Sunday, January 29, 2012

Fried Food NOT Bad For You???

A recent study in the British Medical Journal online (www.bmj.com) finds that eating foods that were fried in either olive or sunflower oil is not linked to heart disease or premature death.  


In a Mediterranean country where olive and sunflower oils are the most commonly used fats for frying, and where large amounts of fried foods are consumed both at and away from home, no association was observed between fried food consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease or death.


The study was authored by Professor Pilar Guallar-Castillion from Autonomous University of Madrid, surveyed the cooking methods of over 40,000 adulsts from age 29-59 over the course of 11 years. this flies in the face of common wisdom and I highly suggest you spend a few minutes reading the article yourself. 


Maybe it isn't so much the cooking methods, but what you use for cooking.  But that's for you to decide. Read the article before you make any changes to your diet. Click here to read more 


'nuff said... 


Dr T


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.

Friday, January 27, 2012

ZEROWATER Review

So about 10 days ago I get a Groupon in the email box. The deal of the day was a 10 cup Zerowater pitcher for only $15 bucks!! I had been looking into them and decided to go out and buy one but when I looked, no one seemed to have them. I purchased a britta filters, an 8-cup filter pitcher for the home and one of those 'Pur' 'thing-a-majiggies' you attach to the faucet for the office.

Life went on and we drank our Britta & Pur filtered water until I get this groupon email offering the Zerowater 10-cup filter pitcher for a special promo price of $15.  I almost didn't go for it because it was just days before that I bought those Britta filters, but from everything I've read, this was the filter I really wanted so I did the groupon deal and purchased one for the house and another for the office.

Today, yes just a little while ago my trusted UPS guy brings the 2 packages. I un-box one of them and follow the instructions, washed it out with warm soapy water and filled it up. Before it had a chance to filter the first batch of Zerowater through, I had taken the water testing device that comes with it and tested the tap water vs the Pur filtered water and then finally the Zerowater once it had filtered through.

The tap water (Miami Beach's Finest) tested 181 parts per million (ppm), the Pur filter tested 167 ppm and then Zerowater earned its name and tested 000.  As soon as I get home and test the Britta pitcher tonight, I'll edit the post to reflect those number as well.

But that's numbers. That was for my brain, now it was time to do the taste test. I've been drinking purified water since I was a young kid. My dad use to sell and install those under the sink units and as I got older (college degree, wife, kids, yada yada yada) I got into distilled water. I loved the purity and the taste of it. In my opinion, distilled water is the best water to drink. And to those that sell Alkaline water, water should be pH-Neutral. I'll be happy to argue that point with you 'til the end of time. Water=Neutral pH. Your diet however should be slightly alkaline.

Let me say, from a tongue with filtered water experience, zerowater tastes amazing. Personally, it taste similar if not the same as distilled water.  To say I'm pleased with it is an understatement. I can't wait to take the other unit home for my family tonight.

I highly recommend the Zerowater products.  This pitcher is well thought out and not only can you pull it out of the refrigerator and pour it like any other pitcher, but it has a spigot so you can simply open the 'fridge', push the button and  drink some really nice fresh tasting clean water.

For those of you doing the Standard Process 21-Day Purification Program, this would be a great product for you so you can drink nice clean pure water throughout your program.  Don't worry about missing the groupon though, just go out and get one. It's worth the money.

For my fellow athletes out there. You want to make sure you give yourself the purest water you can. Sediment, toxins and other yucky stuff can reduce performance.  This is a quick and easy way to get it.

So, great job to the folks at Zerowater. I'm a believer!  Just make me a water bottle that does the same thing so I can take it on my longer bike trips.  This way I can re-fill anywhere.

'nuff said

DR. T

6:15pm UPDATE
Just for kicks and giggles I took my water tester and checked the drinking fountain outside my office. It tested at 114ppm.  So the dirty yucky water fountain in the hallway had cleaner water than the PUR water faucet attached water filter. Interesting.  

The taste of the Zerowater's filtered water is really amazing. On the way home to set up my second 10-cup zerowater filter pitcher and test the water against the Britta.

9:25pm UPDATE
OK, I set up the Zerowater 10-cup pitcher at home. I tested the faucet water and it was 187, about what I expected.  I took the Britta 8-cup filter pitcher out of the refrigerator and poured about 2 inches of water into a freshly washed cup (I swirled the cup a few times with the Britta filtered water).  In went the water ppm detector and the Britta water rang up a 123.  The same probe went into the new 10-cup Zerowater pitcher and yet again, it earned its name - 000.  So, the Britta water was cleaner than the tap water by about 50%. But for the total costs, plus the cleanliness of the water you get, I'd take your Britta and Pur filters and just throw them in the garbage. The Britta was 123 compared to 181 tap water and the Pur was 167 compared to the 181 straight from the faucet water. So neither really performed it's basic fundamental tasks as far as I'm concerned. This Zerowater tastes amazing, tests clean and it's simple and easy to deal with.  I think I'm now gonna splurge for the large Zerowater 23 cup dispenser.  


I'm still hoping they will make a smaller version that can be taken biking or hiking...Until then, I'm extremely pleased with the ZeroWater product and think it's a great tool for anyone wanting to improve their health. 80% of your body is water, make sure you refill with the best H2O you can get.

'Nuff Said.

Dr. T


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. Dr. Narson was a member of the COPAG International Chiropractic Sports Medicine Team for the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara Mexico. He practices in Miami Beach, Florida at the Miami Beach Family & Sports Chiropractic Center; A Facility for Natural Sports Medicine.  

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Saturday, January 21, 2012

Run-Walk-Run Your Way To A Faster Marathon or Triathlon Time

So, as the story goes, the run was the part of the triathlon that I hated the most and for years it's what kept me from even considering doing a triathlon. But now that I've been training to do triathlons for my 3rd season, I still can't get to that "runner's high" zen state of mind I keep hearing so much about. Running for me is work, not enjoyment. I do it because it's part of the triathlon and I love the entire experience.

As I start training longer runs and push my personal best distances I notice that my legs start to get "crampy" and I know fatigue is just around the corner. Although I keep trying, I really have to put some real effort into keeping my pace up and fighting the onset of fatigue. If you're like me, you understand exactly what I'm talking about.


Well a patient of mine who is running the ING-Marathon suggested I look into the Galloway method. It combines running-walking-running to help fight running fatigue, improve race times and help you recovery faster. For those of you that don't know Jeffrey Galloway, Jeff was a former Olympic long distance runner and member of the 1972 US Olympic Team, running the 10,000 meter race. He continues to teach and coach in Orlando, FL and is a monthly contributor for Runner's World Magazine. He authored Galloway's Book on Running and continues to help people achieve their dream of completing marathons to this day.


The method involves running, then walking and then running again and has been shown to reduce fatigue, increase race times and improve recovery. This looks like a very promising technique I'm going to incorporate into my triathlon training as my distances increase. Click here to read more about the Galloway method from the former Olympian himself..

And with that, I say Happy Running... Really.

'nuff said

Dr. T



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 #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

Believe Me, Or Them, But New Evidence Shows Diet Can Help With ADD ADHD

So years ago doctors didn't think diet really had any influence on your health. I remember dermatologists saying that eating pizza, chocolate cake and cookies has no influence on your skin, that foods didn't have any influence on your brain because they couldn't pass the blood-brain barrier. But now we're finding out more and more that diet influences everything. Something I've known in my heart for years is starting to have mounds of evidence behind them.

In a recently published article authored by J. Gordon Millichap, MD and Michelle M. Yee, CPNP, titled The Diet Factor in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. The authors reveals improvements in ADD / ADHD simply by avoiding the typical Western diet and adopting what is essentially an Anti-Inflammatory diet.

It's time to seriously think about what you are feeding your kids. Because Attention Deficit Disorder / Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and learning in school don't mesh well. If your kids can't learn, how will they function? The next question is do you have ADD / ADHD and are you willing to make a change. There's proof now....What are you waiting for.

You can start by reading Loren Cordain, PhD's book The Paleo Diet (2010 Edition).  If you really want to start learning and have the time to see how (& why )we're supposed to eat, what went wrong and how it effects us and where our healthy diet came from..watch this video of Dr. Cordain. It's an eye opener.



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 #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

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Headaches | Is Chiropractic Care Effective?

By Miami Beach Chiropractor | Chiropractic Sports Medicine Specialist - Todd M. Narson, DC, DACBSP, ICSSD

Most people don't know the story, but yours truly became a chiropractic physician BECAUSE of migraine headaches.  I remember my first headache as an 11 year old boy. The trigger was an intense puff of cigarette smoke that was blown in my face.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  After the smoke came a coughing fit. Within a few minutes I had an intense flashing green spot in my vision that grew and grew until all I had was peripheral vision about 30 minutes later.  It was followed by an intense sensitivity to light and then of course, this gnawing dull aching throbbing pounding headache that lasted for 2 days.  After the episode was over my mother took me to the family physician. He examined me, looked in my eyes and found nothing but wrote a prescription for percocet.

I began getting headaches every 2 weeks. The headaches would all develop the same way. I'd get a little "hot spot" in my vision (like if you momentarily looked into the sun on a bright day). The size of the hot spot would grow, encompass my central vision. Then the visual symptoms would subside and the severe dull aching throbbing pounding headache would start.  Back then it would last for as little as 12 hours to as much as 48 hours. Then there was the "migraine aftershock".  Photo-phobia(sensitivity to light), nausea, the feeling of your brain rattling around inside your head when you took a hard step or tried to run.  I was one of the luckier ones, I only got nauseous. Many people who get migraines actually vomit.

My parents took my to various doctors and specialists and no one could figure out what was going on. I was prescribe a variety of medications from Percocet to Valium.  None of which really helped any more than dulling the pain a little. When I was 17, I called my dad from high school and told him I was getting a migraine and could he bring me the Valium. Instead he checked me out of school and took me to the chiropractor he was going to for his back pain.  The chiropractor examined me and then adjusted my neck.   He told my father to take me home, put me to bed and see how I was the next day.  When I woke up, there was no pain, no migraine and no "aftershock".  I was amazed. Having lived with these migraine headaches since I was 11, there never any treatment or medication that helped take it all away.  Through some coaxing from my parents, the chiropractic talked to me about becoming a chiropractor.  The rest as I'm sure you've figured out, is history.

But now that I am a professional that helps people with headaches and other conditions, you (or I in this case) have to ask are chiropractic spinal adjustments really effective for migraine and other types of headaches. As it turns out, not am I not the only chiropractor that has successfully treated patients with headaches, there is a growing body of evidence being published that also shows its effectiveness.

So what comes around-goes around. If you're a consumer, there's more than drugs, ice packs, hot packs and massage to treat your headaches. If I'm able to help you find your way to a competent local chiropractor, then I'm happy I was able to help you as Dr. B.J. Harmon helped me when I was 11.

Here are some of references and excerpts from some of the published research out there:


    Nowadays, with regular care, I get 1, maybe two headaches per year. With an adjustment during the "aura" phase, they last only a few hours now, if that. What a difference.

    A Special Thank you to Dr. B.J. Harmon for helping me when I was a young boy and directing me into this great profession.

    'Nuff Said


    Dr. T

    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.

    Dr Narson was a member of the COPAG International Chiropractic Sports Medicine Team at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. 

    #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

    Sunday, January 1, 2012

    What Is Health....Really?

    I know I normally write about some aspect of sports medicine, rehab or related nutrition, but I wanted to start 2012 with a basic foundation. I simply want you to be on the same page with me when it comes to health.

    Having done consultations on over 10,000 individual patients in my office since starting my practice, I've come across something I think is a bit hypocritical but are completely unaware of. Simply, it's what people define as "Health". Starting on the right foot for 2012 I wanted get a basic understanding of what health is and what health isn't. What better to do on the 1st day of the new year.

    In doing a medical history on a patient, it is routine after the "history of present illness or injury" to ask about their personal past medical history, surgical history, allergies and social aspects of their life. Along with those it's critical to ask about their family's past medical history. As it may give you unique insight to why the patient consulted you in the first place.  In doing a family medical history, when asking about the health of their mom and dad, I routinely get the answer that "everyone is healthy". But being the curious person that I am, coupled with a sense that I wasn't getting the whole picture from a particular patient, I asked "are your parents taking any medications"??? The answer was yes.

    Both parents were on blood pressure medications and the father was on Lipitor. His father's older brother was also on blood pressure meds, Lipitor and was on medication for non-insulin dependent diabetes.

    So I quickly remarked - I thought you said your parents were healthy?

    The patient said "the medications make them healthy"

    To which I replied: No, the medications don't make them healthy, they just keep their disease under control. They have disease that is controlled by medication, if they were healthy, they wouldn't need the medication. The patient looked at me and (yes, you guessed it) agreed with me.

    So now let me give you what I feel is one of the best definitions of health. I had to dig all the way back to 1946 to get it:

    1946: The World Health Organization (WHO) "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.


    (Notice the word - COMPLETE)



    Dorland's Medical Dictionary defines health as "An optimal state 
    of physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."



    To further emphasize my point, I would add: A state in which all the tissues, cells and physiologic functions are working at 100%  Why? Because as pointed out in the 2 definitions above, health isn't merely the absence of disease, health is when you have an optimal state where your body (systems) are working completely.

    In order to be healthy, you have to know what health is. If your doctor has put you on medications, it means you have some type of condition or disease.  We are lucky we live in an age where we have the luxury of have a group of professionals that can prolong your life and improve the quality of your life with medications. However, don't confuse being medicated to control a condition with being healthy.  They are not on in the same. You may feel good, you may look good, you may not be in acute distress, but your medication is controlling your condition, not making you health. I refer you back to the 2 definitions above to emphasize my point.

    In some cases, people just got a bad roll of the genetic dice and don't have much of a choice. But others, well, just remember the old and real definition of health: a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.  Something that you have a lot more control over than you are led to believe.

    Having said that, for those that did get a poorer roll of the genetic dice, you can certainly take control over the rest of your health and be as healthy as you are capable of. I have a good friend who is a type II diabetic and he could go to any doctors office (other than his own) today and if he didn't say anything, the doctor wouldn't even know.

    Hear's to your health and a great 2012 and the power you have over your own health!

    'nuff said

    Dr. T

    References:
    Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International 
    Health Conference, New York, 19-22 June, 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the 
    representatives of 61 States (Official Records of the World Health Organization, 
    no. 2, p. 100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948.The Definition has not been 
    amended since 1948. 



    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. Click here for Dr. Narson's Bio

    #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