Oral Health – the 800# Gorilla in the Wellness Room

One of the lectures I attended today:

Gerry Cruatola DDS runs a dental practice and teaches at New York University’s College of Dentistry. He presented “TOXICITY AND THE MOUTH-BODY CONNECTION’. Periodontal pathogens are linked with Alzheimer’s, and are found in the plaque that clog coronary and carotid arteries.

85% of adults over 35 have some form of gum disease.  The link between gum disease and systemic illness was first made by Weston Price DDS  way back in 1901. Our current approaches to dealing with this problem [antimicrobials] are both ineffectual and harmful.

Our oral microbiome is made up of water, proteins, immune complexes, minerals, and anywhere from 6 to 10 billion microorganisms [approximately 700 species.] A healthy oral ecosystem is essential for life – it protects against harmful environmental pathogens and is a component of both our digestion pathways and our immune system regulation.  Emerging science has identified this oral ecosystem, the oral microbiome [or oral biofilm]. as an intelligent semi-permeable membrane.

Keeping the oral microbiome in balance [homeostasis] is central for oral health.  It is like a beautiful garden, with many species living in harmony, and also like a bee hive with a well formed structure and agreed upon job descriptions.  When it becomes unbalanced, bad things happen.  The biofilm can be too thin [atrophic – like a desert] or too thick [hypertrophic – like a jungle],  and either acid/base or oxidation/reduction reactions can predominate.  Then, instead of oral health, we experience tooth sensitivity, decay, gum disease and/or canker sores.

This is only the tip of this iceberg, and the first ten minutes of this lecture!  More, soon,

 

 

Leaky Gut – what’s the big deal?

The gut-brain connection has been well established.

The GI tract, the barrier between the slurry inside your intestines and you, is literally one epithelial [skin] cell thick. The enteric nervous system [ENS], performing as a “second brain”, is made up of the more than 100 million nerve cells that line the GI tract. The ENS begins at the esophagus, ends at the rectum, and provides the connection between mood, cognitive ability, and digestion.

When the cells of the GI tract are not properly nourished, they can lose the structure they need to support proper function of the ENS, and therefore, alter this major gut/brain communication. Instead of being a tightly closed system, the gaps between the cells expand, and the wall leaks [Leaky Gut].

As the amount of room between the cells in the GI tract expands, larger molecules can leave the intestine and flow into the bloodstream. Our immune system recognizes these larger molecules as ‘not good’, and sets up to fight the invaders. This immune response creates multiple food allergies and triggers inflammation. These larger molecules are often toxic, and this impacts the performance of the liver.

We use a natural approach to restoring the gut wall. By restoring the distance that separates the epithelial cells to normal, we can look after the leaky gut, and address many other health challenges in the process.

Is Your Nail Polish Dangerous?

Some of the unpronounceable chemicals found in nail polish may cause health issues.  If you plan to keep polish on fingers and toes this summer, you might want to really read the labels.  Find out more here:

Is Your Nail Polish Dangerous?

Acid Blocking Medications

One of my soapbox topics is the long term use of protein pump inhibitors [like Prilosec, Prevacid, Nexium, aka PPI’s] to reduce stomach acid.  In 2012, 40% of Americans had symptoms of GERD [gastroesophageal reflux disease] and only antipsychotics and statins are more widely prescribed than PPI’s.

Even the FDA has warned us that they are bad – they say that long-term use and high doses have been associated with an increased risk of bone fractures and infections with a bacterium [Clostridium difficlile] that is most dangerous to elderly patients. In fact, in a paper published in May, 2012 [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22683398] they recommended that older adults use the drugs only “for the shortest duration possible.”

Other studies have shown that long term use of these drugs:

• reduce the absorption of magnesium, calcium, vitamin B12, and reduced the effectiveness of other medication [especially Plavix];
• increase your risk of developing pneumonia
• cause weight gain

These drugs were designed for short term use [up to twelve WEEKS maximum] but they breed dependency, and don’t really solve the problem. The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma [throat cancer], associated with GERD, which is what the acid blockers are typically prescribed to prevent in the first place, has risen 350% since 1970.

I am a chiropractor and naturopath.  It is not within the scope of my practice to make recommendations about medication prescribed by your medical practitioner.  So, I can’t recommend that you get off this or any medication.  If YOU decide you’re ready to discontinue the acid blocker, please ask for help.  I have protocols that work.

Note:  To follow links leading to the research studies, go to http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/25/combating-acid-reflux-may-bring-host-of-ills/?_r=0&register=google

Un-Doctored

Idaho Chiropractors, patients and those interested in Idaho patient access and patient choice in who provides their health care, please take advantage of this opportunity! Film Executive Producer, Jeff Hays, who brought you the award winning film Doctored, now brings you the true story of the plot to destroy chiropractic in his new film Undoctored. This is a 10-day chance to view the film, for free, before it goes on sale and is released to the general public. View the Movie Now! From Jeff Hays…”Undoctored is a new documentary, a gift of love to chiropractors and chiropractic patients everywhere.  Bobby Sheehan and I were outraged hearing the stories of the abuse chiropractors have had to endure.  As we filmed Doctored, we came to believe that chiropractic is THE answer to the healthcare disaster our country is facing.” “It’s time chiropractic is recognized as THE healing profession. In 1987 when the AMA was found guilty, everything in chiropractic should have changed for the better.  Nothing happened.” “Chiropractors didn’t have a vehicle to get the word out.  This movie is designed to finally give the profession voice you have never had. With the internet and social media, you now have an easy way to empower your staff, your patients, your friends and your family to become active participants in their healthcare decisions.  The truth can finally be told to millions with a click of a button!” View the Movie Now!

Another reason to stop the Diet Cola’s

Girls that start their periods [menarche] before age 12 are at an increased risk of many conditions, including breast cancer and depression.

A study that followed 2,379 girls 9 to 10 years of age for 10 years was published this September in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition [Mueller NT, et al 2015;102:648-54].

It revealed that every serving of caffeinated soft drink per day increased the risk of early menarche 47%. For each serving per day of artificially sweetened soft drinks, the risk of early menarche increased by 43%.

The researchers did not find any association between noncaffeinated sugar-sweetened soft drinks and early menarche.

Water In the Winter

 

It seems that I have been working with a lot of dehydrated patients lately, and giving a ‘why you need even MORE water in the winter than you do the rest of the year’ lecture. So, I’m sharing it here:

No matter how much or how little moisture is being carried in the air, every molecule of air you pull into your lungs needs to be brought up to 100% humidity. If you are breathing warm air in the summer, it will carry some moisture , and your body doesn’t have to add as much from it’s own stores.

In the winter, the cold air can’t carry much moisture, and so your body has to provide much more just to breathe. Hence the ‘dryness’ we experience – the chapped lips, dry eyes, concentrated urine.

I gave this lecture to a cattle rancher and she exclaimed that ‘of course, I have to water the cattle much heavier in the winter.’

Treat yourself with the same respect. Drink more water!

Greens First is Available from Home

 

Few people get enough fruits or vegetables in our every day diet. Dr. Burrow often recommends supplementing with a ‘green drink’ and the one we’ve recommended for years because it provides the most nutrients AND has a taste most people find acceptable is Greens First.

Dr. Burrow has just opened an affiliate store with Green First. You can now purchase the Greens First products that we sell in our office online and have it shipped straight to your home.

Visit Our Greens First Site anytime.

Shout out to Tye Dye

We would like to give a shout out to Tye Dye Everything for doing a beautiful job of supplying us with 72 individual towels in a wide variety of colors!

If you’ve been to our office, you know that Dr. Joan loves color, and these are just our style! Now, you can dry your hands on a clean cotton towel instead of a paper one. We can throw it into the wash instead of the landfill. Win – Win.

Once we saw the towels in our wash room, we knew that the beaded fish goddess was the perfect accent.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is upon us. I’ll see patients as usual on Monday [11/23] and Tuesday [11/24], and be available until noon on Wednesday [11/25]. I will be closed the remainder of the weekend – I get to spend the holiday with my daughter and granddaughter. I’ll be back to treat patients as usual on Monday, November 30th.

James will be available to treat massage patients all day on Wednesday [11/25], Friday [11/27] and Saturday [11/28] by appointment. You may need to contact him directly at (208)392-8118 for Friday or Saturday appointments since the rest of us will not be in the office. – Dr. Joan Burrow