Is a Junk Food Tax a Good Idea?

A recent New York Times Editorial arguing that the government should tax junk food to subsidise health food like fruits and vegetables has been generating significant interest in both health and political circles recently. The author of the editorial, Mark Bittman, suggests that a "junk food tax" could both decrease junk food consumption and increase the consumption of health foods, which in turn would save "billion" in health care cost over a lifetime because people would be more likely to chose a less expensive healthy alternative. Of course, by imposing a tax on these items, Bittman is suggesting the federal government as the agency to impose, police, and enforce the policy, and also indicates that somehow the food industry is to blame for the current state of health in America. Says Bittman,

"Yet the food industry appears incapable of marketing healthier foods. And whether its leaders are confused or just stalling doesn’t matter, because the fixes are not really their problem. Their mission is not public health but profit, so they’ll continue to sell the health-damaging food that’s most profitable, until the market or another force skews things otherwise. That “other force” should be the federal government, fulfilling its role as an agent of the public good and establishing a bold national fix."

The author goes on to make other points about the virtues of taxing unhealthy foods in order to help Americans afford the healthy, and quite frankly he makes a good argument. Chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer's are primarily caused by lifestyle choices such as a poor diet and sedentary lifestyle, and these disease have not only reached epidemic levels in our society but also cost us millions is health care dollars each year. If we as a culture would consume less calories and make the calories we did consume healthier, health care costs would go down. However, when a 12 pack of Coke or a bag of chips cost less than a dozen apples or a bag of carrots it's easier for the consumer to chose the Coke and chips as a snack over the fruit and veggies.

Of course, there are some holes in the author's argument too. The first question is, will the consumer make a change in their food choices? My guess is no, not without a paradigm shift. People who drink Coke don't do it because it's the cheapest drink available. If Joe Public wanted a cheaper but healthier choice in beverage, he could chose water. Water is free. He drinks it because he finds some value in Coke. There's an inherent worth placed on it, and 'Joe' is willing to pay. Simply raising the price of one item and lowering the price of another will not change behavior. There has to be a change in perception. If 'Joe' perceives the Coke to be of no valuable (causes cancer or diabetes for example) and the vegetable to be valuable (fights cancer), then and only then, will his choices change.

Second, you have to buy into the idea that government regulation is the answer versus market drive. Honestly, this is where I struggle the most. I consider myself Libertarian, and therefore the idea of government involvement in consumer choice makes me recoil. However, I believe that consumption tax is the only system of fair tax, and therefore favor it as the model of tax reform, In essence, this would be a consumption tax. It wouldn't affect me since I would not purchase junk food. Not only that, but as a health care provider, I see the health care burden placed on our system from these types of foods. This junk food tax would generate billions of dollars to ease that burden.

In the end, I don't trust the government to use these tax dollars effectively, and therefore don't favor such a tax. The only way to change junk food consumption is to change the public perception of what junk food is and what it does for you. We already have a model in cigarettes and the documented decrease in smokers across the US in recent decades. Did the cigarette tax and government propaganda (you've seen the ads) decrease the number? Although some argue yes, I tell you the answer is no. The decrease happened when public perception of smoking changed from cool and sexy to ignorant and filthy. Until we see the same paradigm shift with junk food, we'll keep seeing the same problems of overweight diseased people. When we look at a can of soda (diet or regular) or super value meal at the fast food chain and think obesity and death instead of tasty and convenient, then, and only then will we see a change.

STOP Picking on Cholesterol! Cholesterol is Your Friend.

New study reveals there are benefits to even the "bad" form of cholesterol.

Have you ever stopped to ask if the cholesterol in your bloodstream has a purpose? I mean, what if there's a reason for it. Most of us don't consider the reason for cholesterol. We just "know" its bad, but if we really think about it, there must be a reason.

Everybody knows somebody on cholesterol lowering medications. According to the CDC, one in every six adults in the United States has high cholesterol. Over 50% of Americans over the age of sixty and 25% of those over 45 take some form of drug that lowers cholesterol levels. And presumably for good reason. We've been told by "health authorities" for years that cholesterol causes heart disease, and if we don't get our cholesterol levels down, a heart attack is eminent.

However, a recent study published in the Journal of Gerontology might just turn everything you've been told about cholesterol on its head. The study, conducted at Texas A&M University, studied health markers (including blood cholesterol levels) of generally healthy adults between the ages of 60-69 after they began a new exercise routines that included resistance exercise. In a surprise to the researchers, they found the test subjects gaining muscle mass were also developing a significantly higher LDL (bad) cholesterol level. Thus, they concluded that LDL cholesterol was a vital part of the muscle building mechanism of the body, and suggest we rethink our cultural demonizing of cholesterol.

"But here is where people tend to get things wrong, LDL serves a very useful purpose," The author of the study, professor Steve Riechman from Texas A&M said.
"Our tissues need cholesterol, and LDL delivers it," he notes. "HDL, the 'good cholesterol', cleans up after the repair is done. And the more LDL you have in your blood, the better you are able to build muscle during resistance training."



The conclusion of this study is an idea that we in the natural health world have been discussing and reporting for years. Cholesterol, anywhere in your body (yes, even in your blood), has a very important purpose. In fact, its vital for life. Without cholesterol, you will die. It is found in the outer membrane of every cell of your body; It's part of the make-up of your brain; even your blood vessels themselves have cholesterol in them. Likewise, the cholesterol in your bloodstream is there to keep you alive, too. It's job is not to plug up your arteries. In fact, for most Americans, it's purpose is exactly the opposite. Cholesterol is laid down in your arteries to repair them!

In the study above, cholesterol levels increase in adults building muscle mass because building muscle mass requires breaking down the old muscle and building it up larger and stronger. Muscle tissue is broken down (from resistance exercise like weight training) by a process of tearing due to strain and then rebuilding to adapt to the strain it was under. During the process of tissue repair, the broken down tissue must be protected to heal (much like a scab over a wound on our skin). That protective covering contains significant amounts of cholesterol, so our body wisely shuttles cholesterol to the bloodstream and eventually the site of repair using Low Density Lipoprotiens (that's right... LDL). When the repair is over, the cholesterol is recycled by the body and taken out of the bloodstream using High Density Lipoprotiens (HDL).

So why has the medical community embraced the idea that lower your cholesterol is a good thing? Obviously cholesterol is needed for your body to do its job in times of healing. The reason lies in the number one killer of Americans today: Heart Disease. Doctors and researchers noticed that most people with fatal heart conditions shared some common traits. One of those traits was cholesterol plaques in the blood vessels around the heart, and therefore these scientists deduced that it was the cholesterol causing the heart attacks. What the scientific/ medical/ pharmaceutical industry failed to do however, is ask: "Why is the cholesterol there in the first place?"

The answer to that question is: It's there for the same reason it's present with muscle repair. Cholesterol plaques in your bloodstream are a dangerous sign that your blood vessels are damaged and being repaired. The high cholesterol epidemic in the United States is a literal canary in the coalmine revealing we as society are drastically moving in the wrong direction when it comes to health and healing. Our culture of excess, comfort, and convenience has created nation that currently ranks dead last in industrialized nation in health and health care. Our bodies require specific nutrients to function, and unfortunately our high paced, high stress, fast-food lifestyle is not giving us what we need and causing an overload of stress on the system. For example, even though our government recommends a minimum of 3-6 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, most of us struggle to get that in a week. Furthermore, that outer membrane of our cells (including our blood vessels) are not only made of the cholesterol we've been medicated for to remove an told to avoid, but they're also made of other GOOD FATS and oils found in wholesome nutritious foods, but completely absent in our American diet. Stress has been shown to increase blood pressure and causing more strain on our blood vessels.

Not only that, these cholesterol lowering medications are causing a whole new problem to arise. As more people find themselves on these medications for cholesterol (called statin drugs), many are noticing muscle wasting and fatigue in their lower extremities. Again, the research above sheds a light on the reason why. We use the muscles of our legs against resistance every day (gravity), and if there's inadequate cholesterol in our blood to repair the tissue, it will continue to break down, and fail to rebuild.


If you find yourself on cholesterol lowering medications, I suggest you ask your doctor about this study. In fact, hand him or her a copy of this article and ask them to read it, too. Cholesterol is not killing you, friends. But your cholesterol medications might. If you have high cholesterol or want to be assured it stays low, the first step is giving your body the nutrient building blocks it needs and removing the refined and processed foods that harm it. Find ways to lower stress levels and start exercising. All of these lifestyle choices are shown to NORMALIZE cholesterol naturally, without side effects. If you need more help, seek the guidance of your natural health care provider.

Research Source:

Texas A&M University (2011, May 8). 'Bad' cholesterol not as bad as people think, study shows. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 10, 2011

Three Cheers for Three Bean Salads

Dr. Matt's Amazingly Healthy Awesomely Delicious Three Bean Salad

You may or may not know this, but I have a brother, and like me he's a chiropractor. Dr. Matt and I share many traits, but there are a few places we deviate. One of them is in the kitchen. Unless it's meat on the grill, I'll find a way to mess up the food or trash the kitchen in the process. However, Dr. Matt is a different story. He's crazy good in the kitchen. Really. Bonafide Foodie! Here's a one of his recent favorites. Enjoy.

• 12 oz organic Black beans
• 12 oz organic Kidney beans
• 12oz organic Great Northern Beans
• ½ cup diced organic Red Onion
• 1 cup diced organic Celery
• One organic Cucumber chopped roughly
• 1 cup chopped fresh organic Cilantro
(or 2 Tbsp dried)
• 1 tsp dried Italian Seasoning
• ¾ cup of your favorite organic Italian Dressing

Prepare and rinse beans as directed. Add onions, celery, cucumber, cilantro, seasoning and dressing. Chill and enjoy!

Nutritional Nuggets
Black Beans
These are rich in anthocyanins, the same antioxidants found in grapes and cranberries, which are known for fighting heart disease and cancer.

Kidney Beans
The thiamin (vitamin B1) in this bean protects memory and brain function; a deficiency has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

Great Northern Beans
Fiber helps stabilize blood sugar, lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes. Potassium regulates blood pressure and normal heart contractions.

New Natural Relief for Allergy Symptoms

Study shows that extracts from the Butterbur plant significantly more effective than anti-histamines.

A new study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology shows that the plant extract petasol butenoate complex Ze 339 (an extract from Butterbur)showed to be significantly more effective in reducing both the symptoms of allergic rhinitis (seasonal allergies) and the recovery time. In this double blind randomized crossover study, participants given the plant extract recovered in half the time of both the placebo group and those taking the traditional anti-histamine (desloratadine). Those taking the plant extract also reported less daily symptoms than those taking the anti-histamine.

The exciting aspects of this research however, goes far beyond the fact that butterbur extract can reduce allergy symptoms. Not only do these plant extracts help those who suffer from seasonal allergies by reducing their recovery time and symptoms, but it's how they did it that's important. Allergy symptoms happen because your body responds to something in the environment it deems harmful by increasing the production of mediators called histamine and leukotriene. These mediators kick your immune system into overdrive to fend off what it's identified as harmful. Most traditional anti-histamines work by blocking the histamine and leukotrienes at the receptor site, but this study showed that plant extracts work by inhibiting the biosynthesis of them all together. It's because of this mechanism that scientists are hopeful that these plant extracts can be much more effective in preventing allergy symptoms before they start.

From a wellness perspective there are a couple of issues to address. First, research is being done on these extracts for one reason: to develop a drug for those with seasonal allergies. There's nothing more that the pharmaceutical industry would love than another population of people in the United States taking a daily drug for preventative purposes. The great news however, is that Butterbur is already available in supplement and extract form at any local or on-line natural health retailer.
Second, seasonal allergies typically have a more significant underlying cause than the offending allergen. Most often allergy sufferers also suffer from a leaky gut that when healed, remedies the other outward symptoms of food and environmental allergies. Chiropractors have also cited a correlation between spinal subluxation (misalignment) and allergies. The point is, although butterbur and butterrbur extract is shown to be quite effective for reducing or even eliminating the allergy symptoms, the underlying cause remains, and one would be wise to get to the cause of any problem, especially allergies.

source:
Petasol butenoate complex (Ze 339) relieves allergic rhinitis-induced nasal obstruction more effectively than desloratadine.Dumitru AF, Shamji M, Wagenmann M, Hindersin S, Scheckenbach K, Greve J, Klenzner T, Hess L, Nebel S, Zimmermann C, Zahner C, Schmidt-Weber CB, Chaker AM.

J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011 Apr 11. [Epub ahead of print]

PMID: 21489609 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Is All Pain Created Equal?

Have you ever been presented with the circumstances where you are without-a-doubt confident that the person in front of you, agonizing in pain, is faking it because you know "nothing happened" to cause it. Or, maybe you just classify them as selfish, needy, or a "drama queen" because any negative news sends them into mourning. According to a new study, you may want to rethink your assumptions about pain and how it works.

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science showed that emotional pain and physical pain might not be that different. In this study, researchers form the University of Michigan found that the brain processes and responds both types of pain in a similar fashion. Subjects of the study were given both a physical pain stimulus and later a stimulus for emotional distress, and researchers found that in both cases the same centers in the brain were activated.

"We found that powerfully inducing feelings of social rejection activate regions of the brain that are involved in physical pain sensation, which are rarely activated in neuroimaging studies of emotion," Kross said. "These findings are consistent with the idea that the experience of social rejection, or social loss more generally, may represent a distinct emotional experience that is uniquely associated with physical pain.", said Ethan Kross, lead author of the study.

The fact that emotional and physical pain create similar outcomes reveals a lot about how our body truly works, and for that matter what pain truly is. Pain, from a physiological standpoint is simply a feeling; something our mind perceives and is a result of information it received from our body. In other words pain isn't "real" in the sense that it can be objectively measured. It's only the result of a nerve impulse... a message sent to the brain from a stimulus somewhere else in the body. In fact, the immeasurable aspect of pain makes it a poor measuring stick for what's really happening internally. Now don't get me wrong; to the person experiencing the pain, it is very real, but I'm sure you've heard the expression, "I have a high pain tolerance." It's that subjective variable of pain that allows a woman with a broken leg to walk into the hospital without assistance, while her husband may have needed a wheelchair for his ingrown toenail.

The truth is, we have the ability to control pain (our perception that damage has happened) in many more ways than we know. There are a number of lifestyle choices that play a role in how our body experiences what we perceive in our environment. For example, proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and exercise all have anti-inflammatory effects on the body and have been shown to reduce physical pain levels. Meditation and prayer, a good friend, or even better, a counselor can also be a vital part of managing any painful times in life. Health care providers (chiropractors for example) work to return your body to a normal, natural state of health and healing, which can result in no pain stimulus in the first place. Not only that, chiropractors specifically work to maximize the function of your nerve system- the very system that transports pain messages to your brain.

In fact, since the inception of our profession, chiropractor have acknowledged that emotions, chemicals, and traumas have a profound effect on our physical body, and these stressors can and will drive us to a state of disease. Therefore, if health is our goal, all three of these areas need to be addressed. Are you neglecting any of them?


University of Michigan. "Study illuminates the 'pain' of social rejection." ScienceDaily 28 March 2011. 30 March 2011 .

Do You Question the Power of the Sun

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. Genesis 1:3

The sun is infinitely important to the health of our planet. Not only does it give us light to see in the daytime, but it's light also reflects from the moon and allows even our darkest hours illumination. Furthermore, the sun provides the heat energy to warm our planet and ultraviolet rays for energy production in plants (photosynthesis) and vitamin D production in our own bodies. Even on cloudy days we reap the benefits of the sun, though we cannot see it.

Which brings me to my point. We can all agree that the sun, at least for the time being, is quite constant. Relatively speaking, it's intensity does not change; It's brightness does not change; The amount of light it produces does not change. The sun's ability to create heat, light, and energy is always at 100%.
But it's effect on us and our planet is not. Variables affect the amount of light, heat, and energy we experience. A cloudy day; the shade of a tree; clothes; the seasons (axial tilting of the earth); even sunscreen all change the sun's power.

What's interesting is, the sun and our solar system have parallels to us and our bodies. Science now knows that at the sub-atomic level everything in the universe is simply energy. All material, whether that big ball of fire in the sky, or a cheeseburger, or your hand, at it's simplest, quantum level is the physical equivalent of a thought. The energy in all of these things (just like the sun) is relatively constant. It does not change, for if it did, it would become something else. What does change is the ability of that energy to be expressed and experienced.

Just like the sun, you have a constant energy in you. It's called your innate intelligence and just like the sun it has the ability to provide you with all the power, life, and energy you need. It was given to us when we were created and it is constantly with us until the end of our days. Innate intelligence exists is all living things and allows us to be built up in a universe that is slowly breaking down. It never varies in it's power- it is always 100%. What varies however, is it's expression. Just like the sun on a cloudy day, the power your innate intelligence can be veiled by limitations of your body. Your body has certain requirements for normal function. It needs adequate building blocks (nutrients), water, rest, and activity. It can be limited by toxins, traumas, or emotions. When your body does not get what it needs or gets too much of something it shouldn't (toxins, trauma, thought), your innate intelligence is limited and you break down. If your body is given what it needs, and negative trauma, toxins, and thoughts are minimal your innate intelligence will keep you built up- keep you healthy.

So, I ask you this. What can you do today to unveil the God given power of your innate intelligence?

Is Vitamin K the new Vitamin D?

This new article by Joseph Mercola is so good, I'm going to just provide you the link. No reason to re-invent the wheel. The article discusses new knowledge of the important role of vitamin K in our bodies. Where do we get vitamin K? Primarily from vegetables; especially green leafy or cruciferous vegetables. Eat your veggies people! Eat your veggies!


The following is by Dr. Joseph Mercola:

The past decade has brought an explosion of research revealing the many beneficial roles vitamin D plays in keeping you healthy.

But there's a new kid on the block that could end up being "the next vitamin D," and we are finding that some of vitamin D's benefits are greatly enhanced when combined with this other vitamin.

That "new kid" is vitamin K.

Much new research is now focusing on the synergy between vitamin K (specifically, vitamin K2) and vitamin D3, particularly in terms of bone strength and cardiovascular health.

Before discussing the influence of each of these vitamins, let's review a bit about vitamins D and K and what their roles are.

Read the Whole article Here.

What's your Pleasure? Taker or Giver?

Free Radicals: Unstable molecules seeking balance. This instability is often caused by a significant environmental stressor. Free radicals will reek havoc on the environment they are in, are inflammatory, and can lead to system break down, chaotic activity, and eventually death.

Free radicals are neutralized when another entity gives the radical not what it wants, but what it needs. These giving entities (donors) are typically essential to life and health. They were designed to offer balance and peace to these free radicals. They are called vitamins. Made from the earth, vitamins exist among the living. Some vitamins occur naturally within us. Others are found around us, and with their help, allow us to more fully express our potential. When an abundance of vitamins exist, free radical damage is minimized. Where vitamins are lacking, free radicals tend to overwhelm the environment and cause often irreversible damage.

Here's my question to you today. After reading that definition, did you think I was talking about health and the human body or personalities and the human condition? If I were talking about health, what should you do? If I were talking about people, which one are you?

Where are all those AWESOME Christmas Presents now?

Well, It's a month after Christmas. The tree's down; decorations around the house have been packed away for another year; and the last of the treats and goodies have been eaten or thrown out. So, I ask you, "Where are all those awesome, must-have presents?"

At our house, I noticed some some amazing differences in both how the kids responded to the gifts, what they've done with them since, and what it could say about their hearts. On Christmas morning, Addie unwrapped a new doll, and we all new immediately that she considered it a worthy gift. From that moment she has cherished it and played with it every day. She's even taken some birthday money and invested in new clothes for her doll. These are the gifts that are truly appreciated, and the kids seem to go to extra lengths to protect and preserve them.

Owen opened his gift; a high powered, high velocity, strike fear in your enemy nerf gun. His girlish shriek told us that we had hit the jackpot, and he would be stalking and knocking down "prey" with his new weapon for hours daily from here to forever. However, between being punished for shooting his sisters, recklessness, and leaving his darts within striking distance of Oliver (our dog and Owen's other target), the nerf gun was abused, broken, and forgotten quickly.

These two scenarios generally reflect of one of two things: 1) the perceived value of the gift or 2) actual heart of the child. In our story, Addie attached significant value to the gift and took extra measures to care for it, and because of that she gets hours of joy through the use of it daily. In the second scenario, Owen was careless with his gift and now it's neglected and barely functional. I'm quite sure he's forgotten he has it.

The story of my children is as much our own:

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that He gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

Ephesians 2:1-10
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Because God loved us, He gave us a wonderful gift... the gift of everlasting life. And just like we do with our children, this gift was not because of anything we did or could do on our own. In fact, much like some of our children, if what we received was based on merit, we would be deserving nothing at all. None the less, like our kids on Christmas, the gift was there for us to accept.

So, the question for you is: "What have you done with your gift?" Have you cherished it and invested in it? Do you (and can you) use it daily? Or is it neglected? Dysfunctional? Abused?

Much like children and their gifts at Christmas, how we care for our human bodies as believers can be one reflection of our heart and may reveal selfish desires and passions of the flesh that remain when "we were dead in the trespasses and sin in which you once walked". Do you care for your body in such a way that allows you to utilize the gifts that God has given you? Now that we are together in Christ, do you care for your body, your spiritual house, as if Jesus were dwelling there too?