Health Articles & News

Welcome to the Health News Section of DrVarney.com. This section is dedicated to providing you, our visitor, with important health and wellness information.

We invite you to browse, print and hopefully improve your overall wellness with the information within these articles. We also encourage you to send these articles to any friends or family members who you feel can benefit from reading them.

 

Water - Do I need it?

You’ve heard it repeatedly: make sure you drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. The key words are "at least," because, unless you are a child or the size of a child, you need more water than that. The rule of thumb is, for every 50 pounds of body weight you carry, drink one quart of bottled spring or filtered water per day. The average person weighs 150lbs, so they should drink three quarts per day. A 200lb person should drink a full gallon per day. Athletes should drink even more than that. Follow these guidelines and you’ve adopted one of the most crucial health habits.

Our bodies are mostly water, and so this ongoing intake of water is essential to our every function. Drink the appropriate amounts, and everything is much more likely to function at optimal levels. Don’t drink enough water, and over the short term you will experience routine fatigue, dry skin, headaches and constipation; over the longer term, every body function will degrade more quickly. It really is as simple as that.

Things get a bit more complicated in what type of water to drink. Bottled spring water and filtered water are both good options. Do not drink tap water or distilled water.

The spring (not "drinking") water should be bottled in clear polyethylene or glass containers, not the one-gallon plastic (PVC) containers that transfer far too many chemicals into the water.

Tap water should be avoided because it contains chlorine and may contain fluoride, toxic substances that, with ongoing consumption, can have dire consequences for the body. Distilled water should also be avoided because it has the wrong ionization, pH, polarization and oxidation potentials, and can drain your body of necessary minerals. It has been tied to hair loss, which is often associated with certain mineral deficiencies.

Finally, drink water at room temperature if possible, as ice-cold water can harm the delicate lining of your stomach.
 

 

I'm Pregnant - Can I Get Adjusted?

Pregnancy is extremely hard on the lower back as well as on the neck and shoulders. Examine the spine of an expectant mother from the side and it’s easy to understand why they’re in pain. Due to the increased development of the breast tissue, the shoulders are rounded forward, placing tremendous pressure on the neck and shoulders. The weight of the growing child places the lower back in a strenuous position.

The nine months of pregnancy bring many hormonal changes that relax the ligaments stabilizing the lower back and pelvis. As the pelvis rotates down in the front, the muscles of the lower back become short and tight, causing an increase in pressure on the pain sensitive joints of the lower back, producing achy lower back symptoms.

Pregnant women are frequently get amazing results from chiropractic care. Chiropractors are trained in special techniques for adjusting pregnant women. Because of the inability to take meds for pain, the natural approach of chiropractic is the logical choice for pregnant women. More and more obstetricians are referring to chiropractic care due to the effectiveness of spinal adjustments for pain relief.

Also, techniques designed to naturally turn a breech baby are safe and effective. Lastly, women under care have a significantly faster delivery than those who are not.

So make an appointment today - you'll be glad you did!
 

 

Do I Have Arthritis?

Arthritis is a term meaning "joint inflammation". The common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis. There are several causes, such as trauma as a child or young adult, repetitive stress, posture imbalances and heavy labor - just to name a few. Long-standing subluxations may cause degenerative joint disease or arthritis.

There are two major classifications of arthritic condition: Inflammatory (such as rheumatoid) and Non-Inflammatory (such as osteoarthritis). The most common medical treatment for arthritis is over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen. They also have many side-effects such as ulcers. Recently, the pharmaceutical industry took two NSAIDS off the market due to side effects and even death due to the drugs Vioxx and Celebrex.

Most Americans are familiar with the natural supplements called glucosamine. It is a very good alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medications for controlling joint pain. Many studies on glucosamine versus ibuprofen have been performed and they reveal that after 6 weeks glucosamine actually works better for joint pain relief than ibuprofen.
 

 

Chronic Sports Injuries

Sports injuries are common in today's active society. Due to increases in athletes size, speed, power and strength much greater strength is placed upon their muscles, tendons and ligaments. To properly treat a chronic sports injury you need to identify the complete cause, not to simply treat the injured area.
 

Contact Reflex Analysis

Contact Reflex Analysis is a simple, safe, natural, method of analyzing the body's structural, metabolic, and nutritional needs. It is not a method of diagnosis. It is a means by which a doctor uses the bodies reflexes to accurately determine the root cause of a health problem.

The nervous system is similar to the wiring in a house. The proper amounts of electricity are flowing without interruption to the various parts of the house there is no problem. As soon as there is a power surge or too many appliances drawing electricity at one time a breaker blows. All electricity shuts down, on that specific circuit the house is dark. It is the same with the human body. On a healthy body electricity flows to every area and feeds it the energy it needs to function.

When you use CRA to test the reflexes of each area, the testing arm, which is like circuit breaker switch, will remain strong. There is no interruption of nerve energy. However, if one area of the body becomes unhealthy it begins to draw excessive electricity in order to stay alive and functioning. This causes your body's electrical system to blow a breaker. The testing arm will become weak and drop when the affected area is tested.
 

 

Chiropractic Care - Your Own Internal Wiring

Anyone who has ever owned a car, a home - or even a radio - knows the importance of good wiring. A bad connection may cause static on your favorite radio station. It may make your car hard to start up in the morning. Or it could burn your house to the ground.

Your body also has wiring - your nervous system. And just like the wiring in your car home or radio, it's subject to damage through normal - and not-so-normal - wear and tear as time passes. In this article I'd like to discuss some of the very basic areas where damage can occur, as well as the common causes and symptoms associated with that damage.

The Neck Area
The importance of the neck: Nerves exiting the spinal column in the neck supply connectivity to several major organ, provide for swallowing, control the vocal chords (folds), control the heart, lungs, stomach and thyroid.

Possible damage to the neck area includes: a difficult birth, auto accidents, past or recent falls, bad posture, occupational demands, poor diet, emotional stress, lack of rest, lack of exercise, drug use, surgery or long, frequent car rides.

Symptoms of damage to the neck area include: headaches or migraines, ear infections & hyperactivity in children, neck pain, shoulder pain, arm pain & hand pain. Symptoms like stiffness in the neck, whiplash, fatigue, dizziness, bursitis & ADHD are also associated with damage to the neck area.

The Mid / Upper Back
The importance of the mid back:

 

ALL NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS ARE NOT THE SAME

Food Complexes VS. Isolated Vitamin / Mineral Fractiond
Drug store vitamins and minerals differ from farm grown, whole food supplements. Many vitamin and mineral supplements are really “synthetic” factory made from food fractions. Ascorbic acid, for example, can be extracted from a plant source or produced synthetically and marketed as vitamin C. Most whole foods which are high in vitamin C, however, include many other plant chemicals (now called phytochemicals) including the bioflavonoids and other so called phytogens
. These natural chemical complexes work synergistically unlike their counterfeits or isolated vitamin/ mineral extracts from whole food source. Synthetic vitamin/ mineral mega dose therapy can often complicate client’s symptomatology. In many cases such treatment can result in systemic toxicity, suppression of the immune system and degradation of the client’s condition.

Raw Whole Food Suppliomentation VS. Processed Food Diet
Nutritional supplementation will not substitute for a poor diet. The underlying principle is the removal or reduction of stress from the digestive system. The client should strive to avoid all refined food such as sugar, sodas, salt, alcohol and lattes. Most snack foods, including chips, cookies, candies, etc. are loaded with fat and sugar. Real foods should be consumed in proper combination to assure adequate digestion and assimilation. Fresh, whole foods are better than frozen foods, and frozen is better than canned. Raw whole foods should constitute 50% of the dietary. A variety of foods will yield a variety of nutrients. Each bite of food should be thoroughly chewed, preferably until it becomes liquid. Excessive supplementation causes digestive stress and can therefore be counterproductive

Long Term Nutritional Therapy VS. Short Term Therapy
While some clients, especially those with acute conditions, experience remarkable turnarounds with clinical nutrition, most require weeks or even months for the restoration of normal body functions. Clients have been conditioned by conventional medicine to expect and realize immediate symptomatic relief with drug therapy. Drugs, however, suppress symptoms and produce a short term pharmacological effect while whole complex nutrients rebuild tissue and produce long term nutritional effect. Obviously, if it took many years to develop the symptoms, it may take many months to resolve them.

Reversal Of Symptoms VS. Repression Of Symptoms
“RETACING” is the reversal of symptoms on the road back to good health. Herrings law, a medical principle, states “retracing is the course of restoration from disease back health. When a case retraces, it passes back through successive steps, in reverse order, that it passed through in getting worse. While a worsening of symptoms can be expected temporarily in most cases, the good news is that it is an indication of getting better. For example, such nutritional therapy “side effects” as fever, diarrhea, indigestion, nausea etc., indicates that the body is brining itself to a so called “healing crisis.” It is important for the client to realize that such temporary worseni9ng of symptoms can be controlled by reducing the dosage, modifying the protocol, drinking plenty of pure water, getting lots of rest, avoiding refined foods, thinking good things and praying.

Active Holistic Lifestyle VS. Passive Sedentary Existence
Regular exercise benefits nutritional therapy in that it aids detoxification and regeneration. Exercise 1) increase blood flow to deliver more oxygen and nutrients to the cells, 2) stimulates lymphatic drainage to eliminate toxins, and 3) reduces stress. Regular exercise of the soul and spirit in the right thinking and praying is also vital for wholeness.

 

What is N.A.E.T.

NAET is a breakthrough treatment that uses chiropractic, kinesiology and acupuncture to permanently desensitize people to all kinds of allergies. Clinical studies with NAET have demonstrated that this is by far the most successful and succinct treatment for the elimination of all allergies. The theory of NAET is based on viewing the body as made up of pathways for the flow of electromagnetic energy. It is easier to understand how and why NAET works if one understands the theories that underlie it.

The whole concept of the body as an energy field was not new to me when I learned NAET. As a chiropractic student, I was introduced to a philosophy that regards the body as more than just matter, muscles, and tissue coming together without any real intelligence. Chiropractic acknowledges that the body is holistic complex and that the universal or innate intelligence or organizing force that pervades the vast galaxies also pervades the simplest cells of the body. The founder of chiropractic, Dr. D.D. Palmer, talked about the concept of the electromagnetic energy fields. He said that mind does not control the functions of the body. Instead, there is an innate intelligence that controls the mind and it’s functions as well as the functions of the body. This innate intelligence has the power to conceive, judge, and reason about matters pertaining to the internal welfare of the body. The healing art of chiropractic has been around for over 100 hundred years and has successful at treating the body and appreciating it as more than just matter.

In the chiropractic view, when a bone is out of alignment or the spine is distorted or misaligned, the energy force in the body is cut off. This, in turn, causes serious disease. When the misalignments or imbalances are corrected, the energy can flow again through the nervous system to the brain and homeostasis is restored.

The work of Dr. Devi Nambudripad is similarly based on the idea that the body is a flow of electromagnetic currents. According to her theory, when an allergen enters or contacts the body, there is a clash between the energy field of the allergen and the energy field of the allergy sufferer. The brain identifies the allergen and alerts the immune system which locates the allergen and responds with antibodies and delayed reactive T and B cells. This type of immune reaction causes the release of toxic substances from the T cells. The fighter cells, called macrophages, then invade the area, intent on digesting the antigens. Immune mediators such as histamine are released. These reactions cause blockages in the electromagnetic pathways as well as abnormal tissue response, delayed tissue destruction, and possible autoimmune reaction. These responses can produce any number of symptoms such as constriction of the sinuses, throat, or breathing passageways to keep the invaders from entering the body. The brain makes an all out effort to protect the body from any substance that it perceives as harmful.

Anytime there is energy blockages in the body, health problems result. Some areas of the body are weaker for genetic reasons and they will react the most, weakening other areas of the body. Some of the common symptoms that can be produced by such blockages are aches and pains in the body, sore throats, fevers, chills, painful lymph nodes, weakness, extreme fatigue, headaches, sleep disturbances, irritability, confusion, depression, forgetfulness, a burning sensation in the body, frequent urination, crying spells, suicidal behavior, sores in the mouth, indigestion, bloating, and water retention. Virtually any symptom can be the result of a blockage caused by contact with an allergen. After working with NAET for sometime, my experience has been that most health problems are ultimately caused by allergens.

If blockages continue or the body is constantly exposed to an allergen, the blockages spread throughout the system and more serious problems occur. When the immune system becomes overloaded and compromised, autoimmune problems develop. Overtime, as it is bombarded with allergens, the body becomes more susceptive to chronic health problems.

Blockages of different meridians produce different symptoms. If there is a blockage of the lung and large intestine meridians, a person suffers serve respiratory distress. Asthma, cold, sinus problems, constipation, or diarrhea. A gallbladder blockage produces pain and swelling in the breast, pain in the intercostals muscles, abdominal cramps, heavy menstrual bleeding, severe mood swings, aggressive behavior, or anger. Blockages in the heart and small intestine meridians cause heart palpitations, cardiac arrhythmia, insomnia, dry mouth, heavy sensations in the chest, night sweats, fatigue, and insecurity. Blockages in the other areas cause whole array of symptoms. When allergens repeatedly cause blockages of the lung meridian, the person may develop asthma.

How does NAET work?
We use a cold laser to stimulate the areas of the body that are connected to the blockages in the energy systems. If a blockage affects a certain organ, the practitioner stimulates areas if the nervous system connected to that organ by autonomic nerve impulses. For example, wheat allergy, the practitioner stimulates areas of the nervous system related to the spleen and liver. By stimulating those areas located along the spine while a person is holding the allergen, the electromagnetic repulsion to that allergen is eliminated and a chemical or enzymatic change occurs neutralizing the immune mediators and interrupting the allergen of antigen- antibody complex reaction. This clears the energy blockage for the area involved and sends a message to the brain stating that wheat has been desensitized. The body no longer identifies wheat as an allergen and energy blockages in response to wheat no longer occurs.

The desensitization process is instantaneous. The NAET desensitization process is based on the relationship among the spine, organs, and tissues by way of the autonomic system.