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: 3 of 3

February 14, 2013 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Balanced living, Brain, Healing, Immune System, Nutrition, Wellness Leave a comment  

In previous posts, we discussed the importance of cutting way back on sugary foods, and switching the meats you eat. The third big diet change is to make peace with fat.

Since the 1950′s, fat has had a bad reputation as a killer. But just because “every knows it,” doesn’t make it the truth. Actually, I used to believe that fat was bad, but then I learned things like this:

  • About 60 percent of your brain is fat (hmm, you’ve got my attention with that!)
  • Fats help with brain function, absorbing vitamins and antioxidants, clotting blood, and building cells.
  • Fats have other surprising functions: for example, coconut oil has antiviral and antibacterial properties.
  • Trans fats, not saturated fats, are linked to heart disease and cancer.
  • In those African and arctic populations where the diet is primarily fat, meat, and milk, people are actually quite healthy!
  • Americans eat more fat-free, low-fat foods than any other country, but we are the world’s fattest population (because of all the low-fat, high-sugar foods).

Good fats are the most lacking nutrient in the American diet. These include the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. These are “essential” fatty acids, which means that our bodies can’t make them from other sources, but need to ingest them directly. EPA and DHA are the key components of “fish oil,” but if the product label doesn’t specify the amount of EPA and DHA, don’t buy it – look for a manufacturer with better standards. ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) is another omega-3 fatty acid that has fewer functions in the human body, but the body can only convert about 5% of ALA  into DHA or EPA. This is why vegetarian sources of omega-3 fatty acids, like flaxseed or chia, are not the best choice. Speaking as a former vegetarian (or pasta-tarian), I know some people don’t like to hear that, but it’s the honest truth.

We should avoid the cheap, popular seed oils like canola and soybean oils. These are oxidized and harmful by the time they get to the store shelves. PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids) are healthful in their natural state, when they are protected by the plant or seed that contains them. When PUFAs are isolated in a bottle, they are easily oxidized by light and heat, so storage and cooking make them unhealthy. Oxidized fats (just think of them like metal – oxidized metal is rust) are linked to chronic inflammatory conditions like joint pain, chronic fatigue, heart disease, diabetes, weakened immunity, even cancer.

Cooking with fats requires using them at the right temperatures to minimize oxidation. For frying at high heat, use coconut oil, expeller-pressed naturally refined grapeseed oil, high oleic naturally refined peanut oil, high oleic naturally refined safflower oil, and naturally refined sesame oil. Medium-heat fats include butter, ghee, extra virgin naturally refined olive oil, naturally refined walnut oil, and expeller-pressed naturally refined peanut oil. Oils from fish, flaxseed, hemp, and unrefined EVOO/safflower/sesame should not be heated.

The truth is not always convenient, but think of this: your family’s health is worth taking the time to read labels. Make the switch from bad fats to good fats over the next 60 days.


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.


Insights on Fibromyalgia and Chiropractic

December 12, 2012 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Aging, Balanced living, Brain, Chiropractic, Healing, Spine, Stress Leave a comment  

It’s not in your head! This condition can be truly debilitating. Women are ten times more likely than men to suffer from fibromyalgia. Aside from widespread pain and the presence of “tender points,” fibromyalgia often involves morning stiffness, fatigue, sleep disturbances, headaches, and irritable bowel symptoms. Fibromyalgia is often associated with car accidents or other whiplash-type neck injuries. Damage to the neck increases an enzyme called NMDA. NMDA increases inflammation, which creates more NMDA. You can see that this can develop into a vicious cycle. The result of this chronic inflammation is increased sensitivity to pain, which is a key feature of fibromyalgia.

Essentially, fibromyalgia is considered a malfunction of muscles, connective tissue, and nerves. Understand that muscles do not malfunction due to bad luck or random chance. Muscles receive their commands to contract or relax from nerves. Like muscles or any other body part, nerves do not malfunction solely due to bad luck, bad genes, or random chance. Nerves malfunction when there is an overload of physical, mental, and chemical stress. The symptoms can appear as chronic muscle tension, headaches, digestive problems, or persistent back pain.

 

But wait – we are missing a step here. What happens to transform stress overload into chronic health symptoms? The body suffers from a loss of its inherent self-healing, self-regulating powers. Often, stiffness and fatigue appear. Mental focus decreases. The person feels like they are aging faster. It’s like their power is slowly being drained. What they are feeling is exactly what is happening, from a clinical perspective. The person’s nervous system is malfunctioning and losing power due to an overload of stress. We name this condition of nervous system interference “subluxation,” which literally translates into “a condition of decreased light.”

Fibromyalgia can be a disheartening, life-limiting condition. Many people find only a bit of relief from drug treatment, or they prefer a drugless approach to improving their health. For these people, natural chiropractic care may be a safe and effective form of relief. Balancing and strengthening the nervous system through chiropractic care can be accomplished using precise, gentle forces, without the need to twist the spine or create noise in the joints.

Treating subluxation is known to improve flexibility, decrease muscle spasm, and normalize pain response. As a result, people notice that they feel like they are standing taller, have more stamina, and their thinking becomes sharper. Ultimately, they feel more capable of responding positively to life’s everyday stresses and trials. This is the benefit of having a balanced nervous system.


Holiday Stress and Immunity

December 5, 2012 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Balanced living, Chiropractic, Healing, Immune System, Research, Stress, Wellness Leave a comment  

As we enter the holiday season, I am beginning to see the signs of stress creep into our everyday lives. More and more of the general population is starting to show signs of a weakened immune system. The “symptoms” are out there. How many people do you know who are starting to get the sniffles, sore throats, coughing, and aches and pains associated with illness? During the holiday season it is easy to neglect yourself and become run-down shopping for presents, planning holiday menus, trying to pay bills and stretch a dollar. Balancing your job with your family. All of these things contribute to stress. The first thing to go out the window is your exercise program. You start to not eat right. Maybe you skip your regular wellness chiropractic visit. All of these factors contribute to a decrease in the function of your body’s immune system and resistance to illness.

Stress is the number one cause of a weakened immune system. When your immune system is not functioning properly, you will become sick. The key to health is to have a strong immune system. Certain factors play an important role in the health of your immune system. Naturally, stress reduction is extremely important, as is exercise, eating right, getting enough rest, taking high-quality supplements, and drinking plenty of water.

The most important action you can take for the health of your immune system is to receive a chiropractic adjustment. Research has shown that immediately after an adjustment, there is an increase in white blood cell activity. White blood cells are the blood cells that fight disease. That is why it is so important to get an adjustment when you have cold or flu symptoms. The increase in white blood cells stimulates the immune system to fight the illness immediately.

The chief of cancer research at New York’s Preventative Medicine Institute and professor of medicine at New York University researched chiropractic spinal adjustments and immune system health. He found that people under chiropractic care had a 200% greater immune response than people not under chiropractic care. You can see how important chiropractic care is for keeping you healthy.

So remember to keep up the things which keep you healthy over the holiday season, no matter how stressed you become. Keep up with your exercise program, eating right, getting enough rest, and your chiropractic adjustments. If you have any questions on stress reduction, supplements for colds, or chiropractic research, please contact our office. We will be more than happy to help.. Have a very happy holiday season!


Spinal Neural Integration: A New Health Care Field?

November 28, 2012 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Balanced living, Brain, Chiropractic, Healing, Immune System, Spine, Wellness Leave a comment  

Imagine if I told you about a new field in health care. A specialty called spinal neural integration. The focus of this new field of health care would be to restore spinal neural integrity. Spinal Neural Integrationists are doctors that specialize in maximizing the function of the nervous system. These doctors correct spinal joint misalignments, removing spinal nerve irritation and spinal nerve pressure. Once the spinal nerve pressure is reduced, the nervous system is able to function at a more optimal level.

Key research has shown that because the nervous system controls and coordinates the function of every system in the body, reduction of spinal nerve pressure can improve the overall health of the body. Increased function of the immune system  is quite common, as well as the improvement in function of many other vital systems in the body.

 

Spinal Neural Integrationists recommend periodic check-ups to promote health and vitality, not treat disease or sickness. Early reports of this new health field have been highly regarded. The general public, in their quest for ways to enhance their health, have been flocking to see Spinal Neural Integrationists. Patients proclaim that they have more energy, have less colds, and just lain feel better. Spinal Neural Integration is the wave of the future. I am sure just reading about this new form of health care makes you excited to learn that there is a way to improve the health of you and your family.

Does this new field of health care sound familiar to you? It should. You see, all I really did was rename chiropractic. Chiropractic is spinal neural integration. Chiropractic promotes health by improving the integrity of the spine and nervous system. So why aren’t more and more families flocking to the chiropractor? They are. It’s just not happening fast enough. Chiropractic, based on the successful reputation it has built, is in danger of being pigeon-holed as some sort of therapy for neck and back pain. Chiropractic works great for musculoskeletal disorders. But that is not the reason that I adjust my family or my patients. I adjust the spine to improve the function of the nervous system and improve the function of the body in turn, improving health.

If there were an article in the paper or a news story on television telling us all about the health benefits of spinal neural integration, I am sure millions of people worldwide would begin care with a Spinal Neural Integrationist. Chiropractic is already here for you and your family. Tell others. Let’s not keep the best thing in health care a secret. The health of our society depends on it.


The Story of the Deaf Janitor

November 14, 2012 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Bone Health, Chiropractic, Healing, Medicine, Spine, Wellness Leave a comment  

Over one hundred years ago in 1895, in a small town in Iowa called Davenport, a tremendous discovery was made. It was at this time that a man by the name of Daniel David Palmer discovered the science, art, and philosophy of chiropractic. D. D. Palmer had a patient come into his office who had been deaf for the past eighteen years. The many’s name was Harvey Lillard. Mr. Lillard reported that, eighteen years ago, he injured his neck at his custodial job while lifting a heavy object. Mr. Lillard heard a “pop” in his neck and felt what he thought to be a lump. He gradually lost his hearing, and had been deaf ever since.

D. D. Palmer examined the man and felt what he thought to be a misaligned bone in his spine. He decided that the popping sound must have been the spinal bone moving into the wrong position. D. D. later used the term “subluxation” for misaligned vertebra. D. D. decided that if the man could hear prior to becoming subluxated, then Mr. Lillard should be able to hear again if the subluxation was corrected. D. D. Palmer then proceeded to give Harvey Lillard the first chiropractic adjustment.  After three such adjustments, Mr. Lillard’s hearing was completely restored.

As you can see, the first chiropractic patient did not have neck pain or back pain. The discovery of chiropractic was based on the princile that the nervous system controls all the functions of the human body. When the nervous system malfunctions, the body malfunctions. In the case of Harvey Lillard, nerve interference to the ears was the cause of his deafness. When that interference was corrected, his hearing was restored.

What D. D. Palmer discovered was a non-duplicating, unique form of health care. Chiropractic is not the same as medicine, nor does it try to duplicate it. The medical approach to Harvey Lillard’s condition might have been drugs or physical therapy to treat the symptoms of the injured neck. Maybe even surgery. My point is that Mr. Lillard could have been given all the drugs and therapy in the world, but if his nerve interference was not corrected, he would still have been deaf. Thus chiropractic’s uniqueness. Chiropractors are the only health care professionals whose purpose is to correct vertebral subluxations, thus allowing the nervous system to function properly, and the body to be healthy.

During the next thirty or forty years following D. D. Palmer’s first adjustment, chiropractors helped thousands of sick and dying patients by improving the function of the nervous system. In the beginning, chiropractors were not known for taking care of neck pain or back pain. Chiropractors were known for taking care of sick people who had tried every form of treatment available at the time, but had little hope left. Many of these patients achieved incredible results and went on to live long, productive lives.

I hope you now have a better understanding of chiropractic’s beginnings. Another famous chiropractor, B. J. Palmer, D. D. Palmer’s son, said, “If they knew what we knew they would do what we do.” Please use chiropractic for the right reasons; it will help you to be your best.


An Inside Job

October 4, 2012 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP Balanced living, Chiropractic, Healing, Wellness Leave a comment  

Healing is an inside job. The difference between your body and $20 worth of inert organic material is an intelligent, organizing life force. This life force does not need to be added into you, because you were born with it. Certainly you don’t need your life force dimmed down or impeded! Every day, we are faced with choices that either support our innate life force, or detract from it.

This week’s post is extra-short because we’ve been busy organizing Community Wellness Day in Eagan. On Saturday, October 6, we will be part of a group of non-profit, government, and business organizations that are pooling resources to provide information that is critical to the total wellness of families in our community. Our four areas of focus are health, safety, environmental, and financial wellness. Join us from 12-3 pm at the Eagan Civic Arena, 3870 Pilot Knob Road. Event proceeds go to the Eagan & Lakeville Resource Centers, our local food shelves. The event itself is free for all ages to attend. We will have face painting, door prizes, ambulance tours, and so much more!


ADHD and Spectrum Disorders: Restoring the Neurological Connection

September 7, 2012 Dr. Barbara Kaiser, DC, CCWP ADHD, Babies, Balanced living, Brain, Children, Chiropractic, Healing, Posture, Pregnancy, Spine, Stress, Wellness Leave a comment  

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. We love our children so much, and we never want to see them hurt or sick. There are far too many children who struggle with their health and performance. ADHD and related disorders are an increasing epidemic that children and families struggle to overcome every day.

ADHD and spectrum disorders are primarily neurological in nature. Similar to a car, the neurological system has a “gas pedal” and a “brake pedal.” A person can develop a functional imbalance of the brain and nervous system, but this imbalance can often be partially or completely corrected. An accumulation of physical, chemical, and emotional stressors can cause someone to become stuck in the gas mode, without the brakes engaging. Physical stressors include high-intervention pregnancy and delivery, intrauterine constraint, car accidents, falls, and other traumas. In 2008, the British Medical Journal noted that children with head injury or burn injury were twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD by age 10.

Children with a diagnosis of ADHD, ADD, or autism spectrum disorder are often locked in a “fight or flight” state. Due to their altered brain function, they are easily over-stimulated by people, noise, lights, and even their own clothing. This may lead to a separate diagnosis such as SPD, or sensory processing (formerly integration) disorder. Often a child with ADHD/ADD also has headaches, postural problems like slouching, sleep disorders, and difficulty with managing emotions. The child’s symptoms can be very disruptive for families and cause poor performance in school, reducing a child’s potential to be their best.

Healthcare providers understand that neurological integrity plays a significant role in children’s learning and behavioral patterns. Doctors of chiropractic offer a non-drug and non-invasive alternative for people with ADHD and spectrum disorders that targets the underlying problems, not just the symptoms. Chiropractic care is designed to rebalance, calm, and organize the nervous system, so the function of body and brain both improve. Many parents have noted that their child’s medical diagnosis is downgraded or removed completely once they begin a program of chiropractic care.


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