Where does CoQ10 come from?
Our bodies naturally produce sufficient quantities of CoQ10. The rest is synthesized from foods we eat. Dietary sources include: meat (pork heart contains 0.1268 mg/g), oily fish (canned tuna contains 0.0159 mg/g),  and fruits and vegetable when fresh and unprocessed (cauliflower contains 0.0027 mg/g, strawberries contain 0.0014 mg/g)—just to name a few.

When Is Additional Supplementation Important?
Statin medications, used to treat high cholesterol, work by inhibiting a pathway in the liver called the mevalonate pathway.  The mevalonate pathway is the biochemical path by which the liver manufactures cholesterol, unfortunately, disruption of this pathway also leads to disruption of the bodies’ production of CoQ10.  One of the most common side effects of statin medications is fatigue and muscle aches.  These side effects can be relieved by using CoQ10 with the statin medication.  Alternatively, you can consult with Dr. Seligman or Dr. Lecovin for medication-free approaches to lowering cholesterol. 

Current CoQ10 Products
Supplemental CoQ10 originates in a crystal (dry powder) form. This crystal form alone is not well absorbed because the crystals do not fully dissolve in the intestines and the body cannot absorb lipid crystals. When crystals are dissolved in a lipid-based delivery system (ie, oil-based softgels, liposomes, micelles, and nanoparticles), absorption is improved. However, there is still partial crystallization found in these preparations.

Increased Absorption with Q-Best
Unlike current CoQ10 supplements, Q-Best (product PDF) by Thorne Research is fully dissolved, crystal-free, lipid-based form that allows greater absorption. To compare it with our last CoQ10 product, it’s absorbancy is 3 times greater. Let’s translate: 150 mg of our previous CoQ10 would only require 50mg of Q-Best. This is accomplished by a tri-lipid delivery system. One lipid keeps the CoQ10 crystals fully dissolved at 10°C above body temperature; the second lipid keeps the CoQ10 crystals fully dissolved below body temperature; and the third lipid acts as a carrier molecule to facilitate absorption.

American Heart Month Discount
February is American Heart Month and due to the importance of CoQ10 in cardiovascular health we are including our Q-Best in this month’s 25% supplement discount. Learn more.

 Sources:

Taking preventative measures for heart conditions is an important step. Spend some time to consider the following:

• Keep cholesterol levels in a healthy range. Total cholesterol should be less than 200 mg/dL, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol less than 100 mg/dL, and HDL (“good”) cholesterol above 50 mg/dL.
• Watch your blood pressure. High blood pressure means your heart is working harder to keep blood circulating and is a risk factor for many heart related problems. Aim for 130/80 or lower.
  
• Lose unnecessary weight. Extra weight increases the risk of high blood pressure and diabetes.
• Quit smoking. Quitting drastically reduces your risk of heart disease, respiratory disease and cancers.
• Exercise daily. At least a half an hour per day.
• Let Food be Thy Medicine. Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains provides your body with nutrients to lower your blood pressure and maintain a healthy weight.
• Consider a supplement. Taking the right supplements can assist in reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke. Make an appointment with Dr. Seligman or Dr. Lecovin to discuss supplements especially if you’re managing a health condition.

At EIMED, we are offering a package of natural supplements selected by Dr. Seligman for supporting a healthy heart. When these supplements are purchased as a package you’ll receive a 25% discount. Just mention the special to our staff when purchasing your supplements. Here’s what’s included:

•  CoQ10 – A potent antioxidant and vitamin-like substance that is necessary for an important step in the production of energy in the body. CoQ10 exerts a powerful blood pressure-lowering effect.
• Vitamin E – Vital to the overall antioxidant capacity in the blood and tissues. Numerous studies suggest vitamin E is beneficial to the cardiovascular system.
• Fish Oil – Supports cardiovascular health and lowers heart disease risk.

Don’t forget, our infrared sauna can be another tool as it increases blood circulation and strengthens the cardiovascular system. As your body increases sweat production to cool itself, your heart works harder pumping blood at a greater rate to boost circulation, providing the conditioning benefits of continuous exercise. Heart rate, cardiac output and metabolic rate increase, while diastolic blood pressure drops, thus boosting overall cardiovascular fitness. Learn more about the many other benefits on our Infrared Sauna page. And from now until the end of the month, if you buy a sauna treatment, you’ll get a second sauna treatment for free—Learn more.

There are many ways to be proactive with your cardiovascular health and setting out to do them all might be unrealistic. The key is to identify your goal and then chart out the small steps along the way. Small steps is the important word. By outlining the necessary steps, you build a sense of mastery each time you’ve completed one step towards your goal. For example, if you’re goal is to add fish oil into your daily supplements, identify each step from purchasing the fish oil, finding a daily activity to pair taking your fish oil with (perhaps brushing your teeth), all the way to the steps it takes to maintain the practice—making sure to reward yourself for each accomplishment. By doing so, your not only improving your health, you’re also being kind to yourself.

For a great repository of articles and studies related to heart disease check out Bastyr Center for Natural Health’s website—Learn more.

Sources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov
Beauchamp, Kimberly. Fish Oil May Lower Heart Disease Risk. Journal of Nutrition. doi:10.1016

What if you could treat or prevent certain diseases every time you ate?

Research shows you can:

Coffee Compounds May Protect Against Diabetes

Cheng B, Liu X, Gong H, Huang L, Chen H, Zhang X, Li C, Yang M, Ma B, Jiao L, Zheng L, Huang K. “Coffee Components Inhibit Amyloid Formation of Human Islet Amyloid Polypeptide in Vitro: Possible Link between Coffee Consumption and Diabetes Mellitus.”  J Agric Food Chem. 2011 Dec 28;59(24):13147-55.

Coffee May Lower Women’s Cancer Risk

Youjin Je, Susan E. Hankinson, Shelley S. Tworoger, Immaculata DeVivo,  Edward Giovannucci.  “A Prospective Cohort Study of Coffee Consumption and Risk of Endometrial Cancer over a 26-Year Follow-Up.”  Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev., November 22, 2011.

Coffee May Reduce Risks of Certain Breast Cancers

Jingmei Li, Petra Seibold, Jenny Chang-Claude, Dieter Flesch-Janys, Jianjun Liu, Kamila Czene, Keith Humphreys, Per Hall.  “Coffee consumption modifies risk of estrogen-receptor negative breast cancer.” Breast Cancer Research 2011, 13:R49, 14 May 2011.

Coffee May Lower Risk of Lethal Prostate Cancer

Kathryn M. Wilson, Julie L. Kasperzyk, Jennifer R. Rider, Stacey Kenfield, Rob M. van Dam, Meir J. Stampfer, Edward Giovannucci, Lorelei A. Mucci.  “Coffee Consumption and Prostate Cancer Risk and Progression in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.” J Natl Cancer Inst, May 17, 2011.

Coffee May Protect Against Stroke

Susanna C. Larsson, Jarmo Virtamo, Alicja Wolk.  “Coffee Consumption and Risk of Stroke in Women.” Stroke, Mar 2011.

Coffee Promotes Blood Vessel Health

C. Chrysohoou, K. Dimitriadis, J. Maragiannis, D. Roussos, G. Lazaros, M. Zaromitidou, G. Vogiatzi, G. Siasos, C. Pitsavos, C. Stefanadis.  “Moderate coffee consumption improves aortic distensibility in hypertensive elderly individuals: Ikaria study” (Abstract #5233), presented at European Society of Cardiology 2010 Congress, 1 Sept. 2010.

Tea and Coffee Thwart Brain Tumor Risk

Dominique S Michaud, Valentina Gallo, Brigitte Schlehofer, Anne Tjonneland, Anja Olsen, et al.  “Coffee and tea intake and risk of brain tumors in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort study.”  Am J Clin Nutr, Nov. 2010; 92: 1145 – 1150.

Kiwi fruit Kicks the Common Cold

Denise C. Hunter, Margot A. Skinner, Frances M. Wolber, Chris L. Booth, Jacelyn M. S. Loh, Mark Wohlers, et al.  “Consumption of gold kiwifruit reduces severity and duration of selected upper respiratory tract infection symptoms and increases plasma vitamin C concentration in healthy older adults.”  British J Nutr., 15 December 2011.

Strawberry Boosts Heart Health

Susan J. Zunino, Mardi A. Parelman, Tammy L. Freytag, Charles B. Stephensen, Darshan S. Kelley, Bruce E. Mackey, Leslie R. Woodhouse, Ellen L. Bonnel.  “Effects of dietary strawberry powder on blood lipids and inflammatory markers in obese human subjects.” British J Nutr., 9 November 2011.

Ginger May Reduce Colon Cancer Risks

Suzanna M. Zick, D. Kim Turgeon, Shaiju K. Vareed, Mack T. Ruffin, Amie J. Litzinger, Benjamin D. Wright, et al.  “Phase II Study of the Effects of Ginger Root Extract on Eicosanoids in Colon Mucosa in People at Normal Risk for Colorectal Cancer.”  Cancer Prev Res., October 11, 2011.

Grapes May Help to Prevent Blindness

Chia-Chia Yu, Emeline F. Nandrot, Ying Dun, Silvia C. Finnemann.  “Dietary antioxidants prevent age-related retinal pigment epithelium actin damage and blindness in mice lacking [alpha]v[beta]5 integrin.”  Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 8 December 2011.

Grapes Confer Sun Protection

Cecilia Matito, Neus Agell, Susana Sanchez-Tena, Josep L. Torres, Marta Cascante. “Protective Effect of Structurally Diverse Grape Procyanidin Fractions against UV-Induced Cell Damage and Death”. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 59 (9): 4489-4495, May 2011.

Grapes fight hypertension and combat inflammation

Seymour EM, Singer AAM, Bennink MR, Pariks RV, Kirakosyan A, Kaufman PB, Bolling SF. Chronic intake of a phytochemical-enriched diet reduces cardiac fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction caused by prolonged salt-sensitive hypertension. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences. 2008;63:1034-1042.

Effects of Fruits & Vegetables on Cancer Explored

Neeltje Annema, Jane S. Heyworth, Sarah A. McNaughton, Barry Iacopetta, Lin Fritschi, et al.  “Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and the Risk of Proximal Colon, Distal Colon, and Rectal Cancers in a Case-Control Study in Western Australia.” Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Vol. 111, Issue 10, Pages 1479-1490; October 2011.

Walnuts May Boost Reasoning Skills

Peter Pribis, Rudolph N. Bailey, Andrew A. Russell, Marcia A. Kilsby, Magaly Hernandez, Winston J. Craig, et al. “Effects of walnut consumption on cognitive performance in young adults.” British Journal of Nutrition, 19 Sept. 2011.

Pistachios Promote Healthy Weight Goals

K. Kennedy-Hagan, J.E. Painter, C. Honselman, A. Halvorson, K. Rhodes, K. Skwir. “The effect of pistachio shells as a visual cue in reducing caloric consumption.” Appetite, Vol  57, Issue 2, Pages 418-420.

Apples May Reduce Stroke Risk

Linda M. Oude Griep, W.M. Monique Verschuren, Daan Kromhout, Marga C. Ocke, Johanna M. Geleijnse.  “Colors of Fruit and Vegetables and 10-Year Incidence of Stroke.”  Stroke, September 15 2011.

Apple Compound Extends Lifespan

Cheng Peng, Ho Yin Edwin Chan, Yu Huang, Hongjian Yu, Zhen-Yu Chen.  “Apple Polyphenols Extend the Mean Lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster.”  J. Agric. Food Chem., 2011, 59 (5), pp 2097–2106, February 14, 2011.

Green Tea Compounds Counteract Key Mechanism of Aging

S. Kaviarasan, A.S. Sivakumar, A. Barik, A. Kunwar, G.H. Naik and K.I. Priyadarsini.  “Potential radical scavenging ability of sunphenon: a green tea extract.”  Journal of Food Biochemistry, 26 April 2010; DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-4514.2010.00404.x.

Green Tea Compound May Reduce Type-1 Diabetes Risk

Zhuo Fu, Wei Zhen, Julia Yuskavage, Dongmin Liu.  “Epigallocatechin gallate delays the onset of type 1 diabetes in spontaneous non-obese diabetic mice.”  British Journal of Nutrition, 9 December 2010; doi:10.1017/S0007114510004824.

Green Tea May Exert Satiety Effect

Josic J, Tholen Olsson A, Wickenberg J, Lindstedt S, Hlebowicz J.  “Does green tea affect postprandial glucose, insulin and satiety in healthy subjects: a randomized controlled trial.”  Nutrition Journal 9:63, 30 November 2010.

Green Tea May Promote Dental Health

Yasushi Koyama, Shinichi Kuriyama, Jun Aida, Toshimasa Sone, Naoki Nakaya, Kaori Ohmori-Matsuda, Atsushi Hozawa, Ichiro Tsuji.  “Association between green tea consumption and tooth loss: Cross-sectional results from the Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study.”  Preventive Medicine, Volume 50, Issue 4, April 2010, Pages 173-179.

Green Tea Extract May Promote Weight Loss

F Thielecke, G Rahn, J Bohnke, F Adams, A L Birkenfeld, J Jordan, M Boschmann.  “Epigallocatechin-3-gallate and postprandial fat oxidation in overweight/obese male volunteers: a pilot study.”  European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 7 April 2010; doi:10.1038/ejcn.2010.47.

Dark Chocolate Promotes Healthy Cholesterol Profile

O A Tokede, J M Gaziano, L Djousse.  “Effects of cocoa products/dark chocolate on serum lipids: a meta-analysis.”  European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 65: 879-886, 11 May 2011.

Anti-Inflammatory Mechanism of Cocoa Revealed

M. Vazquez-Agell, M. Urpi-Sarda, E. Sacanella, S. Camino-Lopez, G. Chiva-Blanch, V. Llorente-Cortes, E. Tobias, et al.  “Cocoa consumption reduces NF-[kappa]B activation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in humans.” Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, 6 August 2011.

Spices Help to Boost Metabolism

Ann C. Skulas-Ray, Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Danette L. Teeter, C-Y. Oliver Chen, John P. Vanden Heuvel,  Sheila G. West.  “A High Antioxidant Spice Blend Attenuates Postprandial Insulin and Triglyceride Responses and Increases Some Plasma Measures of Antioxidant Activity in Healthy, Overweight Men.”   J. Nutr. August 2011, 141: 8; 1451-1457.

Nut Consumption Improves Glycemic and Lipid Control

David J.A. Jenkins, Cyril W.C. Kendall, Monica S. Banach, Korbua Srichaikul, Edward Vidgen, Sandy Mitchell, et al.  “Nuts as a Replacement for Carbohydrates in the Diabetic Diet.” Diabetes Care, June 29, 2011.

Broccoli Compound Selectively Targets Cancer Cells

John D. Clarke, Anna Hsu, Zhen Yu, Roderick H. Dashwood ,Emily Ho. “Differential effects of sulforaphane on histone deacetylases, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in normal prostate cells versus hyperplastic and cancerous prostate cells.”  Molecular Nutrition & Food Research,  4 March 2011.

Blueberries Help to Reduce Cholesterol Levels

Kim H, Bartley GE, Rimando AM, Yokoyama W.  “Hepatic gene expression related to lower plasma cholesterol in hamsters fed high-fat diets supplemented with blueberry peels and peel extract.” J Agric Food Chem. 2010 Apr 14;58(7):3984-91.

Berries May Lower Parkinson’s Disease Risks

X. Gao, A. Cassidy, M.A. Schwarzschild, E.B. Rimm, A. Ascherio. ““Habitual intake of dietary flavonoids and risk of Parkinson disease.” Presented at American Academy of Neurology 63rd Annual Meeting, 13 Feb. 2011.

Dark Chocolate Improves Post-Exercise Markers

Glen Davison, Robin Callister, Gary Williamson, Karen A. Cooper, Michael Gleeson. “The effect of acute pre-exercise dark chocolate consumption on plasma antioxidant status, oxidative stress and immunoendocrine responses to prolonged exercise.” European J Nutrition, 5 April 2011

Cherry Juice Aids Post-Exercise Muscle Recovery

Bowtell, Joanna L.; Sumners, D. Paul; Dyer, Amy; Fox, Patrick; Mileva, Katya N. “Montmorency Cherry Juice Reduces Muscle Damage Caused By Intensive Strength Exercise.”  Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 12 January 2011; doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e31820e5adc.

Olive Oil Improves Marker of Heart Health

Olga Castaner, Montserrat Fito, M. Carmen Lopez-Sabater, Henrik E. Poulsen, Kristiina Nyyssonen, Helmut Schroder, et al., for the EUROLIVE Study Group.  “The effect of olive oil polyphenols on antibodies against oxidized LDL. A randomized clinical trial.” Clinical Nutrition, 3 March 2011.

Natural Compound in Olive Oil Targets Toxic Alzheimer’s Proteins

Jason Pitt, William Roth, Pascale Lacor, Amos B. Smith III, Matthew Blankenship, Pauline Velasco, Fernanda De Felice, Paul Breslin, William L. Klein. “Alzheimer’s-associated AB oligomers show altered structure, immunoreactivity and synaptotoxicity with low doses of oleocanthal.” Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, Volume 240, Issue 2, 15 October 2009, Pages 189-197.

Cardiovascular Benefits of Modest Alcohol Consumption Reaffirmed

Susan E Brien, Paul E Ronksley, Barbara J Turner, Kenneth J Mukamal, William A Ghali.  “Effect of alcohol consumption on biological markers associated with risk of coronary heart disease: systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies.”  BMJ, 22 February 2011.

Curry Derivative Provides Neuroprotection in Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury

Paul A. Lapchak, David R. Schubert, Pamela A. Maher.  “Delayed treatment with a novel neurotrophic compound reduces behavioral deficits in rabbit ischemic stroke.”  Journal of Neurochemistry, Dec. 2, 2010; 2011; 116 (1): 122 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2010.07090.x.

Curry Spice Compound Helps to Reduce Symptoms of Tendonitis

Constanze Buhrmann, Ali Mobasheri, Franziska Busch, Constance Aldinger, Ralf Stahlmann, Azadeh Montaseri, Mehdi Shakibaei.  “Curcumin Modulates Nuclear Factor κB (NF-κB)-mediated Inflammation in Human Tenocytes in Vitro: ROLE OF THE PHOSPHATIDYLINOSITOL 3-KINASE/Akt PATHWAY.”   J. Biol. Chem. 2011, 286: 28556-28566, June 13, 2011.

Pomegranate Juice Compounds May Inhibit Cancer Progression

L. Wang, J. Ho, M. M. Martins-Green.  “Specific Pomegranate Juice Components as Potential Inhibitors of Prostate Cancer Metastasis” (Abstract #B1037).  Presented at the2010 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology, 12 December 2010.

Whey Protein Helps to Lower Blood Pressure

Susan M. Fluegel, Terry D. Shultz, Joseph R. Powers, Stephanie Clark, Celestina Barbosa-Leiker, Bruce R. Wright, Timothy S. Freson, Heidi A. Fluegel, Jonathan D. Minch, Lance K. Schwarzkopf, Ashley J. Miller, Michael M. Di Filippo.  “Whey beverages decrease blood pressure in prehypertensive and hypertensive young men and women.”  International Dairy Journal, Volume 20, Issue 11, November 2010, Pages 753-760.

Garlic Extract Reduces High Blood Pressure

Karin Ried, Oliver R. Frank, Nigel P. Stocks.  “Aged garlic extract lowers blood pressure in patients with treated but uncontrolled hypertension: A randomised controlled trial.”  Maturitas, Volume 67, Issue 2, October 2010, Pages 144-150.

Garlic May Counteract Key Cancer Process

Keary Cope, Harold Seifried, Rebecca Seifried, John Milner, Penny Kris-Etherton, Earl H. Harrison.  “A gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method for the quantitation of N-nitrosoproline and N-acetyl-S-allylcysteine in human urine: Application to a study of the effects of garlic consumption on nitrosation.” Analytical Biochemistry, Volume 394, Issue 2, 15 November 2009, Pages 243-248.

Tomato Compounds Promote Healthy Skin

M. Rizwan, I. Rodriguez-Blanco, A. Harbottle, M.A. Birch-Machin, R.E.B. Watson, L.E. Rhodes.  “Tomato paste rich in lycopene protects against cutaneous photodamage in humans in vivo.”  British Journal of Dermatology, 21 September 2010.

Cranberry Juice May Offer Protection from Serious Infections

Yuanyuan Tao, Paola A Pinzon, Amy B Howell, Terri A Camesano.  “Oral consumption of cranberry juice inhibits cellular adhesion and biofilm formation of uropathogenic bacteria” (Abstract #189),  presented at The 240th American Chemical Society National Meeting & Exposition, August 25, 2010.

Cashew Compound May Help Ward Off Diabetes

Leonard Tedong, Padma Madiraju, Louis C. Martineau, Diane Vallerand, John T. Arnason, Dzeufiet D. P. Desire, Louis Lavoie, Pierre Kamtchouing, Pierre S. Haddad.  “Hydro-ethanolic extract of cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) nut and its principal compound, anacardic acid, stimulate glucose uptake in C2C12 muscle cells.”  Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 5 July 2010.`

Cherry Juice Helps to Alleviate Insomnia

Wilfred R. Pigeon, Michelle Carr, Colin Gorman, Michael L. Perlis.  “Effects of a Tart Cherry Juice Beverage on the Sleep of Older Adults with Insomnia: A Pilot Study.”  Journal of Medicinal Food. June 20

Apple Compound May Alleviate Food Allergies

A. W. Zuercher, S. Holvoet, M. Weiss, A. Mercenier.  “Polyphenol-enriched apple extract attenuates food allergy in mice.” Clinical & Experimental Allergy, Volume 40, Issue 6, Date: June 2010, Pages: 942-950.

Oats Reduce Inflammation

Oats:  Cooling Inflammation and Unhealthy Cell Proliferation.” Agricultural Research Magazine, February 2010, ,Vol. 58, No. 2, page 10.

Let food be thy medicine…

A blend of amino acids and other nutrients were carefully selected based on scientific support for their roles in the synthesis and activity of the specific neurotransmitters involved in regulating the immune response. Polyphenolic antioxidants (they protect cells and body chemicals from damage) and herbs including grape seed extract, green tea extract, cinnamon bark, cocoa extract and echinacea are also a part of the synergistic blend.

When to Use Lister V:

• At the first signs of viral infection
• During an active viral infection
• At the onset of herpes-induced cold sores or incipient viral infection
• Patients with impaired immune function

For additional information, you can view the ListerV product sheet and Lister V monograph which explains in detail ingredients, mechanisms of action, clinical trials and more.

What Next?
Our natural pharmacy carries Medical Foods by Physician Therapeutics. Medical Foods are dispensed by Rx-Only. Patients can schedule an appointment to discuss their condition and treatment with Dr. Seligman or Dr. Lecovin. When a Medical Food is prescribed, patients pay their pharmacy copay—the rest is covered by insurance.

Research shows that drinking just two 8-ounce glasses of water before meals helps with weight loss. (Study presented at the 2010 National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston).

After 12 weeks, water drinkers lost about 15.5 pounds, compared to non-water-drinking dieters, who lost only 11 pounds.

Not only were those who drank water before meals more successful after 12 weeks, but they also kept the weight off for a full year after the weight loss study and even lost another 1 to 2 pounds.

How Water Aids Weight Loss

The answer is simple- it has no calories, fills up the stomach and making people less hungry.

It is also a healthy substitute for high calorie sugar laden beverages that many people consume.

7 Wonders of Water

1.       Stay Slimmer With Water:

Water revs up metabolism and helps you feel full.  By drinking more icy cold water your body must work to warm the water up, burning a few extra calories in the process.

2.       Boosts Your Energy:

If you’re feeling drained and depleted, water can provide that pick-me up you need. Dehydration makes you feel fatigued. Water helps the blood transport oxygen and other essential nutrients to your cells.

3.       Lowers Stress:

70 to 80% of your brain tissue is water. If you’re dehydrated, your body and brain are in a state of stress.

4.       Builds Muscle Tone:

Drinking water helps prevent muscle cramping and lubricates joints. When you’re well hydrated, you can exercise longer and stronger without “hitting the wall”.

5.       Nourishes your Skin:

Fine lines and wrinkles are deeper when you’re dehydrated. Water is nature’s own beauty cream. Drinking water hydrates skin cells and plumps them up, making your face look younger.  It also flushes out impurities and improves circulation and blood flow, leaving your face clean, clear, and glowing. Water is the ultimate detoxification beverage.

6.     Keeps you Regular:

Along with fiber, water is essential to good digestion. Water helps dissolve waste particles and passes them smoothly through your digestive tract. If you’re dehydrated, your body absorbs all the water, leaving your colon dry and making it more difficult to pass waste.

7.     Reduces Kidney Stones

The rate of painful kidney stones is rising because people  aren’t drinking enough water. Water dilutes the salts and minerals in your urine that form the solid crystals known as kidney stones. Kidney stones can’t form in diluted urine.  You can reduce your risk by staying hydrated.

Are You Drinking Enough Water?

Generally, nutritionists recommend we follow the “8×8 rule.” Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. You may need more water if you exercise or sweat heavily. You may need less water if you drink other beverages often.

* Thirst is a poor indicator of hydration.  If you are feeling thirsty, you are probably a bit dehydrated.

Other Weight loss tips:

1. Acupuncture can help with reducing cravings and increasing your metabolism
2. PGX (a fiber supplement) helps with cravings and stabilizing blood sugar
3. App Trim- a medical food available by prescription from Evergreen Integrative Medicine works on the cellular level by increasing neurotransmitters involved in cravings and metabolism

• See prior posts for more weight loss tips

Learn more about Dr. Lecovin and his practice.

Relative Flexibility is the tendency of the body to seek the path of least resistance during functional movement.

Relative flexibility can result when one or more segments of the Kinetic Chain (Your muscles, joints and nervous system) are misaligned or not functioning properly and is often the result of Postural Distortion Patterns.

In postural distortion patterns, when a muscle is tight, its opposite muscle reflexively becomes weak (altered reciprocal inhibition). This results in compensation by other muscles (synergistic dominance).

Compensatory muscle recruitment can be identified by observing functional activities such as squatting, pushing, pulling and lifting.

Postural Distortion Patterns and are characterized by:

1.            Muscle imbalances

2.            Poor Posture

3.            Improper movement

4.            Injury

Some common examples of Relative Flexibility that you may be able to identify in yourself include:

1. During squatting you notice-  Feet turn out, knees move  in, excessive forward lean
2. During pushing or pulling you notice- low back arching, shoulders elevating, head protruding forward

The consequence of postural distortion and relative flexibility is:  pain, injury and if you are an athlete, suboptimal performance.

The solution:

1. Identify the imbalanced muscles (over and under active) and joint dysfunction
2. Inhibit and lengthen the overactive muscles
3. Activate and strengthen the underactive muscles
4. Perform functional movement patterns with full available pain free movement in all planes of motion

Self Myofascial Release

One of the simplest ways to lengthen tight muscles is through Self Myofascial Release.

How does it work?

Two basic nerve receptors are located in skeletal muscle tissue.  These receptors are the muscle spindle and the golgi tendon organ. 

Muscle Spindles are located parallel to the muscle fibers.  They record changes in fiber length.  Over stretching or repetitive strain activates spindles and triggers the myotatic stretch reflex. This reflexively shortens muscle tissue, alters the normal length-tension relationship, and often induces pain.

Golgi Tendon Organs (GTO) are located at the musculotendinous junction.  They are sensitive to change in tension. Stimulation of the GTO’s past a certain threshold inhibits the muscle spindle activity and decreases muscular tension.  This phenomenon is referred to as autogenic inhibition and it results in the reduction of soft-tissue tension, thereby decreases pain, restoring normal muscle length-tension relationships, and improving function (or performance if you are an athlete).

BENEFITS OF SELF-MYOFASCIAL RELEASE

• Correct muscle imbalances
• ↑ Joint range of motion
• ↓ Muscle soreness & relieve joint stress
• ↓ Neuromuscular hypertonicity
• ↑ Extensibility of musculotendinous junction
• ↑ Neuromuscular efficiency
• Maintain normal functional muscular length

Ideally, Self-Myofascial Release should be followed by stretching of the involved muscles.

 References: NASM

Geoff Lecovin, MS, DC, ND, L.Ac., CSCS, CISSN

Dr. Lecovin is a chiropractor, naturopathic physician and acupuncturist. He graduated from Los Angeles College of Chiropractic in 1990, earned a Masters in Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport in 1992, and then went on to complete the naturopathic and acupuncture programs at Bastyr University in 1994. He holds additional certifications in exercise from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, National Academy of Sports Medicine and International Society of Sports Nutrition.

Dr. Lecovin specializes in treating musculoskeletal pain and sports injuries by integrating trigger point acupuncture, soft tissue release, joint manipulation, corrective exercise and nutrition. In addition, he combines exercise and nutrition for weight loss, weight gain and performance enhancement.

His clinic, located in Bellevue, WA, offers naturopathic medicine, chiropractic, acupuncture, massage and infrared sauna therapy.

He can be reached at Evergreen Integrative Medicine at (425) 646-4747 and his website address is: www.drgeofflecovin.com    www.eimed.com

Dear Dr. Geoff,

I have suffered from chronic, recurrent lower back pain for over 10 years. I have seen physical therapists, massage therapists, chiropractors and acupuncturists. I receive short term relief, but my pain always returns.

I have read your articles on the kinetic chain and am wondering if this approach would provide a lasting solution to my pain.

Sincerely,

Suffering in Seattle

Dear suffering in Seattle,

Thank you for your e-mail. Your scenario is all too common. Many practitioners address pieces of the kinetic chain, providing short term relief, but the condition persists. The reason is as follows:

The human movement system is made up of three interrelated components:

1. Nervous system

2. Muscular system

3. Skeletal system

Together, these systems function to coordinate movements of the kinetic chain.

The nervous system is responsible for force-couple relationships (synergistic movements between muscle groups).

The muscular system is the connection of soft tissues (i.e. muscles, tendons, fascia) and functions efficiently when length-tension relationships between the muscles are optimal.

The skeletal system is comprised of joints. It is the interconnection of bones from the feet up to the skull.

 If one of the systems is not working properly, then dysfunction results. This dysfunction is generally due to altered:

1. Length-tension relationships

2. Force-couple relationships

3. Arthrokinematics

4. Alignment

5. Movement patterns

The end result is tissue fatigue and ultimately pain and injury.

If you have recurring injuries or experience only temporary relief from therapy (i.e. physical therapy, massage, chiropractic etc.), then the problem may lie elsewhere in the Kinetic Chain.

Evaluating the integrity of the Kinetic chain as well as knowledge of these interrelationships, can help explain why a painful condition may not be responding to therapy and identify where the source of pain (not just the symptoms) is coming from.

A quick and easy way to identify dysfunction in the Human Movement System is by assessing  your  overhead squat. The overhead squat looks at movement at the following Kinetic chain checkpoints:

1. Foot and ankle

2. Knee

3. Lumbo-pelvic-hip complex

4. Shoulder/cervical spine

5. Head

The Overhead Squat:

Stand facing a full-length mirror with your feet shoulder-width apart and pointed straight ahead and your arms raised overhead. Squat three times. Hold the pose at the lowest point in your third squat and take note of your body position at the checkpoints. Perform the movement again and have someone watch from the side and behind.

Considerations with low back pain:

The low back (lumbo-pelvic-hip complex) has 29-35 muscles that attach to and influence it. It is associated with both the upper and lower extremities and as such can influence or be influenced by structures above and below.

By evaluation the entire kinetic chain, we can determine where the dysfunction lies and where to focus therapy and rehabilitation.

There are 4 main lumbo-pelvic-hip complex movement compensations seen in the overhead squat assessment:

1. Excessive forward lean
2. Low back arches
3. Low back rounds
4. Asymmetrical weight shift

Each of these compensations occurs as a result of certain muscles being overactive and others being underactive.

By understanding the functional anatomy, we can identify these muscles by observing the dysfunctional movement and then performing isolated range of motion assessment and muscles testing.

These patterns can also be identified using a single leg squat assessment and during a dynamic movement assessment, e.g. walking on a treadmill.

Because muscles are related to joints, motion palpation to assess joint movement is also essential and will need to be addressed.

A kinetic Chain Approach to Low Back Pain:

Once we have identified the involved muscles and joints (i.e. through the overhead squat assessment, range of motion and muscle testing and palpation), treatment can consist of manual therapies to correct muscle imbalance and joint dysfunction (e.g. trigger point therapy and mobilization/manipulation) and then progress to corrective exercise, including:

1. Inhibiting tight muscles by using foam rollers (self myofascial release)

2. Lengthening tight muscles through static stretching

3. Activating weak muscles through isolated strengthening

4. Integrating functional movements to coordinate and retrain optimal kinetic chain function

Geoff Lecovin, MS, DC, ND, L.Ac., CSCS, CISSN

Dr. Lecovin is a chiropractor, naturopathic physician and acupuncturist. He graduated from Los Angeles College of Chiropractic in 1990, earned a Masters in Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport in 1992, and then went on to complete the naturopathic and acupuncture programs at Bastyr University in 1994. He holds additional certifications in exercise from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, National Academy of Sports Medicine and International Society of Sports Nutrition.

Dr. Lecovin specializes in treating musculoskeletal pain and sports injuries by integrating trigger point acupuncture, soft tissue release, joint manipulation, corrective exercise and nutrition. In addition, he combines exercise and nutrition for weight loss, weight gain and performance enhancement.

His clinic, located in Bellevue, WA, offers naturopathic medicine, chiropractic, acupuncture, massage and infrared sauna therapy.

He can be reached at Evergreen Integrative Medicine at (425) 646-4747 and his website address is: www.drgeofflecovin.com    www.eimed.com

I have two pet peeves: dirty dishes in the sink and unsolicited interruptions in my workouts.

I don’t mean to be stand-offish in the gym, but for me it’s all about intensity and getting in and out of the gym so I can get to work on time.

This morning, someone training next to me (the trainer I alluded to in my “demystifying the core” blog – see prior post), offered me some unsolicited advice on how to make the exercise I was doing harder. In training jargon, this equates to progressing an exercise.

Now, I love to learn. Much to my wife’s dismay, I probably take 100 hours of continuing education each year and am always reading to keep up with the latest research.

I try to keep an open mind and believe that I can learn something from everyone.

Unfortunately, this individual, while well intentioned, gave me erroneous unsolicited advice. While I did learn something from him, it wasn’t exercise related. Rather, it was that some personal trainers, despite holding a certification, don’t always understand the science behind exercise and nutrition.

At the time, I was faced with two options: I could have corrected him and explained why what he was advising me was incorrect, or I could have politely smiled and finish my workout in a timely manner.

Given what I told you earlier about my pet peeves as well as my perception of my audience (the personal trainer advising me), you probably guessed that I chose the latter. Hence, my decision to write this post.

By now you are probably wondering about the advice.

I was performing a side Iso-Abs, also known as a side plank. The advice I was given was to put one leg across the other onto the floor, instead of stacking my legs. I was told this would make the exercise more intense by 12%.

The reason this trainer’s advice was incorrect was because the side plank is a core stability exercise. In order to progress this exercise, I should have been told to increase the complexity and instability of the exercise by using a ball or pad, or by raising one leg above the other. By having me place my top stacked leg on the ground, I was creating more stability and an environment that required less balance.

I am not sure if this trainer is NASM certified. The NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) developed an evidence-based, integrated model (Optimum Performance Training, or OPT, model) that is designed to help clients and athletes, regardless of fitness level, achieve their goals safely and progressively based on an assessment and current research in exercise physiology.

Review of the OPT Model

*1RM (Repetition Max) –  An estimation of the maximum amount of weight that can be lifted one time for a given exercise

**Tempo- Speed at which each repetition is performed. The first number is the eccentric contraction (lengthening); the second number is the isometric contraction (dynamic stabilization); the third number is the concentric contraction (shortening).

***Volume - Amount of training performed within a specific time period

****Load - Amount of weight

A note on rest periods - Recovery varies based on the energy system used. The more intense the activity, the longer the recovery time needed to replenish energy stores.

So there you have it…some unsolicited, albeit accurate and hopefully useful advice!

Geoff Lecovin, MS, DC, ND, L.Ac., CSCS, CISSN

Dr. Lecovin is a chiropractor, naturopathic physician and acupuncturist. He graduated from Los Angeles College of Chiropractic in 1990, earned a Masters in Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport in 1992, and then went on to complete the naturopathic and acupuncture programs at Bastyr University in 1994. He holds additional certifications in exercise from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, National Academy of Sports Medicine and International Society of Sports Nutrition.

Dr. Lecovin specializes in treating musculoskeletal pain and sports injuries by integrating trigger point acupuncture, soft tissue release, joint manipulation, corrective exercise and nutrition. In addition, he combines exercise and nutrition for weight loss, weight gain and performance enhancement.

His clinic, located in Bellevue, WA, offers naturopathic medicine, chiropractic, acupuncture, massage and infrared sauna therapy.

He can be reached at Evergreen Integrative Medicine at (425) 646-4747 and his website address is: www.drgeofflecovin.com    www.eimed.com