Category Archives: Supplements

Seasonal Shift from Ocean to Indoor Pool Swimming

Posted on October 8, 2015 by | 1 comment

One of my major exercise issues is going from the joy of open water swimming to indoor pools. No waves, or fish to get my attention, it gets a bit monotonous. And, sharing lanes with other people, some with good manners, some not so much, is another issue.

Probably the most annoying aspect of indoor swimming pools is dealing with chlorinated water. So with a bit of digging around, I discovered a sweet, low cost way to remove this strong chemical from the skin. Vitamin C to the rescue!

A West Coast Naturopath, Dr.Deborah McKay wrote up a simple solution I would like to share. Simply add a half teaspoon of crystallized Vitamin C to a pint of water in a spray bottle, apply after swimming, rub it in, and rinse off.

Here is the link to her article:http://drdebmckay.com/vitamin-c-for-chlorine-removal/

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Posted in Approaching Your Health, Fitness, Health Alerts, Supplements

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Vitamins A and D to the Rescue

Posted on December 11, 2012 by | 1 comment

If you have already caught the cold, here is a handy study to consider. It revealed that a few really large doses of vitamins A and D gave significant relief within 24 hours. How large? The A was 150,000 units and the D was a more moderate 15,000 to start. The next morning a third of this amount was given. The result, 82% of the test group was improved! ( 30.3% symptom free, and 51.8% almost symptom free)

Of course such a large dose of vitamin A is NOT to be taken for any length of time. But, used wisely this is a powerful health strategy.

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Stomach This!

Posted on June 26, 2012 by | Leave a comment

As a Chiropractor, I see a variety of patients with chronic health issues. While the FDA puts out a number of medications for the purpose of mitigating these ills, many of these FDA approved drugs have had disappointing results, a variety of debilitating side-effects, and we have yet to see the damage they reap in our bodies over the long term.

In the Health Section of The New York Times http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/25/combating-acid-reflux-may-bring-host-of-ills/, I was glad to read that health officials are FINALLY recognizing the adverse effects of Acid Reflux medication. The fact is, the stomach needs to produce acid in order to properly digest foods and absorb their nutrients. It turns out that in many cases, acid reflux medications like Prevacid and Nexium often reduce the absorption of vital nutrients like B12, magnesium, and calcium.  Even more problematic, these medicines create dependancies that are difficult to break. 

I choose to provide my patients with natural, or what I call “Wholistic” solutions for their digestive health.

The body’s not stupid. Its an incredible machine of nature, and requires natural care. Incompletely digested proteins can get into the blood stream and trigger mild to severe allergies of all kinds. The focus of my care to truly address these digestive/ allergy issues so that you won’t have to resort to being a guinea pig for the FDA.

Do you have questions about your digestive health? Your allergies? Let’s talk about it.

Feel free to ring my office at 212-254-4586.

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Posted in Allergy Care, Approaching Your Health, Chiropractic, Health Alerts, Supplements

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Calcium Should Not Be Kept Lonely

Posted on August 15, 2011 by | Leave a comment

My cousin recently reported about her visit to a modern medical doctor, she was told to start taking more calcium. When I asked how the consulting doctor knew this, she said it was a general guideline for women in their thirties.
There is constant drumbeat in our media; if we don’t get more calcium, our bones will collapse like a house of cards. So all kinds of calcium supplements get pushed upon us, from additives in cereals to Tums. There are so many things wrong with this scenario. I will start with one.
Balanced Minerals- As intended by nature, calcium never shows up alone in any living food source, i.e. plant or animal. Moreover, bones are like structural concrete; a complex combination of materials that need to be proportionately combined to achieve full strength. Simplistically increasing only one thing, calcium, creates an imbalance that can backfire most cruelly.
A recent study on expectant/ lactating mothers found that supplementing only calcium over a 12 month period actually led to significant bone loss, as compared to the placebo group with out any calcium added. (Jarjou LMA et al. “Effect of calcium supplementation in pregnancy on maternal bone outcomes in women with a low calcium intake.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2010:92 450-457) This study, cited by Dr. Alan R. Gaby in the Townsend Letter for Doctors, July 2011:37-38. He goes on to comment that only increasing calcium, “interferes with the absorption of magnesium, manganese, zinc, phosphorus, and silicon, each of which plays a role in maintaining bone health”. Again it’s like trying to make concrete by only supplying sand, without the right proportions of cement, water, pebbles, etc. you don’t get structural integrity. Worse yet, the body will actually pull apart bone mass to restore the deficient minerals to the bloodstream. That’s because bone is used as storage of these minerals for times of need; even if it is artificially induced by short sighted nutritional advice.
So when I saw my cousin at my chiropractic practice, I recommended a balanced mineral supplement.
Best foods are goat milk products (more similar to human milk than cow milk). Also, consider leafy greens, after all, where did the cows and goats get the minerals for their milk? One of my favorite mineral sources are the seaweeds, additionally rich in chromium, a mineral now lacking in the soil.

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Zinc and B12 are an important team for your mental and emotional well being.

Posted on March 19, 2011 by | Leave a comment

In “The Townsend Letter of Doctors “, I was reading about all the B12 health benefits: everything from fighting anemia to memory and mood elevation. While I don’t practice psychiatry, the function of the central nervous system is key in my practice.

One study caught my eye. This one, (Mitsuyama et al) brought up the issue of how important zinc is in getting the B12 across the blood-brain barrier and into the central nervous system. No matter how good your B12 status, if Zinc isn’t available the vitamin won’t arrive where it’s needed. Without B12, the brain is vulnerable to a host of mental and functional difficulties.

Various obstacles exist to Zinc’s availability: mercury, cadmium and copper. How do we know if you have adequate Zinc? I have a simple, cheap and direct test at my Union Square Spinal Care office. A weak solution of Zinc is given to patients to swirl around in the mouth. I time how long it takes for any taste to develop. The more deficient a person, the longer it takes to notice.

Zinc supplements are cheap and effective. Who is most likely to develop Zinc deficiency? People exposed to cadmium, lead and copper like mechanics, plumbers, electronics technicians and those in the dental industry. Cigarette or marijuana smokers are exposed to cadmium and should also be checked regularly.

So before resorting to powerful medications consider increasing B12 and evaluating Zinc availability.

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Importance of Iodine and Iron to Child Health Recognized in EU

Posted on November 12, 2010 by | Leave a comment

Positive European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) health claims linking iodine, iron and child development have been adopted and written into the EU legislature.

Commission Regulation (EU) No 958/2010 of 22 October 2010 refusing to authorize a health claim made on foods, other than those referring to the reduction of disease risk and to child development and health relevance.

The new claims state:

* Iodine contributes to the normal growth of children
* Iron contributes to normal cognitive development of children

Let’s start with the IODINE:

In my office, Union Square Spinal Care, I often test for adequate Iodine with a simple test you can do at home. Take regular Iodine tincture (2%), and paint a one inch square on the skin, where it won’t rub against skin or clothing. Observe how long this takes to absorb. I you can still see it after 24 hours, then your nutritional status is good. Of course the faster it is absorbed, the greater the body’s need.

My secretary recently did this test, and to our amazement the Iodine coloration was gone in fifteen minutes!

Another patient of mine started a daily supplement as a result of this test; she dropped nine pounds of fat in just a couple of months without any other dietary changes or exercise.

I have been very impressed with the Iodoral brand formula that is a combination of Iodine and Iodide. Do a quick “Google” search, and you will see the expert agreement here. What isn’t being brought to light is the simplicity of iodine deficiency testing, that I just described.

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Magnesium, an Ally in Need of Defending

Posted on June 7, 2010 by | Leave a comment

There is a call for us to intervene with the FDA and US Attorney General to change standards and regulations on Magnesium in our drinking water. Historically, Magnesium was in salt, today’s table salt is really “industrial waste”. With artificially low standards set by our government we have lost another resource for this vital mineral.

I had done hundreds of hair mineral analysis tests, and never found anyone with sufficient Mg to balance the other minerals. Don’t overlook the fundamentals of good health.

Look up this site: http://www.mgwater.com/legal.shtml

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