Dr. Christianson

Sunday, February 21, 2016

#1 of 20 Types of Fiber

By: Dr. Alan Christianson

All the experts agree - fiber is your ticket to a longer life, a leaner belly, and a better brain. Yet most talk about fiber as if it was one thing. Did you know there are upwards of 20 types of fiber, all with completely different effects?

These last few weeks I’ve been having a blast making the most comprehensive table of fiber types ever made. Here is one preliminary row from it on one of my favorite types, called RS2.

The fiber table is huge and I’m not sure how I’ll use it but I promise you’ll get first access.

Integrative Health’s own Ashley Bug brought us her favorite easy chili recipe to help you get more fiber of several types. Bug is her nickname given to her from the front office team at our clinic. As in cute as a bug. She always does a great job bringing healthy lunches and setting a good example.

You’re also welcome to use extra lean ground turkey. I love adding in mushrooms and a few tsp fresh turmeric if you have some on hand. I buy a tub of it whenever I can and keep it in the freezer. To use it, just take the frozen roots and grate with a micro grater, wasting the peel portion.

Ashley Bug’s Super Easy Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb 95-97% lean ground grass-fed beef
1-2 tbsp macadamia oil
3 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
3 cups beans of your choice (black, cannellini, kidney, navy)
1 white onion, diced
2 tbsp chili powder
1 pound washed spinach leaves
Handful green onions, chopped for garnish
Handful of cilantro, chopped for garnish

Directions:

In a large stockpot, cook ground beef with macadamia oil over medium-high heat until browned, stirring frequently. Drain excess fat. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the onion is cooked and softened.
Serve warm with garnishes to taste.

[i] Higgins JA. Resistant starch and energy balance: impact on weight loss and maintenance. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2014;54(9):1158–66. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.629352.

(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.

Eight Mindsets of Healthy People

By: Dr. Alan Christianson

Have you ever read the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People? I try to get through it at least once per year. In it, the late Steven Covey teaches us that our professional lives are products of how we think more than any other factor.

I would argue that the same is true for our health.

My mentor Dan Sullivan, the founder of Strategic Coach, challenged me to find the common mindsets among my healthiest patients. I thought about those who seemed to have natural health as well as those who had overcome major challenges. It was a powerful exercise. Despite practicing for nearly 20 years, this was a question I had never explored.

After thinking hard about who I would consider to be in this group, I interviewed them and gathered the data which evolved into a list of eight mindsets that I wanted to share with you.

Mindset 1 – You live with purpose

This habit is first on the list for a reason. Purpose matters. People who have a compelling ‘why’ can make do with almost any ‘how.’ What would you say if someone asked you what your purpose was? If you did not have an answer that came to mind, put 'figuring it out' on the top of your to do list.

Mindset 2 – You see health as essential

There is a saying that a person who has health has a hundred goals yet someone without health has only one. It is impossible to focus on anything else when you have ongoing pain or frustration with your body.

Mindset 3 – You believe you can heal

Do you have a bad set of genes? Are you powerless to change your diet? Does it seem unfair that the foods you like best don’t make you feel good? These beliefs themselves may be more powerful than your genes or your diet. Henry Ford said whether you think you can or think you can’t, either way you’ll be right. Know that every atom in your body is replaced regularly. Most in just a few months. Your mind is so powerful. Never use it to keep yourself trapped in frustrating symptoms.

Mindset 4 – You are flexible

Yoga is great, but I mean mentally flexible. I was at a book signing recently and got to talk to lots of my readers. One asked me how she could get more energy. She knew she was fatigued because her diet was limited to little more than raw vegetables. She explained in detail how she was unwilling to eat any other foods because of all the reasons she had read about how fruit, nuts, legumes, animal protein, and grains were all bad for her. When she was done I did my best to summarize her question: “So you want to do exactly what you’re doing now without changing anything but get completely different results from it?” She and I both had a good laugh and I think the new perspective made her think. If your health is exactly the way you and your doctor want it to be, don’t change a thing. If it is not, being mentally flexible and receptive to change will be necessary for your recovery.

Mindset 5 – You own your habits

Who chooses what goes on your fork? Who decides whether or not you’re working out today? If you don’t feel in charge of your decisions, then let’s change that. Think of it like developing a muscle. Choose one small thing you can control and master it. Start with a solid breakfast. Usually food cravings don’t start until later in the day. Once you get past a month of having a regular, healthy breakfast, think about the next meal to take control of.

Mindset 6 – Your friends are healthy

Are your closest friends health conscious? If not, you’ll have an uphill battle. It is said that we are the product of the five people we spend the most time with. Think about who is already in your circle that you would like to emulate. Maybe even someone you envy or resent for always looking fit. Sometimes those you resent show up in your life to be your best teacher. Mimic their habits or make a bold move and just ask them about how they make it work. People get a rush out of sharing their successes. Give them a chance to shine and give yourself an opportunity to grow and deepen a friendship.

Mindset 7 – You are a team player

Do you have a health care team? How do you feel about them? Do you trust their advice and follow it closely or do you second guess them and do your own research online? Think about this - if an electrician wanted to put a 40 amp circuit breaker in your home’s wiring, would you spend hours on Google trying to figure out if a 20 amp might work better? If you do not feel your team is worthy of your trust, replace them with people who are.

Mindset 8 – You know your vulva from your Volvo

If your nutritionist tells you to eat more greens, it helps if you know he means spinach and kale, not green M&M’s. It is a balancing act, you don’t need to get another degree, but it pays to have a working knowledge of how your body works so you can communicate with your team more easily.

Before you stress about which food to be afraid of this week or how many milligrams of vitamin N you should take, think about your mindset. Once it is right, the details magically fall into place!

How to Beat Food Allergies

By: Dr. Alan Christianson

Food allergies are pretty common and stressful. The question is, are you stuck with them? Shouldn’t you be able to live your life in this world free from fear about what you ingest? The good news is there are ways to reduce food allergies.

Let’s first make a distinction about what types of food allergies can be reduced. Anaphylactic allergies and celiac disease are currently two types of intolerances we can’t overcome. Regarding anaphylactic allergies, we’ve discovered that children who have a larger variety of healthy foods at earlier ages, have fewer anaphylactic reactions. So, encourage your little children or grandchildren to have a wider range of foods, especially peanuts, right around the weaning age. This lowers their risk for reactions later in life. Cultures where children eat the most peanuts earlier in life have the lowest rates of reactions. On the contrary, reactions have increased radically if parents have their children on a more restrictive diet for long periods of time.

We’ve been guilty of this in my profession. We had children eat very few foods until much later in their lives, avoiding exposure to dairy, eggs, nuts, and other common allergens until they were much older. Now we know the more exposure children have earlier in life, the less foods they’re severely reactive to later. (There’s also some encouraging data emerging about desensitizing for anaphylactic food reactions, which I’m watching closely.)

If you feel you’re reacting to certain foods, pursue obtaining clarity on exactly what is affecting you. Sometimes you can think a food is affecting you, and it’s really not. We all have symptoms that come and go but aren’t significant. So, it’s easy to misattribute a random symptom to something you just ate. In order to know if the reaction can be attributed to something you ate, it has to affect you the same way each time you eat it.

Some food reactions are delayed or hidden, so how do you discover which foods are the culprits?

Avoidance and Reintroduction Diets

For quite a while, the gold-standard gauge to discover food allergies has been avoidance and reintroduction diets. This is where you eat no food for two weeks, except for something like lamb or rice and a few other simple things. Then, phase foods back into your diet one at a time.

This gauge has been falling out of favor and here’s why: When you restrict your diet, you restrict your digestive capacity. The fewer foods you eat, the fewer foods you can digest. It’s the old “use it or lose it” principle. When you lose your digestive resiliency, you can have reactions to food after an elimination diet that you wouldn’t have had in normal circumstances. We call these reactions “false positives”.

Testing

Testing is good but is different from method to method and lab to lab. There are blood tests, skin tests, and electrodermal tests (where devices measure currents throughout your body).

The blood tests are good but vary widely from lab to lab. I’m not associated with any lab; however, there are two I’ve seen give the same data on the same person on a divided blood sample. They are US Bio Tek and Meridian Valley Labs. They are very good and less expensive than many others. The blood tests can check one hundred foods and rank (from low to high) how reactive you are to them.

The skin tests are reasonable but not great for airborne, dietary, or delayed-reaction allergies.

If you have taken other tests which show you’re reactive to common, healthy foods, like berries, vegetables, or greens, don’t trust them. These allergies are so rare that it doesn’t justify your stress for avoiding these foods and the benefits you’d be missing by doing so.

Once the testing is done, what steps can be taken to overcome the allergies?

Avoidance

Once you have the testing done and discover which foods you’re highly reactive to, the first thing you want to do is avoid these foods for three months. This will allow your immune system to stop making antibodies against them and help repair your intestinal tract.

Improve your flora.

It’s also good to take steps to improve your flora. Stool cultures can show which good bacteria you have, which ones you may have too many of and which ones may be lacking. If you don’t know the exact findings about your flora, I wouldn’t take probiotics. You may have too much of a good bacteria, just as you can likely have too little.

You can always safely consume fermented foods. There are many great ones available. I recommend looking into the fermented food products available from Donna Gates and Summer Bock.

Repair your gut.

There are safe products to raise the resiliency of your intestinal barrier. The two best-studied are glutamine and N-acetyl glucosamine (NAG). It’s very helpful to take these during the food-avoidance stage to repair your gut.

Test again.

After the three months of food avoidance, have yourself rechecked to see what the data shows about the foods you were reacting to. If you see a decrease in your scores, the next phase is reinoculation.

Reinoculation

In the tiniest amounts, add the foods you didn’t tolerate before to your diet. Maybe have only a teaspoon a day for a few months or a tablespoon every few days. Be intentional about adding them back in, as this will gradually allow your body to gain tolerance to them again.

In this phase, you want to expose yourself to a variety of healthy foods in small amounts. Notice the word, “healthy”. I’m not talking about processed food but healthy foods you can find on a farm. The more of these foods you eat, the better your flora and your immune system will be and the more nutrients you’ll have.

Along with avoiding processed foods, dairy is also fine to avoid in general. Of the natural foods, it probably has the least amount of data proving its health benefit. The one exception could be organic, nonfat, unsweetened Greek yogurt, which has both protein and good things from living bacteria.

Recheck.

It’s a good idea to recheck your system about six months after beginning reinoculation to make sure you still see those decreased scores.

To sum up, clearly define which foods are your culprits, based upon reliable data. Avoid these foods. Understand your flora and improve it. Consider taking supplements to heal your gut lining. When you see your reactions lower, start strategically reintroducing the good, healthy foods. After a few months of tolerating small amounts of the foods you initially had reactions to, those foods can take their place in a proper, healthy diet.

Food allergies can diminish. You can have more food options, which provides you with more nutrients and greater peace of mind.

Natural Cure for Headaches

By: Dr. Alan Christianson

Ah, headaches! They come out of nowhere and completely ruin an otherwise good day. Headaches can set you back and cause a lot of frustration. The good news is there are easy steps you can take to prevent them and stop them in their tracks.

Are there different types of headaches?

Yes, there are two types of headaches: structural and chemical.

A structural headache occurs because of your structure—something in your body that is being pulled, inflamed, or irritated. This has to do with your alignment, your muscles, or anything that is too tight or too loose. These headaches typically start with pain in the neck, spread to the back of the head and move out from there.

A chemical headache occurs from spasms of the blood vessels that line the scalp. When those blood vessels constrict, there is pain in the nerves around those vessels. Chemical headaches are more diffused in nature, especially near or around the eyes or along the temples.

What is the best remedy for a structural headache?

The main remedy is to improve your structure. Getting a massage on a regular basis can be a wonderful step. Another simple step is loosening or stretching. If you’re in the same position for a long period of time (at work or otherwise), a good trick is the 20/20/20 rule. Every 20 minutes, get up for 20 seconds and move your head side-to-side 20 times. This goes a long way in reducing tension. Our head is like the weight of a bowling ball. There are a few small structures in the occipital triangle of the neck that bear a large amount of its load. These structures get tight and sore when in the same position for a long period of time.

In most cases of structural headaches, the cause is loose ligaments. This can happen from vehicle accidents when you experience whiplash from the head moving fast. It can also be caused from chronic arthritis. When your ligaments are too loose, your muscles have to tighten to compensate. When the muscles tighten, they pinch nerves, and that hurts. So, the stronger the ligaments are, the less the muscles spasm. To help, you may consider treatments like acupuncture, prolotherapy, and physical therapy.

What can remedy a chemical headache?

With chemical headaches you want to think about things that trigger the spasm. One of the first considerations is what foods you’re eating, as some foods cause inflammation. These food intolerances may be unique to you or could be common for everyone. If you aren’t sure which foods you may be sensitive to, it’s good to pursue finding out. Allergy testing can be a great option to discover which foods are your personal triggers. In the meantime, cut out all the common food allergens: dairy, wheat, eggs, sugar, gluten, soy, and corn products. If you avoid these foods for a while, then you can safely reintroduce a few to see if they are affecting you or not.

Some foods that can affect everyone are sugar, fried foods, and preservatives. In different ways, these foods raise the chemicals of inflammation. They cause your body to respond in such a way that increases the potential for a spasm to occur and lapse into a headache.

Is caffeine causing or helping my headache?

Caffeine deserves a little special attention. It’s a very strong vasodilator, which means it opens those constricted blood vessels. Many of the over-the-counter headache remedies are based on caffeine. In many cases, these are effective in the short-term, but with regular use, they can actually trigger headaches.

If you’re not a caffeine user and have a random headache, an over-the-counter remedy may do a good job of stopping it.

If you’re a regular caffeine user, you may be sensitive to this type of remedy and have more headaches because of it. Many headache treatments, especially those containing caffeine, can cause rebound headaches. This means that in a day or so after taking the medicine, you are more apt to get a headache than you would be otherwise. This is true for ergotamine compounds and the triptan class medications, such as Imitrex, Maxalt, and Zomig. These can be very effective immediately but cause big rebounds. Some older treatments, like butalbital, also have very high rebound rates. I’ve seen many people who take these medicines frequently and have headaches all the time. If they stop the medicine, they get even more headaches initially. So, what is the solution? Detox and come off of them. This process is difficult at first, so if you haven’t tried these medicines already, it’s best not to get hooked on them.

If you have regular headaches and use caffeine every day, give yourself a two-week holiday from it. See if your headaches become less frequent. If they do, you have one more tool in managing the headaches. If they don’t, you can go back to using caffeine. I recommend you try this at least once since caffeine has been a common cause of headaches.

Are over-the-counter, anti-inflammatory medications safe?

Aspirins, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen sometimes work to bring headache relief but have their drawbacks. Acetaminophen is a little different, but all the others thin the intestinal lining. This leads to greater food sensitivities. The healthier your intestinal lining is, the fewer food reactions you’ll have.

Another drawback with these medications is kidney damage. I’ve seen many healthy people, taking recommended doses for long periods of time, who have severely damaged their kidneys. According to experts, there are more than 30,000 emergency room diagnoses per year of dangerous stomach bleeding due to over-the-counter, anti-inflammatory drugs. So, it’s better to avoid them.

Are there any safe remedies?

Yes! There are several safe options for bringing relief.

Hot and Cold Remedy

Because headaches are caused by constricted blood, moving the blood will bring relief. You can adjust blood flow by simply using hot and cold simultaneously. Think about it: When you bump yourself and put ice on the hurt area, you feel better. This is because you’re moving blood away from the hurt area and closing those blood vessels. With a headache, the trick is to move blood out of the constricted vessels.

Here is how you do it: Take cold packs (bags of frozen veggies work well for this), and put them where it hurts. As you’re doing this, place your feet in a bucket of warm, but tolerable, water (about 100-105 degrees). By doing these two things simultaneously, you are routing the blood out of the stuck vessels and towards the opposite end of your body. You’re pulling that pressure downward. It’s a very dramatic way to stop a headache in a matter of moments! It’s also helpful to do this in a dark, quiet place while taking a few deep breaths.

Magnesium to the rescue!

Another great treatment is magnesium. Magnesium relaxes muscle tissues. This relaxes the smooth muscles that make the vessels cramp in the first place.

Magnesium comes in several forms. Although the pills work well for those who are deficient, they won’t bring immediate relief to a headache. What brings immediate relief is a magnesium bath. Thoroughly mix a two-pound carton of Epson salts in your tub, and soak in it.

Magnesium oil can also bring relief when rubbed on your neck or wherever you’re feeling the tension. (The oil is actually a very saturated, hypertonic solution.)

Magnesium IV’s are very powerful, as well. Many natural clinics offer them as a treatment for an acute headache.

Curcumin

This is one of my favorite natural ingredients. Curcumin is extracted from turmeric and works like an anti-inflammatory without hurting your stomach. It’s actually helpful for the stomach. You can use it in high amounts to relieve pain without any drawbacks. The better forms of curcumin have carrier compounds that help them absorb effectively. These are mostly phosphatidylcholine-based carriers. Those who are avoiding soy are cautious about phosphatidylcholine, but it isn’t necessary. The negative parts of soy are isoflavones, lignans, and some of the other protein compounds. The phosphatidylcholine from soy is harmless and has no drawbacks like soy does otherwise.

Ginger and Boswellia

Both ginger and Boswellia naturally lower inflammation and help break the cycle of chronic pain.

Part of the problem with a headache is not only are the blood vessels tight, but the blood is also thick. When your blood is thicker and clotting easily, it’s more apt to get jammed up and create that cycle of pain. Ginger not only lowers inflammation, but also thins the blood, causing less platelet aggravation.

Boswellia is a tree resin with strong aromatic properties. You’ve heard of the gifts to the baby Jesus of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Frankincense is Boswellia, and research shows it reduces inflammation.

By using these easy, safe tricks, managing your diet by keeping away from inflammatory foods, and having some great rescue options, you can have fewer headaches or be completely headache-free!

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.

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!