you’re over 45, check out this “Brain Game” post.

In general, for you to be balanced, your cerebellum has to be balanced. So, the first step is to undergo an evaluation by someone trained to detect functional imbalances in the cerebellum. It has been our experience that patients who were initially told nothing could be done generally make rapid progress. When it comes to dizziness, vertigo and balance problems, you don’t “just have to live with it.”

The Zerona Effect: Beauty & Health

2010-11-01T12:52:00.006-04:00

I've done more than 300 Zerona laser consultations and it's fascinating to see the variety of people who want to lose fat and weight. There is no demographic for this new "lite" therapy. It seems people of any age and lifestyle appreciate the non-surgical benefits of the Zerona laser.

Because of our location on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue we encounter fashionistas, international tourists, the “bridge and tunnel” crowd, the ladies who lunch, Chelsea men and Tribecca moms, among others. We’ve treated a 14-year old boy who wanted to feel confident in gym class and a woman in her 70s.

Wanting to improve one’s appearance is a universal desire. In other words, patients want to fit in their skinny jeans, or whatever article of coveted clothing fills the maybe-some-day-I’ll-fit-in-to-it-again spot in the back of the closet.

Others hope for a better sex life or they want to please their mate. On rare occasions a patient will have in mind revenge against a former lover, as in "Look what you're missing!"

Liking your body has a close relationship with self-esteem and liking a slender body may have served an evolutionary purpose. Cosmetic reasons to lose fat and weight are often more prevalent, but a flat belly may provide survival advantages. Studies show that even a moderate amount of body fat can jeopardize longevity.

In fact, many serious and fatal diseases show a positive correlation with excess fat. For example, abdominal fat increases the risk of insulin resistance and Type II diabetes, which is at epidemic levels. Stomach fat also increases the risk of heart disease and some cancers.

Although everyone has a unique reason for wanting the Zerona treatment, the end result—a flatter stomach and shapely hips and thighs—can provide substantial health benefits. Oh yeah, and you get to dust off those skinny jeans too.

What You Need To Know About Your Thyroid Medication

2010-11-01T12:40:00.003-04:00

Many frustrated patients with hypothyroidism ask me if they can stop taking their thyroid medication, a.k.a. thyroid hormone, or if they can change their medication form. This is something to discuss with the prescribing doctor but I can offer some general information about the medication.

There are four types, or categories, of thyroid meds a doctor may prescribe. How you react to a given medication can offer insight into the nature of your hypothyroidism and how to maximize treatment efficacy.

The categories include:

Synthetic T4 (Synthroid, Levothyroid, Levoxyl, Unithroid, Levothyroxin, L-Thyroxine): If a synthetic T4 works and you're doing great, you probably are one of the minority (10 percent) of hypothyroid sufferers who does not have Hashimoto's Thyroid. If the effect is less than desirable it suggests there is more to your problem than mere thyroid hormone deficiency.

Synthetic T3 (Cytomel): If Cytomel works best, this suggests that there is a dysfunction in how your body converts T4 to T3. T4 needs to be converted into T3 to be metabolically active. Cytomel bypasses the step. If, however, Cytomel makes you feel worse, it may mean that an excess of T3 has caused certain cells to develop a resistance to it.

Synthetic T3 & T4 (Thyrolar, Liotrix)

Bioidentical T3 & T4 (Armour, Westhroid, Nature-Throid, Dessicated Thyroid): If a bioidentical thyroid hormone combo causes your condition to worsen, it may be because you have Hashimoto's—the bioidentical hormones can provoke an autoimmune attack.

Even across a category your results may differ because brands made by different manufacturers use different drug colorings, binders and fillers. Your body may tolerate some better than others.

In general, you can be best served by working with a doctor who takes a flexible approach to find the thyroid medication that fits your individual needs. Remember, however, in up to 90 percent of hypothyroid cases there are often many other factors influencing hypothyroidism. Thyroid hormone alone is most likely not going to tackle all the symptoms.

Functional Medicine Is Individualized Medicine

2010-10-26T13:03:00.003-04:00

When I first consult with a patient who has a chronic illness like hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy or fibromyalgia, I communicate the differences in disease classification between allopathic (traditional) and functional medicine.

Allopathic physicians use set criteria to diagnose their patients. Patients are treated using roughly the same approach that, for the most part, involves pharmacological intervention. This model is sometimes critiqued as “one size fits all”.

In contrast, functional medicine practitioners evaluate and treat each patient individually. Even if two people have the same diagnosis, differences between patients are appreciated. In many ways the doctor practicing functional medicine has the more difficult task—to treat the individual, not the condition.

Unfurling The Web Of Disease

In treating patients at the individual level, functional medicine docs take a holistic approach. They evaluate a complex web of chemical interactions in the body in determining a diagnosis and the best course of treatment.

Take, for example, a diagnosis of Hashimoto's disease.

Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid. Allopaths typically prescribe thyroid hormone—in reality, Hashimoto's is not primarily a thyroid problem. Because the immune, endocrine (aka hormone-producing), nervous, circulatory and digestive systems are all part of an interactive web, abnormalities in any one system can affect another.

A patient with Hashimoto’s may be suffering from multiple conditions that are exacerbating symptoms. For example, the patient may also have insulin resistance. Through an understanding of the interactions between bodily systems, a functional medicine practitioner can recognize that excess insulin causes abnormal levels of the hormone cortisol. Excess cortisol can in turn interfere with thyroid metabolism in several ways. It can also reinforce insulin resistance, which can create a positive feedback loop that worsens the initial condition.

With the roots of Hashimoto’s exposed, a functional medicine doc will then look into the source of insulin resistance. The differential diagnosis for insulin resistance includes poor diet, hypothyroidism, food sensitivities, gastrointestinal problems and autoimmune disease. Each of these conditions has multiple components and a functional medicine doctor tackles them one by one. As metabolic dysfunctions are revealed, the doctor can see a pattern particular in the Hashimoto's patient.

This in-depth analysis allows for a tailored treatment regimen—a far cry from a one-size-fits-all label.

Patients who are aware of the fundamental difference between allopathic and functional medicine therapeutic paradigms will understand that motivation to cooperate in functional medicine treatment programs can lead to real improvements.

Cleansing with ClearVite

2010-10-19T12:08:00.003-04:00

For many of our patients with chronic conditions, cleanses are a way to give the body a “tune-up”.

At Better Body Solutions we usually recommend a 3-week cleanse for patients with chronic conditions ( e.g. thyroid, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, fibromyalgia) or weight-loss issues. During the cleanse we use ClearVite, a multi-nutrient supplement made by Apex Energetics that is designed to “clean” the intestines and liver, which is the main site of detoxification in the body. This particular detox program is less restrictive than some and includes vegetables, fruits and fish. We use the supplement 1 to 3 times per day and we modify the diet to remove unhealthy foods.

Cleanses, such as ClearVite, can provide some health benefits by giving the body a break from hi-fat and unhealthy diets. For example, by avoiding certain foods that may irritate the gastrointestinal tract, an individual may experience relief from inflammatory conditions, such as ulcerative colitis.

In particular, cleanses may be able to help with the diagnosis of food allergies and sensitivities. At the end of the ClearVite program we add restricted foods back one at a time to determine if the body can tolerate them. In this way the ClearVite cleanse is an elimination challenge. It's usually pretty obvious when someone adds a "bad" food back into their diet because they get symptoms like constipation, diarrhea, headaches and rash.

It is possible that the drastic diet adjustment brought about by cleanses may result in health improvements such as weight loss, increased energy, improved digestion and elimination, and clearer skin. These benefits will only persist, however, if permanent adjustments to diet are made. Furthermore, a cleanse should never be done unless under the supervision of a medical professional.

FDA Clears Zerona For Effectiveness & Safety

2010-10-18T16:57:00.005-04:00

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal (Freeze! Zap! Bye-Bye, Fat) discusses how the Zerona laser has been cleared by the FDA. The Zerona has been found to be both safe and effective.

I emailed author Melinda Beck the following:

Dear Ms. Beck,

I enjoyed your recent Wall Street Journal article regarding the Zerona Laser. We have had the laser for over a 1.5 years and have treated a few hundred patients. I especially appreciate that you mentioned the biochemically active role of fat cells in the body:

"….fat cells are not just passive storage depots for surplus calories. They are busy chemical factories that send signals all over the body, helping to regulate growth, puberty, healing, disease-fighting, and aging. Among the 100 or more hormones that fat cells secrete are adiponectine, which helps manage metabolism, and leptin, which tells the brain to eat more or less (although the brain doesn't always listen)."

In my experience, patients generally misunderstand the effect of removing fat cells. As a result, I've consulted with a number of post-liposuction patients who complain that the fat has returned. This is why—as you mention in your article—it is also important for patients to follow-up any body contouring procedure with a healthy diet and exercise program.

Still, it’s not exclusively a matter of willpower. Quite a few people have metabolic problems that hinder them from losing weight regardless of how much they diet or exercise. These patients require more complex treatments including identifying where the metabolic block occurs, and correcting it so they can better break down and process fat.

Best Regards,

Dr. Nicholas Ungaro

Better Body Solutions

5th Avenue

New York, N.Y. 10017

The Zerona Laser Found To Decrease Appetite

2010-09-10T10:36:00.003-04:00

McKinney, TX May 5, 2009 – Erchonia Medical, the global leader in low level laser healthcare applications, announces today that its newest laser for body sculpting, Zerona, has been clinically shown to reduce the levels of the hunger-hormone, leptin, and lipoprotein (LDL). A 22 participant pilot study revealed that Zerona not only reduced circumferential inches following a two week treatment phase, but also lowered all patients’ leptin levels and reduced low-density lipoprotein numbers in over 50% of the participants in just two weeks.

Although Zerona is already positioned ahead of its competitors in terms of its ability to non-invasively, safely and effectively reduce an average of 3.64 inches around the waist, hips and thighs, this new data could have beneficial results for many patients struggling with overeating. Suppressing the very hormones that may cause individuals to be overweight or obese can further aid Zerona patients with their weight-loss goals.

Erchonia President, Steve Shanks, comments, “For most devices, the patient comes in, receives the treatment and leaves; the reason why that person was overweight or obese to begin with is not addressed. By suppressing the hunger-hormone leptin, patients’ appetites can be lessened helping them modify their diets and establish portion control going forward.”

In addition to reducing inches, suppressing hunger and reducing LDL levels, Zerona is also unique because it does not destroy fat tissue, unlike the majority of other devices on the market. Zerona promote a biological cascade within the cell provoking the formation of tiny pore or opening within the protective barrier of the cell. Then, stored fatty material leaves the cell, causing it to collapse safely.

Dr Ungaro comments: Actually, leptin is the "anti-hunger"hormone. When leptin levels are not too high or too low, leptin receptors in the brain turn down the signal to eat. When this happens you feel full and don't have the desire to consume more calories. The problem is that when your body contains too much fat your fat cells produce too much leptin. Unfortunately, the brain becomes resistant to excess leptin. When excess leptin fails to activate receptors in the brain, you fail to be sated by eating normal amounts of food. This is one way that excess fat causes increased hunger.

The Zerona laser will help sate your hunger by reducing fat and by reducing excess leptin levels. In this way, you can lose fat and the desire to eat too many calories.

Immune System Imbalances In Hashimoto's Thyroid

2010-08-16T14:57:00.003-04:00

Hashimoto's Thyroid can be thought of as an immune system problem. Often Hashimoto’s—an autoimmune disease—is caused by an imbalance in two types of immune cells called helper T cells. Helper T cells are important for normal immune responses and they come in two forms: Th1 cells initiate immune responses to kill foreign pathogens like bacteria and viruses—they aim to keep us disease-free. Conversely, Th2 is not involved in the destruction of foreign invaders, but help to identify them.

Normally, Th1 and Th2 cell levels are kept in an appropriate balance but in the case of Hashimoto’s Th1 is often dominant over Th2. This results in an overactive immune system that cannot distinguish harmful organisms from normal cells and tissues.

Diagnosing Hashimoto’s
It is often the case in conventional medicine that blood testing of Th1 and Th2 is not performed. An imbalance between Th1 and Th2 is not considered as a factor in Hashimoto’s and therefore the underlying aspects of the etiology are ignored.

Clinically, we can use a so-called Th1/Th2 challenge to determine ways to alleviate Hashimoto’s symptoms. This is accomplished by alternately supporting the Th1 and then the Th2 immune system with nutrition for a few days each. This way, we can establish foods and supplements that may be exacerbating or alleviating symptoms.

Nutrition and Hashimoto’s
In the case of an imbalance between Th1 and Th2, the goal is to reduce your intake of substances that make that imbalance worse. For example, if you have Hashimoto’s and we determine that your Th1 levels are above normal then you may want to avoid nutrients that support Th1 function such as echinacea, astragalus, maitake, beta-glucan, glycyrrhiza and Melissa officinalis.

You may want to ingest supplements that instead support Th2 function. These include caffeine, green tea, grape seed extract, resveratrol, white willow bark, Pycnogenol and lycopene. Before taking any supplements, always speak with a medical professional.

How Do I Know If I Have Fibromyalgia?

2010-08-16T14:28:00.003-04:00

Scientists believe that fibromyalgia may begin in the brain. Repeated stress causes nerves to become hypersensitive leading to widespread pain. In general, fibromyalgia can make you feel like you have a bad case of the flu that just won’t go away. The four most common symptoms of the condition are:

• Muscle pain. You feel sore and achy all over. The pain may migrate to other areas.
• Insomnia. You can’t fall asleep, and if you do, you wake up frequently.
• Fatigue. You are exhausted from feeling constant pain and not sleeping.
• Depression. You are sad and anxious and may have trouble performing daily activities.

Other symptoms of fibromyalgia include heart palpitations, gastrointestinal problems such as acid reflux, bloating, decreased libido, increased perspiration, cold hands and feet, sensitivity to bright light and headaches. Some individuals experience something called ‘fibrofog’, a term used to described the mental haze that fibromyalgia can put you in. Fibrofog may make it difficult to learn and remember new information.

Because fibromyalgia affects many systems in the body it can be hard to diagnose. In fact, there is no one test to diagnose fibromyalgia so other tests must be done in order to rule out other conditions. Fifteen to twenty percent of the patients I see aren’t sure if they have fibromyalgia, but in my experience, there is one symptom that every fibromyalgia patient suffers from: trouble sleeping. If you can sleep well, it’s not fibromyalgia in my opinion.

Lose Fat Fast With These 3 Zerona Secrets

2010-08-03T16:52:00.003-04:00

Shedding pounds is no easy task, but for some people the number on the scale seems frozen in place no matter how many trips to the gym, or calories counted. Even the most motivated individual can experience weight loss woes. If this sounds like you, consider this question: Did you eat breakfast this morning? If you’re shaking your head no, it’s time to re-think your eating habits.

In modern society, culture, ethics, religion and sheer convenience are factors that influence dietary choices, but sometimes it helps to look at food for what it really is: something that sustains the body. You eat, and this causes all sorts of biological responses. For example, ingesting food decreases levels of cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands that is associated with stress. In contrast, when you skip a meal cortisol increases, and that in turn raises blood sugar. If cortisol stays high the body begins to conserve fat—especially around the abdomen—that can persist despite exercise.

For this reason, when it comes to developing eating habits that encourage weight loss, I teach my patients to think of eating in terms of maintaining blood sugar. So, how can you maintain your blood sugar from morning to night? It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

Zerona Secret #1

Eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up. Cortisol levels are highest in the morning and ingesting, say, an egg on a slice of wheat toast tells your body to ‘break’ its ‘fast’ and reduce cortisol. NEVER skip breakfast. Bypassing the first meal of the day keeps cortisol levels high, and sets you up for a late afternoon binge-fest, studies show. Not only will those cookies be irresistible, high cortisol levels will make it that much harder to lose the additional calories.

Zerona Secret #2

Eat every 2 to 3 hours. Even if it isn’t a designated “meal time”, snack on organic, raw nuts or seeds. Try a handful of almonds or walnuts, or you can even spread a nut butter on a vegetable. This keeps cortisol at normal levels, and prevents the symptoms of low blood sugar, such as irritability and craving for sweets, described in previous posts.

Zerona Secret #3
Eat protein with every meal. If you’re sensitive to eggs and dairy, do as the Japanese do and eat fish instead. Or, opt for some chicken or turkey. If time is an issue in the morning, cook your protein of choice the night before so all you have to do is re-heat it in the morning.

The #1 Fibromyalgia Myth—Is It True?

2010-08-03T16:48:00.001-04:00

The most common fibromyalgia myth is that it’s "all in your head". Well, literally speaking, this is partly true. In my experience over 90 percent of fibromyalgia causes involve the brain—and studies conducted in recent years show abnormalities in the brainstems of fibromyalgia patients.

The brainstem is located at the base of the brain and is connected to the spinal cord. In general, the brainstem controls many autonomic functions like heart rate, respiration and digestion. Autonomic functions occur independent from conscious thought or control—they are automatic. When the body experiences stress, such as during exercise, the midbrain—located at the top of the brainstem—responds by increasing respiration and heart rate, and decreasing digestion.

Fibromyalgia Begins in the Brain
Normally, the stress response from the midbrain is regulated by the pons and medulla oblongata, which are located in the lower part of the brainstem. They tone down the midbrain’s ‘output’ when a stress response is not appropriate.

The pons and medulla are like parents who act to keep an unruly child under control. Problems arise, however, when these two parts of the brain can no longer keep the midbrain in check. This is what happens in the brains of fibromyalgia patients. The result is a functionally overactive midbrain that causes a fairly predictable stress response in the body.

Fibromyalgia Is Real
Understanding the origins of fibromyalgia in the brain helps to explain why many fibromyalgia patients complain of classic stress symptoms including:

-temporary rapid heart rate or arrhythmia

-digestive disturbances like acid reflux, bloating, constipation or diarrhea

-cold hands or feet

-aversion to bright light

-headaches

-diffuse, achy pain

-disruption of normal sleep/wake cycle

-fatigue

-Brain fog: difficultly understanding, remembering or speaking clearly

-diminished libido

The Truth About Fibromyalgia Drugs

2010-07-21T17:22:00.001-04:00

Although drugs such as Pfizer’s Lyrica are often prescribed to treat fibromyalgia, these medications are really only addressing pain-related symptoms of this debilitating disease. Why? Fibromyalgia is caused by a neurological problem, not a muscular condition. In fact, research studies have shown that the brains of fibromyalgia sufferers exhibit abnormalities, such as premature aging.

The symptoms of fibromyalgia, including muscle pain, acid-reflux and heart palpitations, are actually the end-result of an out-of-control midbrain, the uppermost part of the brainstem. Think of the midbrain as an unruly child that is normally restrained by other areas of the brain. In a fibromyalgia patient, those areas, for whatever reasons, lose the ability to manage the midbrain. This imbalance affects, for example:

• Circadian rhythm (that regulates the sleep-wake cycle)
• Sensitivity to light
• Heart rate
• Digestion
• Circulation
• Concentration
• Memory
• Mood

Depending on the severity of the symptoms, fibromyalgia can be extremely debilitating and can leave an individual feeling like they exist in a foggy, flu-like state 24-hours a day. Some fibromyalgia sufferers are unable to work; others manage to function on the job but collapse at the end of the day. Quality of life is severely diminished as fibromyalgia symptoms affect a person’s ability to enjoy hobbies, and maintain friendships. Many become completely. In short, fibromyalgia takes a toll on every aspect of daily life.

At our clinic, we’ve treated 175 fibromyalgia patients. These patients had visited a number of medical professionals, tried Lyrica and other pain and anti-depression drugs, and were still suffering. This is because doctors weren’t looking at the brain and nervous system. In contrast, we look at each patient individually. By looking at factors like metabolism, blood chemistry, and the nervous system, we aim to rehabilitate—without drugs or surgery—the parts of the brain that are slacking off on their parenting duties, so-to-speak. The end result is you get your life back.

What Your Pain Is Telling You—And Why You Should Listen

2010-06-19T12:17:00.001-04:00

Most of us have experienced a stiff or achy muscle but sometimes pain indicates more than the need to invest in a new pillow. The back isn’t as sensitive an area as, say, your nose. That’s why paying attention to the type and location of pain is so important to prevent severe and permanent damage. It can help you gauge the health of your back and clue you in to a serious spinal condition.

Types Of Pain
There are three main types of pain that can result from conditions such as a disc problem or spinal stenosis (compression of nerves). The first—and least serious—type of pain may be described as stiff or achy. The second is a burning sensation. The most serious type involves numbness and tingling that usually indicate an underlying nerve problem, such as compression. Nerves can no longer conduct signals to and from the brain, and muscles that the nerves enervate may not be getting the stimulation they need to function normally.

How To Interpret Pain
Here’s a rule of thumb: The farther pain moves from the spine down the arm or leg, the worse the problem. Pain may move from the back to the hip and down the leg. When it leaves the area of the back, it indicates a minor problem but as it crawls below the knee it may indicate a major problem in the lower back. Similarly, if pain, numbness or tingling creeps past the elbow, there may be a severe problem in the upper back or neck.

As I said before, the more attentive you are to the type and location of pain, the more likely you will be able to prevent further damage. Moreover, any pain that persists longer than two weeks—no matter if it’s just an aching pain or numbness and tingling—should be examined by a medical professional. A doctor can perform tests such as an electromyography or a nerve conduction velocity test that measure how well nerves are functioning. In conjunction with imaging studies, they can help determine the extent of damage and what type of treatment is necessary.

The Body Lite Treatment: Using the Zerona Laser and Functional Medicine So Anyone Can Lose Inches

2010-06-16T15:19:00.003-04:00

The Zerona laser loosens up fat for the body to metabolize and for about 70% who undergo treatment, inches begin to melt away within weeks. For the other 30%, however, their bodies just don’t seem up to the task. These individuals may lose an inch—if that—and often they’re told that the laser just “didn’t work for them”.

At Better Body Solutions, we understand it’s not that simple. The Zerona laser can work for almost anyone IF the body is healthy.

With our comprehensive Body Lite Treatment, individuals who don’t have success with the laser after several treatments undergo testing to find out if an underlying problem is sabotaging their efforts. Using the principles of functional medicine to better understand what is affecting the body’s metabolism, we examine an individual’s blood chemistry, levels of hormones such as cortisol, food allergies and inflammatory proteins. We will work with you for three months and advise you on dietary changes and nutritional supplements to correct any imbalance.

It is possible to improve metabolism—and laser results.

After three months, we attempt six more treatments with the laser. Many of our patients have lost inches of fat this way. One in particular, Alison Blackman, even blogged about her initial failure and eventual success: Eleven inches lost! Through the comprehensive analysis provided as part of the Body Lite Treatment, she got results that she didn’t think possible. In her words, sometimes you need to “try, try again”.

The Body Lite Treatment comes in two packages:

6 Treatment Package
• 6 to 15 treatments
• lose at least three inches

12 Treatment Package
• up to 23 treatments
• lose six inches

Hypothyroidism & Bone Density

2010-05-04T15:57:00.001-04:00

The scientific consensus is that untreated hypothyroidism causes an abnormally increased bone density coupled with poor bone quality. Treatment with thyroid hormone (T4), however, may further impair bone quality and lead to an increased risk of fracture.

The pituitary gland naturally produces thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in response to low levels of thyroid hormone in the body. Synthetic or natural T4 lowers the amount of TSH that alters bone metabolism and decreases bone density. Consequently, treatment with T4 inadvertently weakens bones—an effect that is controversial.

There is a difference between bone density and bone strength. Dense bone exhibits abnormalities in its micro-architecture and is weakened by those changes. Abnormal levels of thyroid hormone also have a deleterious effect upon bone strength. Weak bone is a combination of accumulated damage, as well as changes in micro-architecture, collagen quality, mineral crystal size and bone turnover.

Following an analysis of current research on hypothyroidism it would be reasonable to conclude that high or low levels of TSH are deleterious to normal bone metabolism. Laboratory ranges show a TSH range of 0.35 to 5.5 is normal, but these ranges are based upon a statistical analysis of blood samples. They do not necessarily represent a "healthy" or functional range for TSH that is closer to 1.8 to 3.0. Levels above or below this range may impair bone strength.

Beauty & The Brain

2010-03-21T19:21:00.004-04:00

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder but in some ways humans seem hard-wired to find particular characteristics more attractive than others. I recently read an interesting article published in the journal PLoS ONE. In a study conducted at Georgia Gwinnett College and the University of Texas at Austin, scientists found that just as women seem to prefer particular shoulder-to-hip ratios for men, men find specific waist-to-hip ratios (WHR) more attractive for women.

It may come as no surprise that the ratio men prefer represents the hourglass figure type (think Marilyn Monroe or Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks). When men were presented with photos of this figure, reward centers became activated in their brains. The researchers suggest that a more voluptuous figure is a “cue” that a woman is fertile and healthy. In other words, humans have evolved this brain response because it increases the possibility of reproduction and, not to get too dramatic, survival of the species.

Although this study suggests that some kind of mathematical ideal exists and that viewing certain female shapes will literally chemically reward a man, women may view their own attractiveness differently. After all, humans aren’t robots and there is more to attraction than the curviness of a woman or the muscularity of a man. People are individuals with different behaviors and backgrounds.

For example, many female patients come to my office to use the Zerona laser for areas on their arms instead of their waist; others perceive “problem areas” where none really exist. Also, men and women don’t necessarily pursue better figures just to please each other (in any case, most don’t admit to doing that). And, both sexes have their own specific ideals of what they think will make them most attractive. In recent decades, those ideals often appear more a product of culture than evolution. Case-in-point: The stick-thin waifs that Western culture often promotes as the female ideal.

This is a fascinating topic but it would be interesting to see a study that examined how women and men view their own attractiveness. I wonder: How would the reward center respond when a woman views a photo of herself or a man of his self?

Link to research article:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0009042

The Importance of the Colon In Weight Loss

2010-03-02T23:05:00.001-05:00

Many people have trouble losing weight no matter how much they diet and exercise. Some blame it on their age or genetics when in reality the culprit may be poor colon function. In this post I discuss how the health of your large intestine greatly influences your ability to lose fat.

Many disorders of the large intestine go unrecognized by conventional, allopathic medicine. Your medical doctor is trained to diagnose and treat diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract but often tests fail to provide an accurate assessment of this important organ. In fact, the American Gastroenterological Association notes that X-rays, blood tests and endoscopy appear normal in 41% of patients with GI symptoms.

Below are just a few examples of disorders that can interfere with weight loss.

Thyroid Hormone
Thyroid hormone greatly influences metabolic rate. T3, the active form of thyroid hormone, stimulates calorie-burning metabolism but it must first be converted from T4. Normally, twenty percent of T4 is converted to T3 in the large intestine. Therefore, dysfunction of the colon can impair the conversion process and slow metabolism.

Lipase and Cortisol
Sixty percent of our immune system is located in the colon. Viruses, bacteria, yeast, parasites and food allergies or sensitivities can activate the immune system and produce an inflammatory reaction in the intestine. This inflammation interferes with lipase, a hormone that causes the release of fat from cells for use in energy production. Inflammation also increases levels of cortisol which,stimulates the liver to release sugar and creates a state known as lipogenesis (the creation of new fat). As a result of these two hormonal shifts, less fat is utilized and more is produced. This can create a frustrating cycle for an individual trying to lose fat.

Arachidonic Acid
Another way in which inflammation in the large intestine can undermine weight loss is the release of arachidonic acid (AA), an inflammatory chemical that can cause aches and pains in the body. AA also decreases fat metabolism in favor of burning sugar.

There are many other processes that can interfere with colon health. If you are suffering from any of the symptoms below, you may need to undergo additional testing that your internist or enterologist doesn’t offer.

Symptoms of an Unhealthy Colon

- Feeling that the bowels do not empty completely

- Passing stool or gas relieves lower abdominal pain

- Alternating diarrhea and constipation

- Diarrhea

- Constipation

- Hard, dry or small stool

- Coated or fuzzy tongue

- Passing a large amount of foul-smelling gas

- Having more than 3 bowel movements daily

- Needing laxatives frequently

"I Lost Over 11 Inches on the Zerona Laser"

2010-02-12T08:05:00.006-05:00

As I wrote just this week, functional medicine gets results because it treats the whole person. We just finished treating a patient who originally did not experience much fat loss using the Zerona laser. Subsequently, we performed blood testing and a hormone panel, gave her new supplements and modified her diet. Then she received 11" of fat loss. The patient, Alison Blackman, wrote about her experience at Better Body Solutions on her popular blog " Advice Sisters." She decribes her blog as Guide to Life, Success and Happiness.

Here's her post:

Monday, February 08, 2010
I Lost Over 11 Inches on the Zerona Laser

Can you really lose 11.1 inches simply by listening to your iPod or catching up on your Blackberry--I DID!

I review products and services, and I have done this for a long time. I'm used to being dubious, and looking at things with a balanced, but critical eye. I checked for complaints and found very few, but the Zerona Laser is so new that there wasn't much information to find in the first place. And, I think those who did complain the loudest had unreasonable expectations of what this Zerona Laser treatment can do. The first time I tried the laser I didn't get amazing results (after two weeks and six treatments, the average patient loses 4.61 inches, and I lost just about 1.5"). But Dr. Ungaro didn't give up on me, even though I was a reporter and he could have just said: "Sorry you didn't get the results you wanted, have a nice life."

Instead, he believed in what the Zerona Laser could do, and he dug deeper to figure out what might have caused me to not lose inches on the first go-around with the Zerona Laser (Better Body Solutions offers additional treatments to patients who don't get the results they'd hoped for within the realm of reason- the Zerona Laser treatments aren't going to change a size 14 into a size 4). But Dr. Ungaro thought I might have a cortisol issue (which turned out to be the case), and he suggested I have the specific test for this. He even paid for the tests!

Then, he changed up the nutrients he wanted me to take, and offered me six more sessions with the Zerona Laser.

I can't say that I really wanted to do it again. It's pleasant enough to lie down and relax while the laser does all the work, but this is a busy time of year, and I had to travel an hour each way to to Midtown. I already do drink water, but I had to drink much more water than my already challenged bladder, likes. I don't love swallowing pills, and the herbal supplements the gave me are large and hard (for me) to swallow. This time I took: 7-Keto DHEA Metabolite 100 mg; Integra-Lean Irvingia 150 mg; BileMin K-11); and Adaptocrine (K-2) . But these are minor draw backs. This time, the combination of the Zerona Laser, the nutrients, and my regular diet and exercise routines did the trick. It worked!

The first time I also took nutrients, drank water, and had six Zerona Laser Treatments, but are a few things I did differently this time that may or may not have resulted in this dramatic loss of inches.

After the Cortisol panel, Dr, Ungaro suggested that I eat some protein in the morning, I began doing so, even though I normally only have coffee (which I limited to one large mug a day). Dr. Ungaro says that the protein broke down slower than the carbs taking the load off my adrenals, lowering cortisol, and promoting fat burning. Drinking less coffee also lowered the adrenal load.

Dr. Ungaro says that the BileMin helped thin my bile (apparently I had markers in my blood tests related to thick bile). This helped to emulsify more fats in my diet, breaking them down for energy rather than storage. The 7 Keto DHEA I took was also supposedly helping to burn more fat too. Dr. Ungaro did suggest that I quit taking the 7 Keto DHEA however, since it can potentially cause a metabolic shift away from estrogen and towards testosterone (and I don't want to grow hair like a guy)!

I also avoided bread and starches, but not entirely. I ate a cookie or two (honestly, I felt guilty about it). And I worked out with my trainer, Carl Ditmars, three times a week as I normally do.

Other than that, I can't thiink of a single thing I did differently

It sounds amazing, but it's true. It happened to me, and I'm not exaggerating a thing. I had six sessions at Better Body Solutions, thanks to Dr. Nicholas Ungaro and now pants I couldn't zip for over a year fit me and I can see that my stomach looks flatter. I still have a long way to go if I want to get back to the way I used to look, but at least I'm on my way.

What I have learned from this experience is that sometimes, you need to "try, try again." I already know, from reviewing beauty products for over a decade, is that What Works well for someone might not work the same for someone else. We are individuals and our bodies don't all respond the same way. When Dr. Ungaro figured out what else I needed to do to make the Zerona Laser treatments succeed, they did! And, keep in mind that the Zerona Laser is a sculpting treatment, not a treatment for weight loss. It is not the same as lipsuction, where you undergo an invasive, surgical procedure to have fat cells literally sucked out of your body. But it is an amazing motivator to continue to move forward and look better than you ever thought possible...all by just lying on a table and enjoying your Blackberry or your iPod, or just a moment to be tranquil.

If you think you might like to try this too, visit the Better Body Solutions Web Site. I also suggest that you check out Dr. Unagro's blog. You'll learn lots, even if you don't do the laser treatments.

Functional Medicine Treats the Whole Person

2010-02-10T20:22:00.001-05:00

I’ve mentioned the science of functional medicine in prior posts but I wanted to highlight some some specific differences between this approach and that of conventional medicine.

1. Functional medicine can offer real solutions to health conditions rather than only symptomatic relief. Pharmaceutical representatives, who regularly visit MDs to educate them about their latest products, heavily influence physicians’ practices. The result of the relationship between pharma and medicine is that medicine as a whole is concerned less and less with treatments outside of the pharmacological/surgical model.

2. Functional medicine sees the patient as a whole person, not the sum of his or her diseases. The current healthcare model is to prescribe a “pill for every ill”. The true nature of the patient’s health status—their lifestyle, correlations between symptoms and subtle imbalances in body processes—is often not appreciated.

3. Functional medicine recognizes the health impact of preventive measures. In conventional medicine “prevention” often falls under the rubric of early detection. This way of thinking—promoted by HMOs and big pharma—overly simplifies the scope of preventive methods and leaves out alternatives to cost-driven healthcare. As a result, MDs aren’t encouraged to learn alternative methods and they have limited opportunities to provide patients with real preventive education other than “watch your diet and remember to exercise”.

4. Functional medicine promotes specialized, holistic training. Medical schools do not typically encourage thinking outside the pharmacological model. Doctors are trained to look at a patient as a symptom but each symptom could be caused by a number of different factors and patterns specific to the patient. A holistic approach can keep patients off medications or help those medications work more effectively.

I’ve written several posts on the approach of functional medicine to heartburn and thyroid problems (please use the search box to see the various posts). If you would like more information on a certain condition feel free to email me at info@betterbodysolutions.com.

Active Therapeutic Movement

2010-02-10T20:06:00.005-05:00

Although many of our patients initially come to us for non-surgical spinal decompression, some find that Active Therapeutic Movement (ATM) helps them just as much, if not more. Designed by a physical therapist in Australia the ATM is actually a machine that works by retraining the core muscles to efficiently contract and relax, rapidly promoting painless movement.

The Genius of the ATM
If you have a disc problem in your neck or back, you know that turning or bending can be a stiff, painful experience. If your problem is severe, certain movements can cause sudden pain, numbness or tingling down the arms or legs. Inflamed, spastic muscles are largely to blame for your decreased range of motion.

Although using massage therapy to relax muscles may seem like a good idea, it may actually make matters worse. Inflamed muscles are often protecting an injured area from additional damage. Called “splinting”, this natural, protective mechanism allows the body to restrict movement while tissues heal. Chronic muscle spasm and inflammation, however, can be counter-productive, causing further injury, inflammation, pain and spasm.

In contrast to massage therapy, the ATM treats pain while preventing muscles from becoming susceptible to additional injury. The ATM utilizes wide, seatbelt-like straps to stabilize and protect the spine while retraining normal movement patterns. This is known as isometric exercise. Manufacturer-sponsored studies have shown that the ATM limits the contraction of multifidi, core muscles near the vertebrae that cause spasms in response to signals from the brain. In doing so, the ATM “resets” the neurological patterning between the brain and muscles.

After using the ATM, many patients are amazed by the difference in their ability to bend and turn.

How the ATM Works for a Patient with Back Pain

1. The patient bends forward. We note how far he or she can bend and the amount of pain, graded on a scale of 1 to 10.

2. The patient stands with his back against the ATM. We position 2 or 3 belts across the body and tighten the straps enough to allow for painless, forward-bending movement. A final belt is applied across the chest to restrict active movement.

3. The patient isometrically (without movement) exercises by trying to bend forward for 3 seconds at a time. Initially, we perform 1 set of 10 movements. This takes just a couple of minutes.

4. When the set(s) is finished the belts are released and the patient is asked to bend forward again to note any difference from the initial bending test. Typically, the patient experiences 50% more motion with 50% less pain.

Stay tuned for a video post of a patient on the ATM.

Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression: How Does It Work?

2010-01-24T13:18:00.020-05:00

Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression (NSSD) is indicated in conditions like herniated or bulged disc, stenosis, arthritis, degenerative joint disease and sciatica. Decompression can help to relieve back, neck, leg or arm pain in many patients who had little success with surgery. It may even allow some patients to avoid back surgery altogether. Symptom improvement can be immediate or within 4 to 6 weeks. In this post I’ll describe 3 theories of how NSSD reduces symptoms caused by injured discs.

Segmental Traction: The pull, or traction, that NSSD exerts on a specific spinal segment reduces, and can even reverse, the pressure on a disc. By removing the compressive forces on the disc it is possible to decrease the size of the disc bulge.

Disc Hydration: In adults, discs receive nutrients through diffusion. Diffusion—and not blood supply provides the nutrition needed to keep discs healthy. Gentle pulls on the affected vertebrae result in hydration of the disc that allows the nutrients necessary for healing to reach the affected area.

Neuroplasticity: Think of your brain as a muscle that can be strengthened or rehabilitated. This characteristic of the brain is called neural plasticity. The gentle pulling of NSSD activates nerve receptors in spinal joints, muscles and tendons that are linked to the cerebellum, the part of your brain responsible for coordinating movement, controlling posture and greatly influencing muscle tone. In this way, NSSD promotes neural plasticity that, in turn, improves muscle tone and decreases pain.

At Better Body Solutions we have a “Brain-Based Therapy” room where we exercise the brain to help with spinal or chronic back pain, as well as leg or arm pain, vertigo/dizziness, balance disorders, fibromyalgia and peripheral neuropathy. To learn more, contact us here.

Losing Fat With The Zerona Laser: Who Makes A Good Candidate?

2010-01-22T13:06:00.005-05:00

The Zerona Laser is a new technology that sounds almost too good to be true. There are no side effects, scarring or downtime. You can have the procedure at lunch and return to work, or lie down under the laser lights after work and go to the gym or dancing later. We’ve treated a couple hundred patients so far and after two weeks of just 6 treatments, the average patient loses 4.61 inches.

Our patients tell us their clothes fit better, they feel lighter, and they are more energized. It may be easy to forget but losing fat actually feels good.

Although the laser is not recommended for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, virtually anyone else with at least an inch they can pinch is a candidate. Since we began treating patients with the laser almost a year ago we’ve learned a lot about who makes the best candidate and who may not get the results they want. The good news is that we can improve a poor candidate’s chances of getting great results through Functional Medicine, which combines the science of medicine with well-researched nutritional therapies. For example, Our Body Lite Treatment using the Zerona laser includes an optional nutritional and life style consultation. I’ll discuss Functional Medicine a lot in upcoming posts but for now let’s look at what makes a good versus a poor Zerona laser candidate.

1. Ability to lose weight through diet and exercise. Ask yourself: If you really put your mind to it and restrict some calories and exercise can your body lose weight? If you answer yes, that’s a good indication that you’ll lose fat with the Zerona laser. If you diet and exercise and still can’t lose weight, or if you gain weight, there is an underlying problem that should be corrected prior to the laser treatments.

2. Regularity of bowel movements. If you can poop every day you can more easily excrete the excess fat liberated by the laser. If you don’t move your bowels daily some of that liberated fat may be resorbed into your circulation. This should be corrected prior to the laser therapy.

3. Reasonable expectations. People who want to lose 30-plus pounds and anyone with an eating disorder should consider other treatment options like liposuction or gastric bypass.

Why Your Doctor's Not REALLY Treating Your Hashimoto's Thyroid

2010-01-15T19:00:00.013-05:00

Fifth in our thyroid series.

Most cases of hypothyroidism in the U.S. are due to an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. If you are suffering from this disease you may be surprised to find out that your doctor isn’t treating it at all. In fact your M.D. may be ignoring it completely.

In Hashimoto’s, your body (specifically, your immune system) attacks your thyroid gland. No medical treatment exists for Hashimoto’s. There are, however, treatments for other types of autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, lupus erythematosus and Crohn’s disease. Treatments for autoimmunity include strong anti-inflammatory drugs like cortisone shots, and immunosuppressants. These can have serious side effects and aren’t effective in Hashimoto’s so they’re not used.

What is done about Hashimoto’s? Not much. Hashimoto’s gradually destroys the thyroid gland so a blood test may look normal even though many patients have all the symptoms of hypothyroidism: fatigue, weight gain, constipation, depression, etc. The well-intentioned (but uninformed) doctor says, “Well, it’s not your thyroid. I’ll put you on an anti-depressant and you should start to exercise.”

When hypothyroidism becomes present, patients with Hashimoto’s are treated the same as other hypothyroid patients: They are given thyroid hormone in one form or another and that’s it. The immune system is totally overlooked. Thyroid hormone alone is a one-size-fits-all type of therapy that is really only indicated for cases of uncomplicated primary hypothyroidism (PH). PH is one of over 20 patterns of thyroid dysfunction and it’s not the most common, by far. In previous posts about the thyroid, I’ve described some of these patterns and written about the many chemical reactions that need to take place for your body to properly manufacturer, activate, transport and utilize thyroid hormone. See the links below.

The bottom line here is that if you have Hashimoto’s you need to work with a doctor who practices Functional Medicine and appreciates the underlying biochemistry of the immune system and thyroid metabolism. A functional medicine doctor will perform comprehensive diagnostic testing, help you make lifestyle changes to promote better health, and provide you with nutrutional supplements that support normal thyroid function.

With a complete diagnosis, healthy lifestyle guidance, and nutritional supplements you’ll have more manageable symptoms including more energy, easier weight loss and better skin.

Thyroid Links:

Hashimoto: The Missed Thyroid Diagnosis
Is Your Thyroid Hormone Activated?
What Your Doctor May Not Know About Your Thyroid
How Estrogen Hijacked The Thyroid Cab

Zerona: Before & After Pics

2010-01-11T16:01:00.012-05:00

Most people interested in the Zerona Laser want to see before and after pictures. Getting patients to allow their pictures to be published is entirely different matter! In this post however you can see some before and after photographs of a Zerona Laser patient and you can see that the results are striking.

She was treated with the recommended frequency of 3 times per week for 2 weeks.
She lost 4" and dropped a dress size from an 8 to a 6.

The 4" is slightly less than our average patient (4.61") but still enough to make a noticeable change.

As seen in Harper's Bazaar.

4 Step Approach To Diagnosing & Treating H. Pylori Infection In The Stomach

2010-01-11T13:21:00.008-05:00

In this post, I’m going to help you recognize the symptoms caused by Helicobacter Pylori infections of the stomach. H. Pylori is a bacteria that can injure the stomach lining and if not detected it can cause a host of serious problems.

Years ago, ulcers and stomach indigestion were thought to be caused by “stress”. In the 1990’s, it became widely known that a bacteria can also cause these symptoms. Helicobacter Pylori is the nasty bacteria in question and it is prevalent in our food supply. Poultry and eggs can contain H. Pylori and some people become infected when they eat these products. H. Pylori can inhabit the stomach cell lining known as the “mucosa.” It thrives in a low acid environment and many people have abnormally low stomach acid. Additionally, H. Pylori functions to cause inflammation, injuring parietal cells which make stomach acid (hydrochloric acid). This becomes a viscous cycle as the bacteria contributes to low stomach acid levels.

Depending on the severity and location of H. Pylori infection can play a role in causing:

- Heartburn
- Reflux
- Burping, bloating, stomach pain

If left untreated it can cause:

- Ulcer of the stomach and small intestine
- Certain cancers
- Heart disease

In our clinic, when a patient complains of any of the first three symptoms we might try a course of hydrochloric acid therapy. If this reduces or eliminates all symptoms, we will continue for about four weeks with the supplement. If the symptoms return upon stopping the hydrochloric acid supplementation we’ll consider testing for H. Pylori.

The test that we utilize is called the “Urea Breath Test” and is easy to administer, causes no side effects and is fairly inexpensive (approximately $100).

To perform the Urea Breath Test, the patients submits a baseline breath sample by taking a deep breath and blowing into a specially designed plastic bag. Then the patient drinks a very sweet solution, and after a few minutes takes another deep breath and blows into a second bag. The bags are sent to a lab where carbon dioxide levels are contrasted between the two bags. An increase of carbon dioxide in the testing sample indicates the presence of H. Pylori.

The organism can be eradicated by an antibiotic or by using nutritional compounds designed to kill the bug and heal the stomach.

4 Step Approach to Detecting & Correcting H. Pylori Infections:

If you have any of the symptoms listed above

1. Try taking small doses of hydrochloric (stomach) acid. This is available at any health food store. Click here for a warning and tips regarding how to supplement with hydrochloric acid. Note: do not take it if you have an ulcer!

2. If the hydrochloric acid helps, stay on it for a month and then discontinue use.

3. If your symptoms do not return, you probably don’t have H. Pylori. If they reappear, contact a provider who can help you get the Urea Breath Test.

4. If the test is positive use antibiotics or products from your local health food store designed to eradicate this bacteria. Some of the nutritional compounds to consider are:

Golden Seal root extract
Oregano Oil extract
Barberry extract
Oregon Grape root extract
Berberis Aristata extract
Coptis Chinensis extract
Yerba Mansa extract
Bismuth

If you follow these steps, many of you will cure your stomach problems. Once H. Pylori is accurately diagnosed, it is usually not too hard to treat successfully.

Good luck and keep me posted on your experiences!

Dr. Ungaro

Proper Posture Reduces Stress On The Spine

2010-01-11T13:05:00.005-05:00

In a prior post I wrote about the cerebellum and its effect on body posture. I’ve been using modern chiropractic and neurological techniques since about 1995 and I can tell you it can be the make-or-break factor in successfully treating many pain syndromes including herniated or bulged disc, arthritis, stenosis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Clinically, we have seen dramatic gains when we improve posture and that is why we perform a computerized postural analysis on virtually every patient. We use the results of this test as a reference point to measure improvement after applying manual therapy.

Ergonomics also plays a huge role in affecting posture. For example, our posture changes as we alternate between sitting, standing and lying down. The structure of a chair, shoe and bed can stabilize or induce abnormal forces on the spine. Therefore, it’s quite possible to have adequate support in one position and not another. I’ll discuss Ergonomics in an upcoming post but the takeaway is that postural correction can be very important to significantly reduce—and prevent--pain.

The information below from the prestigious Cleveland Clinic highlights some of the benefits of proper posture.

From The Cleveland Clinic:What is good posture?

Posture is the position in which you hold your body upright against gravity while standing, sitting or lying down. Good posture involves training your body to stand, walk, sit and lie in positions where the least strain is placed on supporting muscles and ligaments during movement or weight-bearing activities. Proper posture:

• Keeps bones and joints in the correct alignment so that muscles are being used properly.
• Helps decrease the abnormal wearing of joint surfaces that could result in arthritis.
• Decreases the stress on the ligaments holding the joints of the spine together.
• Prevents the spine from becoming fixed in abnormal positions.
• Prevents fatigue because muscles are being used more efficiently, allowing the body to use less energy.
• Prevents strain or overuse problems.
• Prevents backache and muscular pain.
• Contributes to a good appearance.

Zerona Laser Question: "Does The Fat Come Back?"

2010-01-03T12:55:00.004-05:00

One of the most common questions that I’m asked during a Zerona laser consultation is whether the fat comes back. Let’s take a minute and review the biological purpose of fat and discuss how the laser works before answering the question. Read on for details...

Biologically speaking, fat is extra energy stored for use during lean times when food is not readily available. Generally speaking, when you eat more calories than you burn through metabolism your body converts the extra caloric energy into fat. The fat is stored in fat cells and released when fuel is necessary to run the body’s cellular machinery.

The Zerona laser emits a low-level, non-thermal light that penetrates the skin and superficial fat cells. The beam of light is stopped by the muscular layer below the superficial fat layer and will not affect the deeper, visceral fat. As you may know, the Zerona laser causes an enzymatic reaction that produces a temporary pore in superficial fat cells. The laser light liquefies the fat. The fat can then leak out into the spaces between the cells where it is carried off by the lymphatic system. The number of total inches lost varies because some people are more efficient at eliminating the liberated fat than others. We use the Body Lite Laser Protocol consisting of a number of treatment enhancing factors to produce optimal results.

As fat is removed from the superficial fat cells, the fat cells look as if they’ve been deflated. It’s kind of like a grape skin with the grape pulp removed. To the fat cell, it’s no different than if you exercised the fat away. When you exercise or use the laser you do not remove fat cells, only fat. To the extent that the fat cells have virtually collapsed, you’ll lose inches because the fat is gone. This is a particularly attractive notion when you’ve lost fat in hard to manage areas.

One might ask, “What would make the fat come back?” To prevent weight gain, we recommend that you follow-up with a healthy diet and an exercise program. The Body Lite Treatment using the Zerona laser is best used as a kick start to a healthy lifestyle. However, if you were maintaining your weight prior to the laser, there is no reason to think you’d gain weight after the laser.

Occassionally, a patient comes in with metabolic problems and they complain that they are gaining weight despite a healthy lifestyle. If a patient has been exercising and eating well and is still gaining weight, then there might be a larger issue at hand. In case of metabolic problems, we approach these by first consulting with the patient and oftentimes we run blood chemistries and hormonal panels to determine the cause of the weight gain.

So, to sum up, if your body is working normally and you haven’t been gaining fat recently (or know all to well why you have), the fat that you lose through the Body Lite Treatment is maintainable.

Is Your Body Ready For The Holidays?

2009-12-02T13:43:00.001-05:00

We’ve noticed that a few of our new Zerona Laser patients want to “shape up” for the holidays. Whether it’s holiday parties or vacations, people want to look their best for this festive time of the year. Other patients choose this time of year to

The New Year is a time when it’s not uncommon to take stock of your health, set some goals and take action to lose weight, have more energy or attend to their back, neck or disc problem. Sometimes it is the promise of a new lifestyle for a new year that provides this motivation, but other times the impetus is holiday-fueled overeating.

One habit that I’ve formed around this holiday season that may be helpful is to exercise for an hour each day. Try walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, just moving, anything at all to help offset the extra calories consumed during the winter feasts. You will become more energetic and the increased activity can help curb your appetite as more sugar will enter you cells to make you feel full.

3 Easy Holiday Health Hints:

1. Walk 30-60 minutes each day. Consider going for a family walk or go caroling.

2. Be sure you eat clean proteins like fish and poultry and avoid too many carbohydrates.

3. Count you blessings and it does a body good.

Testing For Cortisol, The Stress Hormone

2009-10-26T13:40:00.005-04:00

It’s rare that I meet a patient who is not stressed out. Usually, this person is retired or comfortably unemployed and has the means and time to really take care of themselves. A few of our Zerona laser patients fit into this category. The other 98% of our patient base is to one degree or another “Stressed Out.”

Here are some symptoms of Stress Disorder:

- Fatigue (most common symptom)

- Headaches with physical or mental stress

- Weak immune system

- Dizziness from sitting/lying down to standing

- Frequent cravings of sugar or salt

- Allergies

- Gastric ulcer

- Slow starter in morning

- Crave Sweet, cigarettes, caffeine

- Blurred vision, unstable behavior

- Shaky or lightheaded if meals are missed

- Back pain

- Cannot FALL asleep

- Cannot STAY asleep

At Better Body Solutions we run labs to determine circadian cortisol profiles. This test shows the amount and the fluctuations of cortisol throughout the day. Normally, cortisol should be lowest at night, gradually rise during sleeping, reach its peak upon awaking and gradually diminishing over the course of the day. Cortisol panels can show frank excess or deficiency of this stress hormone or reveal an abnormal rhythm where cortisol levels are lower or higher than they should be at a certain point in the day. These abnormal fluctuation can produce symptoms. For example, if you have trouble going to sleep you might have too much cortisol, if you can’t stay asleep you may have too little – we will help you even out your levels based on these panels.

Better Body Solutions Stress Buster Health Tips

1. If you’re stressed out, fatigued, or relying upon caffeine to get through the day, you may have a cortisol problem.

2. Learn to go to bed earlier, and avoid stimulants like caffeine and sugar.

3. Make a ritual of aerobic exercise and relaxation techniques like meditation and yoga.

4. Consider taking adaptogenic herbs which can help modulate your circadian release of cortisol.

5. Look into taking supplements with Phosphatidyl serine, a nutritional compound that can help reduce the amount of cortisol in your body.

6. Ask your doctor to run an Adrenal Stress Index (ASI) to reveal the toll stress is placing on your body.

7. After you make the dietary and lifestyle changes above have your doc run a second ASI in about 4-6 weeks to measure improvement.

Meet the Cerebellum & Learn How to Test Your Brain

2009-10-24T13:29:00.005-04:00

At Better Body Solutions we utilize the newest advances in functional medicine, chiropractic and chiropractic neurology. Chiropractic neurology is a relatively new science that deals with diagnosing functional problems within the brain and nervous system. Medical neurology is more oriented to disease. Chiropractic neurology was originally developed due to advances in brain science – particularly the understanding that the brain is capable of rewiring itself (plastic) .

Since many of our patients have pain disorders of spinal origin like disc bulges, herniation, arthritis or stenosis, we often work to improve the function of the part of the brain that plays a major role in balance, muscle tone and posture. I mentioned in the last post that a general complaint that the public has regarding chiropractic is that chiropractors keep their patients coming in too long. Treating the cerebellum has been my “secret weapon” in getting fast, long lasting results.

We check the cerebellar function of virtually every patient who seeks our care and find functional problems a little over 50% of the time. In general, the cerebellum takes sensory information from your muscles and joints and integrates that barrage of information to help you stand up straight and move smoothly with proper muscle tone. Cerebellar problems can cause abnormal posture, balance and muscle tone and that’s why they interest to us.

For instance, if you have chronic pain and no doctor can help you, or your symptoms return again and again, it may because your cerebellum isn’t working as well as it should. If your cerebellum doesn’t maintain normal muscle tone and one side of your spinal muscles are tighter than the other side, you are more susceptible to disc injury and re-injury. Aside from chiropractic neurologists, I don’t know of anyone else treating functional problems of the cerebellum as they relate to back pain.

To test the health and function of your cerebellum perform the following tests with a partner.

1. Close your eyes - Do you sway? If so, how much?

2. With your eyes closed, raise your arms equally high to about the height of the shoulder. Is one arm higher than the other?

3. With your eyes closed and your arms outstretched, try touching one pinky to the tip of your nose. Was the movement smooth and accurate? Was it the same from side to side?

You may recognize similarities between these tests and sobriety tests delivered roadside by policemen. Alcohol greatly interferes with normal cerebellar function leading to a lack of coordination and balance.

Take Away: If your cerebellum isn’t working properly on each side, it can lead to chronic pain disorders and balance problems. Like the rest of the brain, the cerebellum is capable of re-wiring which fortunately can improve its function; reducing pain and improving balance, muscle tone and posture.

The #1 Criticisism Of Chiropractic

2009-10-24T13:19:00.003-04:00

I’ve been a chiropractor since 1986 and the #1 complaint I’ve heard from the general public (not patients) is that the problem with chiropractic is that you have to keep on going to the chiropractor over and over again. This observation reminds me of a remark made by a Spinal Mechanics teacher in my first year of chiropractic school. He said that the hardest thing we’ll ever face is to have our treatments (adjustments) “hold.” As you know, chiropractors identify small misalignments in the spine and adjust them into positions promoting normal spinal motion, muscle balance and proper nerve flow.

My observation is that the vast majority of chiropractors use a technique that’s over 50 years old. When I was in school it was called Diversified. If you’ve been to a chiropractor you probably recognize it. As a patient, your treatment starts out with you lying face down. The chiropractor pushes forward on your back, and then you roll, first on one side, then the other and as the chiropractor adjusts your low back. Then you lay on your back and the chiropractor adjusts your neck in a (painless) twisting motion. During the process you may hear popping which is completely normal.

Regardless of how this sounds, with a good practitioner this is an extremely safe procedure and quite effective for many people. However, we haven’t used Diversified since 2005. In the last several years I’ve utilized methods and technology that offer new approaches to treat chronic problems. The newer methods view the spine as a series of inter-related parts that each need to function properly in order for the entire skeleton to function correctly. Nowadays, we literally treat people from head to toe.

The good news is that we’re able to get faster results that last much longer than the older treatments that I used to use. For example, it used to take about a year of active therapy and periodic maintenance type treatments to get the results we’re now able to get in roughly 4 months. I can't say that these new methods are necessarily superior but they work much better for me and my patients.

Better Body Solutions Health Tips: How to Pick a Chiropractor

1. Choose to work with a practitioner who loves what he/she does

2. Find someone who stays current on the newest methodologies

3. Find out how long a treatment program typically takes and how the doctor will objectively measure your progress

4. Ask before you start if follow-up visits are necessary after the initial care plan

How to Correct Your Burping, Heartburn, or Reflux Problem

2009-10-24T13:10:00.005-04:00

If you suffer from indigestion like burping or gas immediately after a meal, offensive breath, difficult bowel movements or a sense of fullness after meals you may be suffering from too little stomach acid.

As we discussed before, heartburn and gastric reflux can also ultimately be caused by too little stomach acid - a condition called hypochlorhydria. But, I never told you what to do about it. A couple of readers suggested I give them some more information that they could put to use.

Okay, I’ll cop to not being forthright, but my intentions were good. You see, the way to increase stomach acid which is called “hydrochloric acid” is to take a supplement that contains, you guessed it, hydrochloric acid. Taking such a supplement can either help or hurt, literally. That’s why I hesitated to post it earlier.

If you have the symptoms of hypochlorhydria you may want to try taking some “stomach acid in a pill.” Standard Process makes a very good supplement called Betaine Hydrochloride. If you don’t have an ulcer this product may help you. However, if you have stomach or esophageal ulcers, taking more acid is going to give you more heartburn. So, you have to be judicious. If you have more of the symptoms associated with too much acid in your stomach then it’s best to take a product to heal the ulcers first. I promise to post on this later.

If you don’t actually have ulcers it’s probably safe to give a supplement a try. I always recommend working through this with a clinician but if you want a little self-care project here are my suggestions:

Better Body Solutions Health Tips

1. If you experience symptoms of hypochlorhydria you may want to try a supplement to increase your levels of hydrochloric acid

2. Buy a tablet rather than a pill so that you can easily break it.

3. Bite off only 1/4 to 1/3 of the tablet

4. If you don’t experience heartburn or increased symptoms try taking more

5. If your symptoms go away or greatly improve take the supplement for one month

6. Notice what happens when you stop taking the supplement. If the symptoms come back return to this blog. I’ll post again in the next week about common causes of hypochlorhydria stomach problems and what to do about them.

Depressed? 4 Ways To Produce More Serotonin Naturally.

2009-10-24T09:39:00.009-04:00

According to Archives Of General Psychiatry, the use of anti-depressants has nearly doubled in the U.S. since 1996. This means that currently 27 million Americans take antidepressants. Keep in mind that the FDA has never approved anti-depressants for the treatment of chronic depression. One reason might be that the body acclimates to the anti-depressant fairly rapidly. Consequently, the effect of the medication diminishes over time.

The good news is that there are natural alternatives to treat depression. Before we explore them let’s take a look at what most antidepressants actually do in the brain.
The most commonly used antidepressants increase serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin is a naturally occurring neurotransmitter (chemical messenger) that controls the regulation of mood and thought. Symptoms of low serotonin include depression with the following characteristics:

- Inability to enjoy life with a loss of pleasure hobbies, interests, favorite foods

- Lack of enjoyment with friends and family

- Feeling overwhelmed by too many ideas or thoughts

- Feelings of inner rage or paranoia

- Worsening of symptoms when it’s cloudy or there is a lack of sunlight

- Feeling of dependency on others

As you can see, an inability to enjoy is the hallmark of this disorder. Let’s take a look at some of the nutritional supplements that you can use as an alternative to medications. One of the benefits of natural supplementation that supports the production (rather than replaces) of serotonin is that the body won’t readily acclimate. If these supplements work, chances are they’ll work for a long time.

- 5-HT (hyrdroxytryptophan) is a naturally occurring amino acid from which tryptophan is manufactured. Studies show that supplementation with 5- HT increases natural tryptophan production.

- St. John’s Wort is an herb that acts like a medication. It’s a natural selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) and therefore should not be used when taking an SSRI medication.

- Same-E (S-adenosylmethionine) is a nutritional compound that increases serotonin production.

- Co-factors like Niacinamide, P-5-P (active B6), methycobalamin, folic acid and magnesium help synthesize serotonin.

Better Body Solutions Happiness Health Hints:

1. Seek professional care from a qualified doctor. Medication may be necessary.

2. Exercise. Exercise has proven to be a very effective depression buster.

3. Practice relaxation techniques like meditation.

4. To increase your own natural production an activity of serotonin try taking Serotone by Apex Energetics. This nutritional supplement is comprised of all of the above substances.

Breaking News: Not All Zerona Lasers Are Created Equal!

2009-10-22T18:01:00.007-04:00

I was surprised, no – shocked, to find out that there are two types of Zerona Lasers. One is a violet/lilac color and the other is black. The difference is more than appearance. Although the 5 lasers are identical, the arms that hold and position the lasers function very differently.

I found this out because we had to call the laser’s manufacturer Erchonia, due to a problem with a little screw in the laser’s arm. The screw had broken off and Erchonia’s response was to send us a brand new unit. Talk about amazing customer service!

That’s the equivalent of having a flat tire and BMW delivering you a new car instead of fixing it. Better yet, we get an updated unit with a stronger arm assembly and this brings me back to the point of this post: there are two kinds of Zerona lasers.

I didn’t know that there were differences until I spoke to the representative. I liked the look of the black one and I asked the rep, “The black one looks cool…can you ship that?” Surprisingly, the representative said “The black one looks cool, but the lilac one functions better.” (Imagine the poor doctor who invested in the inferior unit - and his patients, of course!)

How is the black Zerona laser inferior?

The lilac Zerona laser has arms that are very flexible. This turns out to be really important because we can set up the 4 movable lasers to focus in on problem areas. In fact, a few months ago we received special training from Erchonia’s Medical Director, Ryan Maloney. Ryan had run the independent FDA study that showed an average loss of 3.5” with two weeks of treatment He was in Manhattan and graciously offered to visit our clinic. He spent 3 hours with my staff showing them the “Insider’s Tricks” to get best results.

One of the insider tricks was to put position all of the laser heads close together to really hone in on a trouble area. We do this by wrapping the arms into little circles. The lilac machine’s arms are very flexible and allow for this but apparently the black laser has rigid arms and doesn’t allow for much in the way of realigning laser heads.

Moral of the story: If you’re thinking of a Zerona Laser treatment, find a practitioner with the lilac-colored laser.

How To Prevent Spine & Nerve Damage

2009-10-22T15:21:00.003-04:00

The following story is a cautionary tale that illustrates the benefits of regular spine and nerve check-ups. A patient came in complaining of neck, arm and hand pain last week and she had MRI that showed herniated discs and stenosis. It is very common for us to manage a case like hers because we specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of disc herniations, bulges, stenosis and sciatica. She showed me a problem though that pains me to see in any patient. She held out her hand and it was obvious that her thumb muscles have atrophied.

If you turn your hand over, palm up, you’ll see that the muscles at the base of your thumb are relatively large compared to the muscles at the base of the fingers. Muscle wasting due to nerve injury is a very serious issue. I have written before that pain is usually not THE problem or an accurate barometer of good health. Muscle weakness and loss is objective evidence of a significant problem. These injuries can be permanent and can threaten someone’s ability to use their hand.

Likewise, a disc herniation or stenosis in the lower back can compress upon the nerves traveling down the leg and if not treated properly can cause muscle wasting in the leg. Some of our patients initially enter our office with the use of a cane.

Remember – if you’re feeling pain, it’s a message from your brain. If it persists for more than a week or two, even if it comes and goes, get it checked out by a competent doctor.

Better Body Solutions Health Tips

1. Don’t assume that you are healthy just because you are not in pain. Arthritis for instance, can be painless until it’s too late to treat.

2. Get spinal and nerve check-ups at least once a year to detect potential problems early.

3. If you have symptoms for more than two weeks, even if it comes and goes, get examined by a knowledgeable doctor.

Is Your Thyroid Hormone Activated?

2009-10-22T15:15:00.002-04:00

Fourth In Our Thyroid Series

As I’ve mentioned in other posts in Better Body Solutions’ thyroid series (type “thyroid in the search box for other articles) is that oftentimes a patient with abnormal thyroid-type symptoms, will be told that their thyroid is fine. Unfortunately, many doctors do not look at enough lab markers or appreciate the complex chemical interactions of the hormonal system as a whole, to detect what’s really going on. Additionally, conventional medical approaches to hypothyroidism are typically limited to supplying pharmaceutical thyroid hormone. What I’m doing for the person with under or over-active thyroid symptoms is to give them the knowledge to look at their blood tests and know enough to ask their doctor questions or to expose the limitations of conventional approaches and encourage the patient to find an doctor with more knowledge in these areas. We also recommend supplementation and lifestyle changes that can be taken with medications that encourage improved thyroid gland function.

When your doctor orders routine blood tests to screen for thyroid problems one of the few tests that he orders is a T4 test. T4 is inactive thyroid hormone. It has very limited metabolic effect. To be activated T4 needs to be converted into T3. T3 is the active thyroid hormone. To the degree that T3 isn’t manufactured a patient can experience hypothyroid symptoms. Yet, their doctor will look at the blood tests (T4) and say that there is no problem. The real problem is that the doctor didn’t order a “Free T3 test” which tests the amount of unbound (free) T3.

So, to review, T4 needs to be converted into T3 because T3 is the active thyroid hormone that affects metabolism. If your body is not converting T4 into T3 it may due to abnormal cortisol (stress hormone) levels or inflammation in the body. An abnormal stress response is the most common cause of this under-conversion problem and many patients will have symptoms of abnormal adrenal (stress) function {LINK}.

Better Body Solutions Thyroid Tips:

1. If your initial thyroid testing is normal but you still have symptoms of low thyroid, ask for a “Free T3 test.” This is rarely done in conventional medical practice.

2. If the Free T3 test is low (compared to a functional normal) ask for a salivary cortisol panel. This test will see if you produce too much or too little thyroid hormone throughout the day.

3. Consider nutritional support for your adrenal (stress) gland or to reduce inflammation.

4. Work with a knowledgeable practitioner to guide you. Do not attempt to diagnose yourself.

What Your Doctor May Not Know About Your Thyroid

2009-10-22T15:08:00.002-04:00

This Is The First In Our Thyroid Series (Repost)

Many of our patients who are hoping to lose weight have thyroid problems that have gone undiagnosed or somewhat ineffectively treated. The medical approach to treating hypothyroid patients is oftentimes very simple. They prescribe a synthetic or less commonly, a natural hormone to make-up for poor thyroid function. My patient population though, commonly complains of symptoms even though they’re taking thyroid medication. If this sounds like you, please know that there is hope.

If you suffer from hypothyroidism you know how much it affects the way you live and feel. Common symptoms include weight gain, depression, lack of motivation, fatigue, hair loss, dry skin, brittle nails, constipation, intolerance to cold, muscle aches, poor memory and decreased libido.

Clinical Tidbit: A high TSH score on your blood test is a sign of primary hypothyroidsim.

Now the good news. Fortunately, there are blood tests and treatments, although not routinely run, that are available to determine the more subtle nature of thyroid problems. I practice metabolic medicine and love treating thyroid patients who I really believe are under-served by conventional measures. Because I don’t prescribe thyroid medication, I look at the problem from a more holistic vantage point. The is quite important because everything from cortisol (stress) levels to the immune function to hormones like estrogen (birth control, hormone replacement) can significantly impact thyroid function.

The thyroid gland makes thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). These hormones determine how quickly your body burns energy.

Stay tuned for more information on your thyroid and your quality of life. We’ll teach you how to read your blood tests, what to ask your doctor and tell you about natural, alternative strategies to help improve thyroid function.

What Your Nose Knows But Your Back Doesn't

2009-10-19T14:28:00.003-04:00

As I mentioned in a post recently pain or the lack thereof is an unreliable gauge of your health. But seeing and feeling are believing, so let’s perform an experiment. Throw caution to the wind and give your nose a vigorous pinch. Show enough enthusiasm for this experiment and it will bring tears to your eyes. There are lots of nerves in your nose and your face in general. On the other hand, the loose skin behind your elbow does not have many pain receptors. If you pinch this region and get on the correct spot you’ll notice that you only feel a painless dull sensation no matter how hard you pinch.

The contrast in your ability to perceive pain is due to the number of pain receptors (nociceptors) located in each region. It’s also dependent upon the amount of real estate your brain has dedicated to your nose and elbow. Your nose takes up a relatively large chunk of your brain as compared to the puny plot dedicated to the back of your elbow.

The amount of pain receptors in the discs in your low back and neck are roughly equivalent to those in your elbow. And there is only a small region of your brain dedicated to receiving signals from your low back and neck as compared to your nose and face.

So, keep three things in mind:

1. It is easy to damage your back and neck because you won’t feel pain and you’ll be unaware of your injury.

2. The fact that you do not feel pain does not mean that you don’t have damage occurring to your spine.

3. If you do feel pain and especially numbness, tingling or weakness you may have a serious condition like a disc bulge, disc herniation or stenosis. If these sensations occur, consider seeking medical attention.

Are You Really Aerobic?

2009-10-17T17:54:00.007-04:00

Learn How to Calculate Your Maximum Aerobic Range.

Do you jog? Ride a bike? Use an elliptical? Row?

If so, how do know if you’re exercising aerobically?

Many of our patient including those on the Zerona laser exercise, but not always correctly. People commonly exercise too hard. They become frustrated when they can't lose fat over certain areas of the body. Even guys who pound the weights all day will complain that although they have rock hard abs they are located under some Pillsbury Dough.

To exercise aerobically is to have oxygen available for your cells to burn fat and create energy. If you exercise too hard for your fitness level, oxygen will not be available to cells performing the work. Muscle cells can make energy without oxygen. This is called anaerobic glycolosis. Aside from being very inefficient (not much energy is produced) it conserves fat and burns sugar. In other words, you will create muscle mass but will not lose fat. I’ve discussed aerobic versus anaerobic exercise in greater depth here.

In this post I’m going to teach you an easy way to exercise near your maximum aerobic range or MAR. Your MAR is based upon your age and your heart rate. As we age we become aerobically less efficient by about 1% per year. This means that you need to adjust your MAR each year to ensure you don’t exceed your aerobic capacity and become anaerobic.

Here’s a simple formula to help you determine your Maximum Aerobic Range:
Subtract your age from 180. This number represents the top of your MAR.
Subtract 10 heartbeats below that. This is the bottom of your range.

For example: If you’re 40 years old, your MAR is 130 to 140.

Here are some exercise tips:

1. Exercise using long muscles like leg muscles. Arm curls won't do it.

2. Wear a heart monitor to know your current heart rate. A simple model by Polar is sufficient for most people.

3. Start slow and with gradually work-out more intensity over no less than 15 minutes before you enter into your MAR.

4. If you just started exercising you may want to just spend 5 minutes in your zone and then gradually warm down over 15 minutes to around 80 beats per minute before stopping. If you're in good shape exercise up to 30 minutes in your zone before your warm down.

5. Exercise 5 days a week. Take it slow. It's more about frequency than intensity. Make it a fun routine.

6. Vary the type of exercise. One day jog/walk, bike the next, then row. The more the merrier.

7. Lastly, Feel Confident! You're exercising the correct way to burn fat.

I'll publish another post on the importance of ANaerobic exercise soon.

How Heartburn & Reflux Can Be Caused By Too Little Stomach Acid

2009-10-02T10:22:00.005-04:00

It seems counter intuitive to say that heartburn, reflux, bloating and burping can be caused by too little hydrochloric acid. Yet that’s precisely what happens. Hydrochloric acid is the acid that your stomach makes to digest proteins. Here’s a list of symptoms that can be caused by deficient hydrochloric acid production:

- Excessive belching, burping or bloating
- Gas immediately following a meal
- Offensive breath
- Difficult bowel movements
- Sense of fullness after eating
- Difficulty digesting fruits and vegetables
- Undigested foods found in the stool

If there isn’t enough hydrochloric acid in the stomach to digest proteins, food may putrefy. When this happens, organic acids are produced. This causes hyperchlorhydria secondary to hypochlohydria! Please know that organic acids are not stomach acids and therefore the problem isn’t too much stomach acid. Organic acids released due to putrefaction can irritate the stomach lining and even cause ulcers. Hyperchlorhydria can result in the following symptoms:

- Stomach pain, burning or aching 1-4 hours after meals
- Frequent use of antacids
- Feeling hungry an hour or two after eating
- Heartburn when lying down or bending
- Temporary relief with antacids, food, milk and carbonated beverages
- Rest & relaxation lessen symptoms
- Heartburn when eating spicy foods, chocolate, citrus, peppers, alcohol and caffeine

So many Americans rely on antacids, but often these stomach issues can easily be treated without medications or their side effects. I’ll write another post soon about how we treat hypochlorhydria and hyperchlorhydria at Better Body Solutions, but here’s the take away:

A great number of stomach problems result from deficient stomach acid production and this occurs due to stress, helicobacter pylori (a bacteria that lives in the stomach), abnormal blood sugar and intestinal inflammation.

How Stress Robs You Of Precious Sleep

2009-10-01T13:30:00.005-04:00

Do you have trouble falling asleep?

Do you have trouble staying asleep?

The “stress hormone” cortisol helps control our daily wake-sleep (circadian) rhythm. Normally, Cortisol levels should be highest in the morning and lowest at night. Here’s how cortisol maintains our circadian rhythm: At night, even as the body is asleep, our brain is still working and needs fuel. While asleep, cortisol is slowly released over time to maintain the blood sugar needed to feed the brain. Cortisol levels continue to rise throughout the night, and when they are high enough we wake up. When we break our 6-9 hour fast by eating our morning meal, our blood sugar rises and cortisol levels drop off through the day. They’re at their lowest in the evening allowing us to fall asleep and the cycle repeats itself.

When this cycle is normal we can get the “good night’s sleep” that we need. However when cortisol levels are abnormally high or low our sleep pattern suffers. Typically, high cortisol levels in the evening are associated with a difficulty falling asleep. Conversely, when cortisol levels are too low you may not be able to stay asleep.

What you need to know: Your cortisol circadian rhythm can be tested with a hormone panel. If your cortisol cycle is too high or low we recommend changing your lifestyle and/or taking nutritional supplementation (more on this later) to normalize the release of the “stress hormone.”

Read more about the circadian rhythm.

Read more about stress techniques.

Stress Tip: Eating a healthy breakfast can help normalize cortisol levels.

How Estrogen Hijacked The Thyroid Cab

2009-10-01T12:05:00.007-04:00

Third In Our Thyroid Series

If you take HRT or the birth control pill and have low thyroid symptoms this post will be especially interesting to you.

Have you ever arrived at the airport or a train station and no taxis were available?

Our clinic is currently located on 40th and Lexington (we're moving soon) just downstream from Grand Central. Many times I’ve tried to hail a cab outside the clinic, only to watch a sea of taxis, full of passengers, roll right by. There were no cabs to be had…they were all occupied.

If you are taking estrogens and have experienced symptoms of hypothyroidism only to be told that your thyroid is normal, you may want to show your doctor this post. I’ve read that many doctors are confused by this particular thyroid pattern and it goes completely unnoticed by mainstream medicine. However, the problem isn’t the thyroid at all – estrogen is stealing all of the taxis.

Active thyroid hormone or T3 is necessary to establish a normal metabolic rate. If there are inadequate amounts of T3 produced it’s quite common to experience fatigue, depression, weight gain, dry hair and constipation. However with this pattern it is also possible for normal amounts of T3 to be produced and to experience the same symptoms. Just like someone arriving at Grand Central, T3 needs to circulate. It needs a taxi (a thyroid binding protein). Without a taxi, the hormone won’t be able to reach the tissues around the body where it is to have an influence. It is in effect, “all dressed up with no place to go.”

Birth control pills and estrogen replacement therapy put extra estrogen into the system which effectively hogs all the cabs. Estrogen attaches to thyroid binding protein. In this fairly common scenario the thyroid is producing thyroid hormone normally, but the T3 is not reaching the tissues necessary to influence metabolism.

Hint: A low T3 Uptake on your blood test is the hallmark of this pattern.

"How Many Pain Doctors Have You Seen?"

2009-09-30T17:57:00.011-04:00

I ask this question to many of our new patients. I want to know how long they’ve been working towards getting better. We treat a variety of disc conditions including herniated disc, ruptured disc, bulging disc, sciatica and stenosis. These conditions can be quite serious and impact a patients quality of life in the long term. Many patients tell me that it threatens their ability to work and sleep. It interferes with their relationships and hobbies and can make simple movements quite painful.

About 80% of the time, patients relate virtually the same story. They started to feel pain in their neck or back but didn’t think much of it. Their pain worsened and they took some over-the-counter medication. Then they began to get leg or arm pain, tingling or numbness. Some noticed that they felt weak in the affected extremity. They went to their doctor who prescribed an anti-inflammatory like Celebrex or a muscle relaxant like Flexoril. The pain didn’t go away or got worse and they went through a course of physical therapy. Many had epidural injections in their spine. Others tried chiropractic and acupuncture.

I mention this because if you have pain from a disc related condition you probably have gone through at least part of what is described here. Sometimes it’s comforting to know that you’re not alone.

At Better Body Solutions we take the time to get to know our patients. We want to understand how their health problem is impacting their life. We always look to not only diagnose the source of pain, but seek to determine why it happened in the first place. We specialize in disc conditions and use modern methods and technologies different from those our patients have experienced before.

Go here if you wish to hear from some of our patients.

Take A Brain Health Moment... Get A Happy Feeling

2009-09-30T14:36:00.009-04:00

Watch this video of Oprah and the Black Eyed Peas and Get Happy!

Alternatives To Anti-Depressants

2009-09-29T11:43:00.005-04:00

As I read through patient charts I’m always struck by how many patients are taking anti-depressants. Anti-depressants are thought to work by altering the activity of particular neurotransmitters. There is some controversy in the media regarding how safe they are and how well they work. I’ve also read that anti-depressants were never FDA approved to treat chronic depression. Another problem with anti-depressants is that even if they do work initially, over time the body acclimates to the drug and their effect is lessened.

The good news is that there are very powerful alternatives. I’ll be presenting a series of blog posts about the symptoms associated with deficits of four major brain neurotransmitters: dopamine, seratonin, GABA and acetylcholine and discuss why nutritional intervention may supply safe, powerful natural alternatives to medications. Interestingly, the nutritional compounds are often used to successfully treat depression in many other countries throughout the world. Many of these nutrients can be taken with your prescribed anti-depressants. This is not true in the case of St. John’s Wort which is so powerful on it’s own that many doctors feel that you shouldn’t take it with a SSRI (serotonin re-uptake inhibitor). More on this later.

Lifetime Spinal Health

2009-09-29T11:40:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I had a conversation with a patient that I’ve had hundreds of times over the last 20 years. He couldn’t believe how quickly his back and leg felt after getting just 3-4 treatments at Better Body Solutions. He had come in a couple of weeks ago unable to walk for more than a block or two, having to stop and squat until the back and leg pain subsided enough to walk another block. Patients like this can spend a fortune on cabs.

We began treatment with him to correct his posture, strengthen his cerebellum (the part of the brain that helps to control posture) and we used non-surgical spinal decompression on a disc in his low back. Not everyone receives such fantastic results after a handful of treatments, but this particular patient was feeling great so he said, “You know, I feel so good it’s tempting to stop getting treated.”

Let’s just say that I’ve heard this before. Occasionally, a patient believes that once they begin to see positive results, it is unnecessary to complete the duration of their treatment. However, here are 3 reasons to stay on track with your treatment instead of jumping the gun at the first signs of progress:

1. The disc itself does not contain many pain fibers, except at the very periphery. Therefore, your disc could be ripped and torn on the inside and you wouldn’t know the difference. Pain is an unreliable indicator of your spinal health.

2. Most disc conditions are part of a degenerative process than can prematurely age your spine and cause significant pain and disability in the future if they’re not properly healed now. It’s best to slow or even stop the degenerative process!

3. Objective diagnostic analysis is a better measure of your health than the presence or absence of pain. For example, a cardiologist doesn’t say, “How does your heart feel?”and leave it at that. The doctor examines your heart and the objective test results tell the real story. If you think you’re better and want to quit, let your doctor run some tests to see what’s really going on.

Remember to think of your spinal health in the long term, you’re going to have the same spine throughout your life.

The Brain Game: How Is Your Brain Aging?

2009-09-29T11:32:00.002-04:00

Every day we lose thousands of brain neurons. They die and do not come back. At the same time our surviving brain cells can grow to touch each other (plasticity) and our brain can function better. To keep your brain sharp, play the brain game to decrease the amount of brain cells that are dying and at the same time, create plasticity to better connect brain cells.

Brain cells need 2 things to survive and grow strong: fuel and stimulation. Glucose and oxygen are the two types of fuel that feed the brain. Stimulation is required to exercise all of the parts of the brain. Examples of stimulation include physical exercise, visualization, smell, touch and vibration. There a hundreds of exercises that stimulate discrete regions of the brain and at Better Body Solutions we specialize in helping brains be healthy. I’ll post more about this in the future.

Problems with either fuel or stimulation can lead to early brain cell death. Everyday examples of this include anemia (not enough oxygen), too much cortisol (toxic to brain), decreased blood flow and low or high blood sugar.

At Better Body Solutions we check the brain status of nearly every patient. Since the brain controls the body it behooves us to correct brain imbalances which will help the body in general. We have many tools to do this and I’ll be discussing this in future posts. For now though, remember 3 things:

1. You live in your brain even more than your body. Every thing you’ve ever felt, seen, smelled, emoted, every joy, pain, thought and sound you’ve heard has taken place in your brain.

2. Your brain runs your body far more than you know. For example, your digestion, hormones, blood circulation and respiration are all modulated by your brain.

3. Lose too many brain cells or fail to develop your brain (and mind) and you run a risk of living a less than satisfying life with a heightened risk of disease, disability and early death.

Play the brain game and visit us often to learn how to better care for your brain!

Does Your Workout Regimen Burn Fat Or Build Muscle?

2009-09-25T12:40:00.002-04:00

When we exercise we temporarily increase our metabolism, burning more calories. When our cells have oxygen available we can burn fat. This is referred to as aerobic exercise. But when the exercise workload exceeds the ability to deliver oxygen, our body makes energy anaerobically (without oxygen). This conserves fat, but builds muscle.

I’ve seen quite a few patients over the years who want to lose weight and exercise too hard to burn fat. Many have said, “But, I go to an aerobics class.” Unfortunately, this can be a little confusing because the class exercises can cause anaerobic or aerobic function depending upon how vigorously they’re performed.

The prototypical anaerobic exercise is weightlifting with heavy weights. This requires short bursts of energy of maximum output. The man pictured below is very, very strong but his body carries excess weight around the middle.

The prototypical aerobic exercise is marathon running which is a sub-maximal output for much longer periods of time.

The good news is that you can modify your exercise routine to shape your body. More to come....

Hashimoto: The Missed Thyroid Diagnosis

2009-09-25T04:46:00.003-04:00

Second In Our Thyroid Series

Hashimoto: The Missed Thyroid Diagnosis

Hashimoto Thyroiditis (HT) is an autoimmune disease. It means that your body’s immune system is attacking your thyroid and causing it to become inflamed. HT is the most common cause of hypothyroidism. Here are some typical symptoms associated with hypothyroidism:

• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
• Coarse, dry hair
• Dry, rough pale skin
• Hair loss
• Cold intolerance (you can't tolerate cold temperatures like those around you)
• Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
• Constipation
• Depression
• Irritability
• Memory loss
• Abnormal menstrual cycles
• Decreased libido

There are simple blood tests available to determine if a patient has Hashimoto’s. We run tests for two thyroid antibodies: Antithyroglobulin and Thyroid Peroxidase. If either of these tests is positive a diagnosis of Hashimoto’s must be considered.

The medical approach to treat HT is to prescribe natural or synthetic thyroid hormone. Our approach which is often times complimentary to medication, is to first run other specialized blood tests to determine which parts of the immune system is attacking the thyroid. When we know more about how the abnormal immune function we prescribe nutritional supplementation to tone down the attack on the thyroid and balance the immune system in general.

Unfortunately, hypothyroidism and especially Hashimoto Thyroiditis is under-diagnosed.

How Disc Bulges & Herniations Injure Nerves

2009-09-22T13:16:00.007-04:00

If you have back pain and in particular, if you have leg or arm pain too, you’ve probably had an MRI. MRI’s are useful because they can show damage to discs, nerves and the spine itself. In my mind there are two very common types of diagnosis. One type is related to arthritis and the other, which I will cover in this post, is colloquially referred to as a “slipped disc.”

There are many different terms to describe bulging and herniated discs because historically there was not much consensus regarding taxonomy. Some of the names include disc herniation, prolapse, disc bulge, and nowadays the preferred name is oftentimes spinal stenosis. Unless you are a surgeon, they practically mean the same thing. Namely, part of an intervertebral disc is physically touching a nerve or the spinal cord. This can cause symptoms In the neck or back, or extremities. Most commonly, patients arrive in my office towing an MRI that shows a disc condition involving the last two discs in their low back. Their complaint usually involves back pain and a numbness, paresthesia or pain in their leg and/or foot.

The diagram below shows a normal alignment of the vertebrae and disc. The nerve opening is large enough to transmit the spinal nerve that goes from the back, down the leg to the foot.

The next diagram shows a bulged or herniated disc. As you can see the disc has slipped or bulged backward into the nerve opening. This disc is physically pressing upon the nerve itself as it exits through the opening.

In my experience, many patients don’t fully understand what a disc bulge or disc herniation looks like. MRI’s are difficult to read. Hopefully, these crude illustrations help shows how disc problems injure nerves. More later....

Does Your Brain Need A Tune-Up?

2009-09-22T11:44:00.005-04:00

Did you know that your brain is malleable? Which is to ask, did you know that your brain structure constantly changes?

You change your mind all the time, but the stuff your mind is made of, your brain cells, change too. Your life experiences, thoughts and sensations literally can cause parts of your brain to grow or atrophy. Some of the changes can be for the better, others can be for the worse. For example, patients with speech disorders go to a speech therapist to improve the neural structure and activity in the speaking centers of the brain. On the other hand, many fibromyalgia patients have experienced terrible stress over long periods of time and their brains have changed accordingly, causing them to feel more pain, and causing their body to be locked into an emergency state.

Chiropractic Neurology is the science that diagnosis abnormal brain function and provides treatment to re-shape the brain. Brain cells can grow to function more normally when we provide the proper exercise stimulus to the the appropriate region of the brain.

Neuroplasticity is the term used to describe the phenomena of the changeable brain. Neuro means brain and plastic means “exhibiting an adaptability to change.”

For the patient who wants it all, we offer both the Body Lite Treatment using the Zerona laser to re-shape the body and chiropractic neurology to re-shape the brain.

A great book on the subject of neuroplasticity is "The Brain That Changes Itself."

Pain Relief: Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression:

2009-09-22T11:40:00.005-04:00

I haven’t blogged about effective treatments for pain yet, but that’s about to change. Recently, there has been significant interest in the Zerona laser, but 5 years ago the media were just as interested in Non-Surgical, Spinal Decompression (NSSD). This is but one of the procedures that we regularly use to treat spinal disc problems and stenosis. There’s a whole range of conditions for which NSSD may be an appropriate treatment method, including the aforementioned stenosis, disc herniation, disc bulge, degenerative joint disease, sciatica and numerous other names that pretty much add up to the spine and discs breaking down and irritating nerves and causing pain.

I’ll be writing more about these conditions in upcoming posts.

Our clinic is proud to offer the state-of-the-art Axiom DRX-9000C pictured above.

I believe that we need to utilize the best methods and technologies to get the job done for our patients.

This unit treats both neck and disc problems and it has been wildly popular with patients. So much so, that when we move we’ll probably need to acquire another.

What Your Doctor May Not Know About Your Thyroid

2009-09-19T11:50:00.007-04:00

This Is The First In Our Thyroid Series

Many of our patients who are hoping to lose weight have thyroid problems that have gone undiagnosed or somewhat ineffectively treated. The medical approach to treating hypothyroid patients is oftentimes very simple. They prescribe a synthetic or less commonly, a natural hormone to make-up for poor thyroid function. My patient population though, commonly complains of symptoms even though they’re taking thyroid medication. If this sounds like you, please know that there is hope.

If you suffer from hypothyroidism you know how much it affects the way you live and feel. Common symptoms include weight gain, depression, lack of motivation, fatigue, hair loss, dry skin, brittle nails, constipation, intolerance to cold, muscle aches, poor memory and decreased libido.

Clinical Tidbit: A high TSH score on your blood test is a sign of primary hypothyroidsim.

Now the good news. Fortunately, there are blood tests and treatments, although not routinely run, that are available to determine the more subtle nature of thyroid problems. I practice metabolic medicine and love treating thyroid patients who I really believe are under-served by conventional measures. Because I don’t prescribe thyroid medication, I look at the problem from a more holistic vantage point. The is quite important because everything from cortisol (stress) levels to the immune function to hormones like estrogen (birth control, hormone replacement) can significantly impact thyroid function.

The thyroid gland makes thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). These hormones determine how quickly your body burns energy.

Zerona Laser Treatment Found To Reduce Bad Cholesterol

2009-09-18T11:45:00.002-04:00

Erchonia Medical Inc., the manufacturer of the Zerona laser published the results of a study back in May. The study found that Zerona laser treatments reduced bad cholesterol and “hunger.” I need to look into the second claim and get back to you on it, but I’m not surprised by the finding that laser treatments reduces LDL cholesterol. Improvements in LDL levels were initially noticed by several physicians who used the laser.

Here’s the skinny on good and bad cholesterol. HDL cholesterol, is known as “good cholesterol” because it takes cholesterol from the blood vessels back to the liver. On the other hand, LDL or “bad cholesterol” takes cholesterol to the arteries where it can be found in arterial plaques.

A high LDL with certain other factors present is associated with cardiovascular disease.

Offhand, I’d say that about 40% of my patients have less than ideal LDL levels. While it’s true that a single study shouldn’t be used to determine medical protocols, the lasers’ beneficial effect on fat profiles should be further investigated.

From Erchonia’s website:

McKinney, TX May 5, 2009 – Erchonia Medical, the global leader in low level laser healthcare applications, announces today that its newest laser for body sculpting, Zerona, has been clinically shown to reduce the levels of the hunger-hormone, leptin, and lipoprotein (LDL). A 22 participant pilot study revealed that Zerona not only reduced circumferential inches following a two week treatment phase, but also lowered all patients’ leptin levels and reduced low-density lipoprotein numbers in over 50% of the participants in just two weeks.

Adaptogenic Plants = Stress Busters

2009-09-18T11:12:00.008-04:00

From “The Simpsons”

Homer: Are you saying you're never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Ham?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Pork chops?
Lisa: Dad, those all come from the same animal.
Homer: Heh heh heh. Ooh, yeah, right, Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal.

Homer might question Lisa’s sanity for becoming a vegetarian but she has a great point – certain plants can positively impact your life and energy in a variety of ways.

In fact, there is a group of magical plants that have the ability to both improve your endurance AND help you get a good night’s sleep?

These same magical plants can also help improve your immune system, enhance your mental clarity and memory, increase your sense of well being, help detoxify your body, normalize your blood sugar and more?

Adaptogenic plants like siberian ginseng for example, support the adrenal system and help us respond to stress and maintain a healthy inner balance. In our clinic we use a product called Adaptocrine which contains 5 different adaptogens that research has proved to decrease the effect of stress upon the body. These ingredients include:

Panax Ginseng root
Ashwagandha root
Holy basil leaf extract

Rhodiola root extract

Eleutherococcus root

We probably recommend Adaptocrine to 75% of our nutrition patients to combat daily stresses. Ultimately, these botanicals have been found to help re-establish healthy functioning of the brain and body.

Some, like Homer, might prefer the taste of pork, but these are wonderful, magical plants indeed.

"Does The Laser Really Work?"

2009-09-18T07:40:00.009-04:00

Okay, you’re a New Yorker, so you’re skeptical. Maybe you’re thinking that, “The laser sounds too good to be true.” And you want to ask, “Does it really work?” Or, “Is it dangerous?”

These were the most common comments and questions we heard when we became the first clinic in NYC to offer Zerona laser treatments. As more information has become available on the internet including the FAQ on one of our sites, we haven’t received these questions quite as often.

But, patients still want to know how the Zerona Laser removes fat. Below are several images that shows the Zerona in action. Here’s how we lose inches:

Before the laser treatment, the superficial fat cells are engorged with fat.

After 15 minutes using the Zerona laser a temporary pore appears on the surface of the cell.

At 30 minutes fat is moving out of the cell.

The picture at 60 minutes shows a collapsed fat cell which takes up much less room.

As I tell our patients: “The laser works, the question is whether your body works. The liberated fat has 3 fates. It can be used as energy, it can be pooped out and it can be re-absorbed into the fat cells. Obviously we don’t want re-absorption and that’s why we developed the Body Lite Treatment. We get blood tests, understand your lifestyle and put together a customized plan that includes herbs, vitamins, and nutrients for your unique metabolic needs, in order to flush out the most fat.

Better Body Solutions Featured On Eyewitness News

2009-09-15T08:03:00.006-04:00

Better Body Solutions was featured on ABC’s Eyewitness News on Monday September 14, 2009. The segment showed one of our patients, Colleen, go through the treatment protocol. She was filmed in her bikini before and after her treatments and the video footage shows significant fat loss.

By Lauren Glassberg

NEW YORK (WABC) -- There is a new procedure that some say allows people who want to lose those extra pounds to do so without liposuction. Instead, a laser is used, and it is said to just melt those pounds away.

Colleen Russo underwent the procedure and is happy with the results. She had a baby a year and a half ago and was looking to lose those last 10 pounds she gained while she was pregnant. Colleen tried diet and exercise, but didn't have much success. She finally decided to try to laser treatment and turned to Nick Ungaro, a chiropractor who uses the Zerona laser.

First, Colleen was marked and measured, and then the laser is maneuvered into place. The laser feels cool, and there is no burning or downtime.

"She can get up and go dancing," said Dr. Ungaro.

Link here: ABC News

Silly Rabbit - The Trix On You!

2009-09-14T09:00:00.004-04:00

You may think that you have it figured out. Your going to lose weight by not eating much - especially at breakfast. But studies show that
eating breakfast is one of the secrets to maintaining a healthy weight and feeling good both physically and mentally. (See post on “Low Blood Sugar & Your Cranky Inner Child”) One study showed that eating breakfast lessens the chances of a mid-late day food binge.

When we consult with patients, what we hear over and over is something like this: “ Well I’m really health conscious, so I eat a fiber muffin/oatmeal/smoothie/fruit for breakfast.” And that’s if the patient is eating breakfast at all.

Nutritionally, these “grown up” foods may be far superior to Count Chocula, Trix, and their sugary brethren. However, just like children’s cereals, these high carbohydrate breakfasts break down quickly and can cause blood sugar issues.

What we recommend to our Zerona laser patients when they have evidence of low blood sugar is simple:

Eat within a half hour of arising.
Eat some protein with breakfast.
Eat something healthy every couple of hours, even if it’s just a couple of bites.

Protein at breakfast could be an egg, fish, chicken, pork, meat. Suggestion: try making a little extra dinner and have it for breakfast. Protein is beneficial because unlike the carbohydrate laden breakfasts listed above, it breaks down slowly and can help balance your blood sugar. Fish may be particularly good because it’s a lean source of protein and cold water fish have health omega 3’s.

So, Silly Rabbit, don’t be fooled. Eating an insubstantial breakfast is linked to weight problems. Add some healthy protein.

If you’ve been diagnosed with high or low blood sugar I suggest that you read “Protein Power” by Michael Eades, M.D.

Fashion Week Interview

2009-09-10T10:56:00.008-04:00

Recently, I was interviewed by the editor from Fashion Week Daily. She was interested in talking to me about the Zerona Laser. FWD, I’m told, is the bible of Fashion Week. I asked the writer about the views of her audience towards weight and the ideal body shape. She said that most people in the fashion world want to be as thin as possible. If they’re a size 6 they want to be a 4 and so on.

The Laser can effectively remove a few inches of superficial fat in two weeks. Occasionally, we get a woman who comes in and is too slender to be a candidate for our Body Lite Treatment using the Zerona Laser. The best candidate can pinch a few inches. If you go to pinch and you feel bone, your probably not a candidate.

In general, the most difficult area to get a few inches of fat reduction is the arms. Some people have flabby arms and are great candidates, but for others the issue is more a matter of definition, rather than chubby appendages. They would be better off to do a little toning for the biceps and triceps.

However, most of our our patients are interested in shaping the tummy, hips and thighs. The picture of the Zerona laser above shows the device as having 4 arms. There is one laser mounted on each arm and one in the middle. The movable arms enable us to target the low level lasers upon problem areas. This is a huge benefit. We can customize the treatment by focusing the laser light according to individual needs. This helps us to shape and contour the body as desired.

And you don't have to be on the runway to appreciate that!

Low Blood Sugar & Your Cranky Inner Child

2009-09-08T10:50:00.002-04:00

Have you ever been around a child who is Really hungry? It’s not pretty, is it?

The kid probably has low blood sugar and as an adult you can have low blood sugar (functional hypoglycemia) too. And if you do, you’re probably just as unaware of the cause of your distress as the child.

Although diabetes and high blood sugar get all the attention, low blood sugar can drastically affect the way you think and feel every day. You may be blithely unaware of the role low blood sugar is playing in your emotional and intellectual life, not to mention your waist line. Because the great majority of people don’t know the symptoms that are associated with functional hypoglycemia, they think instead that it’s normal to feel that way. Sometimes a patient will say to me, “Oh, I thought thats just the way I am.”

Functional Hypoglycemia can be defined as a fasting blood sugar between 65 and 85. This isn’t a disease state, however it can greatly impact your health both now and in the future due to the stresses it places on the hormonal system. About 50% of the people that I see who wish to lose weight have low blood sugar.

Here are some symptoms associated with functional hypoglycemia:

- Craving sweets
- Irritability if meals are missed or delayed
- Dependence upon caffeine (coffee/tea) to keep yourself going
- Getting lightheaded if meals are missed
- Eating relieves fatigue
- Feeling shaky, jittery, tremors
- Being agitated, easily upset, nervous, anxious
- Poor memory, forgetful, confusion upon wakening
- Blurred vision
- Bad temper, mood swings

The good news is that functional hypoglycemia is usually easy to treat. You don’t need a medication, which is probably why you haven’t heard of it. Otherwise, there would be commercials all over the TV. However, if there were more public information about functional hypoglycemia you may have a different perception of what normal is.

So the first step is recognize why your inner child is cranky. More about your blood sugar and what to do about it later.

Suzy Sells Sea Shells & Stress Kills Brain Cells

2009-09-03T16:33:00.001-04:00

When I asked Suzy how her short-term memory was she said,
“I have CRS?” Ever the sucker, I plunged right in, “Um, What’s That?”
“Can’t remember shit”, Suzy said with a grin.

CRS is as good an abbreviation as any. It’s descriptive, humorous and ironically lends itself to being remembered. Short term memory impairment is fairly common and its incidence increases with age. Their are number of different causes of CRS and as per usual, chronic stress is implicated.

Stress On Steroids

Ask anybody and they know what stress is. It’s the traffic, your boss, spouse or kid. There’s a hundred everyday emotional stresses that our brain and body process. But not all stress is alike. Some stressors are super-sized: divorce, bankruptcy, and severe illness to name just a few. These types of stresses don’t readily go away, they stay present and become a habit, chronic, and unrelenting.

Chronic stressors can cause an abnormally high release of the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol is toxic to the brain; it kills brain cells. The area most affected is the hippocampus and that’s where short term memory is processed.

When your brains on cortisol you C.R.S.