A new study by researchers in England has found that poor dental health habits and gum disease may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, adding to previous studies that have also suggested a link between oral health and dementia. This new study is significant because it is the first to find specific gum disease bacteria in the brain. In addition, gum disease has also been linked to an increased risk of heart disease because of how gum bacteria can be deposited in the arteries, causing the body to trap them by encapsulating them, leading to a buildup of plaque. These findings mean taking care of your gums is more important than ever.
Gum, or periodontal disease, is primarily due to poor dental hygiene (lack of teeth brushing and flossing) leading to a buildup of bacterial plaque. It can also occur during pregnancy and puberty, and be a symptom of nutritional deficiencies. The most common form of periodontal disease is gingivitis. If left untreated, gingivitis can progress to periodontitis, which is more serious and more difficult to treat. The best treatment for periodontal disease is prevention. Brush your teeth and floss after each meal, and see a holistic dentist for checkups every six months.
Diet: Follow a healthy, whole foods diet, and eat at least 4-5 servings of fresh organic low sugar fruits (berries) and vegetables per day, as well as other high-fiber foods. Eliminate all sugar, refined carbohydrates, processed foods, soda, and commercial fruits juices.
Nutritional Supplements: Nutrients that can prevent and reverse gum disease include folic acid, B complex vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin A, beta carotene, vitamin E (tocopherols), CoQ10, vitamin K2, magnesium, and zinc. Cleaning your gums with a Water Pik to which hydrogen peroxide and powdered vitamin C has been added, can also be very helpful. (For much more information about diet and nutrition, see Chapter 7 of Outstanding Health: The 6 Essential Keys To Maximize Your Energy and Well Being.)
Herbal Remedies: A tincture of equal parts myrrh and Echinacea applied to your gums three times a day using a very fine paintbrush can help improve gum health.
Juicing: Carrot juice, which is high in vitamin A and beta carotene, can also help.
Other: Brush your teeth with a mixture of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, and massage your gums with your fingers. In cases of bleeding gums make a mouthwash by combining one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a cup of pure filtered water. Use this to gargle with in the morning and evening.
]]>Why use nutritional supplements, herbs, vitamins, minerals, and foods for regeneration? Why use homeopathy? To answer this, we need to briefly review the biophysics of regeneration.
Each organ system, while connected to the essential life force or Chi of a person, is also a unique BioEnergy system, vibrating at a certain resonant frequency. An imbalance in the organ’s frequency represents a disturbance in its BioEnergy, and slows the process of doing what it knows to do naturally – that is, to regenerate and renew itself.
In order to stimulate regeneration, cells and organs need a specific input of energy of certain waveforms, which correlate to the weakened organ. They need the right amount of energy coupled with the right message. The ideal regenerative remedy is a booster shot of subtle energy, which imprints the proper energy pattern into the matrix of that organ system, producing a message which ultimately returns that organ system to its natural resonant frequency.
The best way to stimulate this process is through the use of homeopathy. We must remember that concentrations of the key nutrients in the blood and in the intracellular fluid – which are necessary for cellular life to be sustained and renewed- are expressed in millions of moles (infinitesimal quantities).
Homeopathy also deals with micro-concentrations of substances which are necessary for cellular life to be sustained and renewed. Vitamins, minerals, foods, and herbs need to be broken down, and thus require energy for their conversion to micro-nutrients which can be used by the body. For many sick patients, these expenditures of energy for the processes of digestion and conversion to micro-concentrations may further deplete their energy, thus impeding regeneration. Lets begin, therefore, with homeopathic micro-doses and conserve energy.
]]>The dose is usually ten drops three times daily. Ten drops is approximately one-third of a dropper. The ideal time to take the formulas is on an empty stomach, five to ten minutes before breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Keep the formulas under your tongue for twenty seconds before swallowing so that they can be absorbed from the small blood vessels in your mouth.
Some of the formulas are herbal and some are homeopathic (more dilute). The homeopathic formulas can be affected by mints and coffee, so if you must use these substances, it is recommended that you do not use them within thirty minutes of consuming the formulas.
Keep the formulas out of direct sunlight, heated parked cars, and away from microwave ovens and computers. When taking plane trips, it is best to pack the formulas in checked baggage in order to prevent any hassles as you go through security checkpoints.
Detoxification symptoms develop in only two percent of patients during the first few days after starting the formulas. They may include increased fatigue, irritability, headache, nausea, skin rash, nasal congestion. They will subside and disappear shortly. Please drink six to eight glasses of water per day to enhance the drainage of toxins out of your body.
Bring your formulas with you to your follow-up visits, and don’t take any formulas on the day of the visit.
Additionally, endeavor to stop using the following words:
I’m broke, stressed, depressed, too old, I have chronic fatigue
Instead, try to incorporate these emotions:
Tolerance
Forgiveness
Compassion
Joy
Faith
Hope
Confidence
Courage
Will
Love
DIET: Follow the dietary recommendations in Chapter 7 of my book Outstanding Health: The 6 Essential Keys To Maximize Your Energy and Well Being, and eat plenty of fresh, organic vegetables. Avoid all sugars, refined carbohydrates, wheat and wheat products, alcohol, soda, and processed foods. In addition, drink plenty of pure, filtered water and try to have at least one glass of fresh vegetable juice each day.
NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS: Two weeks before surgery, start building up your immune system by taking a daily high-potency multivitamin/mineral complex and additional vitamin C, B complex vitamins, vitamin A, beta carotene, magnesium, potassium, zinc, and CoQ10. In the final few days before surgery, add proteolytic enzymes away from meals to help minimize the swelling, inflammation, and pain surgery can cause.
FLOWER ESSENCES: Rescue Remedy can be very effective for dealing with anxiety and stress, both of which are normal emotional reactions to needing surgery.
HERBAL REMEDIES: The following herbal remedies can be helpful: pycnogenol, yellow dock, and willow bark.
HOMEOPATHY: Arnica is an excellent homeopathic remedy for preparing for surgery. Use a low potency Arnica such as 6x or 6C, start three days before surgery, take it as a sublingual tablet or pellet twice a day, and continue for two weeks after surgery. Phosphorous 6x or 6C taken 3x on the day before and once on the day of surgery will protect you from the general anesthesia.
Women account for three times as many office visits to doctors, compared to men, yet they are not treated as carefully as men by many physicians. This is most evident when it comes to screening for heart disease.
Heart disease has traditionally been considered a disease that most commonly affects men. Most people also assume that cancer, not heart disease, is the number one killer of women in the United States. Both of these assumptions are no longer true, and can be dangerous if believed.
In actuality, more than one-third of all American women are now living with some form of heart disease, and over 40 percent of all deaths among women in the US are caused by heart disease (approximately 400,000 deaths each year), with heart disease killing approximately 10 times as many women each year as breast cancer.
Women who suffer a heart attack also have lower survival rates compared to men (38 percent to 25 percent). Female heart attack survivors are also more than twice as likely to be disabled due to heart failure within six years compared to men (46 percent to 22 percent), and two to three times as many women as men die after bypass surgery. Making matters worse, most of the research conducted on heart disease today is focused on men, with women comprising less than 35 percent of all participants in medical studies related to heart disease.
Compounding matters is the fact that women often do not experience symptoms of heart disease in the same way that men do, and therefore are more likely to not recognize what the symptoms mean, or to ignore them altogether. For example, while chest pain is the most common symptom of a pending heart attack, women are far more likely than men to not experience chest pain before a heart attack strikes. Women are also less apt to experience other common warning signs of heart disease, such as pain in the left arm and shortness of breath.
Instead of experiencing the most common male warning signs of heart disease, women are more likely to experience what are known as “atypical warning signs”. Such symptoms include pain in the back, neck or jaw; nausea; vomiting; indigestion; weakness such as that associated with the flu; unexplained fatigue; dizziness or lightheadedness; and sleep disturbances. Research has shown that 95 percent of women who suffered heart attacks first experienced one or more of these atypical symptoms rather than common warning signs. In the majority of cases, they did not recognize the symptoms for what they were. Had they done so, the majority of them might have avoided heart attacks by receiving medical attention in time.
Physicians, too, can fail to detect heart disease in women. One reason this is so is because women aren’t as likely to have fatty plaque buildup in their arteries compared to men. This is especially true among younger women. In addition, women typically develop heart disease an average of 10 to 15 years later than men do. Researchers attribute this delay to two factors: menstruation, which helps to thin blood, making it easier for the heart to pump it; and the rich supply of female hormones that are produced prior to menopause, which have heart-protecting properties. Once menopause sets in, however, women who previously exhibited no signs of heart disease might quickly develop them, but because of their health history their doctors might fail to screen for them.
All of the above facts make it essential that women become proactive when it comes to heart disease. This means knowing the different and atypical warning signs of heart disease that are most commonly affect women and making sure to request a thorough screening for heart disease from their doctors, especially once they enter into menopause.
]]>Apex Energetics is proud to present three new formulas designed with the latest biological assessment technologies. These unique products are designed to be used for support of key filtering organs and their natural drainage processes.
A unique blend of herbal ingredients selected and specially prepared to deliver a potent phytotherapeutic and synergistic effect. Ingredients are picked at the plant bud’s embryonic state to capture maximum vitality and special properties such as growth factors. Remedies contain very high Gemmae (bud) concentrations from Europe and are ideal for supporting the body’s drainage and detox processes.
– An essential first-line herbal formula for all individuals. This formula is intended to enhance the blood flow to the liver and to stimulate and support its natural excretory function and detoxification efficiency.
– An essential first-line herbal formula for all individuals. This formula is intended to enhance the blood flow to the kidney and to stimulate and support its natural excretory function and detoxification efficiency.
– An essential first-line herbal formula for all individuals. The lymphatic system cleanses waste from the cells and returns plasma proteins and interstitial water to the bloodstream. This formula stimulates the natural lymphatic flow and is especially useful for support of the upper respiratory system as well as in the gastro-intestinal lymph support system.
As Wayne Dyer states in his book, Wishes Fulfilled, “Sleep is the time when your conscious mind leaves the world of your five senses and joins in with your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind responds to what has been programmed into it. We spend one-third of our life in this sleep state. This time can be viewed as a time that we receive instructions for how the other two-thirds of our life can unfold. We all want to run our lives smoothly. Therefore, a very important point is to maximally prepare ourselves to enter this natural sub-conscious state of sleep. How can we maximize the last five minutes of our day before we enter sleep? What should we think about? Do not review the day’s frustrations and disappointments. Do not focus on how unhealthy you are, or on how you are not feeling as energetic as you used to be. Do not focus on thoughts that make you feel bad. This imprints your subconscious mind with thoughts of ‘I am unhappy, I am frustrated, I am sick.’ Your subconscious mind reacts with no desire to change your awakened state, so it will proceed to offer you experiences with what you have programmed it to do.
“So you need to give it a different program, and you can do this best by starting with a new mindset in those precious five minutes before you fall asleep. Instead, you need to program your subconscious mind with positive feelings and attitudes. Program it with how you would like your life to be. Think happy thoughts before you go to sleep. Think about your aspirations. Most importantly, you want to assume the feeling of what you want to occur in your life. You must tell yourself in those pre-sleep moments that your desires will manifest, and you must assume the feeling that they have already manifested. This begins the reprogramming of your subconscious mind, which you can do every night before falling asleep.”
Lack of, and poor, sleep is a big problem for so many people today. In fact, sleep problems rank with chronic fatigue and obesity as our nation’s most common health complaints. Too many people either can’t fall asleep or else they wake up in the middle of the night, or toss and turn, only to greet the morning feeling exhausted.
The importance of a good night’s sleep cannot be overemphasized. Lack of sleep has been implicated in a wide range of health problems, including lowered immunity and greater susceptibility to infections, increased stress and muscle tension, an increased risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer, increased weight gain, increased risk for developing type II diabetes, hormonal imbalances, high blood pressure, and impaired brain function. Lack of sleep also leads to a diminished ability to solve problems, decreased creativity, reduced productivity, and poor job performance.
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), sleep and its importance to health and regeneration is closely associated with the twelve major meridians and the organ systems that they correspond to. Each of these meridians is linked to two hours of the 24-hour cycle. The liver meridian, for example, is most active between 1 and 3 AM. In TCM, these hours are known as liver time, meaning it is then when the body’s energy is most concentrated in the liver. If people tell me they wake up, or can’t fall asleep between the hours of 1 and 3 then I know their liver energy is abnormal or imbalanced. Additionally, when people wake in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep, that is usually a sign of abnormal adrenal function.
A similar correspondence between optimum sleep and the body’s natural 24-hour circadian rhythm has long been recognized by practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine. The term circadian is Latin and means “around a day.” Circadian rhythms tend to follow the same cycles and patterns of the sun during a 24-hour period and influence the times of day when you feel most awake and alert, as well as those times when you feel tired or sleepy.
The teachings of Ayurvedic medicine regarding sleep and circadian rhythm have been confirmed by modern science, which has found that many of the human body’s neurological and endocrine functions follow this circadian rhythm, including the ideal sleep-wakefulness cycle. These findings show that for most people the ideal time for achieving the deepest, most restful levels of sleep and maintaining harmony with the circadian cycle begins between 9 and 10 PM. This finding substantiates the Ayurvedic teaching that eight hours of sleep beginning within that timeframe is much more restful than eight hours of sleep that begins after midnight.
Relatively few people today go to bed this early, however. If you suffer from sleep problems, though, I encourage you to try doing so. Going to bed earlier will eventually help you reset your biological clock and make it easier for you to wake up earlier feeling more restful, energized, and ready to be productive.
In addition to going to sleep earlier, in order to improve the quality of sleep, it is essential to know and address the various factors that can compromise healthy sleep. The most common contributing factors are:
The first step to improving the quality of your sleep each night is to create a healthy sleep environment in your bedroom. This means cleaning your bedroom at least once a week and washing blankets, sheets, pillowcases, etc., frequently as well, in order to prevent dust buildup and prevent mites. To further prevent dust build-up consider using an air purifier in your home, and be sure that the filters on your heat ducts are professionally examined at least once a year and replaced as necessary.
Also, be sure to allow for a flow of fresh air throughout your bedroom as you sleep. You can do this easily by keeping at least one window of your bedroom slightly open.
Sleep on a comfortable mattress, and be aware that you might be sensitive to the materials in your pillow, blankets, and sheets. As a general rule, cotton or wool blankets and sheets and feather pillows are healthier choices than the same items made from synthetic materials.
Make sure that the temperature in your bedroom is kept at a comfortable level. Temperatures that are too hot or cold can significantly interfere with your ability to get a good night’s sleep.
Make your bedroom a place of sleep, not a place to watch television. Watching TV in bed keeps your brain in active mode, making falling asleep more difficult. In addition, keep your bedroom free of other electrical appliances, such as stereos, cell phones, computers, radios, etc.
Sleep in the dark. This means not only turning off your bedroom lights when you go to bed, but also making sure that curtains and shades are fully drawn as well to prevent outdoor light from entering your bedroom. Sleeping in complete darkness helps your body to produce the hormone melatonin, which is essential for healthy sleep, as well as many other functions in your body. The ideal position of your bed in the bedroom is so that you sleep with your head to the north.
In addition to creating a healthy sleep environment, other helpful steps you can take include not only going to bed earlier but going to bed each night at the same time. By doing so, you will program your body to recognize that it is time for it to prepare for and the restoration it provides.
Also, don’t drink any fluids within two hours of going to bed. This will reduce the likelihood of needing to get up and go to the bathroom during the night.
Various herbal teas are also well-known for their ability to promote restful sleep. They include chamomile, hops, lemon balm, passionflower, skullcap, and valerian root, all of which can be prepared as teas. These herbs can also be used in combination to further enhance restful sleep.
A variety of nutrients are known to improve and restore sleep. These include B vitamins, magnesium, and an amino acid known as GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). GABA acts as a neurotransmitter and is widely distributed throughout your body’s central nervous system. It is the most important and widespread inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, helping to prevent over-firing of nerve cells and decreasing overall neuron activities in the CNS. Over-firing can cause restlessness, spasmodic movements, irritability, and anxiety.
GABA is also utilized by the brain to create tranquility and calmness through the brain’s metabolic processes, supporting a relaxed state of mind, and therefore promoting healthy sleep when taken before bedtime. You can find GABA at your local health food store. Typical dosage ranges from 125 to 500 mg. Start at the lower level and work up to the higher level if necessary.
Another effective way to improve the quality of your sleep is to expose yourself to more outdoor sunlight. Researchers have established a definite relationship between sunlight exposure during the day and restful sleep at night. This is due to the interaction of sunlight with the brain’s pineal gland, which is responsible for producing melatonin. Several studies have shown that melatonin production significantly drops, and in some cases can be completely inhibited, as a result of inadequate exposure to natural sunlight during the day.
Additional research has found that nighttime melatonin production is directly related to the amount of serotonin production produced during the day. Serotonin is sometimes referred to as the “feel-good” hormone because of the sense of calm it produces in the body. Multiple studies have shown that people who spend most of their time indoors have lower levels of serotonin compared to people who regularly spend a bit of time outdoors. Less serotonin production during the day means less melatonin production at night and therefore poorer quality sleep.
You can avoid this problem simply by making it a point to spend at least 30 minutes outdoors each day. Ideally, you should do so during the morning during the hours of 7 to 9 AM, as sunlight exposure during this time will trigger greater production of serotonin for the rest of the day, leading to greater nighttime melatonin production. Research has also shown that exposure to sunlight between 7 to 9 AM helps to maintain proper function of your body’s circadian rhythms and biological clock. Finally, sunlight exposure helps your body to produce and maintain adequate levels of vitamin D.
If the above guidelines do not work, you may need to consider improving your sleep by supplementing with melatonin. Melatonin is secreted by your brain’s pineal gland, with the highest levels of production occurring during sleep. Healthy sleepers produce adequate amounts of melatonin each night, while people who struggle to get a good night’s sleep typically do not. For this reason, a growing number of physicians recommend melatonin supplementation on a temporary basis when sleep proves difficult to come by.
First, however, I recommend trying one of melatonin’s precursors, L-tryptophan or 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). Both supplements can be taken an hour before you retire each night. L-tryptophan and 5-HTP are available at most health food stores. Use both according to label directions. For best results, combine either L-tryptophan or 5-HTP with vitamin B6.
Melatonin supplements are also available at your local health food store. I recommend they only be used under your doctor’s supervision, Since it can promote sleep in as little as 30 minutes after it is consumed, you should only take melatonin at night, just before your bedtime. In addition, when you begin to use melatonin, your initial dose should be 1 MG. Most melatonin supplements come in a dose of between 1-3 mg per tablet. (Note: If you wake-up with a hangover after taking melatonin the night before, your liver needs further cleansing.)
Once you start to realize the benefits of melatonin, it is also advisable that you stop using it for at least two weeks, so that your body doesn’t stop producing its own melatonin. Then, if you still have trouble sleeping, you can start another cycle for another 2-4 weeks, still under your doctor’s supervision.
]]>“If someone wishes for good health, one must first ask oneself if he is ready to do away with the reasons for his illness. Only then is it possible to help him.” ~ Hippocrates
The first essential key for achieving and maintaining outstanding health involves taking conscious control over your thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. We call this step cleansing and fortifying the mind. The above statement by Hippocrates, the Father of Western Medicine, is instructive in that regard. However, it may seem confusing to you. If you are sick or lacking energy you most likely believe that, of course, you are ready to do away with whatever is causing your health problems. But are you really?
Before you answer that question, take a moment to honestly assess whether or not you truly are willing to do all that it takes to get well.
We raise this point because many patients initially, yet usually unconsciously, derive benefit from their health issues. For them, being sick becomes the major theme of their “story”, the tale that they tell themselves and others. You likely know or have met at least one chronically, yet not seriously ill person who makes their health issue the centerpiece of every conversation you have with them. Usually, this occurs in the form of complaints, yet underneath the complaint there is often a cry for attention, sympathy, or love that their illness or pain provides for them in ways that they did not receive when they were healthier. By the same token, often a health complaint provides a convenient and self-justifiable excuse to avoid taking action in other areas of one’s life, including following one’s passion, which, in my experience, is a hallmark of many people who are in good health.
Excuses are often part and parcel of how people handle their health issues. For example, though we all know the importance of regular exercise, how often have you avoided exercising by telling yourself you were too tired or don’t have the time for it? Maybe the reason why so many people experience so much stress in their lives, have trouble sleeping, and are in poor health is because of their preoccupation with the idea that time is running out.
But if you connect with the purpose of your life and allow it to guide you, you soon discover that there is enough time to do everything you truly want and need to do. That’s because the simple yet powerful act of committing to your life purpose automatically starts to enable you to prioritize making time for what is most important to you. As you do so, there is less stress, you can sleep more easily, your mood improves, and you start to notice you are experiencing better health and more energy. When we continue to focus on purpose, passion, and all that we have to be grateful for, we feel whole and happy, and life flows smoothly.
So what gets in the way of that?
In most cases, the answer lies in our thoughts, which in turn influence our beliefs, emotions, and ultimately the health of our bodies. So, to return to what Hippocrates taught, are you ready to do away with the reasons for your lack of vitality and optimal health? Our hope is that you are able to answer this question with a resounding, unqualified Yes!
For more information, please read my book, “Outstanding Health, The 6 Essential Keys To Maximize Your Health And Well Being."
]]>Natural Formulas and Supplements Researched and Developed by Michael Galitzer, M.D. and Manufactured by Apex Energetics.
Apex Energetics continues to be a respected evolutionary force in the homeopathic and nutritional fields. Our dynamic approach transforms professional clinical experience and expertise into cutting-edge medical and healthcare products and educational services.
Apex Energetics is proud to present three new formulas designed with the latest biological assessment technologies. These unique products are designed to be used for support of key filtering organs and their natural drainage processes.
A unique blend of herbal ingredients selected and specially prepared to deliver a potent phytotherapeutic and synergistic effect. Ingredients are picked at the plant bud’s embryonic state to capture maximum vitality and special properties such as growth factors. Remedies contain very high Gemmae (bud) concentrations from Europe and are ideal for supporting the body’s drainage and detox processes.
H-3 LMPH-MAX – An essential first-line herbal formula for all individuals. The lymphatic system cleanses waste from the cells and returns plasma proteins and interstitial water to the bloodstream. This formula stimulates the natural lymphatic flow, and is especially useful for support of the upper respiratory system as well as in the gastro-intestinal lymph support system.
This unique line of products addresses the body’s anabolic and catabolic imbalances. It provides support to various functions and structures in the body using the latest innovations in Modern Homeopathy. In this line, Michael Galitzer, M.D. expands the use of multicords and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to provide regenerative energy for the metabolic system.
Regeneration is defined as the natural renewal of a cell, tissue, or organ. Each of the different tissues of the body has its own natural life cycle, which is affected as a result of internal and external stress factors. IT IS THE AIM OF REGENERATION THERAPY TO ASSIST IN THE PROCESS OF SELF-RENEWAL.
The main purpose of the RegenRx™ formulas is to strengthen the energetically-weak organs. These remedies incorporate many exciting and innovative discoveries by Michael Galitzer, M.D., and can be an invaluable adjunct to any organ-specific therapy for the purpose of regeneration. They can be selected for use based on homeopathic symptom pictures, or just to support organ performance. They are especially helpful for patients who need strengthening of the organs prior to or during a certain therapy.
Also, they are useful for those who initially improve with drainage and detoxification remedies, but then hit a stage where—despite every therapy that is given—no further improvement is made. This is referred to as the Plateau Stage, and is usually very frustrating for both patient and practitioner. The RegenRx™ remedies are ideally suited to the Plateau Stage.
It is at this stage that the toxic load in the body has been greatly reduced, but the tissues and organs are still weak and susceptible, and symptoms may still persist. The remedies are very helpful for sensitive patients prior to or during the detoxification process.
RegenRx™ is an easy-to-use line of 29 remedies designed to be dispensed on the basis of homeopathic symptom pictures indicating weak organs.
All the Futureplex® RegenRx™ Formulas have been produced in F.D.A-registered facilities.
The first essential key for achieving and maintaining outstanding health involves taking conscious control over your thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. I call this step cleansing and fortifying the mind. Hippocrates, known as the father of Western medicine, recognized the importance of fortifying the mind when he wrote, “If someone wishes for good health, one must first ask oneself if he is ready to do away with the reasons for his illness.”
This may seem confusing to you. If you are sick or lacking energy you, of course, think you are ready to do away with whatever is causing your health problems. But are you really?
Before you answer that question, take a moment to honestly assess whether or not you truly are willing to do all that it takes to get well.
I raise this point because I find that many patients initially, yet usually unconsciously, derive benefit from their health issues. For them, being sick becomes the major theme of their “story”, the tale that they tell themselves and others. You likely know or have met at least one chronically, yet not seriously, ill person who makes their health issue the centerpiece of every conversation you have with them. Usually, this occurs in the form of complaints, yet underneath the complaint, there is often a cry for attention, sympathy, or love that their illness or pain provides for them in ways that they did not receive when they were healthier. By the same token, often a health complaint provides a convenient and self-justifiable excuse to avoid taking action in other areas of one’s life, including following one’s passion, which, in my experience, is a hallmark of many people who are in good health.
It is important to understand that illness is a warning sign and that there is a lesson to be learned from it. Something is wrong physically, emotionally or both. If we only heed the warning signal and not the underlying cause, the body will find another way to warn us by evoking another warning signal (another disease). Because of this fact, I often ask my patients to pause and reflect upon their lives to see if they can determine the “message” that their illness or health challenge carries with it.
Ask yourself: Are you headed in the direction that is right for you? What are you neglecting, or what price are you paying, as you go about your current life routine? Illness is often a way for a person’s unconscious to point out just how much a person is neglecting or straying from their true life purpose. Once that message is received, understood, and appropriately acted upon, very often illness disappears—often of its own accord in ways that baffle physicians—because it is no longer necessary.
But it would be foolish to wait until you get sick to get such a message. Regardless of your current state of health, it pays to regularly assess your life by asking yourself:
Now is the time for you to make a plan and set goals for changing the things in your life that you want to change. Once you understand the role your thoughts, emotions, beliefs, life choices and actions play in the creation of disease, and how illness is often a message about what you have been ignoring, you will be much closer to achieving a deeper understanding about health and have a deeper commitment to doing what is necessary to achieve and maintain it.
Also Published on: MariaShriver.com
]]>For more than 25 years, stars like Suzanne Somers and Vanessa Williams, as well as the “movers and shakers” in the business and entertainment industry, and other doctors, have sought out Dr. Michael Galitzer because of his revolutionary approach to health that consistently helps his patients look and feel much younger than they actually are.
The reason his program is so effective is because of its unique combination of conventional and complementary medicine—and in particular, its focus on Energy Medicine, which addresses health at the cellular or energetic level. Now, in Outstanding Health, Dr. Galitzer is sharing his wisdom with the world so that you too, can achieve the same benefits as his patients.
Many of the most common health complaints affecting people today can often be addressed on your own without the need to see a doctor or other health practitioner. All that is required is knowing the best self-care approaches to try. Starting today, in this newsletter I will be sharing with you the self-care methods I know to be most effective for alleviating some of our most common health complaints and concerns. These methods not only work in the majority of cases, they are also extremely cost-effective. Most importantly, they can empower you to take even more control over your health. However, it is important for me to stress that if you continue to experience symptoms of any of the following health complaints, you need to seek prompt medical attention.
Today, let’s focus on what you can do to prevent and reverse cellulite.
Cellulite is usually the result of an increased ratio of fat cells to lean body mass, and by the buildup of fibroid masses of protein in the spaces between the cells due to incomplete elimination of waste by-products through the lymphatic system. Spot fat reducing at specific body sites is often not possible. A more effective approach is to improve your muscle to fat ratio and by losing weight. For more on how to effectively do so, see the section on Insulin Resistance and Obesity in Chapter 12 of my book Outstanding Health: The 6 Essential Keys To Maximize Your Energy and Well Being. Improving lymphatic function via deep breathing exercises, rebounding, and skin brushing is also usually necessary.
Diet: To help prevent and reverse cellulite, follow the dietary recommendations in Chapter 8 of Outstanding Health. Also drink large amounts of pure, filtered water and avoid eating protein-rich meals at night since excess protein intake in the evening can further burden the lymphatic system.
Nutritional Supplements: Useful nutrients for preventing and reversing cellulite include vitamin A, B complex vitamin, vitamin C, and vitamin E (tocopherols).
Herbal Remedies: Apply a compress made with white birch oil to the affected area upon arising and before going to bed. Aloe vera extract can also be applied topically to the affected areas.
Juicing: Beet and carrot juice combined together can help flush out toxins and stimulate the lymphatic system, helping to reduce cellulite deposits.
Don’t Forget To Check Out My Blog
My co-author, Larry Trivieri Jr, and I have recently begun blogging in order to share more empowering health information with you. Each week, we are adding at least one new article to our website (www.outstandinghealthbook.com/account/blog). Recent topics we’ve discussed include:
And don’t forget, if you want to learn more, you can get my book Outstanding Health: The 6 Essential Keys To Maximize Your Energy and Well Being to learn the ways in which you can stay younger and live better.
]]>Everything your body does, including the simple act of reading this article, requires energy. Our lives are made possible because of the existence of a vital life force energy that surrounds and flows through our bodies. Yet this life force energy is not the sole source of energy you need to live and function each day. You also need its physical energy counterpart. And where does this physical energy come from? For the most part, the answer lies in your cells.
It is estimated that the adult human body contains approximately 100 trillion cells. Within most of these cells (red blood cells being a notable exception) there exist tiny “energy factories” known as mitochondria that work every minute of your life to produce approximately 95 percent of all the energy your body uses on a daily basis. These microscopic powerhouses accomplish this by taking in the nutrients delivered to the cells from the bloodstream. They then break the nutrients down (metabolize them) and combine them with oxygen to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the main chemical fuel supply for your body’s energy needs. This process is known as cellular respiration. Mitochondria are the only components of the cell where food molecules and oxygen can be combined.
Not only are mitochondria essential for supplying your body with adequate energy, but they also play important roles in protecting against disease and helping you to live longer. In addition, they are involved in a range of other processes, such as cell signaling and cellular differentiation, as well as the control of the cell cycle and cell growth and division, and normal cell death (apoptosis). They also regulate cell metabolism. Depending on the type of cell, along with other factors such as your body’s nutritional status, the number of mitochondria inside a cell can range in number from 2 to 2,500. Overall, the adult human body contains an estimated 500 trillion mitochondria.
A remarkable characteristic of mitochondria that is unique among all other cellular components is that they possess their own DNA, which is distinct from the DNA found in the nucleus of the cells. This means that mitochondria have the ability to increase their number inside each cell. This fact has important implications, as scientists now believe that overall health and longevity in humans depends in large part on the amount of mitochondria within human cells, and on how well the mitochondria function. More high-functioning mitochondria in your body mean better health and a greater chance that you will live a long life.
Unfortunately, their very function—metabolizing nutrients with oxygen to generate ATP for energy—make mitochondria highly susceptible to impaired functioning and premature death due to accelerated degradation and destruction of their DNA. The reason for this is simple: Because of the large amount of oxidative activity that mitochondria require to produce ATP, they are constantly exposed to large amounts of free radicals, one of the primary causes of aging and disease.
Cellular DNA is defended from free radicals by the cells’ double-membrane structure that shields it from the rest of the cell, along with a plentiful supply of protective proteins. The DNA of mitochondria lacks such protections and therefore has few defenses against free radical damage. As a result, and not surprisingly, as we age mitochondrial function tends to decline, as does the overall number of mitochondria in our cells.
Over the last four decades, a growing body of research has found that the decline of mitochondria in the body and impaired mitochondrial functioning are primary causes of many disease conditions today, ranging from cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and kidney and liver conditions to neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Because of how essential mitochondria are for good health, abundant energy, and long life, doing all you can to protect them is vitally important. Next time, we will share proven self-care steps you can use to do so.
Copyright (C) 2015 by Michael Galitzer MD and Larry Trivieri Jr. All rights reserved.
]]>Suzanne Somers: Thank you for giving me this time. I know how busy you are. Especially since I interviewed you for my book, “The Sexy Years”, I know that you hardly have time to breathe. But I think people resonated with you and the other doctors in my book as the ‘new thinking’, cutting-edged doctors, and frankly, who doesn’t want to be in on that?
Dr. Michael Galitzer: Well thank you. It’s a pleasure to speak with you again.
Suzanne Somers: I’d like to get right into it; I don’t think any of us ever realized the importance of the functioning of the adrenals. We’ve all heard of an ‘adrenaline rush’ , but most of us never have understood just how relevant adrenal balance is to our health, and the effect it has on our body and it’s ability to function properly. Let’s talk about decreased adrenal function and why it’s important to understand this major endocrine gland.
Dr. Michael Galitzer: I have to start by saying that adrenal burn-out is epidemic in our country. In traditional medical practices, adrenal failure is recognized as a disease called Addison’s disease. In fact, JFK had Addison’s disease and treated it with Cortisone for years. We’re not talking here about adrenal failure, but about adrenal fatigue which occurs when the adrenals are depleted. This is definitely not being detected in most medical practices. Physicians don’t look for it. They don’t properly diagnose it, and they don’t treat it correctly. When people are under enormous and prolonged stress, they will experience adrenal fatigue.
Suzanne Somers: Where are the adrenals located, and how does stress affect them?
Dr. Michael Galitzer: The adrenals are two small glands that sit on top of the kidneys. The adrenals are highly affected by different forms of stress. You can have emotional stress from marital problems, or you may not like your job or your employer. You can have chemical stress resulting from mercury leakage from silver dental fillings, chronic exposure to other heavy metals and pesticides, and food allergies. And you can have physical stress from over-training, working 60+ hour weeks, or having an infected root canal. The first stage of stress is called the alarm reaction. At this stage, there is increased secretion of the hormone cortisol, in order to adapt to the stress. High cortisol causes insulin resistance, and insulin resistance causes high cortisol. When you have insulin resistance, you gain weight, crave sugar, and are constantly hungry; you also get fatigued after eating a high carbohydrate meal because lots of insulin has been secreted, while the cells are no longer responsive to insulin. The body converts carbohydrates into fat, which requires energy, and which accounts for the fatigue after meals. Another symptom of high cortisol is that people are unable to fall asleep. They also frequently have symptoms of low thyroid function. When you have low thyroid, your hair falls out, you are constipated, your skin feels very dry, and you feel cold most of the time. Increased cortisol contributes to high blood pressure. For men, high cortisol will cause him to lose his testosterone down the road, because cortisol will block testosterone from working at the cell receptor sites. A man will lose his sex drive and be 30 pounds overweight. He will frequently have high cholesterol and high triglycerides. It’s a perfect set-up for a heart attack.
Suzanne Somers: So there is a domino effect starting with adrenal burnout.
Dr. Michael Galitzer: Yes, but there’s even more. The brain becomes less sensitive to estrogen when there is high cortisol, resulting in hot flashes in women who had previously been in perfect hormonal balance. Whenever a major stressor occurs, a woman will call and ask me, “Why am I having hot flashes?” The reason is that the stressor causes the cortisol to go up, which makes the cells less sensitive to estrogen. Increased cortisol also occurs as a result of chronic inflammation, and chronic pain. The liver has a reduced ability to detoxify, promoting a leaky gut, with consequent auto-immune reactions within the body. Increased cortisol can cause ulcers in both the stomach and the small intestine. Bone density can go down. Additionally, high cortisol will suppress the pituitary’s ability to release LH. LH is essential for ovulation. So if cortisol suppresses ovulation, you’re going to get infertility and no progesterone. Students who pull all-nighters who study, study, study, and do great on tests often find that 2 days later they get an upper respiratory infection. That’s because there’s no more cortisol around to protect them, and therefore they get sick. Cortisol is a major player in our health. Older people are in a more difficult position because they have additional stressors associated with aging that make it more difficult for them to achieve balance. They sleep less, they drink more alcohol, and they take more prescription drugs. There is a greater incidence of death among their friends and relatives. They have a greater sense of helplessness, and they often become caregivers to their spouses who may be sick.
Suzanne Somers: So stress produces high cortisol, which starts a chain reaction of bodily malfunctions, all of which have serious effects on our bodies’ ability to operate and function properly. Sounds like high cortisol is not where we want to be.
Dr. Michael Galitzer: You are correct because as a result of prolonged stress, this person is at the second stage of adrenal fatigue (the resistance stage). Left unchecked you will quickly progress to the third stage when the effects of cumulative stress are so great that the adrenals are completely burnt out, and this is called the exhaustion stage. At this point, the adrenals are unable to respond to any stressor, and you will see low levels of cortisol and DHEA in the body. You don’t want to be here.
Suzanne Somers: So how can a person know how to fix this problem? We live in a society where stress is part and parcel of our daily lives. If a person comes into your office and says, “I want to live a perfect life and avoid the diseases that seem to automatically accompany our everyday lives,” What do you do for this person?
Dr. Michael Galitzer: Changing ones’ lifestyle is number one. You can’t be drinking six cups of coffee during the day. You can’t be drinking 3 glasses of wine every night. You can’t be smoking cigarettes. You can’t be drinking several 12 oz. colas a day. This person has got to get in touch with his/her purpose in life. Why am I on this planet? You’ve got to let that purpose guide you as opposed to anything else. Find out why it’s important for you to be here. We all need purpose. Frequently, when I talk with patients, they say their purpose is their children, and that is fine. There isn’t only one right answer, the key is for that person to align themselves with that purpose, and let that purpose guide them. I think that’s the most important thing that anybody can do. Then you have to stay on top of it. Pay attention to your body. If women and men would follow everything you are telling them to do in this book, from supplements to nutrition, to exercise, to relaxation to meditation, and then balance their hormones BioIdentically, everyone would be in much better shape. The best thing you can do for a woman or man with burnt out adrenals is to balance their hormones. Then I question them about sleep. If you have too much cortisol you can’t fall asleep. High cortisol turns off melatonin, so consequently, you toss and turn to no avail. If you wake up in the middle of the night, and can’t get back to sleep, that’s a sign that your adrenals are fried and burnt out. You see, when we are sleeping our cells are working. Our cells need glucose to live. That’s the job of cortisol, to tell the liver to keep glucose going to the cells. If the cortisol isn’t working, the body says ‘hey guys we need sugar”. Well if your cortisol levels are very low, your body will go into the emergency mode, and go to the adrenal medulla (the inner adrenal), which secretes epinephrine and norepinephrine. It’s like the fireman breaking the glass to get to the fire extinguisher. When that gets secreted your blood sugar goes up, you wake up, and now you have an adrenaline rush. You can’t go back to sleep. This is what happens in third-degree adrenal stress, adrenal burn out, and adrenal fatigue.
Suzanne Somers: What do you do for this person?
Dr. Michael Galitzer: I would give them B complex injections, 1000 mg of Vitamin B5 daily, 25,000 mg of intravenous Vitamin C weekly, and put them on 4,000 mg of Vitamin C daily. I would give them adrenal cortex extract injected deep into the muscle. The herb Licorice Root increases the half-life of cortisol. Licorice is also an anti-viral, and great for respiratory infections in those who have adrenal fatigue. The hormone, Pregnenolone which is produced in the adrenals and the brain, is the precursor of all the adrenal hormones, and also improves memory. DHEA helps with third-degree adrenal fatigue. Lastly, BioIdentical Progesterone strengthens the adrenals.
Suzanne Somers: Yet, is it at this stage that most people are usually given a sleeping pill and/or an anti-depressant.?
Dr. Michael Galitzer: Yes, which does not fix the root of the problem. Also, sleeping pills like Ambien can become highly addictive. There are certain things that are critical for the adrenal fatigue people to do to get better. They have got to avoid refined sugar. They must avoid caffeine because it raises your blood sugar. When your blood sugar is raised your insulin gets triggered to drive your blood sugar down. When the blood sugar goes down, cortisol is supposed to bring it back up, but since these adrenal fatigue people don’t have enough cortisol, they become very hypoglycemic. So drinking caffeine is probably the worst thing they can possibly do.
Suzanne Somers: How does all of this affect weight gain or loss?
Dr. Michael Galitzer: The people who are adrenal fatigued are usually pretty thin. The people with high cortisol are the ones who gain weight. Adrenal fatigued people must have protein at each meal. It’s mandatory that they don’t skip breakfast. A muffin and a piece of fruit would be the worst possible thing for breakfast. If they are going to snack, they should snack with low glycemic foods like seeds and nuts. Fruit juices should be avoided because of the sugar, and if you’re going to eat high glycemic foods, always have protein with it.
Suzanne Somers: What about exercise when you are adrenal fatigued?
Dr. Michael Galitzer: The general rule is any exercise that makes them feel okay 1- 1 ½ hours later, and they don’t feel worse the next day. Walking, slow jogging, slow cycling is okay. Running quickly on a treadmill would the worst thing for an adrenal fatigued person.
Suzanne Somers: When the adrenals are shot like this, how does it affect all the other hormones?
Dr. Michael Galitzer: Nothing works right. They really need to take it easy because there isn’t enough cortisol to normalize blood sugar.
Suzanne Somers: It seems crazy that as a society we have chosen to live such stressful lives that we are putting this kind of stress on our bodies’ ability to function properly. How do we get back on track?
Dr. Michael Galitzer: We need to look inside of ourselves and realize that there are three main causes of chronic stress.
Suzanne Somers:
Instead, we work too much. People are driven by this desire to make more and more money. That puts us in a defense mode. One of the things we have to do is slow down. I try and tell my patients to breathe deeply, to try meditation, to do yoga, to take vacations. Laughter is important as a de-stressor; rest & go to bed early. All of these things are very simple but at present, antithetical to the way we are living our lives. I think people work because it’s an area where you can define yourself and you can find satisfaction. It’s great to do something you are really good at doing. It gives you a feeling of worthiness. But at the same time, over-working is not honoring your body. In the end, you don’t win because it keeps you in a very closed locked-out mode that is ultimately not in your best interest. The goal in life, in every aspect, is balance. And always remember that life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
Suzanne Somers: Thank you for this fine information.
Dr. Michael Galitzer: Again, my pleasure.
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