HCG Diets - Are They Safe?

HCG supplements combined with extremely low calorie diets have become a big trend in weight loss. With the short period of time that it has been around no one truly knows about the safety of these diets. Here is what we do know:

Most people know of HCG as the "pregnancy hormone" or the hormone that makes the EPT result in a positive test when it is detected in the urine. Our body views pregnancy as a foreign invader and it would attack the embryo in the absence of HCG. HCG disguises the embryo so that our immune system will not attack and degrade the trophoblastic protein layer allowing the embryo to mature. HCG is also used as a cancer screening test because it will be elevated in urine and blood when a tumor is present. Cancer, similar to pregnancy, is viewed as a foreign invader but is disguised by HCG which promotes its ability to grow. Research shows that HCG compromises the immune system and may promote cancer. I believe there are many other forms of weight loss that are much safer and will produce great results as well without the risk of cancer or decreased immunity.

Attached is an article called "HCG for weight loss - not a prudent idea" by Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D which explains more in depth about HCG for weight loss.

http://www.cancerdecisions.com/071308.html

Best Regards,

Dr. Todd Rodman, DC CSCS

RELIEF FROM ARTHRITIS AND PAINFUL JOINTS

Recent studies have proven the value of sulfur-containing compounds in the treatment of collagen tissue problems of cartilage and ligaments. The two most commonly studied and prescribed compounds are glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate. These compounds have been acclaimed as the "magic bullets" for arthritic problems. However, they can only be utilized when ample supplies of organic sulfur are available.

The supply of sulfur in our food is chiefly dependent on the amount and quality of protein we ingest. Nutrition textbooks, however, dismiss the need for dietary supplementation of sulfur by stating that an optimum protein diet will lead inevitably to an adequate sulfur intake. As usual, they neglect to add that it is vitally important to be able to digest that diet. This can seldom be accomplished by those seeking health care. Supplementing inorganic sulfur (such as chondroitin sulfate) is not nearly as successful in relieving symptoms as a "magic bullet" as it is when combined with improving the dietary intake and digestion or organic sulfur found in food and herbs. For that reason we recommend proper diet, digestion and assimilation combined with dietary supplementation when necessary.

Common Symptoms of Sulfur Deficiency:

-History of osteoarthritis or gout
-Musculoskeletal pain, difficulty walking
-Bone and joint pain
-Inflammation, including fever, redness, swelling, or loss of range of motion
-Stiff joints or sore muscles

Here is a great article on the importance of sulfur: http://westonaprice.org/abcs-of-nutrition/sulfur-deficiency

Best Regards,

Dr. Todd Rodman
DrToddRodman@aim.com
WWW.SCNHS.COM
561.313.9117

10 Tips To Minimize Weight Gains While Traveling

With the summer here traveling and vacations are right around the corner. When we are out of our daily routine it is easy to lose track and pack on some extra pounds. For example, did you know that some say that the average person will gain between 4 to 8 pounds while on a cruise? Here are a few easy tips to help minimize the vacation weight gains.

1.) Eat snacks between meals to keep blood sugar levels from dropping too low. This will help so that you don’t get so hungry that you will eat anything or overeat at your next meal. Healthy snacks are available on a cruise so grab some apples after your breakfast and keep them with you in time of need. Don’t be forced to eat anything just because you are in starvation mode.

2.) Protein – the most satiating or satisfying macronutrient and is the best bang for your buck. Protein will keep you full longer. Make sure to have protein for breakfast and dinner with the average amount of grams per day being around ½ your body weight.

3.) During sleep our body goes into a state called ketosis. This is a normal metabolic phase where the body runs out of blood glucose and starts to utilize glycogen, fat and protein stores for energy. This is the phase where we can burn stored body fat. Make sure to limit sugar and carbohydrates at night and reach for lean protein before bed. This will help your body spare muscle loss and get into the fat burning stage.

4.) Drink plenty of water – this is something that we all know to do but often gets overlooked. Dehydration can make us feel like we are hungry when we really are thirsty. Stay well hydrated and you will not feel like you are starving.

5.) Expend energy – take the stairs instead of the elevator, park your car far away, take the seat furthest from the buffet, do anything to ensure that you are burning some of those extra calories. It can be hard to get in the gym when you are traveling so do things to burn a few more calories so eating that chocolate cake won’t be as bad.

6.) Portion control – Turn that 10oz. steak into 5oz., before you eat that desert cut it in half, fill up half of your buffet plate with vegetables, have the hamburger but not the cheese. Make smart choices, does the cheese on the burger really matter? The mayo? Taking off a few items in your entrée will help you save unnecessary calories while you are still eating the foods you like. These easy tricks will go a long way.

7.) Don’t just eat to eat, if you feel full you probably are. If you are not fully enjoying your food cut your losses and stop eating it, it’s not worth it.

8.) Fill up on salads and vegetables – you can eat a lot of vegetables and not gain weight. Chewing a lot (mastication) can make your brain think that it is full when you haven’t consumed many calories. Filling up on these foods will keep you from filling up on poor choices.

9.) Reward yourself – if you eat good the majority of the time go ahead and indulge. This will keep you from binging and reward yourself, you have earned it.

10.) Limit alcohol – alcohol has a lot of sugar and empty calories with no nutritional content. Limit your drinking and you will keep the weight gain to a minimum

Sample on the road exercises:

If you don’t have access to a gym while on your vacation here are a few great exercise examples that you can do just about anywhere:

Lunges, squats, mountain climbers, push ups, pull ups, dips, sit ups, crunches, planks, reverse lunges, jumping jacks, burpees, side squats, bridges with leg extension. If you have any questions about how to do these exercises call our office 561-313-9117 and we will email you a description.

Have a great summer vacation,

Dr. Rodman

Food Suggestions to Decrease Disease Expression

These diseases and symptoms can be made better or prevented with a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids:

Heart Attack
Thrombotic Stroke
Arthritis
Asthma
Colitis
Headaches
Inflammation
Menstrual Cramps
Metastases
Osteoporosis

Here are some examples of acceptable foods and drinks to help reduce the expression of these symptoms and diseases:

Fruits and Veggies
Potatoes
Omega 3 Beef (grass fed not grain fed)
Fish (fresh caught not farm raised)
Chicken
Eggs
Herbs/Spices
Olive Oil
Coconut Oil
Nuts
Dark Chocolate
Water
Green Tea
Red Wine
Stout Beer

A diet rich in these foods and drinks while keeping in moderation the red wine, stout beer and dark chocolate will make a tremendous difference in your health. The best medicine is a good diet. General supplements to take along with this diet are a multi-vitamin (2/day), magnesium (400-1000mg/day), omega 3 (1-2 gram/day) and vitamin D3 (1,000 - 2,000 IU/day).

Stay Healthy My Friends,

Dr. Rodman

How To Maximize Results and Prevent Overuse Injuries

A great way to achieve maximal results and avoid overuse injuries is to periodize your training. Periodizing (or planned fitness training) means to strategically develop your training plan to include periods of time with more rest and periods of time with maximal effort with the intention of peaking your performance for a specific goal. Periodization places variety into a training program at regularly planned periods of time (weeks, months, and so forth) to produce optimal physical adaptation. It involves two primary objectives:

1. Dividing the training program into distinct periods (or phases) of training.

2. Training different forms of strength in each period (or phase) to control the volume of training and to prevent injury.

Training plans

Your training program should be organized into a training plan that involves long-term and short-term planning. The long term plan is also known as an annual plan whereas the short-term plans are termed monthly and weekly plans. By providing a training plan, you will be able to see the future achievement and if your goals are met in a timely, organized fashion.

An annual plan organizes the training program for a 1-year period. The annual plan provides you with a blueprint (or map) that specifically shows how the training program will progress for the long term, from month-to-month, to meet the desired goal. This gives you a clear representation of your goals and how long it takes to get there.

Periodizing encourages the repeated use of different forms of training (ex. stabilization, strength, power, agility, endurance) at specific times in an annual training program to elicit different adaptations in the body. By intentionally cycling through different periods (or phases) of training you are allowing maximal levels of adaptation, while minimizing overtraining. This is a primary benefit of periodization, because overtraining will lead to fatigue and eventually injury.

The 4 main phases of periodized training are:

1.) Base – working on building a strong core/foundation

2.) Prepatory – training to train

3.) Build – training with an increased effort

4.) Peak and Taper – maintain, back off of volume of training, rest up for key event/season.

If you love to push your body and recovery is the hardest part of your training you may need to back off and rest. The problem is that if you do not take enough rest your body won’t adapt to the stress of your training and you won’t get stronger or faster. If you neglect recovery for too long you will start to lose strength and speed and you will sink into the black hole known as overtraining.

First, your sleep patterns and energy levels will feel the effects. Eventually, your immune system crashes and you lose your appetite. It’s like burning out your engine. Any you don’t have to be logging 100-mile running weeks to suffer. With deadlines, chores, bills, kids, and lack of sleep its more challenging to recover properly from your training.

Resting allows soft tissue such as muscles, tendons and ligaments to heal any microtraumas that occurred from training previously. Resting also helps to restore muscle glycogen levels so that your stores of energy fully replenish so that when you are at the day of competition you are at 110%. This helps to improve times and personal records so that game day you will be at your peak performance.

Pay attention to the following 10 markers. If three or more of these indicators raise a red flag, you should consider a few easy sessions or off days so you can return to training strong.

1. BODY MASS – You lost weight from yesterday

A two percent drop in weight from one day to the next indicates a body-fluid fluctuation. Most likely, you didn’t hydrate enough during or after your last workout. Dehydration negatively impacts both physical and mental performance, and could compromise the quality of your next workout.

2. RESTING HEART RATE – Your resting heart rate is elevated

Take your pulse each morning before you get out of bed to find what’s normal for you. An elevated resting heart rate is one sign of stress. It means your nervous system is prepared for fight or flight by releasing hormones that sped up your heart to move more oxygen to the muscles and brain. Your body won’t know the difference between physical and psychological stress. A hard training day and a hard day at work both require extra recovery.

3. SLEEP – You didn’t sleep well enough

A pattern of consistently good sleep will give you a boost of growth hormones, which are great for rebuilding muscle fibers. Several nights in a row of bad sleep will decrease reaction time along with immune, motor, and cognitive functions – not a good combination for a workout. Make sure to sleep with the lights and television off if you’re not scared of the dark. It increases melatonin levels which helps recovery as well. (read to see some benefits of melatonin: http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/jun2007_nu_melatonin_01.htm)

4. HYDRATION - Your pee is dark yellow

This can be an indicator of dehydration, barring the consumption of vitamins, supplements, or certain foods the evening before. The darker the color, the more you’re struggling to retain fluids, because there’s not enough to go around. You need water to operate.

5. ENERGY LEVEL – You’re run down

If your energy level is low, there’s something amiss. The key is honesty. Athletes can block out signs of fatigue to push through it, thinking it will make them stronger. It won’t always work that way.

6. MOOD STATE – You’re cranky

When your body is overwhelmed by training (or other stressors), it produces hormones like cortisol that can cause irritability or anxiety. Stress also halts chemicals like dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that has a big bummer effect on mood when depleted. Crankiness probably means not enough recovery.

7. WELLNESS – You’re sick

Any illness, or even a woman’s menstrual cycle, will increase your need for energy to refuel your immune system, which is having to work overtime. This means fewer resources available for recovering from training.

8. PAIN – You’re sore or nursing an injury

Whether you’re sore from overworked muscles or an injury, your body needs more energy to put toward repair, lengthening total recovery time.

9. PERFORMANCE – Your workout went poorly.

This is a subjective measure of workout quality, not quantity or intensity. If you felt great on yesterdays workout you’d evaluate that as good. If you felt sluggish on that same workout, you’d count it as poor. Trending workout quality – multiple poors in a row – is one of the easiest ways to identify the need for more recovery

10. OXYGEN SATURATION – Your oxygen level has dipped

The amount of oxygen in the hemoglobin of the red blood cells can be measured by placing your fingertip in a portable pulse oximeter, a gadget available online for about $40. The higher the percentage, the better: Above 95 percent is the norm at sea level or for an athlete who is fully acclimated to a given altitude. This is a new area in recovery science, requiring more research, but there may be a link between low oxygen saturation and the need for more recovery.

How To Choose The Right Running Shoe

If you are wondering how to choose the right running shoe here is a great article by Matt Fitzgerald that might help: http://running.competitor.com/2010/10/shoes-and-gear/running-101-how-to-choose-the-right-running-shoe_15622

Slow Motion Video Running Analysis

At SCNHS we use slow motion video running analysis to identify musculoskeletal imbalances. We all know that we are only as strong as our weakest link. Through our running analysis we can identify your weak link, eliminate it, and build upon your strong foundation to accomplish your goals. After identifying the weak link we design a treatment plan consisting of soft-tissue mobilization, chiropractic adjustments, stretching, ergonomic education and therapeutic exercises that is unique to your specific dysfunction. A unique benefit is our ability to email you your fitness program which includes pictures, descriptions and VIDEO of each exercise, so you will be confident in your ability to do the exercises correctly.

The goal of our running analysis is to enhance an athlete’s performance in his or her sport by identifying musculoskeletal imbalances. It is also used to help identify where the cause of where a patients symptoms are coming from and to improve strength and flexibility in the affected areas. While injuries can never be completely avoided, through slow motion video analysis, athletes and everyday people will discover ways their bodies are compensating for injury and train or get treatment accordingly. This helps to create the most effortless and efficient movements, less severe injuries and optimal sport performance.