Dr. Christianson

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Magic Miso

By: Dr. Alan Christianson

I love miso soup. You can make a hot bowl of it in a matter of minutes and instantly feel more energized and alert. Along with making you feel well, there are lots of health benefits from miso.

Benefits of Miso

Miso cuts cancer risk. This has been shown for breast cancer [1], prostate cancer, lung cancer, and colon cancer.
It helps menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, headaches, and insomnia. [2]
It provides protection from radiation. Worried about airport security, dental X-rays, or CT scans? Have some miso. [3]
Miso strengthens the immune system. It cuts your risk of colds and flu. [4]
It’s an antiviral. Already sick? Miso can knock it out faster. [5]
Miso prevents the free radical damage that leads to aging. It’s a unique source of phenolic acids (like are found in coffee or tea but without caffeine).
It’s high in nutrients. Miso has protein, vitamin B2, vitamin E, vitamin K, tryptophan, choline, dietary fiber, linoleic acid, manganese, copper, and lecithin. [6]
Miso is a good bacteria. It can contain lactic acid, forming good bacteria similar to those found in yogurt (such as acidophilus). Miso is dairy free. [7]
It contains digestive enzymes to help digest proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. These are made by the Aspergillus that ferments miso. [8]

But, isn’t soy bad?

Miso is fermented. The fermentation breaks down the phytic acid found in soy and makes the isoflavones more absorbable. It also creates the probiotics and digestive enzymes of miso.

There are unfermented soy foods to avoid. These include:

Dry soybeans
Texturized vegetable protein
Soy flour
Tofu
Soy milk
Soy protein powder
Fresh green soybeans

Safe versions of fermented soy include:

Miso
Natto
Wheat-free tamari soy sauce
Tempeh is also a fermented version of soy, but many find it hard to digest.

Here’s my favorite dish to get a boost of energy and ward off colds and flu. You can combine these ingredients in a matter of minutes:

Miso
Scallions
Fresh ginger
Garlic
Wakame
Shiitake mushrooms

What about the extra salt in miso?

Miso has substantial amounts of sodium since it’s naturally fermented with salt. However, studies show traditional miso doesn’t act like salt in studies on mice prone to get high blood pressure from sodium. [9]

How can you make miso soup?

Ingredients:

Start with a GMO-free, organic, naturally fermented brand of miso. Eden brand is my favorite. Use about 2 tablespoons.
Wakame is traditionally included. This is a mineral-rich sea vegetable. Use one strip about 5-inches long.
Shiitake mushrooms work great in miso. Use four per bowl. Fresh mushrooms work fine; however, dried ones are more cost effective and have a long shelf life. You can use dried mushrooms as long as you soak them for 10 minutes in water beforehand.
Fish flavor. I use a few splashes of fish sauce, but dried fish flakes (called bonito) can also be used. Vegetarians can leave these out, and the soup will be fine.
Other ingredients: There are lots of options. Try fresh garlic, fresh ginger, fresh turmeric, grated daikon, or dried astragalus.

Directions:
Gently simmer all ingredients in 4 cups of water, except miso, for 10-15 minutes. Turn off heat. In a bowl, combine miso and ½ cup of water and whisk. Transfer diluted miso into soup and blend. Serve and garnish with chopped scallions.

[1] “Miso soup 'cuts breast cancer risk’,” BBC News Online, June, 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2999852.stm.
[2] Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN, “The Whole Soy Story,” Wise Traditions Conference, November 2006.
[3] Hiro Watanabe, PhD, “The Magic of Miso,” Wise Traditions Conference, November 2006.
[4] Hiro Watanabe, PhD, “The Magic of Miso,” Wise Traditions Conference, November 2006.
[5] Hiro Watanabe, PhD, “The Magic of Miso,” Wise Traditions Conference, November 2006.
[6] Hiro Watanabe, PhD, “The Magic of Miso,” Wise Traditions Conference, November 2006.
[7] Hiro Watanabe, PhD, “The Magic of Miso,” Wise Traditions Conference, November 2006.
[8] Hiro Watanabe, PhD, “The Magic of Miso,” Wise Traditions Conference, November 2006.
[9] Watanabe H, “Beneficial biological effects of miso with reference to radiation injury, cancer and hypertension,” Journal of Toxicologic Pathology, 2013 Jun;26(2):91-103, doi:10.1293/tox.26.91, Epub 2013 Jul 10.

(c) 2015- Integrative Health Care, PC

Would you like to use this article? You may as long as you use the following information along with the article:

Dr. Alan Christianson is an Arizona-based Naturopathic Physician who helps people overcome adrenal and thyroid disorders and achieve lasting fat loss. He authored the New York Times' bestselling Adrenal Reset Diet, and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Thyroid Disease. Dr. Christianson is the founding physician behind Integrative Health.

Dr. Christianson can be reached at www.MyIntegrativeHealth.com, www.DrChristianson.com and 480-657-0003.

Yoga for Your Thyroid

By: Dr. Alan Christianson

Did you know that improving your thyroid function may be as simple as a few Yoga postures? Like all parts of your body, your thyroid is only as healthy as its blood supply. Yoga postures can compress the thyroid and the surrounding lymphatic tissues to squeeze out the blood and intracellular lymphatic fluids making room for fresh replacements. Think of it like wringing out a washcloth under running water.

How effective is Yoga?

One study took participants and watched how Yoga influenced their thyroid hormone output. It showed that a measurable change in thyroid hormone output could be seen as quickly as a month.[1] The volunteers were divided into two groups – one did specific Yoga postures for the thyroid, the other did physical therapy exercises for the same amount of time and with the same frequency. Those doing the Yoga poses showed a measurable increase in thyroid hormone output in as quickly as the first month. No such changes were shown for those doing physical therapy. Clearly the results were more than just those from general exercise.

Which poses help the most?

The two poses thought to have the strongest affect on thyroid function are the Shoulder-Stand (Sarvangasana) and the Fish-Pose (Matsyasana.) Like most Yoga poses, these both have variations making them accessible to the complete Yoga beginner as well as challenging for the advanced Yogini or Yogi.

How to do them

Shoulder Stand (Sarvangasana)
Beginner version

Some do find the balance and position of the shoulder stand challenging at first. Here is a way to still get the benefit as you get comfortable with the position.

Lie with your right shoulder against a wall on a cushioned surface like a carpet or a Yoga mat. Raise your legs and hips off of the ground as you rotate facing your head away from the wall. Bend your legs at the waist so your feet are on the wall for support.

When in position, your weight is supported primarily by your shoulders, your arms, and the back of your neck. Your chin should be tucked snugly against your sternum and you should feel a compression in your lower neck and your thyroid area. As you get comfortable, use just one leg for support. Start with 10-30 seconds and work up to a full minute.

Regular version

Lie on your back and raise your body and legs upward, supporting them with your hands on your mid-back. Your weight will be supported primarily by your shoulders, neck, and the back of your upper arms. Hold the position for 1-2 minutes.

Fish Pose (Matsyasana)

In Yoga, poses that challenge the body in one direction are best followed up with poses that challenge the opposite motions. Fish Pose is the ideal complement to Shoulder Stand.

The Fish Pose is more accessible to people of a variety of fitness levels then the Shoulder Stand.

Regular Version

Lie on your back on a soft surface. Slide your hands palm down under your buttocks. Raise your chin and look upwards, resting the top of your head on the floor. Whereas the Shoulder Stand created a compression on the neck and thyroid area, the Fish Pose creates a stretch across this same area. Start with 10-30 seconds and work up to 1-2 minutes.

Building a Practice

Plan to practice these poses on alternating days for 2 minutes each. You may see changes in thyroid function as early as the first four weeks but it may take several months. If you are on thyroid medications, be sure to have blood tests at least every three months in case you need an adjustment to your dosage.

[1] S. B. Rawal, M. V. Singh, A. K. Tyagi, W. Selvamurthy, B. N. Chaudhuri. Effect of yogic exercises on thyroid function in subjects resident at sea level upon exposure to high altitude. International Journal of Biometeorology. March 1994, Volume 38, Issue 1, pp 44-47.

Heal Your Gut & Eliminate GI Issues

By: Dr. Alan Christianson

Let’s face it. When your digestion isn’t working properly, it’s no fun. Do you suffer from cramping, bloating, irregularity, swelling or irritable bowel syndrome? You may be eating food that’s good for you, exercising, drinking lots of water, and your stomach is still uncomfortable and cramping after you eat.

What is going on?

To help explain, picture you have a long, tubular conveyor belt running all the way from your mouth to your other end, and there are a series of rings around that tube. When the tube works perfectly, the rings squeeze in order and push the food you’ve eaten along the conveyor belt. First, your mouth chews the food. You swallow it. It’s pushed into your stomach. You chemically break it down. Then, you physically absorb it in your small intestine. From there, you bring it into your bloodstream. Finally, your large intestine absorbs the fluid and electrolytes. Then, at the end of the conveyor belt, you eliminate the rest.

When it all works in sequence, all is well. However, when the sequence isn’t right, it creates bloating, gas and discomfort.

What can you do about it?

1) Improve your flora.

Creating healthier, more resilient bowel flora is critical because the flora is forming your nutrients. It is the backbone of your immune system. It’s also rebuilding your gut. When your flora isn’t healthy, the more your intestines don’t work right and things escalate.

When your flora is healthy, you are healthy.

What about probiotics?

Probiotics have their place. I’m actually a fan of the yeast-based probiotics. One is called saccharomyces boulardii. The most research has been done on this strain regarding its general use to make your intestinal tract healthier, stable and repair damage done by antibiotic use.

Many of the bacterial-based probiotics may be helpful, but they have pitfalls. In your body, these strains make up less than a fraction of a percent of your flora. They’re also difficult to manufacture and are pretty unstable. Quality control studies show they are hit-or-miss as to how well they survive the manufacturing and transporting process.

I’m also a fan of N-acetyl glucosamine (NAG), as it rebuilds the intestinal lining. It’s what your body uses to repair itself. Bone broths have been popularized lately because they contain NAG. I recommend purified NAG over bone broth since the broths contain high levels of lead. Lead is harmful to the brain, bones and kidneys. Purified NAG, however, is very effective and safe.

What else can you do to restore healthy flora?

The main thing affecting your flora health is your diet, specifically the indigestible fractions. These are the parts that make it down to the colon and influence the flora.

So, what are we really talking about? Fiber, pectin compounds and glutamine.

Fiber

There are three types of fiber, and it’s good to get a mixture of all three in your diet:

Soluble: This type dissolves in water. It is abundantly found in fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens. Nuts and seeds are also good sources.

Insoluble: This type does not dissolve in water. The two main sources of insoluble fiber are beans and grains. (Many people with limited diets are lower in the types of flora insoluble fiber creates.)

Resistant: This type of fiber feeds the bacteria that make you lean and healthy. These contain bacteroides which are found in foods like boiled potatoes, beans and legumes. In my practice, we’ve also concentrated them in our Adrenal Reset Shake.

Remember: The more diversity you have in your diet, the more diversity you have in your flora. The more diverse your flora, the healthier and stronger it is.

Pectin Compounds
Research shows both apple and citrus pectin have unique effects in not only offsetting a lot of harmful organisms, but also increasing the good. We all have harmful organisms in our intestinal tract that would hurt us if they became more prominent.

Picture it this way: There is a terrible riot, and the police are busy trying to get it under control. Because the law enforcers are preoccupied, the minor criminals get busy breaking windows and stealing televisions. This is what happens in the intestinal tract. When the good flora is weakened, there are some opportunists that can create problems. Pectin compounds prevent this from happening.

Glutamine

Glutamine works in the same way as pectin compounds. Glutamine can be found by itself or in other products. It feeds the cells that repair the junction between your individual colon cells. It makes the junctions tighter and stronger, raising your intestinal resiliency. This heals the nerves, so cramping is no longer a factor.

Focus on the mind-body connection.

We have many metaphors linking digestion and the mind. We talk about having a “gut feeling” or hating something “in my guts”.

Actually, we’re learning there is a separate brain your intestinal tract is tied to, called the cognitive, unconscious mind.

What is the cognitive, unconscious mind?

This is the part of your mind you’re unaware of, like when you get a random, viral song stuck in your head.

There are things in our environment we are aware of unconsciously but not consciously. They can cue us in ways that we respond in our intestinal tract, but not in our conscious mind. When we speak of our “gut reactions” or “I just didn’t feel right about that situation”, this is our cognitive, unconscious mind at work.

Your conscious mind can process about twenty chunks of data per second. The cognitive, unconscious mind can process forty million chunks of data per second!

So, when considering healing your intestine, also consider your unconscious mind. Think quite a bit about things that may have been on the peripheral of your awareness, but you’ve been ignoring.

Ask yourself, “What are those little signals or inferences about things I should do more of, could do less of or change altogether?”

Try these exercises to help you get in touch with what those are:

Take time to journal.

Set aside time and write freely without judgment. Often, after some time passes, you work through some of the superficial thoughts on the top of your mind and get a clearer sense of some of your hidden motives and feelings. These motives and feelings can be powerful factors in your digestive health.

Harness the power of your dreams.

When dreaming, there is more unconscious activity and access. Here is a simple trick: Make a note at bedtime of a concept you want to implant in your mind. For instance, “I want to understand if there are things in my unconscious that are bothering my digestion.” Look at the note a couple of times and then, go to sleep. When you awaken in the morning, revisit the note. You may have some clear direction from your dreams, or a new spark of awareness regarding it.

Healing digestion is a huge factor in your happiness, health, contentment and immune function. Think about digestion in terms of both your diet and your mind. Use these simple strategies, and know your intestinal health can be restored!

How To Fall Asleep & Stay Asleep Naturally

By: Dr. Alan Christianson

Are you frustrated by your lack of sleep? Do you find it difficult to fall asleep in the first place? Sleep is such a huge factor when it comes to your health. If you’re not consistently getting a good night’s sleep, it may not only be frustrating, but may also keep you from accomplishing your goals.

Here are three of my favorite tricks for falling asleep and staying asleep:

1) Chill!

This is as simple as dropping the temperature in your house.

In many ways, our bodies are hardwired to an environment we no longer live in. We were adapted to being outdoors in the Savannah African grasslands. There, it gets colder at night with a radical temperature transition from daytime to nighttime.

In our modern world, we have climate control in our homes, offices, and cars. Our bodies don’t experience the fluctuation of temperature they’re waiting for. The movement patterns of our muscles (being active and engaged) are tied to that rhythm. When your body is staying at the same temperature day and night, your muscles are not totally activated. This is largely why it can be harder to be physically active, to train well, and recover. It’s also why you get random movements, tremors, or twitches when you’re trying to sleep at night. Your muscles don’t know if it’s time to turn on or off. The temperature contrast causes them to shut off, so they’re not moving around at night, agitating you.

So, what’s the answer?

The most practical step you can take is to adjust your thermostat. Many thermostats have automated settings where you can set different temperatures for different times of day and different days per week.

I live in the Sonoran Desert, so our air conditioning is running 24/7 much of the year. We have our thermostat set to cool at 71 degrees before bedtime. It’s an unconscious cue for me to know it’s time to start winding down to hibernate for the evening. If you’re using the heat in your home right now, use less heat. If you’re able to have your windows open to enjoy the fresh air and natural temperature changes at night, that’s great! Even if it’s rather chilly outside, open a window to cool the room.

Another way to “chill” is to jump in the shower, even if just for a moment. Any water temperature (except scorching hot) will work to take heat off your body, through your skin, by natural radiation.

Start to cool your house and/or jump in the shower about one hour before bed. This is when it’ll make the biggest difference.

2) Dial in Your Blood Sugar.

Why would dialing in your blood sugar help your sleep?

Keep in mind that sleep is actually your morning cortisol shutting off. When your blood sugar drops, cortisol rises to rescue you, so you don’t go into a coma. That is a good thing, but it isn’t helpful when you’re trying to sleep. It’s so much better when you don’t need your blood sugar rescued in the middle of the night.

I’ve checked many patients with a device that measures their blood sugar while they’re sleeping. Many times, they’ve told me something like, “I often wake up at 2:00 a.m., and my mind is racing. I’m in a sudden state of panic.” Then, when we look at their blood sugar log, that was right when it plummeted!

It’s very common for a blood sugar drop to disrupt sleep.

What can you do about it?

Have a light, carbohydrate-based meal right before bedtime. You want to have resistant carbohydrates, as these are the slowest to burn. By having some slow-burning food, your blood sugar won’t drop off in the night. You’ll sleep better and have lower blood sugar scores throughout the following day, too!

An easy way to get these carbs is to eat a banana that isn’t totally ripe (still has some green on it). If you’re using the Adrenal Reset Shake, you can have one scoop in some water an hour before bedtime.

3) Supplement.

Try one of these useful supplements for sleep:

5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan): Your body builds 5-HTP into serotonin, which you then make into melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone your pineal gland (a tiny lump in the back of your brain) makes to allow for good sleep.

So, why not just take melatonin?

It sounds logical, but the amounts in the over-the-counter melatonin are way above what research shows is effective. Sometimes it works, but I’ve found many people have poor-quality sleep or are groggy the next day. Over-the-counter melatonin can also change your cortisol rhythm, so you’re not waking up properly.

5-HTP is better because it allows you to make your own melatonin when you need it, and shut it off when you don’t.

GABA: This supplement allows your body to make more of its own gamma-aminobutyric acid, which is a sedative—a calming brain chemical. It helps you unwind.

Inositol: Categorized as a B-vitamin, we naturally get inositol from foods like eggs and fish. Our cell membranes need inositol to become more stress-resilient. Our brain cells are lined with it. When we have healthy amounts, cortisol and stress don’t affect us as badly. Your sleep improves and disturbance is less of a factor.

The benefits of consistently good sleep are numerous. You’ll feel more energized and have healthier skin. Your weight will bounce back to a better range. You’ll be mentally alert, and your mood will be steadier.

Try these tips for a better night’s sleep. You’ll soon be enjoying life more and reaching your goals with greater ease.

Carbs, Coffee, & Cortisol…

By: Dr. Alan Christianson

Day to day, you and I encounter many variables that affect our cortisol levels. From daily stress to the foods we eat—all can and do affect the way our adrenals function, and, consequently the way you feel and even sleep.

Let’s tackle a few questions to give you some understanding about your adrenals and how to lead yourself back to health.

When And Why Do Cortisol Patterns Go Awry?

A big distinction needs to be made between adrenal disease and dysregulation. Cortisol disease is pretty rare. There are two main ones: Addison’s disease and Cushing’s disease. These two diseases affect 1-2 people per million.

The conventional medical world argues that since adrenal diseases aren’t common, the adrenal glands can’t malfunction. On the contrary, adrenal dysregulation is real and quite common.

Adrenal dysregulation means the patterns of our lives and stressors cause the timing of adrenal function to no longer serve our best interests. Some of the main stressors are:

pressures of life
mental and emotional stress
pollutants
chemicals like BPA or phthalates from plastics
metals (like mercury)
processed foods

For example, fructose can cause the body to make more cortisol within visceral fat than it would otherwise.

Another big factor is our being out of rhythm with the sun. Having artificial light throughout the day, instead of normal dawn and dusk, changes our cortisol rhythms.

Are There Different Strategies For Correcting Different Patterns?

Yes, there are. About one-hundred years ago, Dr. Hans Selye described the main stress response, known as the flight or fight response. He described the first stage as an over-production of stress hormones. He called that “stage one”. I call that the “stress stage”.

Stage two is where these hormones are made at counterproductive times. I call this stage “wired and tired”.

Stage three is when not many hormones are being produced anymore, and I call this stage “crashed”.

Strategies to correct these patterns differ per stage. Herbal adaptogens and some of the mind-body therapies can be most effective when targeted to a particular adrenal stage.

Is Carb Cycling Helpful Regardless of the Adrenal Stage?

In my book, THE ADRENAL RESET DIET, I wrote about a clinical trial I conducted. Everyone who participated in the trial was at some stage of adrenal dysfunction. Those at every stage saw movement back to healthy cortisol rhythms, using the carb-cycling strategy.

The general idea is that carbs elevate blood sugar more than other food categories. They elevate blood sugar more than protein, fat, and even non-caloric foods. When you elevate your blood sugar, you cause your body to make more insulin to manage the increase. Imagine insulin and cortisol on a seesaw. When one gets higher, the other gets lower. Higher carbs push cortisol down. Lower carb meals allow cortisol to stay higher.

So, the idea is by having a lower carb breakfast, you can sustain higher morning cortisol, which is desirable to a point. You cannot elevate an appropriate cortisol level, but you can allow it to move to a good range if it’s suppressed.

At midday, cortisol is basically neutral, so you intake a moderate amount of carbs. What we are doing at this point is supporting the gradual reduction of cortisol.

In the evening, you are enjoying a meal higher in good, healthy carbs. The idea with this is we are supporting the appropriate shutdown of cortisol, which allows you good, restorative sleep. (It turns out that quality sleep may be a bigger factor for long-term weight loss than even diet or exercise.) If you simply avoid carbs, sleep quality suffers.

When you don’t eat enough carbs in the evening to go deeper into sleep, your body gets hypoglycemic. Your body needs glucose for your brain and muscles to function. You’ll make glucose by breaking down your muscles, and you need cortisol to do this. So, when you’re too low in your carbs, you raise cortisol, pull your muscles apart, and make glucose out of that. When this happens, your cortisol level elevates higher than it should. This is a real problem in the evening.

What is the Relation Between Coffee and Cortisol?

Coffee inhibits cortisol reduction. Some people are more sensitive to it, so it makes their nervous system more responsive to cortisol. It would be incorrect and oversimplified to say coffee raises cortisol, but if you have it in your body, it’s harder to lower your own cortisol levels.

Many people are genetically hardwired to have a higher stress response to coffee, and it can become more of a crutch than a pleasure. The funny thing is that caffeine has effects on boosting your energy, mental clarity, and performance; however, these effects only show up in those who don’t drink coffee regularly.

Those who drink coffee regularly don’t see a measurable increase in performance. They feel like their performance is going up only because they’re having withdrawal symptoms removed by their daily coffee dose. So, they’re not actually getting smarter, sharper, or more energized—they’re just getting less of the withdrawal symptoms from the last dose having worn off. It’s a smart strategy to skip drinking coffee a few days per week. Your body has greater energy production by doing so.

Discover at what stage your adrenals are currently functioning in Dr. Christianson’s New York Times Bestselling book, THE ADRENAL RESET DIET. You’ll also discover detailed, practical help to restore your adrenals to optimal function, taking you from surviving to thriving!

Potty Talk

By: Dr. Alan Christianson

What is potty talk? Plain and simple, it’s talking about bowel movements. As a doctor, I encounter many questions regarding regularity, constipation, strain, and hemorrhoids. You may have one or more of these questions, as well, and are wondering how to help yourself.

It’s important to realize both healthy bowel frequency and bowel transit are essential to overall wellness.

What is The Difference Between Bowel Frequency and Bowel Transit?

Bowel frequency is how often you’re eliminating. Bowel Transit is how long it takes your food to travel through your system and be eliminated.

Imagine it like this: You ate some peanuts which do not digest all the way, so there are remnants you can see afterwards. These remnants may take longer than a day to travel through your system, even if you poop every day. This is your bowel transit time.

More important than how often you have a bowel movement is how long it takes the food to go through your body. Ideally, you want it to be about 18-24 hours. Data shows this lowers your risk of colon cancer.

If you’re eating something in the evening, you’ll probably not see it the next morning. On the other hand, you don’t want to see it a couple days later either.

If food goes through your system too quickly, you won’t get all the essential nutrients your body needs. You may not be absorbing some of them. If food takes way too long to travel through your system, it means you’re reabsorbing waste. You’re forming harmful toxins that can weaken your immune system and hinder your body from detoxifying properly. This can also affect your brain chemicals, causing mood symptoms.

How Can I Test Bowel Transit Time?

It’s really easy! Some evening, eat beets or four charcoal capsules. Make a note at what time you eat them and wait. Beets will cause your stool to be reddish in color. Charcoal will make them pretty black.

Ideally, you won’t see the color in your stool the next morning, but you will the morning after. If it shows up quicker, your bowel transit time is too short. If it is much longer, there is delayed bowel transit and you’ll want to do some studious work to improve your digestive health.

What Stool Consistency is Best?

A banana-like consistency is healthy. Unformed stool is bad, as well as watery diarrhea. Soft-serve consistencies also indicate varying degrees of malabsorption. This means your body isn’t extracting all of the electrolytes, water, and key things from your stool.

On the extreme end, stool that looks like little rabbit droppings means you’re probably under-hydrated, so your body is pulling too much out of the stool, reabsorbing some of the waste. Here is how your body’s cycle works: The body pushes the waste to your liver, then to your small intestine and then, your colon. Ideally, at that point, the waste should leave the body, but in this case, some starts to reabsorb.

Should My Stool Float or Sink?

Honestly, I haven’t heard any compelling reasons why there’s a strong distinction between the two. Whether your stool floats or sinks is really referring to the density of the stool compared to the density of the water. Neither your fiber intake nor your bowel transit time has a big effect on this. As long as your stool has a banana-like consistency, it doesn’t matter if it floats or sinks.

It’s Difficult to Have a Bowel Movement. What Should I Do?

There are many causes of constipation.

One of the biggest factors is hydration.

I mentioned how your colon absorbs water. Before the stool reaches your colon, it is the consistency of milk. By the time it leaves your colon, it’s getting formed. If you don’t have a lot of spare water in your body, your colon pulls all that liquid out of the stool. Consequently, the stool gets gummed up and doesn’t come out very well.

Most adults need upwards of 3-4 quarts of water a day. If you’re not drinking this much, start doing it, and see if you start eliminating regularly. You’ll also probably feel thirstier by drinking more.

Another factor to consider is the health of your bowel flora. If you’ve had antibiotics, your bowel flora may have been hurt by them. Certainly add fermented foods to your diet. (They are my favorites.) Probiotics can be useful but should be targeted appropriately. If you’re thinking of aggressively treating with probiotics, consider having a stool culture performed to know which strains you need and which strains you don’t need.

Magnesium is a safe way to help restore regularity. It safely carries more water into your colon without creating rebound constipation. It’s a much better way to go than using stimulating laxatives.

Not Only Am I Constipated, But I Have Hemorrhoids and Fissures. What Will Help?

These can cause quite a bit of discomfort. Let’s look at three considerations:

Consider your body position when eliminating.

Our modern set-up of sitting on a toilet is not conducive to how your body is built. Your body is adapted to be in a squatting position to have a bowel movement. This way, it’s easier to bear down and have the contents of your abdomen push out the contents of your rectum.

Many parts of the world do not use toilets. They have holes in the floor. There aren’t cases of hemorrhoids and constipation in these parts of the world. One reason is their having to squat when eliminating.

Living in the modern world, what can we do? There is an easy solution.

There are largely unrecognized devices, which have been developed to raise your feet during elimination. One is called the “Squatty Potty” and is easy to find. There are other similar products on the market. These devices allow you to have your feet raised 8-10 inches while sitting on the toilet. While in this position, you want to lean your body weight forward. This enables your anatomy to be used the way it was meant to be used. When your legs are up, your pelvis opens, allowing your body to empty the waste so much easier.

When using such a device, you’re less apt to be constipated, have recurrent hemorrhoids, and won’t have the strain associated with normal bowel movements.

I’ve also used a step stool to raise my feet. When you’re traveling, you can use those hard, square trash cans in the hotel bathrooms. Simply lay one sideways and elevate your feet on it.

Consider the time you spend on the toilet.

I recommend getting rid of magazine racks in the bathroom. If you think of the bathroom as a place to lounge, read, and relax, you’re going to spend way too long and end up straining your rectal tissue. This plays a part in hemorrhoids, weakened bowels, and constipation. So, avoid reading, writing, video games, or phone time. Just get in there, do your business and get out!

Consider the toilet paper you use.

Our rectum has delicate tissue, and we use dry toilet paper to clean it. Is this logical?

Think about it: If you have a kitchen pot that needs cleaning, do you use a dry paper towel? No. You use water. You use moist things to clean things. All the more with delicate parts of your body. You need to be gentle with them. Instead of toilet paper, use hypoallergenic wet wipes. I’ve had many patients with recurrent hemorrhoids, fissures, and other rectal problems who simply ditched the toilet paper and were helped!

Another plus to using hypoallergenic wipes is they do a good job of cutting the risk for recurring bladder infections. Toilet paper doesn’t clean well enough. Tiny amounts of E.coli from the stool can work its way into the urethra. This is how most bladder infections start. So, thoroughly clean with something moist, that is a non-irritant.

Give these bathroom tips a try. They could be a huge game changer for you not only in your bathroom time, but also in your overall wellness.

Dr C full res

Which Fat Are You Burning?

By: Dr. Alan Christianson

Low-carb advocates have stated that low-carb diets have some metabolic advantage when it comes to fat loss and insulin metabolism. They claim a low-carb diet is better because your body becomes a more efficient fat burner.

Scientists can determine the ratio of fat, carbs, or protein someone is burning by measuring the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide they exhale and how much nitrogen is in their urine. These tests have consistently shown that people burn more fat on low-carb diets.

The question is, which fat are they burning?

A recent study helped to illustrate an important point: Burning fat for fuel is not the same as burning fat from your body.

A study published in the journal, Cell Metabolism, looked at the changes in fat loss, fat metabolism and body weight in overweight people whose controlled diets were either low in fats or low in carbs, but with the same number of calories.

The study showed that low-carb diets caused participants to burn more fat. However, people on the low-fat diet lost 80% more body fat.

How is this possible?

The idea of low-carb diets causing you to burn fat is partially true, but not useful. It’s partially true because when you eat more fat, you burn some of the fat you ate. It’s not useful because burning fat from your diet is not the same as burning fat from your body. Your body is able to burn whatever you eat, whether it’s protein, fat, or carbs.

The people on the low-carb diet ate more fat and burned more dietary fat as fuel. The people on the low-fat diet ate less dietary fat and burned more of their body fat as fuel. In the study, participants’ diets were set at 1,800 calories per day. Everyone lost weight. However, the low-carb group lost 245 grams of body fat while the low-fat group lost 463 grams of body fat.

The scientific community is taking this study seriously since it was conducted in a metabolic ward where all meals were prepared and carefully measured by nutritionists. Any uneaten food was also measured and accounted for. Furthermore, the participants only had access to the foods given to them during the period of the study.

Did you know almost all diet studies base their conclusions on surveys? Imagine someone asking you, “In the last year, what have you eaten for lunch and how large were the portions?” Do you think you could tell them the exact foods to the gram accuracy? I sure couldn’t. Researchers know that data from surveys may not be meaningless, but it is close.

We are omnivores. This means we can burn fat, carbs, or protein as fuel in a pinch. Be aware that burning fat from your meal has nothing to do with burning fat from your belly.

What is a dieter to do?

As always, if what you’re doing is working, you’re healthy, you have great energy levels, and your blood tests are good, don’t change anything. However, if your weight is stuck, or you find yourself too tired to exercise, you may be better with less fat and increased good carbs as the participants in this study were.

1. Hall, Kevin D. et al, “Calorie for Calorie, Dietary Fat Restriction Results in More Body Fat Loss than Carbohydrate Restriction in People with Obesity,” Cell Metabolism, Volume 22 , Issue 3 , 427-436.

(c) 2015- Integrative Health Care, PC
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Dr. Alan Christianson is an Arizona-based Naturopathic Physician who helps people overcome adrenal and thyroid disorders and achieve lasting fat loss. He authored the New York Times' bestselling Adrenal Reset Diet, and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Thyroid Disease. Dr. Christianson is the founding physician behind Integrative Health.

Dr. Christianson can be reached at www.MyIntegrativeHealth.com, www.DrChristianson.com and 480-657-0003.