Children, ADHD, and Sensory Disorders


It is any parent’s greatest wish to see their children happy and healthy. There is nothing more joyful than seeing a carefree, innocent smile light up your child’s face. Read more

Leaky Gut and Autoimmune Disorders


Your gastrointestinal system is an incredible design. It contains endocrine (hormonal) and immune system cells. It cooperates with beneficial bacteria to break down food and protect against harmful pathogens. Read more

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Leaky Gut and Autoimmune Disorders

April 1, 2013 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Digestive Health, Healing, Immune System, Nutrition, Stress Leave a comment  

Your gastrointestinal system is an incredible design. It contains endocrine (hormonal) and immune system cells. It cooperates with beneficial bacteria to break down food and protect against harmful pathogens. Every 5 days, you replace the lining of your gastrointestinal system with new cells. This is the fastest turnover of any human cells. This is good news, because it means that the gut can heal quickly. But for many of us, gut dysfunction can lead to daily pain, avoiding foods that are good for us, and even chronic illness.

Your gut can be damaged by processed foods, alcohol, prescription drugs, antibiotics, over-the-counter pain relievers, toxic compounds, and chronic stress. Daily worry and anxiety raise your stress hormone levels, which damages the cells that line your gut. The gut lining is intended to be a strong barrier against pathogens and undigested foods. The cells of the gut lining must correctly identify and process everything that is allowed into our bodies, so that harmful compounds do not enter the blood circulation. The cells of the gut lining are the gatekeepers to the body. They determine how effectively you can turn food into cells, tissues, and organ systems. We’ve all heard, “you are what you eat,” and this is the truth!

The integrity of your gut lining directly influences detoxification processes, cellular energy, brain function, immune function, thyroid function, allergic reactions, and weight gain or loss. Poor gastrointestinal health is a key factor in the following illnesses:

  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Arthritis
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Hashimoto’s disease
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Ulcerative colitis
  • Alzheimer’s
  • Autism

Note that several of these diseases are autoimmune in nature. Autoimmune diseases are becoming alarmingly prevalent in this country, and have a drastic impact on quality of life. Newer research has shed light on how damage to the gut lining can allow substances to enter blood circulation and trigger autoimmune responses. Essentially, the gatekeeper has been destroyed, and the body’s first line of defense has become broken down. With the onslaught of foreign substances, the immune system becomes confused and hyper-vigilant. There is loss of control in the immune system, and the body begins to attack its own healthy cells as well as the invading substances.

Autoimmune disorders are often viewed as permanent, but newer research shows that they can be, to some extent, reversed. Identifying factors such as leaky gut, nutritional deficiencies, sources of toxicity, and chronic stress are critical to healing. Leaky gut testing is available to identify whether specific sugars, once ingested, enter the bloodstream and are excreted in the urine. If these sugars are present in urine, leaky gut (intestinal permeability) is likely. Diagnosing the problem is the first step to healing. Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP, specializes in cellular healing and health development in Eagan, MN. For more information and a complimentary consultation, call us at 651-757-5096. We are devoted to your healing!


Top 3 Diet Changes to Make: 2 of 3

January 16, 2013 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Aging, Balanced living, Digestive Health, Healing, Nutrition, Wellness Leave a comment  

Last posting outlined the top three diet changes to make:

1. Eat less sugary foods.

2. Change the meats you eat.

3. Replace bad fats with good fats.

Let’s cover the second diet change this week.

Change the meats you eat. Many studies link commercial meats with cancer and heart disease. This is not because eating animals is unhealthy, but because we have changed what these animals are made of. Cows are genetically designed to eat grass. Grass-fed cows have a healthier range and amount of fatty acids, like omega-3 fatty acids. Commercially raised cows are fed grain instead of grass because they put on weight faster. Coincidentally, the same thing happens to humans who eat too many grains.

It is a widely held belief that saturated fats are bad and cause heart disease. But it is not the meat, it is what humans have done to it. Certain saturated fats are essential for brain function and cell function. Between 2009-2010, several Harvard studies showed that higher levels of vegetable oils contributed to atherosclerosis. The same studies also showed that consuming more meat actually reversed atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes.

AVOID: commercial meat, eggs, and poultry

CHOOSE: grass-fed meat, wild game, organic eggs and poultry

Natural food stores will carry healthier meat and animal products, but they do cost more in the store. In the Midwest, it is easy to find a farmer who will sell their products directly to the consumer, at a significant cost savings. Go to eatwild.com or americangrassfed.org for directories.

Next posting will cover the third dietary change to make: replacing bad fats with good fats.


Top 3 Diet Changes to Make: 1 of 3

January 9, 2013 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Aging, Balanced living, Digestive Health, Healing, Nutrition, Wellness 1

If you’re making New Year’s resolutions, consider these three diet changes. It is easy to get bogged down with thinking you have to do everything perfectly. This can trip people up when they commit to a diet, slip off-track, and declare their attempt a failure. First of all, if you did something differently, even for one day, it is not a failure! Congratulate yourself on making positive changes, no matter how long they last. That being said, if you’re going to make changes in your diet, start with these three things. They are very high-value changes that give you the biggest benefit.

1. Eat less sugary foods.

2. Change the meats you eat.

3. Replace bad fats with good fats.

Let’s start this week with the first change, eating less sugary foods. Sugar is a life-sapping anti-nutrient when taken in at typical “American diet” levels. High sugar intake is linked to obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. These diseases are our main killers. Sugar elevates insulin, which leads to premature aging and degenerative diseases. Sugar actually takes more from the body than it gives. In other words, to convert sugar into energy requires vitamins and minerals, which refined sugar lacks. That is why it is an anti-nutrient.

AVOID: white bread, white pasta, white rice, fruit drinks, soda, flavored yogurt, ketchup, sucrose, glucose, fructose, rice syrup, corn syrup, maltodextrin

CHOOSE: whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, sprouted grains, stone ground grains, brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, whole oats (not quick-cooking), stevia sweetener

On average, each American consumes 120 pounds of sugar per year, compared with 5 pounds in the early 1900′s. It is ideal to limit grains to 1-2 servings per day. Many of us are “addicted” to sugary foods. Cutting down significantly on refined sugars will likely produce headaches, shakes, fatigue, stomach trouble, and mood swings. These symptoms should dissipate in one week. For most of us, easing away from sugary foods is more practical. Start by having one grain-free meal every few days, then increase to one grain-free meal daily.

Children will benefit from this change in diet by having less sickness, improved behavior, better sleep, and potentially better grades. Adults will notice steadier energy levels, better concentration, and improved ability to lose weight.

We’ll address the second and third dietary changes, meats and fats, in future postings.


Acid Reflux: A Power Problem?

July 19, 2012 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Aging, Balanced living, Bone Health, Chiropractic, Digestive Health, Healing, Medicine, Nutrition, Spine, Stress, Supplements, Wellness 1

Acid-stopping medications are intended to provide short-term relief of heartburn and acid reflux symptoms.  Medications interfere with your stomach’s acid-producing mechanisms, or they neutralize acids that have already been produced. Over the long term, suppressing stomach acid can contribute to chronic illness. Strong stomach acid is required to break down proteins, fry pathogens like bacteria and parasites, and ionize calcium so it can be absorbed and made into bone. Medical journals have noted that long-term use of acid-stopping medication increases the risk of osteoporosis, bone fractures, parasitic infections, and pneumonia.

In most cases, the root cause of heartburn and acid reflux is low stomach acid, not stomach acid overproduction. When stomach acid is low, food sits in the stomach and ferments. This produces more acids, which then back up into the esophagus, causing heartburn symptoms. A major overlooked cause of digestive problems is the available power to the digestive tract. Your digestive tract is a muscular tube that contracts rhythmically to mix food and propel it from end to end. Muscular valves, such as between esophagus and stomach, need to contract at the right time, with the right strength, to keep food digesting efficiently. If nerve disturbance is present, it can prevent the muscles of the digestive tract from doing their job. Chiropractic care corrects nerve disturbance and strengthens the body so it can follow its innate program for health. Your body knows how to work properly, once normal nerve function is restored.

We have been told that stress makes our stomachs pump out too much acid, causing heartburn and ulcers. Yet any physiology textbook tells us that when we are overstressed, the digestive process is suppressed in favor of an adrenaline-fueled “fight or flight” response. Your body cannot be in a state of repair and regeneration while it is in a defense mode. Chronic stress prevents the lining of the digestive tract from regenerating itself. We cannot digest well when we are stressed! Holistic health practitioners understand that if your digestion is weak, the foundations of your health and well-being are compromised. Being unable to digest food is not a normal part of growing older – it is a serious malfunction that must be addressed!


Could It Be Your Thyroid?

May 16, 2012 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Aging, Balanced living, Digestive Health, Healing, Hormonal Balance, Supplements, Wellness Leave a comment  

Fatigue, weight gain, and memory loss. Constipation plus cold hands and feet. Puffy eyes, dry skin, and hair falling out. How old does this person sound? If you think they are elderly, you may be right. Or they may be middle-aged and have a malfunctioning thyroid gland. Thyroid disorders are the most common malfunction of the hormonal system, much more prevalent than diabetes. Did you know that you can suffer from the classic symptoms of hypothyroidism and still look good on paper? In other words, you can have all of these symptoms, but your blood tests come back normal. So your diagnosis may be that you’re getting older, or you’re depressed. But your gut instinct tells you there’s a better explanation for your troubles.

Your thyroid gland makes thyroid hormones that control metabolism, which indirectly affects most body functions but is most obviously related to weight loss and gain, as well as your energy level and stamina. Here are some things you should know to protect this critical hormonal system.

You need a healthy digestive tract and liver. Most of the thyroid hormone in your blood is inactive. When your body needs the power of active thyroid hormone, conversion happens in the digestive tract or the liver. Inadequate conversion means your thyroid gland produces more inactive hormone, to create more active thyroid hormone through sheer volume. This can lead to an imbalance of thyroid hormones that, if given enough time, can become apparent on lab tests. Foods rich in vegetable fibers and probiotics, for example, are essential for a properly functioning thyroid gland.

High levels of estrogen-like compounds interrupt thyroid function. This applies to men as well as women. Pesticides, environmental pollutants, plastics, BPA, and pharmaceuticals can mimic estrogen and should be minimized. Choose organic produce when possible, and store foods in glass or ceramic containers.

Remove the competition! Not ultimate-fighting style, but from a biochemistry perspective. Iodine is a key component of thyroid hormone, but it can easily be replaced by more reactive elements like bromine, chlorine, and fluorine. These elements can replace iodine and create an ineffective thyroid hormone. For example, fluorine is in non-stick coatings on cookware, in the compound PFOA. In 2010, the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives reported that people with the highest blood levels of PFOA were twice as likely to have thyroid disease. For this reason, use cookware made of ceramic, glass, cast iron, or stainless steel. Also, choose reverse-osmosis-filtered or spring water instead of tap water, which has added chlorine and fluoride.

Recovering from a hormonal imbalance like thyroid malfunction requires work and dedication. There is no single solution, and we’ve only discussed a few of the lifestyle changes that you can take on at home.

 


Growing Healthy Kids

March 28, 2012 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP ADHD, Asthma, Babies, Children, Chiropractic, Digestive Health, Immune System, Medicine, Research, Spine, Wellness Leave a comment  

Every parent wants to grow a happy, healthy child that lives up to their potential. But the stresses of life can keep this from happening. Many problems in children and teenagers can be traced back to a difficult birth process. If a newborn’s head is pulled or twisted during delivery, they can develop spinal misalignments. This distorts the infant’s nerve system function, resulting in motor control issues like torticollis, or digestive issues like acid reflux, colic, and constipation. These issues often clear up after a course of gentle chiropractic care.

Nerve system malfunction (subluxation) frequently results in chronic ear infections. In preschool or elementary school, subluxation can cause problems like asthma, ADHD, emotional difficulties, and learning difficulties. The goal of chiropractic care is to treat nerve system malfunction so the body can return to normal function. Ideally, children will never develop the health problems that held back their parents and grandparents. Childhood should be spent enjoying life, not managing chronic health conditions.

In 1989, a survey of the children of chiropractors and medical doctors showed striking differences between the two health care approaches. Chiropractors’ children showed stronger immune systems than medical doctors’ children. Regarding ear infections (otitis media), 80% of medical doctors’ children suffered from this problem, while only 21% of chiropractors’ children had ear infections. For medical doctors’ children, 88% had taken antibiotics, but only 51% of chiropractors’ children had.

It is easier (and cheaper) to grow healthy kids than to fix damaged adults.


Top 10 Solutions for Stress

March 21, 2012 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP ADHD, Balanced living, Brain, Chiropractic, Digestive Health, Healing, Nutrition, Stress, Supplements, Wellness Leave a comment  

Aside from making you grouchy, stress can damage your body. High levels of stress hormone can damage your brain and your digestive tract. Signs of stress overload include fatigue, insomnia, food cravings, weight gain, muscle & joint pain, anxiety and focus issues, lowered libido and weakened immunity.

Top 10 drugless solutions for stress:

  1. Eat breakfast every day to maintain steady blood sugar levels through the day.
  2. Eat protein and fat with every meal or snack to maintain steady blood sugar.
  3. Get enough omega-3 fatty acids, which are building blocks for your brain.
  4. Take adrenal gland (stress-handling gland) supporting supplements if needed.
  5. Prepare for sleep by turning off lights, using an eye mask, and creating a ritual.
  6. Plan for fun activities; even a 5-minute break can help to re-set your mood.
  7. Exercise regularly with intensity to decrease stress hormone levels.
  8. When you talk to yourself, use empowering words: I choose, I will, I can. A daily gratitude journal can help you shift the words you use.
  9. Perform pattern interruptions – breathe deeply, walk for 5 minutes, or snap a rubber band on your wrist when you feel overwhelmed or anxious.
  10. Get adjusted to reduce the effects of accumulated stress on your body and brain.

Excess stress affects both muscle tension and nerve function. This creates patterns of distortion in your body and makes you use more energy for normal daily tasks. When you re-set your nervous system through chiropractic adjustments, your life starts to work better because your body and brain are working better.


The Fires Within: Inflammation

January 25, 2012 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Aging, Balanced living, Digestive Health, Healing, Hormonal Balance, Immune System, Wellness Leave a comment  

Let’s talk about inflammation. In the short-term, inflammation is your body’s intelligent healing response to an injury. The pain and stiffness associated with inflammation after you stub your toe forces you to protect your foot from further injury while the tissues heal. When inflammation becomes systemic and chronic, it damages your body. In 2004, Time magazine published a special issue about inflammation. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic pain, thyroid disease, autoimmune conditions, even brain conditions like depression and Alzheimer’s disease have all been linked to chronic inflammation.

Why is chronic inflammation bad? It damages your cells. Chemical signals created during the inflammatory process are called cytokines. When cytokines are elevated, they interfere with normal cellular communication. They can go even further and damage your cellular membranes, which starts you down the path to organ dysfunction and illness.

Would it surprise you to know that what we think of as a “healthy diet” is pro-inflammatory? Doctors, magazines, and websites typically recommend avoiding saturated fat and cholesterol, eating pro-inflammatory polyunsaturated seed oils, and eating grains. Grains, even “heart-healthy” whole grains, contain the pro-inflammatory sugar amylose. In fact, an excess of sugar drives inflammation, which plays a part in developing type 2 diabetes. Sugar is known to feed cancer cells, and it is the damage from high levels of sugar in blood that causes plaque to form in the arteries. So we should really get the message to focus on eating low-sugar, not low-fat!

About the author: Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP, is a wellness-certified family chiropractor at Vital Life Chiropractic in Eagan, Minnesota.


Cholesterol, Statin Drugs, and Heart Disease

January 18, 2012 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Aging, Balanced living, Brain, Digestive Health, Healing, Hormonal Balance, Immune System, Medicine, Nutrition, Research, Supplements, Wellness 1

In 2004, the National Cholesterol Education Program issued guidelines calling for Americans to lower their LDL cholesterol to less than 130 mg/dL. In 2006, a review of the literature found that there was no strong evidence to support the NCEP recommendations. The review noted that dropping LDL cholesterol below 130 mg/dL showed no decreased risk of cardiovascular death in elderly people, and that having high HDL was protective when LDL was around 130 mg/dL.

Every cell in the body needs cholesterol to make the cell membrane flexible and waterproof. Cholesterol is needed for tissue repair. It is the main building block of vitamin D and several hormones which are essential for normal body function. Cholesterol is also a powerful antioxidant.

Statin drugs interfere with the liver’s ability to synthesize cholesterol. There is a sequence of 32 distinct biochemical reactions to produce cholesterol, and statin drugs stop this sequence at the third step. The tenth step produces CoQ10 (ubiquinone), which is an antioxidant that all cells need to produce energy from glucose. The heart, since it beats constantly, has the highest requirements for CoQ10. Heart failure is one of the side effects of CoQ10 deficiency. CoQ10 also maintains the integrity of the cellular membrane, which has recently become known as the true brain of the cell. To offset for this side effect, studies indicate 200-600 mg/day of CoQ10 should be taken with a statin drug. Step 30 of the cholesterol synthesis sequence produces a compound that synthesizes vitamin D from sunlight, so statin drugs keep your body from making its own vitamin D. Statin drugs also inhibit nuclear factor kappa B (NFKB), which is a part of the immune system that helps fight infection and cancer.

There are no studies that prove significant improvements in overall mortality for women, or for people over age 65, who take statin drugs. The statin drug companies distort the statistics on mortality. In a study where 100 patients take statin drugs, 2 will have a fatal heart attack, while 3 of 100 people taking a placebo will die of a heart attack. To prevent a single heart attack, 100 people must be treated with statin drugs. The absolute risk reduction is an unimpressive 1%. The drug companies, however, promote statin drugs according to the relative risk reduction, which is a 33% reduction.

In studies on rodents consuming a similar relative dose of statin drugs prescribed to humans, the rodents developed cancer. Statin drugs raise a person’s risk of polyneuropathy (nerve damage) by 1600%. Signs of polyneuropathy include pain, tingling, numbness, weakness, and difficulty walking. The degree of symptoms is proportional to the duration of statin drug usage. Statin drugs are also known to cause myopathy (muscle damage) which is characterized by muscle wasting, weakness, and fatigue.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to be 44% more effective than statin drugs in reducing death from heart attack and stroke. Omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to be 32% more effective than statin drugs in reducing all causes of death.

These facts have been brought to you by the world’s leading medical journals. You want references? We’ve got ‘em!

About the author: Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP, is a wellness-certified family chiropractor at Vital Life Chiropractic in Eagan, Minnesota.


Cheap or Free: The Show-Off Vitamin

December 21, 2011 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Aging, Balanced living, Bone Health, Children, Digestive Health, Healing, Immune System, Nutrition, Research, Supplements, Wellness 1

Would you trust a nutrient with 3000 cancer studies under its belt? In 2009, a very ambitious research team reviewed these studies. Here’s what they found: we could prevent 100,000 people from developing cancer every year, if we increased our vitamin D intake. They identified ten different ways that vitamin D fights cancer. What a productive little multitasker!

We need vitamin D to absorb calcium from our intestines. It regulates more than 200 unique human genes. When vitamin D isn’t preventing cancer, it’s helping our bodies build bones, prevent heart disease, and fight cold/flu bugs. Okay, now vitamin D is just being a show-off. We have two options for getting more D: cheap (less than $10/month) or free (sunlight).

If you like it cheap:  The U.S. RDA for vitamin D intake, 600 IU, is intended to build bone, not to prevent chronic illnesses. It is almost impossible to get enough vitamin D through fortified foods alone. For this reason, we may need to take at least 2000 IU per day of vitamin D3. It’s widely available in tablet or liquid form.

If you like it free: Sunlight produces vitamin D in unprotected skin at a phenomenally high rate. Get 10 minutes of unprotected sun exposure each day in the summer. In Minnesota, we need 20 minutes or more in the winter months, and most of us need to supplement with vitamin D3 (see above).

The most recent research indicates that 40-60 ng/mL is the optimal level of vitamin D in your blood. The blood test for vitamin D may require only a fingerprick and 5 minutes of your time.

About the author: Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP, is a wellness-certified family chiropractor at Vital Life Chiropractic in Eagan, Minnesota.


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