Natural Sports Medicine Blog: January 2009

Saturday, January 31, 2009

WARNING: Ketchup - Yogurt - Soda & Other Foods You Eat May Contain Mercury

This isn't the first time I've told you that High Fructose Corn Syrup was bad for you. Nor is it the second. This is now the 3rd time I've written an exclusive blog post on HFCS and I think it's time to call this one "a health warning".

According to a MONDAY, Jan. 26, 2009 report by HealthDay News and reported in the Washington Post --- "Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies".

So now I'm going to update my list of reasons why High Fructose Corn Syrup is bad for you and now add the toxic metal MERCURY to the list.

With all of the food items like Ketchup, yogurt, soda, Gatoraide, Poweraide, breads, candy and most commercially available foods that have been sweetened, it's the accumulation of HFCS that could be harmful, now because reports show it contains mercury.

Let me give you a couple other hardball quotes from the article:

On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS, but teens and other high consumers can take in 80 percent more HFCS than average

Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered

So consider this a health alert. Consider this a warning. Remove foods that contain HFCS from your diet in any and all amounts.

Click here to read the Washington Post's Article for yourself. Then, please forward this blog post to your friends so they can read it for themselves!

If for some reason that link doesn't work, copy and past this into your browser: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012601831.html

If you are in high school or college right now, it is very likely that you've had some HFCS at every meal, 3 times per day for your entire life.

Feeling a bit concerned? Step-1, remove all foods containing HFCS, Step-2 click here to check out the mercury poisoned web site for a list of symptoms related to mercury toxicity. Step-3 go see your physician about a hair analysis and blood tests to check your levels of mercury. Step-4 Start a nutritional detox or purification program to clean your system out.

So, here we have another example of "mankind" trying to make things better than nature and screwing it up yet again.

Eat clean, eat foods that our ancestors did 50,000 years ago and you'll do well. If it wasn't part of our diet back then, it probably shouldn't be part of our diet not. Cut out additives, added sugar and ingredients with names that should be part of a chemistry experiment. And, no, your body shouldn't be part of their experiment.

Although I haven't eaten HFCS in about 2-3 years, I'm starting the Standard Process SP Purification Monday. Click on the link and read about it. It's good to do it yearly anyway.

I've provided a bunch of links in this blog post. Read them and do your own research. I'm sure you'll come to the same conclusion as I have.

Good luck. Post a comment if you have any questions.

'nuf said

DocT

ADDENDUM

Looks like everyone is picking up on this HFCS & Mercury Story.

Here are some links:

USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-01-27-corn-syrup_N.htm?csp=34

Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,484088,00.html

Environmental News Network: http://www.enn.com/health/article/39188

Green Biz: http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/01/30/bpa-lingers-mercury-common-foods

Medical Net: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=96029

WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20090127/mercury-in-high-fructose-corn-syrup?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Medical News Today: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/136879.php

And just to show I’m fair and read both sides, here’s the one opposing view (Followed by my opinion):
ChemRisk, Press Release: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/090130/aqf035.html?.v=67 who says the study is flawed.

My Opinion:

That’s all well and good. They say the study is flawed and make their argument. So there’s now a good healthy controversy. Question: Now, do you want to put your children, your family at risk until they figure out if the artificial sweetener HFCS, that has replaced real sugar in most commercially available food products in the USA…is safe? Remember the opposition years ago saying smoking had no harmful effects? They also said studies were flawed.

So, you can choose to purchase foods that don’t contain HFCS and not even worry about the risk, the study being good or flawed or whatever. Or you can go ahead and play Russian Roulette with your family’s health. Read over the list of symptoms for mercury toxicity and put a check by the ones you have. Then tell me what’s flawed.

Opt on the side of nature.

‘nuff said.

DocT

Dr. Narson is a 2-term past president of the Florida Chiropractic Association’s Council on Sports Injuries, Physical Fitness & Rehabilitation and was honored as the recipient of the coveted Chiropractic Sports Physician of the Year Award in 1999-2000. He practices in Miami Beach, Florida at the Miami Beach Family & Sports Chiropractic Center; A Facility for Natural Sports Medicine.

#chiropractormiamibeach #MiamiBeachChiropractor #SportsInjuriesFixedHere #DrNarson #ToddNarson #Narson #TriDoc #TriathlonDoc #ChiropracticSportsMedicine #ACASC #SportsMedicine #SportsChiropractor #MiamiBeachSportsMedicine #SportsMedicineMiami #MiamiSportsMedicine #MiamiChiropractor #Triathlon #Running #Ironman #IFixPeopleInPain #TrainWithoutPain #MiamiBeachChiropractor #GrastonTechnique #FAKTR #IASTM #Chiropractor #FootPain #Narson #NarsonBodyMechanic #NarsonTool #DACBSP #CCSP #ACBSP #BackPain #NeckPain #ShoulderPain #RotatorCuff #ITBandSyndrome #runnersKnee #PlantarFasciitis #Plantarfascitis #AchillesTendonitis #AchillesTendonosis #GettingAthletesBackInTheGame #MiamiBeachChiropractor #MiamiSportsMedicine #MiamiBeachSportsMedicine #WeFixPeopleInPain #TrainWithoutPain #ChiropracticSportsMedicine #ACASC #ProSportChiropractic #FunctionalMedicineMiami #DrNarson #BackPainRelief #NeckPainRelief #SportsInjuriesFixedHere #LaserTherapy #RockTape #KinesioTape #KTTape #Nutrition #21DayPurificationProgram #DetoxProgram #PaleoDiet #PaleoDoc #FunctionalNutrition #Chirooractor #Chiropractic #ChiropracticPhysician #DoctorOfChiropractic #USATriathlon #USAT #TeamUSA #CorporateWellness #HappyEmployeedProfitableBusiness #HeadacheRelief #MigraineHeadacheRelief #Migraine #SportsSpecificExam #SportSpecificTreatment #WorkCompDoc #WorkersCompensation

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Natural Sports Medicine Blog makes 100 Best Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes

I’ve been writing this blog since 2006 and it has been a way for me to express my passion for health, nutrition, rehabilitation, injury prevention, chronic pain and just my thoughts on sports medicine in general.

This morning I open my email box to find that my Natural Sports Medicine Blog has been included in Nursing Degree.net's 100 Best Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes. And I’m quite happy and proud.

I do this blog purely to be part of the bigger conversation about sports medicine, health and the various topics I write about. In large part, it’s part of my effort to continuing my own education. Hopefully some of the info will benefit someone else out there, maybe help another doc or therapist help a patient or two, or simply be informative and maybe sometimes even amusing.

I thank all those athletes who trust me with the bodies they work so hard to improve; And to the patients who trust me with their aches and pains and who continue to refer their friends and family for care. I thank all those who take a few moments to read what I write and rant about. I thank my good friend Brian Tannebaum, Esq who helped me get this blog started and mentored me through the process.

If you click on the link to the 100 Best Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes, scroll down the list….NSM-blog is listed at #71. Which is the first one listed under the section “Sports Medicine”.

Thank you all for reading & supporting my blog.

I dedicate today's blog to my grandmother. Matilda Narson, who died early this morning.

"Tilda' lived from May 6, 1910 to January 28, 2009. She was everything a story book grandmother could be and more. Family was always first. All of our holiday dinners were foods from Greece where she was born and we'll gladly continue and pass that tradition on. No one could make a better Spanakopita or Stuffed Tomatos. Here's a photo of her at our house just a few weeks ago, sitting on the back deck with me. She was breaking the tips off the green beans for dinner and I was nursing my sprained ankle with R.I.C.E. My kids got to laugh and play with their great grandma for nearly a week when she visited. She helped Corey with the dinner (that's the bean photo). What a great memory. We love you, We'll miss you and say hello to Pop for us. τόσο καιρό για τώρα

‘nuff said

DocT

Friday, January 23, 2009

Heart Pain -or-Shoulder Pain?

64 year old male presents to my office in August of 2006 with complaints of pain in his shoulders and upper arms & pain in his upper back. This wasn’t unusual for this gentleman. He’d come to

my office periodically with various shoulder and upper back pain after playing tennis. Tennis is his love and he plays 3-5 days per week and for about 2-3 hours each day.

This day he had one curious complaint. He said he had increased shoulder and upper back pain with generalized torso and body aches that went down into his forearms. This was a symptoms he’d never complained to me about. He further stated that these symptoms would come on when playing tennis or running on the treadmill, but when he would stop and rest, the symptoms would go away.

Chest, back, shoulder and forearm pain upon exertion. This wasn’t good. An orthopedic exam of his shoulder was positive for various rotator cuff and other shoulder strains and these were apparently overshadowing a potentially serious condition. Nothing in the way of orthopedics reproduced his other symptoms. Blood pressure was no different than his baseline blood pressure; pulse rate was also the normal.

I instructed him to go to his cardiologist to explore his pain upon exertion and I told him to refrain from any exercise until cleared by his cardiologist. He was in denial and didn’t want to go to the cardiologist - Classic Denial. Something I had never seen before. I told him the seriousness of what this could be then reminded him he has had a history of cardiac problems in the past and he must go-period. He was also told to apply ice to his shoulders and go to the cardiologist. He was to report back to me when he gets some answers from his cardiologist

Today he came in and gave me the answers - Finally.

He came in today with some complaints of good ole' low back pain. He told me that he eventually went to his cardiologist who he said was quite concerned with these symptoms. He eventually developed a shortness of breath as well. His cardiologist prescribed a Thallium Stress Test which revealed an occlusion (blockage) of a cardiac artery. A cardiac stent was implanted and he was back playing tennis again in 2 weeks.

Although we as chiropractors don’t treat every condition, we have to be trained to recognize them and differentiate between what can be treated by us and what must be referred to another medical specialist. This gentleman is a health care professional who was coming to me for “sports related injuries” because of my training in sports medicine. He trusted me with his problems in the past and thought these symptoms were more of the same. Because I was able to differentiate between a musculoskeletal condition and a potentially serious cardiac symptom when both were present, meant the difference of his playing tennis in the Florida Sunshine rather than his family mourning while he pushes up daisies.

The moral of this story: Chiropractors are trained as primary care physicians. Just make sure you pick yours carefully. Their schooling, post graduate training and style of practice does make a difference. Ask your friends or ask your primary care physician for a good chiropractor in your area that they know others have been to and had a good experience with. Don’t choose one based on some cheesy or good looking advertisement.

In the right hands, chiropractic care can be wildly successful.

‘nuff said

DocT

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Concussion Management: What To Do When A Player Goes Down

BAM!!! - POW!!! - CLUNK!!! - THUD!!! No, it's not the sound of a fight scene in the 1960's Batman TV Series, it's the sound your athlete made just before he or she fell to the ground in the last play. For those who were watching the last quarter of the Ravens-Steelers game, you saw a concussion happen in real time.

As sports chiropractors, often we're the only one on the sidelines in case of an emergency and therefore find ourselves in the position of being a first responder. Hopefully an ATC/L or Paramedics is there with us, but a lot of the time that's just not the case. It's a good thing our CCSP or DACBSP training gives us the tools necessary to help manage these situations.

For some of you out there, you are studying for the upcoming CCSP or DACBSP examination in April at the American Board of Chiropractic Sports Physicians symposium in San Diego, CA. If this is the case and your exam is coming up, here's an article written by a friend of mine, David Kushner, MD, that could really help. David is a neurologist with the University of Miami School of Medicine and he happens to be very knowledgable and is also one hell of a nice guy.

His article Concussion in Sports: Minimizing the Risk for Complications first appeared in the journal - American Family Physician in 2001 (Am Fam Physician 2001;64:1007-14) and should be the foundation for your review of concussion management.

The article covers all aspects of (1) concussion grading (2) management of first concussion / return to play after first concussion, and (3) management of multiple concussions based on grade. All of which are nicely laid out comparing the 3 main concussion grading authorities: Cantu (which have been adopted by and are now considered ACSM guidelnes), Colorado & The American Academy of Neurology.

If you're studying for your sports medicine exam or simply want a great review, Dr. Kushner's article makes a superb reference.

'nuff said

DocT

Dr. Narson is a 2-term past president of the Florida Chiropractic Association’s Council on Sports Injuries, Physical Fitness & Rehabilitation and was honored as the recipient of the coveted Chiropractic Sports Physician of the Year Award in 1999-2000. He practices in Miami Beach, Florida at the Miami Beach Family & Sports Chiropractic Center; A Facility for Natural Sports Medicine.

#chiropractormiamibeach #MiamiBeachChiropractor #SportsInjuriesFixedHere #DrNarson #ToddNarson #Narson #TriDoc #TriathlonDoc #ChiropracticSportsMedicine #ACASC #SportsMedicine #SportsChiropractor #MiamiBeachSportsMedicine #SportsMedicineMiami #MiamiSportsMedicine #MiamiChiropractor #Triathlon #Running #Ironman #IFixPeopleInPain #TrainWithoutPain #MiamiBeachChiropractor #GrastonTechnique #FAKTR #IASTM #Chiropractor #FootPain #Narson #NarsonBodyMechanic #NarsonTool #DACBSP #CCSP #ACBSP #BackPain #NeckPain #ShoulderPain #RotatorCuff #ITBandSyndrome #runnersKnee #PlantarFasciitis #Plantarfascitis #AchillesTendonitis #AchillesTendonosis #GettingAthletesBackInTheGame #MiamiBeachChiropractor #MiamiSportsMedicine #MiamiBeachSportsMedicine #WeFixPeopleInPain #TrainWithoutPain #ChiropracticSportsMedicine #ACASC #ProSportChiropractic #FunctionalMedicineMiami #DrNarson #BackPainRelief #NeckPainRelief #SportsInjuriesFixedHere #LaserTherapy #RockTape #KinesioTape #KTTape #Nutrition #21DayPurificationProgram #DetoxProgram #PaleoDiet #PaleoDoc #FunctionalNutrition #Chirooractor #Chiropractic #ChiropracticPhysician #DoctorOfChiropractic #USATriathlon #USAT #TeamUSA #CorporateWellness #HappyEmployeedProfitableBusiness #HeadacheRelief #MigraineHeadacheRelief #Migraine #SportsSpecificExam #SportSpecificTreatment #WorkCompDoc #WorkersCompensation

Friday, January 16, 2009

The Other Side of “Principled” Chiropractic

As chiropractors we have all learned about the birth of our profession when D.D. Palmer adjusted Harvey Lillard and helped restore Mr. Lillard’s hearing. Being a scientist at heart and having studied & experimented with many forms of healing, “DD” discovered a vital aspect of how the body works - having the inherent ability to heal itself from within. Along came B.J. Palmer and developed the further developed theories that would take chiropractic into the future.

We all have heard “Above-Down, Inside-Out”. Chiropractic has marched on with this simple basis for it’s philosophy ever since. The brain outputs messages and as long as there are no interruptions to those vital electro-chemical impulses and where ever the end organs they innervate, the body will be full of health, free from disease, pain and infirmity. It will be able to self regulate without interference. OK, that makes sense, but many chiropractors continue to gawk at the probability or possibility of anything else (well, at least the more vocal ones have) having such influence on the body's ability to heal itself. But why can’t it work in the opposite direction? Did our creator make it a one way street? Nope.

The “subluxation” (or fixation as I like to say) seems to be in the middle of the of this system. Protecting that part of the body connects the CNS and the PNS we direct our focus smack dab in the middle. Remove interference between the two and wallah, the body normalizes. (to all my chiro-friends out there, I'm doing my best here, I'm not a straight chiro, I'm a sports chiro and definitely a "mixer" at heart)
But what about the opposite? What about below-up, outside in? BLASPHEMY right? Can’t the outside world, our environment, our experiences affect us? Can't some screwy input effect the control system? Sounds perfectly reasonable to everyone except when you suggest that a condition may not be due to a "subluxation" of the spine. Then, all hell breaks loose and you find straights and mixers practically brawling in the middle of the convention hall.

That “above-down, inside-out” thing is definitely a two way street. There may be apparent signals coming from the brain affecting the body, something interfering with the connection between the brain and the body or aberrant signals going from the outside the body and on up to the brain. All of which can interfere with normal function.

Dr. Allan Oolo Austin & The Trigenics Institute recently did a 5-hour mini seminar here in Miami and their main focus was largly the “below-up & outside-in” side of the equation. Where dys-afferent signals going from the periphery up to the brain can set up a negative feedback loop where the body re-patterns normal neurologic patterns with faulty ones due to imbalances or unbalanced “input” into the system. Thinking of it like a computer where the body is the keyboard and the brain is the CPU (which in fact it is), if you put in bad info your going to get bad output. Do this enough times and that becomes a normal “habit” for your body, re-patterning how things function, the firing order of muscles and more. Doing what your body does best, it adapts to the changes and keeps on going; the system (neuromuscular and musculoskeletal) eventually starts to break down due to bad biomechanics from the unbalanced input, leading to further dysfunction, inflammation and pain and a breakdown of the part.

The Trigenics Institute definitely includes adjustments in their paradigm, but also includes soft tissue techniques (of which they let you pick which you like best: Graston Technique, A.R.T., NIMMO, etc…), breathing techniques, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitative stretching (PNF) and normal movement patterns in their approach to restoring normal harmony / functionality to the system.

Trigenics Institute teaches you the “other side” of chiropractic with a sensible system of analysis along with using many tools that are already in your tool belt combined in a system that helps the doctor restore proper function through restoration of normal neurological patterning.

It’s almost like teaching the body to work normal again while removing the interferences all along the pathway from peripheral to central and back. Even my chronically “Oleta Park” damaged mountain bike shoulders had a dramatic improvement of strength and pain free ROM within mere minutes.

My opinion is that Trigenics is what chiropractic should be. The application of functional neurology. Add this to your arsenal and you've really got something special.

There is an intense 4 day Trigenics training program coming to Miami, February 20-23. More info on this can be found at http://www.trigenics.com/

My personal thanks along with the gratitude of the Dade County Chiropractic Society go out to Dr. Alan Oolo Austin for speaking at our DCCS Kickoff party at Dr. Burak’s house this past Tuesday night. We all watched as Dr. Austin helped Dr. Burak to Abduct his left shoulder to full ROM. Apparently, it hasn’t been up that high in years. So much so that we had to rush his hand to Jackson as it suffered from altitude sickness. Just kidding. The result was amazing. Thanks Dr. Austin.

'nuff said

DocT

Friday, January 9, 2009

Erectile Dysfunction & Your Bike Seat

Well guys, haven't we really know this was true? C'mon, be honest. There's some interesting info out now that really gets to the 'bottom' of the issue. While I still ride my full-suspension Specialized mountain bike with my Specialized "mens ergo" seat; my road bike is gathering dust when I take to the streets.....as I nowe I ride a new recumbent road bike.

But, this is a serious issue for those that enjoy to hop on and ride (take that however you see fit). Click here for all the details of the latest info: Erectile Dysfunction & Your Bike Seat

Here's a link to the Specialized Body Geometry web site. These are the seats I use.

For those running the ING-Miami Marathon or 1/2-Marathon, if those aches and pains are keeping you from your training, there is still time for me to help. Don't wait, the race will be here quick!

'nuff said

DocT