DAY 120 – Ticklishness: Is it Just Funny?

photo courtesy of jencu at flickr

I’ll let you answer the question.

But, before you do, I’d like to offer questions and thoughts that have shaped my view over the last 30 years.

What causes ticklishness?

Does the coupling of its seeming innocuousness with the laughter, distract us from even wondering?

Is it important if ones body reacts significantly differently than most, to touch?

Why are some people extremely ticklish, and others not at all?

It is a sensitivity to touch.

It is a hypersensitivity for some.

Often, hypersensitivities are signs of imbalance/illness.

I have observed that when food allergens, such as dairy products are removed from the diet, some children experience a marked decrease in ticklishness.

All children that I have treated, who are significantly ticklish, also have other signs of allergy, and specifically of food allergy.

Hypersensitivity is a common effect of allergy; sensitivity to light, sound, or motion.

What do you think?

DAY 111 Forgive Me ... But You Have Food Allergies

Yes, you.

Truth be told, I am just trying to be helpful. I did not wake this morning with the intention of trying to ruin your day by telling you about your food allergies.

 I understand that this can be an emotional issue, so let me be clear; I will not be telling you what to do, and I won’t be taking any foods away from you.

And please remember, I am just the messenger.

It is reasonable to believe that every person has a least one food allergy.

Food allergy is one of the most common causes of a laundry list of chronic health conditions. Signs and symptoms of chronic unwellness such as pain, fatigue, arthritis, headache, high blood pressure, diabetes, weight gain, depression, congestion, constipation, and reflux are often indicators of food allergy.

I could have just let you suffer. Or, I could have just sold you treatments for your ailments, without ever discussing their causes. No one would have blamed me because most people aren’t even aware of the endemic problem of food allergy. But, I can’t do that to you.

What’s wonderful and amazing is that each and every one of the signs and symptoms that I listed above, usually responds amazingly, or completely resolves when food allergens are removed from ones diet.

So, just give it some thought; would you trade a few foods to get rid of some of your illnesses? Or, maybe you can’t live without your Gouda cheese.

See; I didn’t take anything away from you, and in fact I may have just given you your life back.

The ball is in your court.

DAY 104 – ‘Till the End

photo courtesy of di the huntress at flickr commons

Larry was 44. He had a two year-old son, a loving wife, and leukemia.

I was his chiropractor.

Before his cancer diagnosis, I had recommended that he examine his diet, make general improvements, and consider the possibility that he might be allergic to a few foods that he was eating. I made these suggestions since foods are one of the most common causes of the muscle and joint complaints that I was treating him for.

Larry was none too keen on looking at, nor making changes in his diet.

Food is one of the single greatest causes of chronic degenerative disease, including musculoskeletal aches and pains.  As a responsible physician, I educate each and every patient about the risks of poor diet, and food allergies. Most patients are distressed at being advised that foods may be impacting their health. Not wanting to provoke them, I say, as I did to Larry, “If at any time you would rather that I not discuss the possibility of foods affecting your health, please let me know, and I will stop.”

Chemotherapy had its usual side effects; nausea, fatigue and hair loss. But, Larry appeared to be holding his own.

When the invitation to his 45th birthday party came to the office, I was honored to be included.

The gathering was festive; his friends, many. OK, so I’m a doctor, but the food was hardly appropriate for an ill man. Some of the gifts from loving friends, included candy, cookies and other sweets.

A few days after the party, Larry was in my office for a treatment. I had been going round and round with myself; his food choices were a clear risk to his recovery and his life, but I knew that he wasn’t going to be happy with me if I brought it up. What I came to was that my fear was no excuse; I had to tell him my professional opinion.

My words and tone were chosen carefully. He acknowledged my advice. There was some tension, but the visit ended without incident.

Walking into a treatment room a week later, Larry, already seated, said, “Dr. Young, sit down.” My sensitive gut churned. “Sit down.”, with that tone, had to mean, “you are in trouble.”

“I come to see you because you are the best chiropractor I have ever found, but if you mention food one more time, you will never see me again!”

“Larry, thank you for telling me. This is exactly what I have asked; tell me what you want. I care about you much more than I care about what you eat.”

... Turned out, Larry wasn’t holding his own. As the weeks clicked by, he became sicker and weaker. One day his wife, Rachel, called and asked if I could come to the house to treat him; he just didn’t have the strength to get out.

Arriving, I made space in his bedroom for my portable chiropractic table. He was weak, but glad to see me. I helped him onto the table and kept him warm with a blanket. This was not the time for spinal adjustment; I lightly massaged his back and neck, and held his hand.

Back in bed, I tucked him in as he closed his eyes ... for the last time.

Larry had let me know what he needed; making it possible for us to work together ‘till the end.

DAY 99 - Growth Does Not Cause Pain

Noona, Liel and Zion rest on a hike

“Growth does not cause pain.” ~ Kristofer Young, DC

The following comes (1/11/2011) from a page called “Growing Pains” on a website called Kids Health.

“Your 8-year-old son wakes up crying in the night complaining that his legs are throbbing. ........

Sound familiar? Your child is probably experiencing growing pains, a normal occurrence in about 25% to 40% of children. They generally strike during two periods: in early childhood among 3- to 5-year-olds and, later, in 8- to 12-year-olds.

What Causes Them?

No firm evidence shows that the growth of bones [or muscles, or any other tissues] causes pain. The most likely causes are the aches and discomforts resulting from the jumping, climbing, and running that active kids do during the day. The pains can occur after a child has had a particularly athletic day.” - end quote -

In 1983 when I opened my chiropractic practice, I felt a degree of apprehension about being, myself, judged unscientific due to some perception in our culture at large, and even more so in the medical profession, of chiropractors being unscientific.

As years passed, I felt more and more comfortable, and less threaten by the possibility of being accused of being an unscientific practitioner. My comfort did not arise from impeccable adherence to scientific principles on the part of all my chiropractic colleagues, but rather, from my growing awareness that medical doctors, too, live in glass houses, and ought to be careful with stone throwing.

An example of non-science, is a diagnosis of “growing pains”. A cursory review of the medical literature, including 5 medical dictionaries and a December 2010 abstract from Pediatric Endocrinology Review titled “Growing Pains: myth or reality”, leave no doubt that there is no such thing as “growing pains”. It’s not that there is very little evidence that growth causes pain; there is none.

Recall that on the Kids Health site, they list a condition called “growing pains”, and then tell us that there is “[n]o firm evidence that the growth ..... causes pain.” Then why are so many doctors and parents calling children’s leg pain, “growing pains”. Shouldn’t they be called leg pains? Isn’t it also interesting that Kids Health states that physical activity is the likely cause of the pain, while also telling us that children are more likely to have these pains between 3-5 and 8-12 years of age. What’s the magic here; do kids between 5 and 8 stop being physically active? This is not the science I am used to.

So here is the dangerous part, if one in three children experience leg pain, and are diagnosed with “growing pains”, a condition that doesn’t exist, that means that the real causes of their pain are unknown and untreated. I hope I would not have to tell a parent how unsafe this is for these misdiagnosed children.

Let me suggest to you some scientifically reasonable causes of leg pain in children. It is a rare child with leg pain that has these probable causes evaluated.

food allergies

disturbed gastrointestinal health

aberrant spinal joint function in the low back

nutritional deficiencies

poor diet

lack of exercise

What is a parent to do? Take your child to a functional medicine practitioner (chiropractor, MD, DO, DOM, etc.) Go to the website of the Institute for Functional Medicine to get a referral: click here.

DAY 32 – Bell’s Palsy Prompts Call from Alabama

I’ve been treating Lenny for about 20 years now. We’ve been through a lot together; pain, insurance companies, and a near-death experience. Through all of it, the mutual trust we started with has only grown stronger.

When I answered the office phone this morning, it was Lenny calling from Alabama. Being retired and free, he and his wife had packed up the trailer two weeks ago and set out to visit relatives in the South.

He was calling for my advice. His adult daughter had just been diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy (a usually temporary, one-sided paralysis of muscles of the face, caused by disturbance of the facial nerve). Her MD had given her a steroid injection and advised her that there was little that she could do but wait it out (usually 4-8 weeks).

Lenny and I have been through these before. When a question arises about health, any aspect of health, whether his, a family member’s, or a friend’s, he checks in with me for guidance. His question now was, was the MD correct, or was there anything else that could be done for his daughter, or that she could do for herself.

My answer included:
1)    Bell’s Palsy is hypothesized to be caused by inflammation or viral infection. While the MD reduces inflammation with steroids, it would be wise to lower inflammation oneself by temporarily removing animal products from the diet, by markedly decreasing sugars and refined starches, by removing common food allergens such as dairy products, and by taking beneficial bacteria (probiotics) orally,
2)    Alternating ice and heat (10 min each and 40 minutes off) applied to the back of the neck and base of the skull,
3)    Receive skilled chiropractic adjustment to restore mobility to the joints of the neck, if found to be stiff or restricted.

Not born yesterday, Lenny knows that it is not probable that there would be only one treatment for a condition. And he knows to ask questions. With questions answered, he felt relieved, and could now help his daughter. He thanked me and assured me that he would keep me informed of his daughter’s progress.

Trust and communication, a powerful duo.

DAY 27 – Face Your Food: It Will Change Your Life

I’ve been talking with patients about the joys and the dangers of food for about 24 years, since I first saw the light.

My family, guided by my Mom, ate “healthy” food. We ate whole wheat bread, brown sugar, and only had boxed, sugar-coated, commercial cereals for dessert or for a special occasion. We ate cauliflower, asparagus, and eggplant.

Even with “healthy” food, I still had health problems from childhood through age 35. I consistently needed 10-12 hours of sleep, but awoke tired each day. My skin was dry and rough. Serious low back problems began by age 10, and resulted in severe damage to discs and bone in my low back, as shown on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). By 15 I developed large tear marks (inform yourself at http://turning60consciously.blogspot.com/search/label/stretch%20mark) on the skin in my groin and arm pits. An ulcer was diagnosed by age 16 and I lived on antacids for the next 24 years. At 20 my first complete rupture and surgical repair of one of my Achilles tendons occurred.

While I was young, and falling apart, it never crossed my mind that food could be a cause of my ills, because what I ate was “healthy”. Not one of the dozen or more medical doctors that saw me for my many illnesses and injuries, ever suggested nor even hinted at the possibility that food could be playing a role in my ill health.

By age 35, still taking antacids daily, I began to recognize that when I ate certain foods, I would feel worse the next day; gut pain, intestinal gas, tiredness, and generally achy. Not one to quickly move to stop eating foods that I liked, and that were a part of our family routine, I continued the experiment and time and again found that I felt worse after eating certain foods.

Finally one day, sick and tired of being sick and tired, I told my wife that I was going to temporarily stop eating dairy products, and stop eating foods that were made by others and that might contain ingredients that would harm me. I told her that I would not be eating in restaurants nor simply politely eating what I might be served at a friend’s house. There was a brief pause, and then she said “You are ruining my life!”

I share with you what my wife said to give clarity to how upsetting making dietary change can be. It was no more than minutes, or maybe an hour until she told me that she did not mean what she had said and that she would happily work with me to make sure that I could feel well.

Finally, it dawned on me that there is no such thing as a “healthy” food. Peanuts can be a “healthy” food for some people. It is clear that for others they can be deadly. Though not usually to the point of being lethal, dairy products, wheat, eggs, corn, and soy are examples of common foods that can cause illness, often serious, in many individuals.

Before long, I understood that what is most important is not whether a food is generally “healthy”, but whether it is “healthy” for an individual.

As a part of my dietary change in 1986, I stopped eating all dairy products. I started feeling better generally, and my gut felt better. I also felt a bit foolish. Why during all those years of gut pain and antacids, did I not consider that possibly my gut was being affected by what I was putting into it? And, why did not one medical doctor suggest it during the 19 years that I had been unwell?

I stopped all dairy in 1986, and have been off it ever since. It has clearly been one of the most profound factors in regaining and maintaining my health.

Not only did my gut and my general wellbeing improve, but my severe low back pain went away too. Remind me to tell you the rest of the story.

DAY 5 - A Day Late

So, this, October 10, is day 6 of my year-long book project, and here I am a day late. You might be surprised. You might be wondering, “Wow, is this guy serious about this book? Just started, and he is off the mark!” Well, I am not surprised; but I’ve been living with me for the last 59 years.

As we, my wife Joanne and I, snuggled into bed last night, pooped, as usual, she asked, “Did you post your book entry for today?” Well, I hadn’t. I consistently bite off a bit more than I can chew. This last week included the usuals of trying to keep up with self-care (sleep, yoga, healthy food), and my full-time chiropractic practice, and also included a CPR  (Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions – http://c-p-r.net) general meeting on homelessness, a CPR board meeting, and hours of preparation for the Earth Charter Summit and Awards in Ventura (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/EarthCharter).  Yesterday, DAY 5, started with final prep for the Earth Charter event, moved quickly to treating patients in the office, transitioned to a participation in the Earth Charter event, followed by clean-up and heading home at 7 PM.

The reason that it is OK for me to be behind is because I feel good about what I chose that behinds me. There will always be important, if not critical needs in the world that I will consider in my life’s triage.

So, here is my DAY 5 posting:

In the months leading up to the launch of this book, I began to create an outline of topics that I will address during the year. Below you will find the current outline. At this moment I have approximately 25 subheadings; each of those with multiple subjects to explore. Be assured, this outline will morph in the process.

 I do not expect to address these topics in any order. I plan to go with my flow. It is my intent to address government on a number of occasions in these next weeks leading up to our national election in the US on Tuesday, November 2nd.

OUTLINE
-Family
            Mine
            Parenting
            Marriage
-Nonviolent Communication (NVC - http://cnvc.org)
-Peace
-Love
-Health
            Doctoring
            Patienting
            Food
            Human Anatomy & Physiology
            The Gut
            Chiropractic
            Public Health
            Music Singing and Dance
-Culture & Common Beliefs
-Government
-Me

See you later today with DAY 6!

DAY 2 – Do You Have a Health Plan?

And he answered, “Sure!”

“So, what’s your health plan?” I asked.

“Well, it just changed, but it’s either Blue Cross or Kaiser.”

“No”, I chuckled, “I mean what is your plan for being healthy.”

Every man, woman and child WOULD BE FORTUNATE to have medical insurance to protect them from the often hefty, if not bank-breaking, costs of  treatment of a major disease or injury. But every man, woman and child NEEDS a real health plan; a personalized plan for how to be healthy.

Some things in life can be done on the fly; by the seat of your pants. Health doesn’t work like that. If we desire a great outcome, like excellent health, we best have a plan. If we’re going to stack the deck against developing life-threatening or life-altering conditions like cancer, heart disease, diabetes or dementia, we need a plan.

Now, a real health plan should, of course, be a written plan. It’s a little too sketchy to just have a plan in mind. I’m going to bet that you don’t have one. I’ll bet your children don’t either. Consider the risk that you and your family live with when you have no plan.

Keep in mind; we Americans are not the picture of health. In 2004 33% of Americans were overweight and 34% of Americans were obese. That’s two thirds of all Americans. That excess fat is a risk factor for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia, and more. We need only scratch the surface to see that most Americans either aren’t connected to the importance of being healthy, or they don’t know how to get there.

Everyone would agree that exercising daily, having a healthy body composition (balance of fat to non-fat tissue), eating 5 servings of veggies a day, and consuming minimal empty carbs (sugars and refined starches), would be obvious parts of a real health plan. I don’t need to tell you that these are not happening.

What can you do right now about the danger of not having a health plan? Start by getting a 3-ring notebook. In it list the important factors that you think create health. Make notation of the factors that you want to be a part of your health routine. Create sections in your notebook with the following headings; health history, test results, vitamins, medications, pains-problems-diseases, exercise, healthcare practitioners, stresses, etc... Now you’re on the road.

Imagine the delighted shock on the face of your acupuncturist, medical doctor, chiropractor, or therapist when you arrive at your next appointment with your real health plan in hand! Now the two of you can get down to the business of working together to support the health that you want.

And here’s the greatest news! While medical insurance is outrageously expensive, a real health plan is something that everyone can afford.

To repeat myself, you can’t afford to not have a plan for your health!