Omega-3 Fats - The Most Important Supplement

Omega 3 is the Fountain of Youth Vitamin! I tell my patients, "If you are going to take one supplement, this is the one to take!" It is the beautiful skin, hair and nails vitamin, and that is only the beginning - your skin, hair and nails tell a lot about your state of your health. Omega-3 fats (EPA/DHA) are anti-inflammatory, so they reduce pain and promote health and healing all over the body. Omega-3s have proven helpful in the treatment of a wide variety of illnesses to include: Cardiovascular Disease, High Cholesterol, Hypertension, Cancer Crohn’s Disease, Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Kidney disorders, Depression, Alzheimer’s Disease, Acne, Eczema, Psoriasis, Obesity and Insulin Resistance (Diabetes).  Since our brains are composed mainly of fat, the better the fats we consume, the better the brain and nervous system works.  So Omega-3s are great for learning, behavior, mood, and focusing.  Ideally, we should be getting these essential fats through our diets, but in America, our consumption of Omega-3 (poly-unsaturated fats) has decreased, while our consumption of unhealthy, saturated, trans, and hydrogenated fats has increased. Omega-3 fats reduce inflammation, while other fats actually promote inflammation, pain and disease. The best way to add Omega-3 to the diet is through fish oil supplementation. (Liquid or capsule form.)  Be very careful of where you get your fish oil - you want to make sure that your supplement has been purified. (Remember the toxins, such as mercury, that can be found in fish!)   A brand that I highly recommend to my patients is Nordic Naturals. They offer a potent lemon flavored liquid fish oil, naturally lemon flavored capsules and tiny, strawberry flavored gel capsules for children.  Compared to fish oil, flax seed oil is an inferior source of Omega 3 fats, but it is the next best option for vegetarians. The Naturalstore.com carries a full line of Nordic Natural Products.  Improve the health and vitality of yourself and your family, by starting on Omega-3s today! 
Caution: Although fish oil is great for cardiovascular health, patients already taking cardiovascular medication, especially blood thinners, like Coumadin, should consult with their physician before starting on fish oils. (Since fish oils act similarly to blood thinning medication.)    

Natural Health Doc: 3 Steps to Natural Arthritis Relief - Part 2

Natural Health Doc: 3 Steps to Natural Arthritis Relief - Part 2

The Most Important Step for Arthritis Relief - Glucosamine





Glucosamine Sulfate 1,000 mg capsules - Puritain's Pride

 

 Show Your Body some Love for Valentine's Day!  

Glucosamine . . . The Fountain of Youth for the Joints!

It repairs old injuries and  reverses degenerative arthritis.  Glucosamine sulfate is made from crab shells, and it is the building blocks of cartilage.  The cartilage between our joints is like a sponge - composed of a protein and carbohydrate matrix. This matrix acts like a sponge to hold water. The injuries of life place wear-and-tear on the joints and tears in the matrix occur.  Just like a household sponge gets thinner with wear, and can't hold as much water, the cartilage in our joints gets thinner. Glucosamine comes in and repairs the tears in the cartilage matrix so that the sponge can soak up more water again. I have see patients' x-rays improve with Glucosamine. Left alone, once arthritis starts, it gradually worsens. Arthritis medications don't halt the progress of arthritis, they only mask the pain as the condition advances. The key to success with Glucosamine supplementation is dosage and consistency. You need to take it daily because its effects are cumulative - the longer you take it, the more healing occurs.  And you need to get enough into your system. It is not like a pain pill that works immediately - but the effects of glucosamine are long lasting! I recommend using pure Glucosamine Sulfate in a capsule.  Glucosamine Sulfate is the most absorbable form of Glucosamine, and capsules are more easily absorbed than solid tablets. When Glucosamine is alone in a pill, you'll get a higher dose of Glucosamine then if it it mixed with other nutrients. Chondrotin is a huge molecule, and is poorly absorbed. I have seen better, quicker results with basic, generic Glucosamine Sulfate. Trust me - I have had many patients tell me, "I tried Glucosamine before, and it didn't work." But they bought a combination joint formula, in tablet form, from a discount store. Then instead of taking the recommended 3 a day, they took 1 or 2 and not everyday. I usually recommend 2,000 mg of glucosamine for my patients with mild to moderate degenerative arthritis and 3,000 mg/ day with patients with severe arthritis. It is hard to find plain Glucosamine in a capsule. Why?  Because in it's generic form, Glucosamine can't be patented, so companies can't inflate the price.  Puritan's Pride has a great, cost-effective product: (Glucosamine Sulfate-1,000mg capsule). (Take the vegetarian version - Glucosamine HCl if you have shellfish allergies or if you have problems digesting Glucosamine Sulfate.)  Even if you think you have tried glucosamine in the past . . . spend a few dollars on another bottle and, stick to my recommendations for a month - you won't believe the difference!  Love your body again! Start participating  in life again!

Shopping tip: When purchasing from Puritan's Pride online - always search the web for promotional codes. Click here for any current codes listed on my website.

3 Steps to Natural Arthritis Relief - Part 2

Your body is an exquisite piece of machinery. What happens to that expensive foreign automobile if you forget to give it tune-ups, alignments, tire rotations, lubrication and premium fuel?  Tires wear-out, brakes fail and engines cease - the mechanical equivalent of arthritis!  So treat your body like you want it to take you places.  Follow the steps below to fight arthritis:  

 1.) Align the joint: Just as your car’s tires wear out quicker, if the car’s front end is misaligned, so will your body wear out quicker, if you are misaligned.  If a joint is not moving properly or if the weight of the body is unequally distributed, arthritis is inevitable.  Restoring normal biomechanics to the affected joints is crucial to fighting arthritis.  Adjusting and mobilizing joints works to  realign the joints, break up soft tissue restrictions and restore balanced joint motion.   Balancing the body may even include something like putting a heel lift in a shoe so that the pelvis is level - allowing both feet, knees and hips to bear equal weight.  Chiropractic physicians specialize in restoring biomechanical balance to the body. Physical therapists, massage therapists and other physical medicine clinicans also have techniques for aligning the body. You can even correct some misalignments on your own through stretching and traction techniques - that is one reason why many swear by inversion tables.   

2.) Nourish the Joint:  I call glucosamine the “fountain of youth for the joints.”  Glucosamine is a building block of cartilage.  It actually works to repair damaged cartilage and reverse arthritis.  Glucosamine sulfate is naturally derived from shrimp and crab shells. Glucosamine HCl is a vegetarian option for those who have shellfish allergies. I advise my patients to supplement with 1,000 – 3,000 mg of glucosamine per day, depending on the severity of their symptoms.  Most patients report an improvement of arthritis symptoms within 4 weeks.  I also recommend supplementing with fish oil as a source of Omega-3 fatty acids (1,500mg – 2,000mg EPA/DHA Omega 3s/day). Omega-3s are powerful anti-inflammatory agents that can help stop arthritis pain and progression, while also promoting the health and vitality of the rest of the body.  That is the beauty of natural medicine. By treating the cause of disease, the whole body is strengthened – resulting in positive side effects elsewhere in the body! Click to view the glucosamine I recommend.  Click to view the highly purified fish oil products that I recommend.

3.)  Move the Joint:  During the arthritic process, the body is working towards fusing a joint. Motion is life. Once you avoid moving a joint due to pain, the arthritis process hastens.  By keeping the joint moving, you are fighting arthritis. Non-weight bearing and low-impact exercise, such as swimming, is ideal. It is easier on the joints to move in the water, yet it is much harder on the muscles. In the water, the muscles that support the joints are strengthened, while the joints themselves are finally able to move throughout their range of motion without pain. Any time a joint is moved, it is nourished and adhesions can be broken.  Yoga, stretching, biking, walking, and elliptical machines are also beneficial.  A body in motion, will stay in motion. . . so keep your parts in motion!

If you don’t move it, you lose it!