Here’s what the research has to say about it:

Exercise: A free and effective way to boost neurotransmitter production, exercise has been shown to lift mood as well as increase Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). These effects are derived from both strength and aerobic types of exercise. BDNF, which has the ability to improve our ability to learn new behaviors and responses to previously stressful stimuli, is a relatively new discovery with regards to the benefits of exercise. It is very involved in the plasticity of the brain, allowing us to change our emotional response to a “bad experience.” Studies have demonstrated that those who exercise regularly have lower levels of chronic depression.

Mindfulness: Mindfulness is the act of being present and practicing PTC, or present time consciousness. Being attentive to the task at hand, being fully engaged in the conversation, the work you are doing, or the child you are helping is so important to us as humans. Knowing that we are making a difference and that we are making a difference to someone else has more value than you can describe. A 2016 study in JAMA Psychiatry demonstrated that gentle yoga and daily meditation helped those with chronic depression avoid relapses even better than anti-depressants. It’s easy to download a meditation app on your phone or use a book of your choice with visual imagery that takes you to a safe and relaxing place. If you need help there are Meet-up groups, YouTube videos and age appropriate classes for yoga nearly everywhere. The first step is the most challenging, but the benefits can be huge!

Behavioral Activation Therapy: Often those suffering from depression find themselves at home day after day, or going to work and then straight home, not wanting to venture out and interact with others. This particular therapy encourages them to identify activities that add meaning to their life like volunteering, family time, reading, even if they don’t feel up to it. I often say, “Act as if.” “Act as if” means that sometimes we have to do something before we can have it or feel it. Act happy and your chances of feeling happy increase over time. This is a therapy that can be encouraged by family members or friends if done in a loving and respectful way. There are also mental health practitioners who facilitate this therapy.

Float Therapy: Floating has been shown via MRI to activate areas of the brain that could be a shortcut to a meditative state. Basically, you float in concentrated salt water allowing the body and mind to come to a complete state of relaxation, easing the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Ativan (an anti anxiety drug) has been shown by MRI to shut off the amygdala temporarily, this is part of the action of the drug. MRIs done post float therapy have shown the same effect on the amygdala without the prescription as well as having the effect of lowering cortisol, the stress hormone. The benefits of floating are becoming more and more accepted and practiced by those suffering from depression and anxiety, and it is side effect free!

Owning or caring for a pet: Animal therapy is becoming a well-accepted and effective antidote to anxiety and loneliness. The act of caring for a living creature is the main stimulus for getting us to begin caring for something other than ourselves, a very powerful emotion. Attitudes change and difficult tasks are easier for many when an animal is present. Studies have shown improved socialization, reduced stress and better mood.

While these are all great tools to have in your tool box, sometimes we are dealing with someone already on a prescription or someone trying to avoid a prescription. It’s nice that we have many whole food and herbal options available to support, which you can get from me by making an appointment.

Some products I might recommend include:

• B Vitamins such as Inositol and B6 Niacinamide
• St. John’s Wort
• Nevaton (skullcap, schisandra, saffron, st. john’s wort)
• Valerian
• Custom herbal blends
• Custom Bach Flower remedies

Depression, anxiety and other serious mood disorders are becoming more and more common even finding young children as suitable hosts. We must do our best to provide a healthy diet, a safe supportive environment and non prescription help whenever we can. These approaches are shown to be scientifically effective and free from side effects, tell someone you know who could benefit from these ideas.

CONTACT:

Dr. Virginia S. Irby D.C., DABCO, ACN

Cascade Chiropractic & Nutrition

2371 Iron Point Rd. Ste. 130

Folsom, CA 95630

916-844-2800

Source: Time Magazine: Mental Health, A New Understanding

Updated: 12/7/2022

For those of you who find all the extra hustle invigorating, thank you for filling in the gaps for those who find it more challenging. And for those who tend to shy away from any unnecessary activities during the last quarter of the year, know that there is help! Oftentimes, we are at the end of the first semester of school, all the year end work, reports, and quotas are due, the demands on our time are at a premium, and we just aren’t getting enough personal time. I call it RUNNING FROM THE BEAR.

The body does not know the difference between you actually running from a bear or you struggling to meet a deadline, or getting into a really big argument with a co-worker or friend for that matter.

The stress on the adrenal glands and bones, (yes, new research has shown that the skeletal system plays a role in releasing a hormone in response to stress) affects your ability to get deep sleep, have a healthy digestive system, maintain healthy blood pressure, focus on the task at hand, maintain a healthy immune system, and keep your cool during crucial decision making times.

So how do we support the body during this holiday season and convince it we are not really running from the bear? One way is to have a list of things we would like to accomplish during the week, and break it down to a daily list according to priority and deadline. By doing this we are more likely to avoid the anxiety of looming deadlines, we may feel more in control of the tasks at hand, and we will have given some forethought to the week so as to reduce the likelihood of surprises (which is really another word for added stress). If you don’t have a list at any other time of the year, this 2 month period is a good time to start.

Other great ways for reducing holiday stress are:

• Get plenty of sleep, ideally 7 to 8 hours per day, not per week!
• Eat healthy food, avoid deep fried stuff, sugar laden snacks, alcohol in excess.
• Listen to your body, if it says rest, then rest, if it says breathe, then breathe!
• Practice a daily meditation; focus on the positive things in your life.

Sometimes we need a little extra help besides our lifestyle hacks. While we may be doing everything we know to do, what if we still deal with mild anxiety, or insomnia, or an inability to focus on the tasks at hand. Maybe our blood pressure is creeping up for no apparent reason other than a little stress, (is that really a thing, a little stress?) Food is medicine, you’ve heard me say that often, and the most concentrated foods I know of are the whole food Standard Process and MediHerb supplements. By using concentrated whole food supplements and herbs instead of synthetic chemicals we are feeding the body what it needs to keep on going, even when we might be abusing it just a little!

Some examples of what you might need to feed your body through this stressful time are things like:

• Omega 3 fatty acids like Tuna or Cod Liver Oil, these act as anti inflammatory support.
• You can make sure your liver is doing a good job of metabolizing fats and reducing your likelihood of getting a fatty liver by taking a detox product like Livaplex or Milk Thistle.
• You can take Ginkgo for natural blood thinning and short term memory support. *Drink green tea to reduce oxidative stress instead of the caffeine rush of coffee.
• And most of all you can take some adrenal gland support in the form of Drenamin (food for the adrenal glands) or adaptogenic herbs such as Adrenal Complex or Ashwaganda Complex.
• You can drink chamomile tea for calming any time of the day and smell rosemary if your brain is feeling a little unfocused.

REMEMBER!

Taking care of yourself during these busy months is more important than any of the tasks you need to accomplish, because you are more valuable than any task!

CONTACT:

Dr. Virginia S. Irby D.C.,DABCO, ACN

Cascade Chiropractic

2371 Iron Point Rd. Ste. 130

Folsom, CA 95630

916-844-2800

Education is the key to assuming responsibility; when we purchase a new car we are told when to change the oil, when to change the filters, what kind of gas to put in it, if only we were given some basic instruction manual when we arrive on this Earth! We don’t have a manual, but fortunately our body is a self-healing entity, continually looking to repair and adapt to its environment. Unfortunately part of Western Medicine’s fear tactics is that they only want us to know about the body’s vulnerabilities, instead of its strengths.

If we believe that the body possesses an innate intelligence, one that it is born with, that creates a human being from 2 small cells in 40 short weeks, it is a very easy jump to the belief that the body can heal a cut, that it will cause you to sweat if you are too warm, and that if you are hungry it signals your brain to let you know. Can you imagine if you had to think about breathing, making your heart beat, or the process of digestion? Total chaos would ensue in most cases!! So if the body is capable of all these amazing activities, my question to you is, why when it gets sick is it suddenly incapable of taking care of itself? If the bodies natural response is to get a fever when there are too many bacteria or a virus present, why would we immediately lower that fever with an over the counter or prescription medication? What does a fever do? An increase in body temperature can kill or neutralize pathogens. And what if by lowering that fever you allow the pathogens an opportunity to get a stronger foothold and spread? By interfering with the body’s natural response we are pretending that we know better than the intelligence that made the body. Fevers can also be scary because we feel achy and it hurts. The reason for this is that calcium is mobilized to the sight of the infection and this directs the white blood cells where to go. If there is already a lower than normal level of calcium in the body the end result is aches and pains. The fear tactics come in at an early age, new parents are told that at the first sign of a fever they should contact the pediatrician, that brain damage could occur, that meningitis may be present. That is enough to scare anyone, let alone a new parent, caring for a small human for the first time. In times past, we looked for more natural ways to allow the body to heal and recover from illness. Utilizing natural remedies allows the innate intelligence to work, does not result in side effects or subsequent infections, and very likely does not end in a new infection (yeast or bladder) which often occurs with the use of prescription medications such as an antibiotics. What if instead we educated people about the intelligence of the body, that more than 80% of individuals at a recent research hospital who came in with an infection were tested to be low in serum calcium. What if we allowed them to weather the storm, have their fever (within safe limits of course), and provide them with the proper nutrients needed to fight an infection without side effects and without fear. Confidence in the body’s ability to heal itself is empowering, it is positive, it lacks the fear tactics of the allopathic model of health that we tend to practice today. We have a personal responsibility to educate ourselves about our options. These options could be food related, homeopathy, whole food supplements, or herbs.

What keep us from taking responsibility, or becoming educated about self care? We have many external factors that influence our decisions. One is that our modern values tend to devalue the more traditional solutions that have worked in the past, even though they work without adverse side effects. Recently these “old world” truths have begun to be proven effective now that we have the ability and interest to do research on traditional remedies. Another reason is society’s emphasis on disposable products and quick turnover. We need a new phone every 2 years, we need a new or better car, we need, we need, we need. But, do we really? What would happen if our perfectly functional phone lasted 4 or 5 years? Maybe if we take care of our things, they work longer and better.

“If you were going to purchase this house, what would your approach be? Some might say, “I would just go in and gut it!” We aren’t really talking about a house though, this is your body we are talking about and there are no replacement parts!”

Let’s use the example of a home built in the 70s. Today it would be about 40 years old. That’s not too old for a house, but lets assume for a minute that there are no replacement parts for this house. Now this house has been lived in, and maybe it hasn’t been taken care of in the most meticulous way. If you were going to purchase this house, what would your approach be? Some might say, “I would just go in and gut it!” Others might say, “Well you could just go in and replace the broken parts,” but remember there are no parts, new or used! We aren’t really talking about a house, this is your body we are talking about! It’s however many years old you are, it has been used and used, and not taken very good care of, or perhaps you did the best you could and things beyond your control happened. The first thing we need to do is clean it, take out the trash, stop putting trash in it! And once the parts that can be cleaned are cleaned, then we can begin to reassess the capacity to heal and repair. Now what would happen if we were told from an early age that we needed to take care of our house, and that it would take care of us for a very long time. If we cleaned it often, and made repairs as needed instead of waiting until something was broken that it would be less prone to dysfunction. This is a very different paradigm than the one that says, your body is designed to break down, there is nothing you can do about it, and the only help is drugs and surgery. Lifestyle needs to be included in our healthcare model. Not fear based, but empowerment based.

Empowerment and education are the keys to changing our failing healthcare system. Fear is an outdated and ineffective way to motivate people to assume responsibility for themselves and their families. This process can begin at home at a very early age. Teach young people about food; where it comes from, how to make it from scratch when possible, help them to understand the effect of food on the body. It is probably too late for the oldest generation in our society, but for the first time in the history of man, the life expectancy has gone down in comparison to the previous generation. We should be very concerned. Not fearful, but motivated to make a change. If you aren’t sure where to start, I’m happy to show you how to become empowered to make a difference in your family’s health; first through food and lifestyle changes, and then possibly utilizing whole food supplements, herbs and homeopathy. Become one of the empowered and informed. The first step is to ask, and I look forward to being a part of your journey!

CONTACT:

Dr. Virginia S. Irby D.C.,DABCO, ACN

Cascade Chiropractic

2371 Iron Point Rd. Ste. 130

Folsom, CA 95630

916-844-2800

Its surprising how we as a society tend to take better care of our cars than we do our own bodies. The single most important thing we have; we put junk gas in it, we drive on the worst roads (literally), and we rarely clean the filters (liver and kidneys!).

Our health is a reflection of all our body parts and their ability to do their job well. Oftentimes, unexplained fatigue or a need for a nap that didn’t used to happen can indicate a new development in the function of the body. Chronic hunger can indicate a lack of digestive capacity, weight gain can imply blood sugar dysregulation, and shortness of breath can lead to a cardiovascular finding. Addressing these things with the philosophy of fix the cause, not the symptom goes a long way towards a healthy life and fewer medications.

One of the ways we can get a tune up is to get regular blood work, make sure everything is in a functional range and take action to bring the items that are out of a functional range into a healthy range. Let’s talk about what kind of things we see on a lab report.

BLOOD GLUCOSE: helps determine if you are a pre-diabetic or type 2 diabetic One in three American adults has some sort of blood sugar dysregulation today!

• Fasting Glucose
• Hemoglobin A1C: 3 month average of your blood sugar

LIPID PANEL: helps determine the efficiency of the liver, and whether or not you are eating the wrong kind of fats. Also an indicator for your heart health risk factors.

• Cholesterol
• HDL
• LDL
• Triglycerides

COMPREHENSIVE METABOLIC PANEL: helps to assess general health parameters. If you are getting enough veggies that support minerals, whether digestion is sufficient, and how well your filters are working.

• Liver enzymes
• Kidney function
• Minerals: Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium, etc
• Protein levels

VITAMIN D: helps assess bone and immune health

IRON PANEL: helps assess whether or not anemia is an issue

THYROID FUNCTION: helps to determine metabolic health, the ability of the body to create energy out of food, skin and gut function, as well as general mental well-being.

COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT: helps to evaluate general immune health. Chronic vs acute infections, anemias, and blood clotting mechanisms.

• White and red blood cell counts and sizes
• Platelet count

INFLAMMATION MARKERS: helps to identify markers that indicate the body is under-performing either as a result of deficiency or inability to remove waste products.

• Uric acid
• CRP
• Homocysteine

Common Lab Tests

• Blood Glucose
• Lipid Panel
• CMP
• Vit D
• Iron Pane
• lCBC
• Inflamation Markers

These are some of the basic blood lab panels, which obviously can be a great jumping off point for getting your health back on track. If you feel like it is time for your tune up, let my office know and I am happy to provide you with an affordable cash lab order. I am contracted with the local labs and the results are sent directly to my office. We can then schedule an appointment to review them in detail. If you have already had lab work done from your primary care doctor in the last year, ask for a copy of the results and we can review them together. Now you may be thinking, “My doctor said my test results were normal, why do I need them reviewed again?” There is a difference between a “normal” range and an “optimal” range. The lab ranges are an average taken from everyone (sick or healthy!) in a geographical area. So perhaps your iron results are “average,” but who wants average function when they could have peak performance?

Let me give you an example: A lab range for Total Iron may be 60-170, but an optimal range is 85-130! If you went to get your labs done and you value was 62 (at the low end) or 168 (at the high end), the doctor would tell you your results were “normal” and send you on your way. But is this optimal health? You may be on your way towards a serious health issue. This is why comparing your results to the average may not uncover dysfunction until it is too late! I use optimal ranges to guarantee that your body keeps performing at peak performance, instead of waiting for a serious issue to emerge.

Many of my wellness patients only need labs once a year, just as a way to make sure they are maintaining or improving their health, its like an annual tune up. What you don’t know can sometimes be harmful. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

CONTACT:

Dr. Virginia S. Irby D.C.,DABCO, ACN

Cascade Chiropractic

2371 Iron Point Rd. Ste. 130

Folsom, CA 95630

916-844-2800

Let’s start at the beginning. Somewhere in early 2019 I received an email from MediHerb inviting me to attend a speaker training session. I was so excited I didn’t sleep that night. I had heard about this training from my mentor, Dr. Ronda, and was so jealous of her experience having seen pictures of her trip and heard her passion when she returned. MediHerb only chooses 8-10 healthcare providers from the United States every 3 or 4 years to do this training so I felt very honored to receive this invitation. I immediately cleared my calendar and said YES!

Before I knew it it was July 4^th and time to go. A flight to LA, an 8 hour layover, and a 13 hour flight to Brisbane. Fortunately it was dark the whole time, even though I left on Thursday and got there on Saturday morning, and I slept most of the way! I arrived and met the rest of the group, a wonderful mix of healthcare providers all passionate about helping their communities using the best herbs on the planet!

Our first day was out to the MediHerb warehouse and processing plant. We learned about the sourcing of the herbs, where in the world they come from. Literally, their schisandra comes from Siberia since that’s where the best schisandra comes from, and Kava comes from Vanuatu because that is where the royal cultivars are grown. I learned that they take 11 random samples from each pallet of raw herb, test them in the lab using electron microscopes, mass spectroscopy, gas spectroscopy and a multitude of other testing procedures. All this is to determine if the herbs in the bag match the structure and composition of the herb as listed in the British Pharmacopiea as well as those used in clinical studies. If they match they get to leave the quarantined area and proceed to the processing area. If they don’t match, so for example, if the farmer sends in a sample and it gets tested and it supposed to be chamomile, it could look like chamomile, smell like chamomile but does not have the proper phytochemical composition, it doesn’t get used! There were several pallets of rejected chamomile in the warehouse. The very interesting part of this tour was that I learned about MediHerb’s committment to educate the farmers they source the herbs from. They will send a scientist out to the farm and help that farmer figure out what happened to insure a harvest that is worthy of the high standards of MediHerb. Sadly they won’t be able to use the rejected herbs. The relationship with the farmer, the climate the herbs are grown in, and the storage and preparation of the herbs are all vital to the clinical results we achieve in our practice.

The afternoon was spent at the lab, where the testing of the herbs are done. Everything from quality of the herb to detecting pollutants, pesticides, and unwanted plant material, etc. is performed at the highest level. Testing to determine the digestibility of the tablets is done, insuring that the tablets will break down in the body at the appropriate time, whether that is in the stomach, the small intestine or the large intestine. It was amazing. I can’t tell you how many times over the past 35 years I have seen on x-ray, pills that are undigested in the intestines. Money wasted, health not improved! So sad.

The next 4 days we learned from the Masters of the Herbal Universe! Professor Kerry Bone, Lee Carroll and Amanda Williams, all from Australia, all Clinical Practitioners (meaning they see patients) so they are hands on using the same herbs I do here. Professor Bone is a research scientist, turned herbalist, turned author, professor and clinician. He is brilliant and I am so honored to have been learning directly from the man himself and not a book! Oh, and he started the MediHerb company in 1986 in a goat shed at his home!

I gained insight into the physiology of the herbal action on and in the body, how MediHerb products are synergistically formulated to provide a multi-layered approach to a health concern in addition to how closely the research is followed to make sure that there are clinical studies to back up the claims made by practitioners and their patients.

Plants are food and plants are herbs. Both are medicinal when used properly, and I think this experience has cemented this commitment for me. Plants as medicine are the wave of the future, we can no longer wait until we are sick, we must practice prevention if we are to increase our life expectancy. This most recent generation is the FIRST in the history of mankind to have a lower life expectancy than the previous generation. We must ask why and rise together to find the answers. And medicine must be of the highest quality if we are to succeed!

The human condition is stressful. If nutrition becomes diluted or compromised, the human condition is affected. I see this in my office and out my car window and in the grocery store every day; compromised humans. We can blame our food supply, the chemical companies, the pace at which we live life, but in the end we are responsible for our food, what chemicals we choose to put in and on our body, and the pace at which we live this life. And sometimes we need help. Whole food and the proper herbs can help. If you or someone you know needs some help with life improvement, give us a call at (916) 844-2800, we are glad to help.

“Our passion at MediHerb is to unlock the healing power of plants by combining the time-honored wisdom of traditional knowledge with sound clinical experience and the rigor of scientific research.” Professor Kerry Bone

Brisbane is an amazing city if you ever get the chance to visit!

So why are dementia, Alzheimers, stroke and other forms of brain disorders on the rise?

Let’s explore some of those questions so that we can avoid being a statistic in this very disturbing trend.

The brain is one of the first things to develop when we are conceived, and it is the most important organ. The nervous system, of which the brain is a large part, controls and coordinates all the functions of the body. The brain consists of several parts, the gray matter, the cerebellum, the temporal lobes, the parietal and frontal lobe, the hypothalamus and pituitary that control the hormonal system, and all the other very important components. It cannot function well without the proper nutrients. You may know that from our earliest development, we are dependent on certain vitamins and minerals, fats and nutrients to have a healthy functioning brain. Without folic acid for example our neural canal does not form correctly and we might get spina bifida, without enough good fats they have determined that we will have a smaller brain than we should. When certain nutrients are deficient like protein, we don’t make the neurotransmitters or the chemicals that run the brain, resulting in conditions like depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, and more.

The brain is like a very complicated switch board. Information goes both ways, incoming information from the body is processed and instructions regarding that information goes out to the body in response to either correct a problem or make a change. For example, lets say that you come up to a hot stove, as you get nearer the temperature is hotter and hotter.

How does the brain respond?

• It might make your blood vessels larger to increase the ability of the body to cool off.
• It might make your sweat glands activate.
• It might cause you to move away from the heat.
• All this happens without your conscious thought, thankfully!

Many of our automatic processes are controlled by the autonomic nervous system (ANS). For example, you have been exposed to some chemicals and need to process some trash out of the bloodstream, its probably a good thing that we don’t have to tell the liver and kidneys to do their job or keep track of those processes.

The brain is intricately involved in many of our conscious and unconscious bodily functions. If however we have some damage or faulty nerve transmissions we need to go about figuring out the problem and providing support in a non invasive way if at all possible. Damage to the brain can occur due to many things. Our modern food supply is nutrient deficient due to processing and our desire to create a longer shelf life. The chemicals we are exposed to on a daily basis in our water, air, food, the genetically modified food we eat, and the toxins in our environment, and body care products can all contribute to the body’s inability to remove trash and maintain healthy cell function.

I recently read a book about early brain surgery and since they didn’t know that certain parts of the brain were connected to certain activities, they used the early brain damaged patients as guinee pigs so to speak. They would take out parts of the brain, and wait to see what happened. Then they could document the changes and use that information for future purposes (The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons by Sam Kean). Fortunately for us, that was a long time ago and we now have the modern conveniences of MRIs, CT scans and PET scans. They can determine exactly where the lesion is and deal with it as we choose. Some of the conditions that can adversely affect the brain are discovered on scans, some on bloodwork, but many, to be honest, are discovered by the family members or patients themselves. We are the ones who find little differences that stick out on a day to day basis. The earlier we handle these issues the better. They tend to be progressive and nutrition has been shown to be a huge part of repair.

SOME OF THE MOST COMMON CONDITIONS THAT CAN AFFECT THE BRAIN ARE:

• Alzheimers (AD)
• Dementia
• Type 2 Diabetes (T2D)
• Stroke
• High Blood Pressure (HBP)
• Medication Side Effects
• Parkinson’s

You may know someone with one or more of these conditions, I have helped many patients with these conditions, but not without their cooperation. You see, these and many other health concerns are often self-inflicted. I know that seems weird, who would give themselves a stroke or T2D? No one in their right mind, right?

Dr. Suzanne DeLaMonte from the Alpert Medical School at Brown University is a Neuropathologist, she states that Alzheimers and other forms of dementia are a result of diabetes of the brain. For some of you this is a very real issue since one in three adults today has pre-diabetes or is a diabetic. Pre-diabetes is having a Hemoglobin A1C of 5.7 or higher and diabetes is having a Hemoglobin A1C level of 6.1 or higher, depending on the lab and part of the country you live in. Ideally your 3 month average of blood sugar should be between 4.1 and 5.6.

So how does high blood sugar affect the brain long term? The pancreas makes insulin, insulin takes sugar out of the blood stream, takes it into the cells and makes energy. If we abuse sugar, or things that turn into sugar, then the pancreas overproduces insulin and the insulin receptors get down-regulated, leaving the blood sugar to get higher and higher. When blood sugar is elevated, the red blood cells (RBC’s) get glycated, or sugar coated, like an M&M. The sugar coating process is like having razor wire on your RBCs and they can cause damage when they travel down the tiny capillaries. This micro-circulation damage can affect our kidneys, cardiovascular system, eyes and brain.  Recent studies have shown that in addition to the pancreas, the brain also makes insulin, that shows just how important insulin is to the brain! 

In Alzheimers, the parts of the brain that are damaged by lack of insulin are the parts that deal with memory and personality. This is why its so difficult for family members taking care of a loved one with this condition. Insulin is very important for making chemicals known as neurotransmitters, these chemicals allow the different parts of the brain to communicate with each other.

So are Type 2 Diabetics more likely to get Alzheimers? YES, twice as likely. It does not mean that all people with T2D will get Alzheimers, or that all people with Alzheimers have T2D, but there is a lot of overlap. We need to reduce our dietary exposure to sugar, excess fruit, and processed grains, as all of these things create an insulin response and can lead to higher blood sugar levels and an elevated Hemoglobin A1C. Prevention is so important when it comes to the brain.

While, there are some who say that Alzheimers is a genetic issue, the ability of humans to change their genes takes generations and Alzheimers has been increasing in both frequency and severity over the past 30 years, so there must be an epi-genetic reason for the upsurge. Epigenetics is another word for environmental. One popular environmental cause has been linked to nitrates. Nitrates are in our fertilizers, preservatives in and on our food, and they are added to meats to retain color and flavor. They are added to foods that travel a long distance from Chile, Mexico and across the country without spoiling. Fish, cheese, hot dogs, ground beef, smoked meats like bacon, smoked turkey and ham, as well as beer and tobacco may have nitrates or nitrosamines in them. You can find alternative without nitrates and nitrites, and we should all strive to avoid them whenever possible. Recent research has shown that very low limited exposure to nitrosamines found in food can cause Alzheimers type brain degeneration, dementia, diabetes, fatty liver disease and obesity.

HOW CAN WE REDUCE OUR RISK?

Avoid exposure whenever possible. Look for sodium nitrite on food labels. Avoid processed foods, eat organically grown food whenever possible, and if that is not possible, at least eat locally grown food. Get educated about the harmful effects of chemicals in our food chain and educate children in your life and provide healthy choices. By packing a healthy lunch the night before work or school, you can avoid the processed or fast food options.

FOOD SUBSTITUTIONS THAT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

• Bananas ——————–Berries
• Soda ————————Water / Iced Tea
• Potatoes ——————–Sweet Potatoes
• Corn ————————Quinoa or Brown / Wild Rice
• Peanuts ———————Any Other Nut
• Fruit juice ——————Water / Tea
• Wheat ———————–Quinoa / Brown Rice / Oats
• Refined Sugar—————Stevia / Monkfruit / Raw Honey

What if you’re already eating a great diet, you’ve made that jump, and you need to do some repairs for damage done in your prior years? Here is a micro-circulation support protocol you can add to your daily food prep.

MICRO-CURCULATION SUPPORT PROTOCOL FOR MEAL PREP

• Garlic: Preferably crushed raw, you can add it to salad dressing, eggs, veggies, meat etc.
• Ginger: In water, a smoothie, or just chew it.
• Turmeric: A good quality, concentrated, bioavailable product like MediHerb’s turmeric with fenugreek.
• Berries: 3 oz. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries per day.
• Dark Chocolate: At least 70% cacao, about 1 ounce per day is medicinal!
• Beets: Roasted or juiced. If boiled, drink the water, it’s where all the nutrients are.

Exercise such as yoga, tai chi, meditation, strength exercises, biking and walking all contribute to maintaining a healthier blood sugar level and a happier brain.

STANDARD PROCESS & MEDIHERB BRAIN SUPPORT PRODUCTS

• Tuna Omega 3 Oil
• Bacopa
• RNA
• Ginkgo Forte
• Turmeric Forte
• Neuroplex
• OPC Synergy

If you or a loved one is having brain or memory issues, call our office to find out if dietary changes and some of these products might be the first step towards a healthier life!

CONTACT:

Dr. Virginia S. Irby D.C.,DABCO, ACN

Cascade Chiropractic

2371 Iron Point Rd. Ste. 130

Folsom, CA 95630

916-844-2800

Here are some examples of the children I have seen recently…

1. A 9 year old girl who presents slightly overweight, with her skin darkened around her neck and armpits. She craves sweets and her MD has suggested she may be pre-diabetic.
2. A 7 year old boy presents with anxiety about going to school and gets tummy aches on the way to the point where mom has to turn around and go home. He has missed 50- 60% of his school days in the first 2 months of school.
3. A 15 year old with acne and mood swings. Bad PMS and an inability to focus on her schoolwork. Her MD wants to put her on birth control.
4. A newborn infant who can’t poop without a suppository.
5. A 4 year old boy with sleep issues and difficulty at pre-school. He causes disruption with other children and falls asleep during school time.
6. A 13 year old girl with a rash across the shoulders and under the bra line. Moderately overweight, she has trouble going to sleep at night and craves sugar, bread, fruit, etc.

These are very real challenges that many families are facing. Oftentimes, through no fault of their own, these children are struggling with everyday activities. Sitting for several hours trying to focus on what the teacher says, getting along with siblings and others who might create conflict, sleeping soundly through the night; we should all be able to do these things, but sometimes we have challenges. Fortunately however, it can be improved. What we are learning about the gut-brain connection is that there are many ways a child’s gut and digestive capacity can be a contributing cause to their inability to focus, concentrate, have appropriate behavior etc. They may have been exposed to any number of causative or contributing factors in order to get to this place.

Here are some reasons why your child, family friend, or grandchild may be struggling with one or more of the above examples.

• Cesarean birth
• Adrenal stress
• Antibiotics
• A poor diet
• Excess sugar in the diet
• Fast food
• Excess family stress
• Sodas
• Drinking out of plastic water bottles
• Prescription medications

When a child is born, there are certain things that should be present, one of those is good gut flora (the bacteria that normally live in the digestive tract that digests their food). The immune system is also very intimate with the digestive tract and so important to the long term health of each and every child. Long term complications of poor digestive health can include learning difficulties, ADHD like symptoms, reflux, acne, constipation, obesity, anxiety and so much more.

Most of us have no idea where our initial exposure to that good bacteria comes from; its mom! During the delivery process mom shares her good bacteria with baby. There are many ways to mess this up, but happily there are also many ways to restore it.

Diet can be one of those key ways to restore and maintain your child’s health. Beginning at birth, whenever possible, your child should be breastfed. When this is not possible, because the brain is developing at such an amazing rate and those good fats are vital to proper development, think about adding DHA and EPA (sources of Omega 3s) to their diet. If there has been a C section birth then probiotics are also necessary to provide that good bacteria that is missing. For infants there are specific probiotics that are needed. For youth, teens, and adults there are a variety of probiotic options, which could also include fermented veggies. As infants grow, their diet should also include plenty of vegetables with a variety of colors, protein (both plant and animal), good fats, and nuts and seeds. Many times we find that children have favorite foods or habits that eliminate completely one or more of these food groups. For a short time this may not be a big deal, but over several months and growth periods, we can see deficiencies develop, behaviors change, and health deteriorate.

Think of a growing child like a house being built. There are certain things under construction at certain times, and once the slab is poured for example, it is too late to put an extra sink in the kitchen. Windows of opportunity open and close quickly, and when they are open, we need all the nutrients available or something will be built to a lesser quality. Not our ideal outcome. Nutrition can be fun and interesting for our young ones, however it does require us to put in some effort. We can’t routinely run through fast food or make them food from a box, we need to shop the perimeter of the grocery store, go to the farmers market (with the kids), and include them in the food preparation process as soon as they are able. When they are educated at a young age as to why healthy food is so important, they will make better choices when they are on their own. If we do have to get food on the go, consider going to the grocery store and picking up healthier options, maybe some fruit, some deli meat, etc. If you tell your kids that as a treat you are taking them to McDonald’s, what message does that send? The message is that fast food must be the best, when in fact it is the worst. They use the lowest quality foods, they are not organic, and have the longest shelf life so they are very difficult to digest, therefore providing us with the least amount of nutrition.

So when do we begin to be concerned about our child’s health? Ideally pre-conception. If that’s not an option, at birth. If that ship has sailed, now! It’s never too late to begin a healthier lifestyle. Start simply with a healthy breakfast. Protein, a good fat, and a fruit or vegetable are all contained in a healthy breakfast. Some options to consider are:

• Smoothies with fresh fruit, veggies, protein powder, a non-dairy beverage
• Eggs fixed any style – fried, poached, hard boiled, frittata, etc
• Leftover dinner from the night before
• Whole grain cereals low in sugar with non-dairy beverage (oatmeal, buckwheat, etc)
• Overnight oats – tons of recipes on Pinterest
• Paleo muffins made with almond flour and coconut flour

It’s so much fun to be creative in the kitchen! And the benefits are so many for our children and ourselves. Healthier families create less stress for everyone, save us money on healthcare costs, and keep our children functioning at optimum physical, emotional, and social levels. It’s a win-win.

CONTACT:

Dr. Virginia S. Irby D.C.,DABCO, ACN

Cascade Chiropractic

2371 Iron Point Rd. Ste. 130

Folsom, CA 95630

916-844-2800

I expect for some of you reading this down time may be an issue, so let’s start with what happens during our most important down time, sleep. For some, sleep comes naturally and unadulterated, while for others it is a dance, with bad music, bad partners, and a dance floor covered in mud. It can be hard to find the rhythm. Perhaps small children are in your life right now, or a partner who snores, or you travel for your job, or perhaps you just don’t know why! It happens! Sometimes our sleep issues are things we don’t think could contribute like a poor diet, improper digestion, a Rx side effect, chronic adrenal stress (from caring for a loved one, a job you don’t love, a difficult personal situation) or hormone disruption. Hormone disruption is defined as menopause, birth control, blood sugar issues, stress, etc. Needless to say, there are a multitude of reasons why sleep may evade us.

Is Sleep Really that Important to our Health?

Did you know that recent research has shown that there is a specific kind of lymph in the brain called glymph? Think of the lymphatic system as the sewer system of the body, it follows our circulatory system so goes everywhere we have blood, and picks up the trash we made as a result of our daily cellular processes. The glymphatic system is a waste clearance pathway specifically for the central nervous system; the brain and spinal cord. Glymph cleans up all our brain’s trash during our sleep cycles. It ONLY works when you sleep. It also has other important functions such as the distribution of glucose, neurotransmitters, fats and amino acids, all vital for a properly functioning brain.

Recent studies indicate a failure of the glymphatic system (poor sleep) may contribute to pathology in neurodegenerative disorders (think Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Dementia), brain trauma, and stroke (1 Science Daily 2/27/19). The deeper the sleep the better, so if you have a sleep issue it’s important to get to the underlying cause and fix it, not just cover it up with a prescription. Drinking plenty of water, regular exercise, and getting enough good sleep are all essential to a well functioning glymphatic system.

Purposeful Calm

Many of us suffer from being wired and tired. That means that we are up at 6am take care of our daily responsibilities and finally fall into bed by 11pm or midnight. Maybe we found time to go to the gym and do some strenuous cardio or run a few miles (hard on the adrenals by the way if they are not amazing) and we put that last load of laundry in just before crashing. Now you’re laying there in bed pondering all the things you didn’t get done, or need to do tomorrow, but, most importantly, you’re not sleeping! So tragic! All you need is sleep, but it doesn’t come. We need to find the time to relax, to be calm and introspective.

Some say you have to schedule it in, while others say you need to be more spontaneous about it. I have found that a little of both is needed. Planning personal time into your week, whether its a 15 minute period of meditation at the start or end of your day, a yoga class, a daily commune with nature, a set time to read, etc., is a necessary part of your productive lifestyle. As for the spontaneous part, be on the lookout for opportunities, deviations from the plan that would include some “down time.”

Here’s a couple of ideas for spontaneous moments:

1. You need to go to the post office for stamps, the grocery store, and stop at the pet store for dog food. Instead of 3 stops, get your stamps at the grocery store and while at the pet store stop and look at the fish, kittens or puppies for a minute or two. Spend a couple of minutes with a smile on your face, with stress free, purposeful calm.
2. You take the kids to practice and the usual routine is you sit and chat with the other parents. While this can be considered down time, only you can say if that’s true. Is it really? Or is it just part of the problem? Change it if needed. You’ll be glad you did, especially if you have limited “me” time. Quality time management is so important!

Its easy to get distracted from our mission, and before you know it an hour has passed and now we are behind. The most common place for this to occur is getting sucked into social media or TV. Purposeful calm is just that, purposeful. Intentional distraction means you’re still in control and it’s not mindless deviation. So whether its planned down time or spontaneous purposeful calm, enjoy the benefits of refueling your spirit, your body, your mind.

Quality down time can also benefit our adrenal glands, thyroid, and digestive system. For some, quality down time needs to look like a 20-30 minute nap. Simply getting horizontal can boost adrenal function for the rest of the day. This is especially important for those who don’t sleep well. You don’t even have to go to sleep, just set an alarm, listen to something relaxing, and give the adrenals a break from all the hard work they do. Remember, stressed out adrenals can keep you awake at night by making too much cortisol, so be nice to them!

The act of self-care has never been more important with our busy lifestyles. Having lived out of the country in slower paced environments I can tell you there is benefit to stepping out of the fast lane from time to time and replenishing yourself. Discover what fits into your routine, where can you slow down and replenish? Your body will thank you for it. And remember, quality down time doesn’t have to be time spent by yourself. Many people love spending quality time with family members and friends.

Make time to call that friend you’ve been meaning to catch up with, but never see. Have lunch with a sibling or significant other. Host a movie night. Plan a vacation! The options are endless and should be something that brings YOU joy and rejuvenation.

To finish today, I want to offer some practical solutions to improve your sleep.

Solutions for Improving your Health through Standard Process and MediHerb

If sleep is an issue you must first identify the cause…

1. If a snoring partner, you know what you need to do. Move them or you. Eliminating allergens, starting a detox program, and losing weight can all help with snoring.
2. If you have a hormone issue you may need to balance them with lifestyle changes, herbs or start a detox program. Lab and saliva test can help us determine if hormones are keeping you from sleeping.
3. If you have stress or anxiety there are whole food supplements and herbs that can be helpful while you establish a healthier lifestyle and/or wean off anti-anxiety meds. Some examples are:

• Adrenal Complex
• Ashwaganda Complex
• Drenamin
• Adrenal Tonic
• Dessicated Adrenal

To work with me on a plan specific to your needs and concerns, call my office to schedule an appointment!

CONTACT:

Dr. Virginia S. Irby D.C.,DABCO, ACN

Cascade Chiropractic & Nutrition

2371 Iron Point Rd, Ste 130

Folsom, CA 95630

916-844-2800

virbydc@gmail.com

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The family of pathogens that fungus falls into is commonly known as the Fungus, Mold, Yeast Family. These organisms like to set up housekeeping in moist, warm areas so think sinus, ears, vaginal, armpit, under the breast, mouth and in hot shoes.

Most of us at one time or another thought that we needed to eliminate all bacteria, fungus, mold, and yeast from our environment, however that would not be a good idea. Antibiotic resistant microbes are proof of that with the possibility of C. Diff resulting. C. Diff is a very dangerous life-threatening gut infection often the result of the destruction of too many resident microbes.

There are several billion gut microbes that we actually need in our bodies to help us digest our food, make enzymes and hormones, and more. Without these commensal or co-habitating organisms we could be less than healthy, in fact, some say we could not exist! There are 10x as many bacterial cells in the body as human cells. These cells protect us against the overgrowth of unwanted pathogens so we need to take care of them, feed them, and try NOT to kill them off.

If there are so many of them, how do they get out of balance? Well, WE do that to them sadly and here are some ways that can happen.

1. Antibiotics: Killing off most of the good guys and only a few of the more resistant bad guys almost always leaves us with an imbalance and the impending yeast infection, thrush, or recurrent initial infection. Studies show it can take 3-12 months to restore gut flora to some semblance of normal.
2. Sugar intake/ Type 2 Diabetes: Sugar feeds yeast, if you have ever made bread, the activating factors are warm water and sugar. Once combined the yeast takes off and multiplies like crazy.
3. Prescription Drugs: Many times Rx drugs cannot be avoided, however there is nearly always a consequence. The gut lining replaces itself every three to five days, this can be interfered with by many prescriptions as they have an inflammatory action on the fragile cells, thus resulting in an intestinal lining that becomes hyper-permeable. You may be familiar with this condition as Leaky Gut. The inflammatory state disrupts the mucus lining of the gut and leaves the good bacteria no place to live.
4. Stress: We all have some level of stress, sometimes good and sometimes bad. Being excited about an upcoming event is good stress, but there are many types of bad stress. The challenge is that we produce cortisol, an adrenal hormone, as a result of stress, and cortisol slows the repair of the intestinal lining, also leading to damage and inflammation.
5. Sodas, sugary drinks and alcohol: Sugar in this form is often not considered a contributor to a fungal or pathogenic overgrowth. However, fruit juice, excess fruit consumption, sodas, and alcohol all turn into sugar. So, much the same way as a diabetic suffers from excess blood sugar so does the person who consumes too much sugar in its natural state.

Let’s explore for a minute how we got our initial gut flora. When you were born, if you were fortunate to have a non-cesarean birth, you were covered in good microbes that your body absorbed and incorporated into your immune system. If you were breast fed this sharing of beneficial microbes continued as the anti-bodies in mothers milk were passed on to you. If you were fed good, whole, unprocessed food…. and on and on.

For some of us, this was not the case; our mother was raised in an allopathic model, where C-sections, antibiotics, and formula were the norm, or were unavoidable. If that is the case don’t dismay, it simply means you need to up your game if you suffer from stealth pathogens such as fungus, mold or yeast.

There is good news!! There are things we can incorporate into our daily routine that will help us on our path:

1. Eat more garlic, ginger, and onion
2. Eat whole food, unprocessed, not from a box
3. Drink water and herbal teas
4. Wear breathable shoes if you have nail fungus
5. Eliminate wheat and dairy when warranted

If you’re already being proactive and feel more support is needed, there are more advanced courses of action you can take:

1. A stealth pathogen protocol (supervised by Dr. Virginia)
2. Topical herbal tinctures
3. A gut restoration protocol (supervised by Dr. Virginia)
4. An elimination diet or weight loss program to balance blood sugar

Fungal infections often get misdiagnosed and are challenging to eliminate. Complicating conditions can include SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) , SIFO (small intestine fungal overgrowth), gas, bloating, GERD, and reflux, in which case many allopathic approaches might be an over the counter or prescription antacid. This approach is rarely the best option and in fact is contrary to alleviating the underlying cause of the fungal infection wherever it resides. This is because the pH balance of the gut should in fact be acidic and not alkaline. An acid environment helps to kill the bad bacteria also.

There are so many ways to compromise our health, and so many ways to improve it. As informed consumers we get to choose! Being committed to a healthier lifestyle is something you can do to improve your overall health, do it for you, do it NOW!

CONTACT:

Dr. Virginia S. Irby D.C.,DABCO, ACN

Cascade Chiropractic

2371 Iron Point Rd. Ste. 130

Folsom, CA 95630

916-844-2800

It’s all about physiology. There are 3 main types of allergies:

1. Allergic asthma: Can involve the throat and lungs
2. Allergic dermatitis: Can involve the skin, both inside (gut) and outside (skin)
3. Allergic rhinitis: Can involve the nose, sinuses, throat, itchy and watery eyes

The body, when exposed to allergens such as pet dander, dust, pollen of any type, certain foods, chemicals, mold, fragrance, and the list goes on and on, can have an allergic response which means that it will create a mast cell reaction. The body says, “Hey there’s a foreign substance here!” and the immune system comes to the rescue and produces histamine which is designed to help, but in excess it creates inflammation and all those nasty symptoms we like to avoid.

Royal Lee, the founder of Standard Process, stated in 1963:

“In allergic conditions a deficiency of calcium is usually considered a contributing factor, and the body’s calcium reserves are found to be low. Another definite aggravating factor is the pH of the body. An alkaline pH aggravates all allergies, so maintaining an acidic digestive tract is very important. Salivary pH should be between 7 and 7.3 prior to introducing anti-histamines, only then can the body process the antibodies associated with allergies. This is best accomplished with a digestive enzyme such as ZYPAN, or ENZYCORE or a system acidifier such as CAL-AMO.”

Some foods to consider avoiding during allergy season are: Wheat, dairy, and carbonated drinks. These foods can create an inflammatory condition in the gut which can lead to the possibility of allergens crossing into the blood stream and causing an allergic or sensitivity to the food and other environmentals.

Now lets talk about what to do if you already have allergies and its too late to avoid or prevent them this allergy season.

Allerplex: General allergy relief, contains liver detox, natural anti-histamine, vitamins A&C and lung support.

Antronex: In Allerplex, natural anti-histamine, liver detox

Cal Amo: System Acidifier

Albizia: Herbal anti-histamine, stabilizes mast cells that produce histamine. Supports headaches that are allergy related aslo. Use for skin or seasonal allergies.

Sinus Forte: Strengthens mucous membranes; helps with nasal and eye symptoms. Runny/stuffy nose, itchy watery eyes, sore throat.

Resco: Chronic lung and bronchial congestion

Immuplex: Supports the immune system and helps to moderate the immune response.

The aims of these products are to reduce the immune response by the body, to improve the body’s immune system to have a normal response, and to decrease the toxic load on the body by improving elimination of toxins which allows for a reduced buildup of histamine causing allergy symptoms.

If you are suffering from allergies, there’s hope! Give our office a call to set up an appointment and let me test to see which product will help you the most!

CONTACT:

Dr. Virginia S. Irby D.C.,DABCO, ACN

Cascade Chiropractic

2371 Iron Point Rd. Ste. 130

Folsom, CA 95630

916-844-2800