This is a great example of a walking desk environment. Keep in mind you aren't jogging, or even walking at a standard stride. You are taking a step every second or less. It's more of a mild way of not standing static in one place. So, if you feel like trying this at work isn't worth the fuss, remember these motivating facts:

- Your heart works twice as hard because your legs are being used. This will dramatically reduce your chance of future heart attack and extend your life.

- You will burn 500 calories average more per day. That's like walking hills for an hour at the gym. Maybe you won't go to the gym anymore if you have a walking desk. That's good enough!

- You will have MORE energy at the end of the day because your circulation is keeping you fresh. Sitting all day stagnates your body and creates drowsiness. You might save yourself some money on coffee this way!

Recently, my receptionist Georgia, whom many of you know, had been diagnosed with fluid in the ears my her primary care medical doctor. Not a fan of taking antibiotics for mild issues, Georgia asked me if there was anything chiropractic could do. The answer was YES.

 There is an easy procedure we do that involves taking a gloved finger through the mouth to push softly and quickly on the place where your inner ear canal drains into the back of your throat. The push takes only a split second and the finger is withdrawn. By pushing on that tube opening, then quickly releasing, a suction is created that unclogs the canal. It worked wonders and she could feel the fluids draining out almost immediately. This can be attempted on children as well, since they most typically have fluid in the ears that antibiotics may not be effective for. In fact the AMA is attempting to get MDs to stop prescribing antibiotics so often because research shows the prescription does not reduce the number of days that infection exists for many kids. Possibly, performing this maneuver more regularly would prevent the overuse of antibiotics. On adults, the distance from mouth to Eustachian Tube opening is a bit longer, and so it is more difficult to reach, but still tolerable for such an immediate benefit.

Low back pain in young athletes is much more common than you think. Disc herniation is rare before the 18-30 group, so this is not typically on our short list of possible issues. However, when the student is tumbling, dancing or cheer-leading these are the main possibilities:

1. Facet Syndrome: Basically, too much pressure between the face to face contact inside a joint. After adjustment, an air gap protects these two faces for 24 hours so they can calm down. After multiple adjustments, the effect is compounded. Return to activity is almost immediate, even if treatment continues to completion afterwards. Can be pinching, tight, or just achy.

2. Trapped tissue: We have lots of soft tissue. When you are as flexible as the young, you can stretch outside of your comfortable range. When the bones come back together, they can pinch down on tissues, not unlike trapping a finger in a door. Then, each time they move in the wrong plane, it is not unlike someone leaning on that door with the finger still trapped - it hurts! These are usually sharp and very tender. Massage can even make them worse. Once the adjustment releases the tissue, it can take 24-48 hours for relief as the inflammation goes down. Then the rest resolves within a week or two. There is a critical window of continued care on these. While the tissue is inflammed, it is easily "caught" again because it is swollen. Imagine this is like when you've bitten your cheek on the inside and because it sticks out more, you keep irritating it.

3. Worst case scenario: A Pars fracture: Two "bridges" of bone connect the vertebra round body to the back part of the spine. There is one bridge on each side and the spinal cord is between. Hyper extension, such as with gymnastics can cause these to fracture. Treatment is not chiropractic and requires a thin, but plastic brace be worn around the torso for many months to brace for the healing. These are rare, but not uncommon. If the athlete fell hard on the butt, which happens in snowboarding a lot, axial pressure straight up through the spine can cause vertebral body crush fractures. These are usually not dangerous, but do cause a lot of pain. These also usually cause scar tissue that starts to be annoying 1-2 years after the injury. Chiropractic during the early phase may prevent this, but it can also be very helpful later after healing has completed.

I was recently talking with some of my fellow doctors about treatment plans and how often we see patients when they first present a new issue. One of the younger doctors could not imagine seeing someone every single day during an entire week. He was wondering why that would be necessary.

 Case example: If you have a disc herniation, it is terribly debilitating. You may have to use a bowl for the bathroom because you can't move or get out of bed you are in that much pain when you even roll over. When that kind of case somehow walks in your office, it is every day for a week until it gets under control. This is an extreme case of course.

 So what about average back pain? We typically start with 3 times a week, even though most chiropractors would rather see you every day, maybe at least for the first three days to get things moving. We are literally altering how your body works and moves, so spreading out the appointments may be convenient for the patient, but it can often set things back or lead to slower progression toward better health. I consider myself an ethical doctor, only prescribing what my patient's really need. Unfortunately, the population is used to seeing doctors once, or twice for a followup, getting a medication, and then never coming back.

Chiropractors are different. Imagine each treatment we give is like a pill. Would you stop taking your antibiotics every other day so you could finish them SLOWER? No, you'd take them every day until you beat that infection. This is a better perspective to keep.

 I recently had my own acute low back pain. I started doing as much treatment as I could give myself and realized that I was doing it every day, sometimes twice a day so I could feel better and get this issue over with. Even my 'bad problem' patients getting only 3 times a week suddenly felt like I was shorting them from getting better more quickly. The irony being, even with bad pain, my patients find it very hard to prioritize their health. They just live with it, even if it means seeing me only 3 times a week to start and working our way down to once a week.

Everything you need to know cut down to the basics based on evidence in the literature.

 Nutrition

Eat anti-inflammatory diet. Eat many veggies and fruit, uncooked as much as possible. Nuts and olive products. High quality protein, wild, grass-fed, range-fed red meat, fish. Avoid caffeine and refined sugars.

Exercise

At least 4 days a week. Interval training in 20 minutes. bursts of 30-60 seconds of maximum heart rate, followed by 60% rate for a couple minutes, then repeat. Could be biking, swimming, treadmill, rowing, running. Faster workout, better health benefits and fat burns much faster. Trainers use this technique frequently. Use resistance exercise almost daily if you can, up to one hour. Does not have to be super intense, just make sure you keep muscles strong, which improves insulin resistance. Too much exercise at high intensity over a lifetime is actually proven to shorten lifespan. Moderation is good here, but most exercising at their max are really only in the moderate level.

Vitamins and Supplements

trans-Resveratrol 250mg or more a day - mimics biological effects of starvation, which works at DNA level on rejuvenation of cells. One of the best anti-aging effects known so far, extending the life of yeast cells by up to 80%.

 Use ginger, turmeric, curcumin in both cooking and as supplements. Major anti-inflammatory. Curcumin is so good big pharma tried to patent it as an anti-inflammatory medication.

Vitamin D at least 2000 IU a day both men and women. Selenium, B vitamins, Coenzyme Q10, Omega-3 fatty acids.

 These have all been shown to increase life expectancy in rat and animal studies.

Once again, we are reminded through research that the old concept of fat being bad is completely wrong. Here is a link to Dr. Mercola's (D.O.) blog, his assertions are the same advice I give all my patients with unexplained metabolic disorders, depression, heart disease risk factors, diabetes and weight loss issues. EVERYONE should hear this message and change behavior. Often, the most insidious of problems are in some of the healthiest bodies I see.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/10/12/the-big-fat-lie.aspx?e_cid=20111012_DNL_art_1

If you know about Chiropractic, then you may have heard the anatomical terms for the first and second vertebra just below your skull: the Atlas and the Axis. The atlas is like the gyroscope for your posture. After head trauma like whiplash, or say, falling off of a jungle gym, this area can get a bit misaligned. Stomach sleepers often throw themselves out over time because of the excess head turn for many hours of sleep. Symptoms can include migraine, headache, fatigue, changes in blood pressure and many other chronic pains. When the 'gyro' is no longer calibrated, a host of compensatory neuro-muscular imbalances attempt to keep you level with horizon. Imagine if the horizon line on an airplane was malfunctioning and the plane wanted to bank to the left because it thought left was actually straight forward. one engine could be turned up to compensate and keep the plane on a straight path. That engine is like your muscles. Some will start to tighten up to compensate for the imbalance and keep you going straight. Eventually, that little bit of extra tension becomes a problem, and eventually that problem presents as pain.

 While many chiropractors adjust the neck, very few do more detailed analysis to determine which directions are the optimum to adjust into. To be clear, most necks require mobilization and nothing more to improve symptoms. The Atlas complex can be a different beast, however. As you might imagine, if the Atlas is translated left, it seems obvious adjustments improving right movement would be ideal. Going left would simply compound the stress in the system. I have seen many patients with chronic headache (as long as a decade) that have completely gone of medications once this simple dysfunction is corrected and then reinforced over a few weeks.

Usually, the duration, intensity and frequency of the headache will give away in the history what type of problem the patient has. If you have headaches every day and they are consistent, typically it is coming from the neck. If you have periods of no headache followed by random spikes, it is more likely to be a metabolic/internal medicine issue. However, this is not always the case and a detailed exam is always helpful to determine your source of pain. The important piece is to never give up on finding a solution. 95% of Migraines are curable if not modifiable without long term medication use.

 I wish you the best of health.

I see it time and time again. New patients that have been through physical therapy, massage and many other treatments. They medicate, they rest, but the pain is always there. It is hard to touch, it is hard to find, but it is always there. If you are 45 and up and these kind of symptoms have become chronic, chiropractic may just be the solution to your neck pain. 

 Moderate to severe degeneration of the bones and joints sounds scary, but it is really very common. Some take the stance that they should stop moving it. For awhile, this feels a little better. But eventually, if you do not move it, you will lose it.

A big part of working with degenerated necks is that treatment must be gradual and progressive. Early on, mobilization might be all that can be tolerated. After a few treatments, as function improves, adjustments can be administered. Even the worst looking neck on X-rays can benefit in amazing ways that still surprise me as a physician. Even when boney changes make it impossible to move in the same healthy pattern that one used to be able to achieve, working into the directions that still have function can still improve overall outcome.

 It works like this: Move yourself until you can't. If you can't, I'll try to get you moving. Once I get you moving, I'll help you find the range of activities that you can do to keep moving again. It's that simple. Pain in the neck, degeneration or not, is not normal and is always a product of your habits and surroundings. Try chiropractic if you have neck pain and you will not be sorry.

Did you know the number of people that have cable/satellite services has been dwindling in recent years? Some think it is because of the internet, others believe this trend is something more. Studies taken in western countries show that on average every hour of TV watched could take up to 22 minutes off of the end of your life. The TV itself is not the issue. The lack of movement is what hurts us. Did you know exercise at the end of the day after sitting makes no difference in long term health studies? We are meant to be doing light activity all day. In the least, when you are away from work, change some things up.

 Consider a few more extreme measures:

1. If you have a bike, get a trainer, allowing you to ride while you watch TV. You don't need to sweat, just ride at a light pace - You just did two hours you wouldn't have before! No gym membership needed.

2. Cancel your cable bill, keep your internet.Use the extra money to buy a tablet. Why? You can read a tablet or watch movies and TV shows you download any time you want, and while on a stationary bike. They can also go places with you, getting you out of the house. Chances are, there is a coffee shop with free Wi-fi a nice walking distance from your place.

3. Adopt a new pet that needs walking. Small dogs are best for lack of maintenance but also have plenty of energy for walks.

Syndrome = a blanket diagnosis with unknown cause.

 The fact is, not everyone has the genetics to handle the foods that have grown in popularity through urbanization. Let me clear on one fact, if you have IBS, this is not "normal" for you. You are suffering from some dietary insult that you have yet to identify. As a physician that uses natural remedies and solutions, I can provide good solid advice for these issues based on strong evidence and reason.

 The issue in medicine is that MDs get little or no classes in nutrition, lifestyle management or herbal treatment. If I had been taught that way, my assumption would be that anything left out must not be relevant. The opposite turns out to be true in this case.I work with medical doctors regularly, and I do not say this to pick on them. Quite simply, they see a vast majority of people first and if they don't have the natural answer, many people will stop looking at that moment for any other opinions or answers that may significantly help them. Just as not all problems that walk in my door require an adjustment, not all problems that come into a primary care clinic require medication. What really is required is a big dose of knowledge.

 Syndromes related to IBS and/or leaky gut syndrome can include chronic Migraines/headaches, skin inflammation like rashes and dermatitis and chronic fatigue like symptoms. Unexplained body weight gain, body pain and joint pain or inflammation may be signs of issues with dietary intake as well. I have helped not only my patients, but many friends and close family members improve their health from these issues to the point of remission. There really is an answer, but it is up to the individual how much they really want to heal.

Ever wonder what is truly worth spending money on for immediate and long term health? Well, I will tell you what I stock in my office and take myself and why I don't bother with anything else.

 1. Omega-3 fats = Direct fighter of the inflammation that leads to heart trouble and cancer. Forget the multivitamin if you only can afford one or the other. This is your big ticket item.

2. Curcumin (part of the spice turmeric) = Anti viral, anti bacterial, GI regulating, anti metastatic, anti cancer and the strongest anti-inflammatory herbal known so far. It can be taken in 1000 mg up to even 5000 mg if loading. Absolutely no side effects. It has 10 times the antioxident value of Vitamin C and E. Look for bioavailable type only, as this increases blood levels 300% and is thus much more worth the cost. Longvida is one brand, but more are out each day.

 3. CoQ10 = Yes, you've seen this before, but what does it really do? It goes inside your cells and prevents damage at the DNA level. Also significant for heart health and tissue repair.

4. Vitamin D = I recommend finding a product that includes this in at least 1000 mg doses while combining it with Omega 3 fats. Vit D is better absorbed with fats so this is perfect synergy.

Take these four things and you've covered all your bases. If you eat a good deal of veggies, fruit and lean meats, you don't need a multivitamin, but it does not hurt. Stick to the "big 4". Strong evidence exists for taking these four.

Depression? What on earth would a chiropractor have to say about depression? Is there an adjustment for that? No, of course not.

A recent article I read: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44119365#.TkVC5mEXe7w

In this brief article, medical researchers point out that depressed women are much more likely to have stroke, heart disease, diabetes and be overweight. Despite the obvious connection to diet, they say they really aren't sure why these women are having more strokes, but at least its not the medications they give them for depression. Of that, they are sure.

Consider then that excessive sugar/grains and not enough healthy fats, fruit and veggies are the sole cause of the underlying cardiovascular problems and weight gain. Taken as a whole, they should be testing a healthy diet alone as a cure for their vascular disease and depression. How can food cure depression and be connected to vascular disease? The important point is that they mention that these women have atypically high levels of inflammation throughout their bodies. This syndrome lends itself toward fibromyalgia (chronic body pains) as well.

Gluten, and other grain proteins, have a strong sedative effect on our nervous system. Those people more sensitive to it likely drink lots of sugar and caffeine to stay alert and counter its effects. This leads to further cravings and energy roller-coasters. Let me be clear: If you require large amounts of stimulants to stay alert, you are likely very grain/sugar sensitive and should follow the suggestions in this blog.  Sugar and grains in excess have been shown in many studies to increase signs of cardiovascular disease, aka inflammation of the body. So, these poor ladies, without knowing it, are worsening their symptoms with ever meal.

In particular, I highly recommend a Paleolithic diet, a contemporary version of an ancestral human diet. Since 2007, a paleo diet as been shown in multiple studies to be superior to Mediterranean diets, diabetic diets and typical western diets in regards to weight loss, cardiovascular disease risk factors and risk factors for type 2 diabetes. That is the entire list of symptoms associated with these depressed women. If these grain foods can cause massive GI upset for many people, why can't it be damaging to the nervous system as well? As always, go do some reading!

As a physician, I am very careful to research any new ideas related to diet that may be dangerous or not well supported by evidence. After seeing the results of decades of research, the most significant step forward in my own health has been a transition to a full Paleo Diet. This blog post is going to relay to you my personal story, something many doctors are unwilling to do because they are not personally in good health. However, my results have felt so incredible, it has completely changed how I council patients on diet and nutrition. I wish for you the same positive journey into the future. I have no financial interest in this, this is about changing the epidemic of disease in our western societies.

Sample meals:

Breakfast: Smoothie (1/4 avocado, juice of one lime, frozen mango, coconut milk, hand full of kale leaves, not stems) 2 Applegate farms chicken/apple breakfast sausage (no nitrates). 2 brazil nuts.

Dinner: Paleo Pancakes (cashew butter, unsweetened applesauce, blueberries, whole eggs) With unsweetened marmalade on top.

Dinner/lunch leftovers: New York steak (seared and baked) cauliflower puree mash, salad.

Doctor's Results: 2 months in

I have more deep fat loss than I had in high school running daily doubles of soccer practice, without any significant increase in my activity level from exercising 2-4 times per week. On a high grain, low fat diet, I had not gained weight, but had no appreciable loss - ever. Had I not tried this for myself after doing the research, I would not have believed how far reaching the affects would be. I thought being gluten free was amazing when I stopped snoring almost immediately (my wife thanked me greatly). But once I went off all grains and beans and sugar and increased the Paleo items, my life is forever changed. Of course, I cheat 1-2 pastries or so a week, but this is about being 95% true to the spirit of the law of nature, but still having some fun. Paleo is completely not a burden, you simply eat more healthy meat and fat and feel full much longer, leading to less snacking, less hunger and no restriction on caloric intake.

After 2 months on the lifestyle of eating only fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds and lean meats, I have lost 10 pounds, stopped having migraines/headaches(had been weekly), vastly increased general energy level, dramatically improved sleep and also wakefulness, increased muscle definition from deeper fat store loss (not just the larger superficial areas), improved outlook and attitude.To be clear, I am an athletic, happy person, but this lifestyle has increased my general mental energy so dramatically, I'm almost angry I didn't know about it sooner in life. I suffered from highs and lows in energy during athletic events consistently through my youth, only worsened by carbohydrate loading of pasta or oatmeal.

You would think the complete destruction of migraines and headaches would be the first thing to mention. However, the 200% increase in general mental and physical energy level is so striking, I find it difficult to explain because I had no concept of how slow I had been moving and how tired I had become through my late twenties into my thirties. My entire life, 8 hours or more of sleep was mandatory, or I felt horrible all day. I have been getting 6.5 hours consistently and I wake up with more energy every day, its kind of shocking actually.

If you are Diabetic, hypertensive, have high cholesterol, high LDLs, depression, sleep apnea or many other chronic "modern human" sicknesses I fully endorse this lifestyle as a potential cure. I recognize this is a broad spectrum of issues that makes this too good to be true. Quite simply, most of our modern conditions are due to the same damage to the circulatory system and mucus membranes, increasing allergic reaction and inflammation.

In one recent study published in June of 2011, two groups of rats were injected with CANCER. One group was fed more protein and fat, one group was fed high carbohydrates. At the end of 1 year, 50% of the group fed carbohydrates had cancer. In the high protein group, ZERO rats had cancer. Yes, not just a few less - NONE. The implications of research like this is not surprising. It is well known that increased insulin levels feed cancer, since it requires more insulin to survive. Could it be that modern man suffers from much more cancer than when we lived in caves and had no access to grains?

But don't take my word for it, always do your own research and educate yourself. Be your own ambassador of health. And don't just go ask your Primary Care if this is valid, because even natural doctors often don't keep up to date. We as doctors must admit we've been wrong for decades and retool for fighting the obesity epidemic.

Did you know not all Cardio is created equal? A huge factor in good health and fat loss is increasing the amount of growth hormone circulating in your system. In scientific trials, it has been found that length of workout has less to do with fat loss than technique.

 Peak training, or interval training technique means you can do 20 minutes of cardio and get TWICE the results of doing 45 minutes of the same cardio.

 Here's the secret: If you stationary bike, take a clue from spin classes. 3 minutes of slower, regular pace, followed by 30-60 seconds of speed bursts or sprinting, followed again by 3 minutes of regular speed. Do this 8 times and you've got a 20 minute workout that will push you past those plateaus.

 For running, simply run much faster (sprinting is not necessary) during the 30 seconds. If on a treadmill, full out sprinting may not be your thing. However, a very strong run, say bumping up from a level 4 jog to a level 6-7 run and back down can have the same effect.

Sports that are great for this are soccer, tennis, racquet ball and basketball. They are good examples of general jogging supplemented with bursts of speed. Those bursts activate a different kind of muscle fiber that  improve hormones and your work out. Exercise Vibration platforms work the same way. Even though you stand still while they vibrate, they activate your fast twitch fibers just like sprinting does. Vibration plates can be 300-5000 dollars and can vary greatly in quality. Do your research before any purchase. I recommend WAVE platforms for quality, but a home unit is about 1200. How about you stick to tennis?