Author: Dr. Micah Ries

You Don’t Have to Suffer

Why do you suffer? Don’t you know that you don’t have to? I have discovered that there are three primary reasons why people suffer: First, they don’t know any better. Second, they are doing everything they know but it’s not helping, or it’s just temporary. And last, it’s not a priority to change it.

Let’s elaborate: If you don’t know any better it’s because no one has told you that your body can heal itself. Your body has the capacity to heal ANYTHING that’s wrong with it. Anything that is, which would be considered an acquired infirmity. That rules out for instance the loss of a limb due to an accident. Also, any organs that have been removed will limit what the body can do to restore itself to
its original state.

If in fact your body can indeed heal itself, then instead of asking “why am I sick?” ask “why am I not healing?” There lies the resolution of your condition. The first two questions to follow that are “what am I doing that is prohibiting my body from healing?” and “what am I NOT doing that is preventing my body from healing?”

Every organ, every gland, every cell in the body has a mineral upon which it is dependent for function. If it doesn’t get it, it will fail to do all that it is supposed to do, and disease results. If you want to build a wood frame house, and you have no wood, can you build the house? Yes, you can. However, structurally it will not be sound. It will not withstand the stresses of nature. You will also have to borrow from other areas to make it work, further weakening the building. The body is no different. The body not only needs minerals, but protein, essential fats, water, carbohydrates and enzymes to function. If these are not present, how can we expect it to function, much less heal itself?

Let’s take an example. Sugar. Sugar STOPS your immune system, in its tracks for 4-5 hours and it takes the body a full 3 days to recover completely. So what do we do when we’re sick? We feed our body Jell-O, 7-Up or popsicles! That’s an example of one simple way we prevent the body from doing its job.

The second reason why people suffer is because you think you’re doing “everything possible” to resolve your condition. More than likely you have been to your medical doctor and have had recommendations of therapy, medications or surgery. That’s such a finite approach to getting well. Have you tried a great nutritionist, an acupuncturist a chiropractor or a naturopath? They are schooled in managing the health of your body from where it should be managed – from the causative factor! You need to understand that medical doctors, in addition to being unparalleled when it comes to emergency medicine, manage health from an outcome standpoint. In other words, if you have a symptom and you come in to see your doctor, he will most likely prescribe something to enable you to live with your symptom or your condition easier. Rarely will he treat the REASON you are ill in the first place. There are many other options you can use to get well in addition to those mentioned above, such as herbal medicine, homeopathy, massage, etc. There are many ways to promote healing, and there is usually more than just one causative factor.

The third reason why people suffer is because good health just isn’t a priority. We think it is a priority, until another want or desire screams louder. When it comes to a decision for instance, between buying a new sofa, a new outfit or even going out to a restaurant for dinner, we opt for the later and say we can’t afford treatment. A 10 year study was done recently to try to prove that “health fanatics” were just that – fanatical. The health fanatics group spent copious amounts of money on health foods, organic foods, chiropractors, acupuncturists and massage therapists. The control group ate the standard American diet, went the traditional medical route when ill and used the recommended medications. The outcome of the study was surprising. When they factored in not only the amount of money spent, but also the time loss from work for illness and doctor’s appointments, they found that not only were the so-called health fanatics healthier, by far, but the financial outlay was significantly less! There is a saying “pay now or pay later”.

The pay later option is much more expensive. I prefer to pay now, not only because overall it will save me money, but also because I don’t want to SUFFER 2 and you don’t have to suffer either. Neither do your friends, or your family. You are at choice.

Stress kills

Stress kills. But not all the time, just most of the time. Stress, applied in a healthy way can be beneficial to health. But that’s only when you’re out in the wilderness and a saber tooth tiger wants you for lunchmeat. Then, when your fight or flight instinct kicks in, stress is appropriate. Or when your child runs out in front of a car and that fight or flight kicks in to save the child’s life, it’s okay then too.
Stress is interpreted by the body as a fight or flight instinct. Any function not needed to fight or flee from danger shuts down. This is okay once in awhile. The body is designed for that. But if this mechanism kicks in day in and day out in what we commonly refer to as “stress”, now we’ve got a problem. Now we have the foundation for disease.

It can be argued that everyone has stress. This is true, or at least I’ve rarely encountered someone who says they have no stress (but it happens). It is how you cope with stress that makes the difference. It is also how your body adapts that determines disease. When you enter a fight or flight response, your body releases stress hormones that long time unless you actively use some technique to lower them. These stress hormones cause increased retention of body fat, poor blood sugar control and changes in mood – especially depression, anxiety and feeling stressed. High stress hormone levels also impair memory and learning, and impairs cognitive performance.

Although cortisol (the main stress hormone) gives a quick burst of energy in a survival situation, it squelches your energy when there is chronic stress. If being attacked, it heightens your memory functions, but when chronic worsens it. As part of your anti-inflammatory response, during a fight or flight response cortisol lessens your sensitivity to pain; in chronic stress it interferes with the inflammatory response, resulting in more pain.

Cortisol is one of those hormones that we love it and hate it. If we keep our stress levels healthy, we enjoy homeostasis in the body. We have proper glucose metabolism and insulin regulation. Our blood pressure is perfect and our immune system is highly functioning. When we get ourselves into a
“prolonged stress response” our immune system weakens, we have sugar regulating disease such as hypoglycemia and diabetes and we suffer chronically high blood pressure.

Stress interferes with maintaining a healthy weight. Cortisol tells the body to store more fat. So the more cortisol release due to chronic stress, the more weight we gain and the more difficult to lose it. We see this mostly in the increase in abdominal fat. There have now been drawn some associations between abdominal fat and heart attacks, strokes, a rise in the so-called “bad” cholesterol and a diminishing of the “good” cholesterol. In addition, cortisol suppresses thyroid function which lowers the metabolism and… you guessed it, makes you gain more weight!

Stress, through the release of cortisol, decreases bone density and muscle tissue. This leaves you feeling weak and more prone to associated diseases. When we have a prolonged stress response it has an adverse effect on the entire endocrine system. The endocrine system comprises all the organs/glands that regulate hormones. The adrenal gland is one of the most effected glands. It is a small walnut-sized gland that sits above each kidney and is a part of the renal system. The adrenals secrete a number of hormones that are critical to health.

When continually called on to secrete epinephrine/adrenaline in the fight or flight response, they get a little tired out. So do you. The adrenals help give you sustained energy throughout the day, along with the thyroid. While in a prolonged stress response, the energy gets redirected and you get short-changed. Most fatigue is attributed to “adrenal fatigue”. Although adrenal fatigue is not a medically recognized disease except in its extreme state, most natural health practitioners have found that when they support the adrenals, energy is restored and the negative effects of the fight or flight response are mitigated.

Since we are all under stress, what we have to learn is how to counteract the effect of stress on our body in order to circumvent some of the awful diseases associated with it. To do that we need to eat a super healthy, nutritionally dense diet of whole, unadulterated produce, grains and meats. We need to exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep and relaxation. We need to have fun in life and not take life so seriously. We can manage stress by using some of the great techniques available today such as meditation, yoga, tai chi or qi gong. We can also take some quality herbs and whole food supplements designed to reduce anxiety and support adrenal function. Finally, we need to remember how to laugh- after all, according to several psychology journals.

Laughter is the best medicine of all!

Your Delicate Immune System

I’ve told this story before, but it bears repeating. If you understand this one story, you’ll understand the power of your own immune system. The new mother was told that her twin babies had died after birth. The truth was they were sent to an institute to be studied. This was to be the fate of the twins called “Masha” & “Dasha”, conjoined at birth.

Conjoined or Siamese twins are formed in the same way as identical twins but the eggs, for some reason, don’t completely separate; instead, they remain partially attached. Their circulatory systems are interconnected, so the twins share each other’s blood.

A germ that enters one twin’s bloodstream will soon be seen in the blood of her sister because of this. Surprisingly, illness affects them differently. Dasha was near-sighted, prone to colds and righthanded. Masha had a healthier constitution, higher blood pressure than her sister, good eyesight and was left-handed. Now the twins differing health pattern presented a mystery. Why did one become ill with a childhood disease while the other did not? The measles “bug” was in both of their bodies, in their collective bloodstream; so why didn’t both get the measles?

This phenomenon was seen over and over again with the girls (flu, colds, other diseases were all experienced separately). If germs alone had the power to cause infectious diseases, why would one of the twins be disease-free while the other was ill? What was it in their makeup that differentiated one from the other.

The answer was their nervous system. Although the twins had the same common circulatory (blood), digestive, excretory, lymphatic, endocrine and skeletal systems (they were joined at the hips), they had separate spinal columns and spinal cords. This was a very important difference between the girls.

In these extraordinary twins, nature’s “laboratory” devised an experiment that no researcher could ever duplicate. The twins are an invaluable example confirming that there is much more to “catching” a disease than simply breathing in germs; germs can make you sick IF, and ONLY IF, your body provides them fertile ground in which to grow and multiply.

The state or health of your nervous system can determine whether or not (and how quickly) you will recover from a disease. By keeping your spinal column and nervous system FREE from (pinched nerves) subluxation stress, chiropractic care keeps you in a higher state of health and therefore healthier, with or without symptoms.

There is no shortage of theories to explain the role of the subluxation in disease and the effect of the adjustment in relieving your symptoms. Your autonomic nervous system (that part of your nervous system which controls vital function) will be effected by spinal dysfunction or misalignment causing a compromise in your nervous function. Immunity is one such function which can be adversely affected by a nervous system imbalance.

One Cause, One Cure

Sublux-WHAT????

Subluxation… it kind of sounds like Subway-Station. I know, I know, BIG WORD…WEIRD WORD. …so what the heck is it? In simplest terms, a Subluxation (a.k.a. Vertebral Subluxation) is when one or more Spinal Bones
(vertebrae) move out of position and put pressure on, or irritate your Spinal Nerves.

Spinal Nerves are the Nerves that come out from between each of the bones in your spine. This pressure or irritation on the Nerves then causes those Nerves to malfunction and ultimately interfere with the signals traveling over those Nerves.

How does this affect you?
Your Nervous System controls and coordinates ALL the functions of your body. If YOUR Nerves don’t work right, then YOU don’t work right.and when YOU don’t work right, YOU will more than likely end up in Pain, or even worse, some sort of Sickness or Disease.

It’s that simple.

So How Does A Person Get Subluxation?
The Answer: Many Ways! …but Primarily, the Three Major Causes of Subluxation are:
#1. Physical Stress: Things like the birth process (both for the mother and child) slips and falls, automobile accidents, childhood injuries and so on.
#2. Emotional Stress: Death of a loved one, fear of losing your job, divorce/separation, someone cutting you off in traffic, the list goes on!
#3. Chemical Stress: Poor nutrition, pesticides, antibiotics and growth hormones in our foods, cigarette smoking, too much alcohol consumption, etc.

According to a University of Colorado study, it only takes 10 mm Hg (mercury) – this is approximately the weight of a dime – on a Nerve Root to decrease the function of the Nerve by 60%.” (Source: Sharpless SK: “Susceptibility of spinal roots to compression block.” The Research Status of Spinal Manipulative Therapy. NINCDS monograph 15, HEW publication (NIH) 76- 998:155. 1975.)

If Nerves control the body, then what kind of health problems might effect you if your Nerves Supply is only at 40% of it’s 100% potential. That’s a lot to think about, isn’t it? …but you really need to take a minute and seriously think about it’s implications.

Subluxations can be devastating to your health…..no question.

However, the question you do need to ask is, “Will I let my loved ones go unchecked for Subluxation, or will I schedule them for a Subluxation Check-up today?”

…it’s your choice. It’s always your choice.

Boosting Your Immunity Through Chiropractic

In 1975, Ronald Pero, PhD., chief of cancer prevention research at New York’s Preventive Medicine Institute and professor of medicine in Environmental Health at New York University, began developing scientifically valid ways to estimate individual susceptibility to various chronic diseases. Pero and his colleagues found strong evidence that susceptibility to cancer could be gauged by the activities of various enzymes involved in metabolic and genetic changes due to exposure to carcinogenic or “mutagenic” chemicals. An individuals immune system responsiveness, or immune competence,” also was directly linked to certain DNA-repalring enzymes, which provided an objective way to assess disease susceptibility. Lack of those enzymes, Pero said, “definitely limits not only your lifespan, but also your ability to resist serious disease consequence”.

Pero was also fascinated by various hormones synergistic relationship with other cancer-inducing agents to promote disease. For example, thyroid hormones affect the early phases inducing of radiation and chemically induced cancer. if the thyroid produces too much of either thyroxine or thyroid-stimulating hormone, cancer risk greatly increases. Since the nervous system regulates hormonal balances, it too can influence susceptibility to cancer. Along these lines, various kinds of spinal cord injury are accompanied by a high risk of developing cancer, particularly lymphomas and lymphatic leukemias. This connection led Pero to consider chiropractic as a potential alternative for reducing the risk of immune breakdown and disease.

In 1986 Pero collaborated with Joseph Flesia, D.C, chairman of the board of directors for the Chiropractic Basic Science Research Foundation, Inc. With a hefty grant from CBS, they began a research project at the University of Lund in Lund, Sweden. Using Pero’s test to gauge resistance to hazardous environmental chemicals, they hypothesized that people with cancer would have a suppressed immune response to such a toxic burden, while healthy people and people receiving chiropractic care should have a relatively enhanced response:

Measuring 107 individuals who had received long-term chiropractic care, Pero’s team turned up some surprising findings. All chiropractic patients were “genetically normal” – that is, they had no obvious genetic reasons for increased resistance or susceptibility to disease. Any difference, therefore, had to be accounted for by environmental or therapeutic factors. The chiropractic patients also had 200 percent greater immune competence than people who had not received chiropractic, and 400 percent greater immune competence than the people with cancer or other serious diseases. Surprisingly, despite a wide range of ages in this study, the immune-competence did not show any decline with age it was uniform for the entire group.

Pero concluded that “chiropractic may optimize whatever genetic abilities you have” so that you can fully resist serious disease. “I’m very excited to see that without chemical intervention. this particular group of patients under chiropractic care, did show a very improved response, ” he told CBSRF. “These changes occur from chiropractic treatment.”

The Benefits of Regular Physical Activity

Every year we make a New Year’s Resolution to exercise. We all know that exercise is beneficial, but many aren’t aware of how beneficial it can be. Sometimes a little more knowledge helps us to get up and take action. Other people need tidbits on HOW to get up and take action. This article is meant to address both.

With Education There Is Power
With that in mind, this is what has been learned about physical activity and health from decades of research. Among its major findings:

• People who are usually inactive can improve their health and well-being by becoming even moderately active on a regular basis.
• Physical activity need not be strenuous to achieve significant health benefits.
• Even greater health benefits can be achieved by increasing the amount (duration, frequency, or intensity) of physical activity.

So what are those health benefits? Regular physical activity that is performed on most days of the week reduces the risk of developing or dying from some of the leading causes of illness and death in the United States. Regular physical activity improves health in the following ways:

• Reduces the risk of dying prematurely.
• Reduces the risk of dying from heart disease.
• Reduces the risk of developing diabetes and improves control of blood sugar.
• Reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure.
• Helps reduce blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure.
• Reduces the risk of developing colon cancer.
• Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety.
• Helps control weight by increasing your metabolism to help prevent obesity.
• Helps you sleep better.
• Reduces some of the effects of aging.
• Helps build and maintain healthy bones (including the prevention of osteoporosis), muscles, and joints.
• Helps older adults become stronger and better able to move about without falling.
• Promotes psychological well-being. It helps treat depression and relieves stress and anxiety.
• Increases your energy and endurance.
• Reduces the risk of breast cancer by 40% in those who exercise 3 times weekly.

Fitness Is Critical To Weight Loss
In order to increase your metabolism and burn fat, you need to build muscle. If you lose weight by diet alone, on by aerobics alone, or by aerobics and diet together, but neglect muscle building/strengthening exercises, 40% of the weight that you lose will be muscle. Muscle burns fat. In fact, every pound of muscle burns between 50-100 calories per day, at rest! If you are like the average American and lose 60 pounds (without the addition of strength training), 24 pounds of the weight you lose is muscle! 24 pounds of muscle burns between 1200 and 2400 calories per day, at rest! The next time you gain the weight back, it is all fat, not muscle. Then you diet again. It is more difficult to lose the weight this time because you have less calorie-burning capacity. Again 40% of the weight that you do lose is muscle. Then you gain the weight back again because your metabolism is so much slower. Each time it gets more and more difficult to lose the weight because you have less and less muscle to rev up your metabolism and help you burn the calories. Now you can see the yo-yo cycles most people fall prey to. If you have a history of dieting, then your muscle mass is probably low.

When you do strength training (using hydraulic equipment or weights), you add muscle. More muscle means that you burn fat faster. Every pound of muscle that you add to your frame will increase your metabolism by 50- 100 calories per day! When you start working out, you jump-start your metabolism, resulting in more calories burned. As your muscles become tight and firm you will notice a loss in inches, especially in your waist, tummy and hips. In fact, when most people start strength training with hydraulic equipment, they lose 5-10 inches in the very first month!

So, How Do We Incorporate Exercise Into Our Lifestyle?

• Determine where you want to be – what are your goals?
• Evaluate what results you would see if you continued to be sedentary (i.e. more weight gain,
increased risk of heart disease, less energy, more shortness of breath and fatigue, more depression, etc.).
• How would those results change if you exercised (i.e. more energy, improved body and body image, happier, more control over your health, less health risks, etc.)
• Make the commitment to get healthier, which means also to exercise.
• Call a reputable fitness center and make an appointment to visit it. Have them use state of the art equipment to determine where you are now. In other words, get a fitness Evaluation.

To Make Exercise a Habit

• Stick to a regular time every day.
• Sign a contract committing yourself to exercise
• Put “exercise appointments” on your calendar.
• Keep a daily log or diary of your activities.
• Check your progress. Can you walk a certain distance faster or further now than when you began? Or is your heart rate slower now?
• Determine the best exercise program for you, such as what type of exercise to do, how often to exercise and for how long.
• Join a health club. The cost gives some people an incentive to exercise regularly.

How Do We Know Which Gym To Go To?
You want to enjoy your workout. Choose a gym that is FUN. Upbeat music, fun personnel. Meet and get to know the personnel – they can either make or break your experience. Make sure you can get ongoing training and support any time you need it. You shouldn’t have to pay extra for this service! The best gyms are those that incorporate hydraulic equipment with aerobic exercise. The term “hydraulic” has been used very loosely in the fitness industry. Most gyms use automobile style shock absorbers to cut costs and produce an inferior product with an inadequate “one size fits all” work out. Attend gyms that use hydraulics specifically manufactured for the fitness industry. Use facilities whose cylinders YOU can easily ADJUST, within seconds.

What is the Flora Story?

We hear lots of talk about “Flora” or intestinal bacteria. Or maybe you’ve just heard that we need acidophilus or bifidus to help with digestive disorders. So what is it?

We have a natural ecological system in our body referred to as “flora”. This is mostly in our skin and our mucus membranes (mouth, nose, vagina and intestines primarily). Other tissues such as the blood, brain, heart and muscles are supposed to be free from microorganisms. This flora consists primarily of bacteria, with a few fungi, yeasts and other microorganisms. Some of these bacteria may surprise you. Our natural healthy flora contains species of streptococcus, staphylococcus, E. Coli, Enterobacterium and more than 200 other bacteria.

As recently as last month an article appeared in one of the medical journals stating that flora balance will be used in the future as a way of assessing risks for a variety of health conditions, but especially colon cancer and other intestinal-related diseases. This comes as no surprise to the thousands of natural healing practitioners who have recognized the importance of floral balance for decades!
So if an imbalance of the flora (called “dysbiosis”) is a marker for disease, what occurs in our lifestyle that alters this balance? Many things. Antibiotics are the worst culprit. According to one authority, it takes approximately 1 year of pro-biotic therapy (restoring the destroyed healthy flora) for every dose of antibiotic taken. Coffee has been reported to contribute to dysbiosis. Many of the processed foods are to blame as well. Another interesting finding is the lack of eating fermented foods. Sauerkraut, yogurt (more on yogurt later), pickled vegetables (including ginger), sprouted grains, nuts and seeds, miso, Umeboshi plums, and soy sauce are examples. Fermented means “pre-digested” which then become “pro-biotic”, meaning they restore floral balance. In addition to being pre-digested they support healthy digestion because they are so enzyme-rich. However, it is ruined by pasteurization and canning.
The body is an amazing machine and the role of healthy flora is no exception. There are many benefits to flora. The most important beneficial effect is that it keeps competing pathogens in check. In other words if your “good” or “friendly” bacteria are in high enough concentrations the “bad” or “pathogenic” bacteria don’t get out of control and cause disease. Flora is needed to synthesize or make vitamins such as Vitamin K, Vitamin B12 and other B vitamins, and to excrete excess vitamins. Flora is also needed to stimulate the development of certain tissues in the intestinal tract and in the lymphatic system. The immunological response is also highly dependent upon normal flora. Flora cross-reacts with certain pathogens preventing “invasion” by them, referred to as “natural antibodies”

So to address this issue of dysbiosis, we need to know how to restore the balance. First, eliminate the offenders. Then restore the missing microorganisms. This is referred to as pro-biotic therapy. The most common sources of probiotics are in pill form called lactobacillus acidophilus. There are other forms such as bifidobacterium bifidus and streptococcus faecium. Yogurt has long been known as the premier food source of probiotics, however recent research is discounting that. It appears that because of pasteurization there is minimal survival of the important microorganisms. Couple that with the sugar (which contributes to the “bad bacteria” colonizing), and the chemicals (dyes and flavorings) in yogurt, it is quickly becoming a deleterious option.

Another term coming to the limelight is “Prebiotics”. As we have come to understand flora better, we realize that as live microorganisms, they need certain foods or nutrients to survive and proliferate.Prebiotics are just that. They improve the chances of the probiotics sticking and growing.
Conditions often associated with dysbiosis include: chronic gastrointestinal inflammatory or autoimmune disorders, allergies or food intolerances, antibiotic use, “anti-ulcer” medication use, unexplained rashes, unexplained fatigue, malnutrition, neuropsychiatric symptoms, vaginal infections and others. Although there may be other underlying causes for those conditions, it is wise to rule out dysbiosis as one of them. If you feel you may have dysbiosis contact a trained physician to assist you in restoring balance. It is more complicated than just grabbing a bottle of a probiotic.

Sugar is Killing Us!

Sugar harms your health in many ways. Most people know this, yet few control the intake of it. Worse yet, they are given to children in greater and greater quantities. An example is soda pop: more than a quarter of all drinks consumed in the United States are soda. More than 15 billion gallons were sold in 2000 and that number is rising every year. That means every man, woman and child consumes at least one 12-ounce can per day. Obviously not everyone consumes sodas – many people drink more than their share!

In one study it was found that that 56% of 8 year olds consume sodas daily and at least 30% of teenage boys drink greater than 3 cans per day. Sixty percent of all public and private high schools and middle schools have vending machines or otherwise sell sodas to the kids. Carbonated soda pop provides more added sugar in the diet than cookies, candies and ice cream combined. This has resulted in an increase in obesity, tooth decay, weakened bones and caffeine dependence in our children. For every daily serving of soda consumed the risk of obesity increases 1.6 times. Researchers found that kids that drink sodas consume almost 200 more calories per day than kids who do not. Sugar and corn syrup from soft drinks, juices and the copious teas and sports drinks now supply more than 10 percent of our total calories.

We have turned into a nation that has replaced real foods (such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and meats) with carbohydrates that are refined and treated by the body no differently than eating a cookie. Fat, fiber and protein slow the rate carbohydrates enter the blood stream. This prevents a sudden rise in insulin levels, with a subsequent drop thereafter. Refined carbohydrates (also known as “white trash”) such as cereals, pasta, potatoes, white rice, breads and other refined grains contain virtually no nutrients. We are feeding our bodies empty calories, and then wonder why we have so many diseases!

Grain consumption, especially refined grains, has increased almost 60 pounds per person, and caloric sweeteners (primarily high-fructose corn syrup) by 30 pounds. We consume more total calories (up to 400 more) each day since the government started recommending low-fat diets. Most people don’t realize that “low fat” foods contain more sugar, and “diet” foods contain either high fat or artificial sweeteners.

Sugar harms the body in many ways: it suppresses the immune system immediately and takes 3 days to recover. It can cause a rapid rise in adrenaline, hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and crankiness in children. It weakens eyesight, contributes to gallstones and appendicitis, and suppresses calcium absorption in the bones (in fact, soda is now considered the number one contributor to osteoporosis). Sugar can cause many problems with digestion, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and many other bowel diseases. It interferes with protein absorption, impairs DNA structure, makes your skin age more quickly, reduces learning capacity, increases hormonal imbalance, weakens the adrenal glands (which makes you fatigued, increases emotional instability, causes high blood pressure in obese individuals, induces cell death, feeds cancer cells, contributes to PMS, causes a rise in cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood. And the list goes on. This is in addition to the already recognizable causes such as obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay.

All of this is accentuated if your body does not handle blood sugar well. Blood sugar is managed primarily by the liver, adrenals and pancreas. A weakness in one of those glands results in a weakness in how the body responds to sugar. The more sugar consumed, the worse the condition. Diabetes and hypoglycemia are at an all-time high.

Eating foods rich in minerals (such as spinach, beet greens, collards, swiss chard, kale, and broccoli) assist the organs in managing blood sugar. They also help to control sugar cravings. Much of the time, the use of “green” mineral supplements is also needed. Greens such as kelp, alfalfa, spirulina and others, tableted, are good sources of complex minerals. Digestion also plays an important role.

Sugar cravings for many people make it difficult to stop drinking or eating sugar. It’s a sign of other imbalances in the body and can be treated through acupuncture, chiropractic, nutrition, herbal b6 medicine or all four. Since sugar causes many problems in the body, it would be wise to reduce the intake of sugary foods. If this is difficult, get help from a professional trained to support you in this area.