Where’s the Terrorist?!

TrueHealthDC.com

If there were ever were to be a terror plot to effect all of society, it would be the recommended 6-11 servings of processed carbohydrates recommended on the USA’s Food Pyramid. If you asked a room full of doctors that were nutrition experts if they would recommend the food pyramid to their patients, you will most likely see zero hands go up. Here are a few reasons why:

• Process grains are stripped of their husk, the shell that contains most of the nutrients. This is one of the reasons why the FDA recommended fortifying breads with vitamins and minerals.
• The husk breaks down quickly at room temperature. This means bad news for grain company’s profits and even worse news for you…
• The husk is dense which allows slow digestion of the carbohydrate center. Since almost all bread companies have removed the husk, the carbohydrates break down very fast. This fast break down causes blood sugar to spike upward. ‘So what’? you ask?. As blood sugar levels rise, insulin is released from the pancreas to shove that sugar into your cells for energy. The higher the sugar level, the higher the insulin levels. Like any hormone, when too much gets produced the body becomes resistant to it as a self-protective measure.
• High insulin levels can lead to:
  • Diabetes
  • Metabolic Syndrome
  • Increase testosterone in women–> Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), greater insulin resistance (this creates a vicious cycle)
  • In men- Increased conversion of testosterone into estrogen–>Erectile dysfunction, low libido, sperm mutation (infertility), depression, cardiovascular issues, insulin resistance, diabetes, prostate cancer
  • Increased cholesterol production by the liver. If the cholesterol becomes oxidized (which it will for those on the SAD diet (Standard American Diet)) it will increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and can create hormone problems (most hormones are made from cholesterol).
  • Increased cortisol production. Prolonged cortisol exposure can shut down the immune system, further promote insulin resistance, break down muscle tissue, and promote cortical atrophy (death of brain cells, especially in the area of memory).
• Most processed grains contain a protein called gluten. Gluten makes dough sticky if you will. Outside of breads, gluten is found in A TON of other products like ketchup, ice-cream, salad dressing, toothpaste, instant coffee, and many others.
• Since most people are constantly bombarded with gluten, their immune system may start to sift to an abnormal state and begin to overreact. Gluten is a major factor in Celiac Disease, Autism, autoimmune diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Lupus, Sjogren’s Syndrome, and many other conditions.

The good news is that not everyone is gluten sensitive. Since most food sensitivities and allergies are delayed IgG reactions (If you ate the offending food on Monday, you may not show any signs/symptoms until Wednesday), it makes it hard to pinpoint the problem. IgG food allergy testing is used to identity these foods which then allows you to change your dietary habits and thus greatly lessen the massive burden of  food sensitivities. This type of testing is available through our office. You may contact our office for more information.

I hope this helped heighten your knowledge of true health. Feel free to follow me on Twitter where I post very helpful articles and health tips. You can also click on the “RSS Feed” button to get notified every time I post a new article. This site is packed full of useful information so make sure you share it. To paste one of my links in a health forum is simple and could help hundreds of people.

Dr. Brady Hurst
True Health: Functional Medicine + Chiropractic.
www.TrueHealthDC.com

www.TrueHealthDC.com

• Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the NUMBER ONE PREVENTABLE cause of death in the United States.
• One of the first symptoms of a Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) is…death.
• CVD often takes decades to develop.
• Most standard lipid tests (total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, VLDL) tell very little about your risk for developing heart disease. Recent studies show that the subsets of HDL, LDL, and VLDL (number, sizes, and types see image) give a much better assessment of your cardiovascular health. This means that a person can have “NORMAL” cholesterol levels and still be at high risk for CVD. The test I use in my office is the Comprehensive Cardiovascular Profile 2.0 by Genova Diagnostics (sometimes called the Vertical Auto Profile or VAP test) (Sample Report).
• Cholesterol is beneficial. We need it. It helps make up your sex hormones (estrogen, testosterone etc.), absorbs your fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), insulate nerve cells, and the list of benefits continue.
• Cholesterol is “bad” when it becomes oxidized by free radicals. This happens mainly though inflammation. Common sources of inflammation are:

1. Chronic infections
2. Increased phase 1 detoxification in the liver producing free radical intermediates–>phase 2 (if working)–>stool/urine
3. Food sensitivities
4. Nutritional insufficiencies (most people in the United States are)
5. Environmental sensitivities (not necessarily major allergic reactions)- medications, chemicals, molds, pollen, dust etc.
6. Genetic challenges in methylation- creates destructive molecules such as homocysteine
7. Dehydration
8. There are laboratory test available today that expose these problems.

• Unfortunately, too many of today’s healthcare professionals are trained to “wait” until a health problem has progressed to a certain level before giving it medical attention. At this point your problem is given a name (Myocardial Infarction, Hypertension, etc…). Once “it” has a name, it is given a predetermined treatment, not based on your individual makeup but based on…a book. This is where the field of Functional Medicine shines. My purpose is to identify the those subtle and commonly missed causes of ill health in patients currently suffering and prevent their family members from becoming the next victims.
• THE ONLY CURE IS PREVENTION! This is why in our clinic we use genomic testing with our families (adults and children). This test checks for changes in segments of DNA. These changed, called Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms or SNP’s, can give us great insight on the LONG TERM risk factors of CVD. The results from this test also help us to develop a life-long dietary plan based on your genetic needs. For cardiovascular health I use the Cardiogenomic Plus test by Genova Diagnostics (Sample Report).
• Statins (Lescol, Mevacor, Pravachol, Zocor, Crestor, Lipitor, Caduet) can significantly reduce cellular Co-Q10, a potent anti-oxidant, creating more free radicals.

“The superior doctor prevents sickness; the mediocre doctor attends to impending sickness; the inferior doctor treats actual sickness.”We need the “inferior doctors” when acute sickness/trauma shows, but handing them a chronic condition such as CVD, you might as well book your bypass.

It is inaccurate to apply acute methods (i.e. medication) to chronic conditions. If it were true that medications that helped promote and restore healthy human physiology no one would be sick- right? Unfortunately, that is not the case, only nutrition based on INDIVIDUAL NEEDS is powerful enough to make and keep us healthy.

Suggested reading: Selling Sickness

Also check out Queen of Hearts Foundation- Educating women on Heart Disease. Help them help others by donating.

We have developed a TeleHealth Service designed to help people worldwide through phone and video consultations. Our use of advance laboratory testing helps identify any potential blockades that keeps you from beating your current contrition and help preventing it from badly effecting your quality of life.

If you mention this blog post, we will grant a %10 discount off your initial consultation.

If this information helped you, please pass it on to others so they may be helped in the same way.

Dr. Brady Hurst
True Health: Functional Medicine + Chiropractic.
www.TrueHealthDC.com

Read below for more information and tips

www.TrueHealthDC.com

• Eating less is not the answer to weight loss. Eating less calories can slow overall metabolism and potentially shift the calories you do eat into fat. Eating more will speed your metabolism as long as it comes from good quality foods. If a power plant is not burning its coal then even if the train only brings one car of coal, it’s going to pile up (weight gain).
• The goal is to maintain a healthy lifestyle not to “go on a diet”. A diet may be used to aggressively break down barriers that keep you from losing weight but what most people want is to live a healthy life, not bounce from diet to diet. A diet is only a stepping stone.
• The key is baby steps. Whenever there is a time gap between the present moment and the future, anxiety and frustration occur. The brain will try to adapt by thinking, “Let hurry up and get to our final goal because I don’t want to be anxious or frustrated anymore.” This is when you go from not working out or eating right to hitting the gym 6 times a week and eating saltine crackers= failure. Set a SHORT term future goals but don’t be consumed with it. Move on to your next goal WHEN you finish the previous one. Time gaps=frustration=failure. Do what you can NOW not tomorrow. Writing things down will help lessen the mental time gaps.
• Modify the way you are doing things if you are losing more than 3lbs a week. More than that indicates water loss and that is your worst enemy when trying to lose fat weight.
• Know that you may feel really bad during the initial phases. Toxins and hormones are stored in fat so when fat breaks down, the toxins/hormones will be released into the blood therefore effecting the rest of the body. Because of this, lab tests should be done to see how well your liver and kidneys can detoxify those toxins and hormones. Additional supplementation may be needed.
• Supplements can be of extreme value when trying to lose weight. What type and dosages can be determined by simple blood and/or urine test.
• Having a doctor to optimize weight loss and guide you is recommended. Too often people end up quitting and saying ” it didn’t work for me”. Don’t let that be you.
• Use us. We are in business for you not because of you. We have developed a TeleHealth Service designed to help people world wide. Our use of advance laboratory testing helps identify any potential blockades that keeps you from losing weight and being healthy in every moment.
• If you mention this blog post, we will grant a %10 discount off your initial consultation.
• Below is a testimonial from one of my patients. Please remember to share these videos with others, that how the patient below received the care that “changed her life”.

I am doing fabulously well thanks in large measure to you. I continue to follow the diet you gave to me and exercising regularly (yoga) and I must say, I have never felt better. Actually not bad at all for a woman pushing 60! I will be scheduling an appointment at your clinic for myself in a few months.

You’re so good at what you do. I have to tell you that in all my years I have never been able to eat sensibly. Now it comes naturally to me. You have changed my life and I can’t thank you enough for that.

Celeste

Dr. Brady Hurst
True Health: Functional Medicine and Chiropractic.
www.TrueHealthDC.com