October 2010 In This Issue Think Right Eat Right Stopping Brain Cancer Garbage By Any Other Name Move Right Featured Article Our Fall Cleanse Event has begun! This is our largest class ever, and 1/3 is made up of past Cleanse Graduates. If you missed out on our Fall Cleanse you can start the New Year off right by signing up now for our New Years Cleanse Event 3 pay plan. Think Right What Does ORAC Mean to You? Part II of II     In our last installment ORAC I discussed with you just what ORAC meant and how it will help you to determine which foods are actually going to help preserve your cognitive abilities.     The research has been ongoing for many years now comparing various diets and losses in cognitive abilities. Many long held beliefs had to be challenged, as they often do when testing theories, in order to determine if, for example, our "Central Nervous System" (specifically our Brain and Spinal Cord) was incapable of regeneration, as has long been believed. read entire article      Remember this one from Cicero the next time someone picks an unwanted argument with you or makes a negative comment about you."When you have no basis for an argument, abuse the plaintiff." Eat Right A Stay of Execution for "Frankenfish" By now most of you have heard about the first Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) meat "product" that was being considered by our "friends" at the FDA for release to the public for mass consumption. Currently, virtually all of the corn and soy beans produced in the USA are GMO. This event would have marked the first time that a "meat product" would have been released on the unsuspecting consumer public. I say unsuspecting since you will essentially have no way of telling whether you are eating a GMO product or a non-GMO food since the industry is not permitted to label even Non-GMO foods as such, and the GMO products do not have to be labeled as GMO. read entire article A Supplement to Eat Right Stopping Brain Cancer   I met an individual yesterday who was the brother of a patient of mine. This man had previously suffered the ravages of cancer. My patient, who introduced me to his brother, had previously been through our "Full System Detox Cleanse" and now understands the negative effect that our society's rampant "sugar addiction" has on our bodies. His goal was to have me speak with his brother and in the course of a few minutes have me influence his older brother in a positive way, and thereby assist in preserving his brother's overall Health and Wellness. read entire article Garbage By Any Other Name    As I have told you in the past, "you have to watch out for the marketing of Product(Food Product)". Well here we go again. The manufacturers association for High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) manufacturers has petitioned the FDA to allow them to call their product "Corn Sugar". I don't know about you but that term leads me to believe that they just "squeeze" corn kernels and extract the "corn sugar". Nothing however could be further from the truth. read entire article Move Right Proper Posture Extends Your Life!     Now this is a novel thought, to believe that individuals who maintain good posture will live longer. Well let's think about this. Have you ever noticed how as people age their center of gravity is thrown forward? In other words they begin to bend over forwards. They start "looking for nickels" as I like to refer to it. They are bent forward and their head is in a downward position. Now you may have previously assumed that this was due to them having compression fractures as a result of osteoporosis, and developing a "dowager's hump" (the "hump back") in their upper back.read entire article Parting Thought Rules: These thoughts were discovered inscribed on the walls of an ancient Persian temple: 1. Do not say all you know, for he who says all he knows often says more than he knows. 2. Do not tell all you hear, for he who tells all he hears often tells more than he hears. 3. Do not spend all you have, for he who spends all he has often spends more than he has. 4. Do not covet all you see, for he who covets all he sees often wants more than he sees. Upcoming and Recent Events Fall Kick-Off Cleanse: We just started our Fall Cleanse Event on October 9! We'll keep you updated on the progress of 30 Cleansers (our largest class ever!). September 15 and October 13 November 10: FREE seminars! Family Health & Wellness.Register here. October is National Chiropractic Month. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. October 20 is World Osteoporosis Day. December 2-5: Ulan Nutritional Symposium, Clearwater FL October is Non-GMO month. Learn what you can do here. "Stress! How It's Killing You" Seminar: Dr. Pfeiffer held two seminars, October 1 and October 8, at Knoll. Copyright 2010, Upper Perkiomen Chiropractic Center. All rights reserved. This article is protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, re-disseminated, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly, in any medium without the prior written permission of Upper Perkiomen Chiropractic Center. DISCLAIMER These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult with your health care professional before changing any medications or undertaking intense physical activity.   This email has been sent on behalf of your practitioner, Dr. Douglas G Pfeiffer DC  |  Center for Nutrition and Wellness  |215-679-WELL (9355) Think Right - continued  In fact regeneration of the brain and spinal cord tissue does occur, but as we age it occurs at a much slower rate, this according to research performed at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego, California.    So what does all of this anti-oxidant research mean to us in practical terms? Well in one study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, the cognitive function "protective effect" of consuming anti-oxidants was shown to be significant in test animals. In fact "animals receiving the high anti-oxidant diets did not experience the age related cognitive performance losses seen in control rats fed standard chow." A later study also published in the Journal of Neuroscience, demonstrated that "functional loss" among test animals could be reversed in those rats which were on special diets. The test rats were equivalent in age to 63 year old humans. The rats receiving the diets which were rich in spinach, strawberry, and blueberry extracts were able to "REVERSE" age related deficits in neuronal (Nerve) and cognitive function. You heard it right, they reversed the change. The theory about how this occurs is all related to "inflammation". This is so important for all of you to grasp. You see inflammation is our biological enemy. It is one of the first things that I address with all of my patients in the Center. We must get the inflammatory load down as much and as rapidly as possible as a first step with every patient, in their quest for overall Health and Wellness!     Here Gang is an interesting corollary with the "Research Gossip" that I told you about in the first installment to this article, regarding the drug company that developed the drug that would eliminate the "Amyloid Plaques" in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. Remember that the researchers actually found that this made the Alzheimer's patients worse and not better? Well, researchers who published their findings in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience, found among other things that when they dissected the brains of rats who had been involved in a study testing whether cognitive abilities could be regenerated (and they were using "High ORAC" anti-oxidant rich foods), the brains of those rats who had regained their cognitive abilities and those who did not both had the same number of Amyloid plaques. You see the plaques may only be a symptom of this disorder, not the cause. So once again the medical community may be attempting to treat the "symptom" instead of identifying the "cause", and at working on preventing the onset.       Throughout the ageing process the human brain goes through many changes. It changes physiologically, in other words the brain has the ability to "grow and adapt". By this I mean that the brain will shut down some pathways which are used very little but the brain will also strengthen other pathways which are used often. Think of this process as a sort of "pruning" process, similar to what you would do to your apple tree every year.       We also have a portion of the "Immune System" that is dedicated to caring for the brain tissue. Specific "brain immune cells" called "microglial" cells are dedicated to healing and repairing injured brain tissue.       Understand that there are few areas of the brain where new nerve/brain cells can be formed. One of these areas located deep in the center of the brain is responsible for "short term memory". Sort term memory is one of the things that is lost early in the neurodegenerative process that occurs with Alzheimer's.       This recent research has shown that elderly test animals fed diets which were rich in blueberry extracts for a short period of time, had an increase in "neurogenesis" (new nerve cell growth) in the areas related to short term memory. The theory for this is that the cells are being destroyed at an accelerated rate as a result of "cellular damage" or "oxidative stress". "Oxidative stress" occurs as a result of "Free Radical" formation. The formation of "Free Radicals" is reduced or halted by the introduction of anti-oxidants. As we learned in ORAC I, blueberries have a very high ORAC rating and therefore are strong antioxidants. This in fact may be the reason for this "miraculous" change that occurred in the test animals.       Here is an interesting "downside" to "microglial cell" activity. When the "brain specific" microglial cells become activated they create an inflammatory process. Those of you Silver Inner Health Circle members who have been reading my articles for years will know that "Inflammation" is the enemy of Health and Wellness. So, when the microglia become active they cause certain genes to be "up-regulated". This up-regulation may in fact be part of the process that occurs in the progressive formation of protein in the brain, as Alzheimer's progresses.       More research is being conducted in this emerging field of "Preventative Nutrition". You can bet that the "processed food industry" will jump on the proverbial band wagon with this documentation in hand. You will begin seeing ORAC ratings on the back of product labels. Certain products will be "marketed" as "brain protective". Be wary of this my friends, and always remember that the best and most nutritious form of any food is what you pick from the garden. So, get out there and gather up your blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. They are the best source of anti-oxidants you can find! next article Eat Right - continued So, unfortunately you the unsuspecting consumer, really have no way to be sure if you are consuming GMO or not. In the whole scheme of things you probably are already consuming GMO since, as I said, virtually all of our corn produced here in the States is GMO, and that corn is being fed to the "Mass Produced" beef, chicken, and farm-raised fish that you may be consuming. Hence you may be indirectly eating second generation GMO food "products".    So, what is the deal with this GMO meat "product"? Well, you see a little known Massachusetts company called AquaBounty has worked for 15 years and has invested 60 million dollars in developing a GMO salmon. Now I don't think that they would have spent this amount of time and money on this "product" if they didn't expect not only a huge return on their investment, but also FDA approval for their "product". This "fish" is called "Aqua Advantage". The advantage to AquaBounty is that this "fish product" will grow to maturity in 18 months (this in contrast to the 3 years it takes for a wild salmon to mature). These "Frankenfish" will only be "sterile" females, according to the manufacturer.     How did this company accomplish this? Well they took a gene from the king "Chinook" salmon along with an "anti-freeze" gene from the eel-like Ocean Pout, and inserted these genes into the salmon. In this way they were able to achieve the growth rate that they wanted.       These "fish products" will be raised in Panama in off-shore tanks, according to the manufacturer. They will be higher in saturated fat than wild caught salmon, and also contain much lower quantities of healthy Omega 3 fats, and higher quantities of Omega 6 fats. This is due to the fact that they are fed pelleted food like what is currently practiced with all "farm raised" salmon that will contain dyes to give them the pink salmon color that we are so used to from the true wild caught salmon that they are trying to emulate.       What occurred this month is that the FDA's review panel determined that AquaBounty had not presented sufficient data to determine the potential for harm to anyone consuming this "product". So, we received a "Stay of Execution" for those of us who are even aware of what is going on here. I determined to use the word "Execution" in this article as a sort of double entendre. You see AquaBounty wants to execute the full scale production and sales of what they believe will be a highly profitable "food product". This also could open the flood gates to other "food producers" who are waiting on the sidelines to present us with their latest concoctions that will allow for even faster, more profitable "food product production". In that respect this could also be the "Execution" of our food supply as we know it, and for that matter our own execution as a "Health Conscious Society".       So I ask you with full sincerity to talk to your friends and relatives, and even strangers, about this topic. Pass this edition of Health Hints to everyone who you know who is concerned about their health so that they can become better informed. I Thank You! next article Stopping Brain Cancer - continued   I knew that my task was great, and I had better come up with a quick analogy that "Brother" could understand and that would have a strong and lasting effect on him. What I chose was the mechanics of a P.E.T. Scan. A "Positron Emission Test", or P.E.T. scan for short, uses "Radio-Labeled Sugar Molecules" to seek out and locate tumors in the body. Since I knew that this man had undoubtedly been through a P.E.T. scan, I knew that it would be something that he would be familiar with, although I was fairly confident he would not know the mechanics of the test.     I explained that the test used sugar with a "radioactive" material attached to the sugar particles. I went on to explain that sugar is used since any form of cancer is "highly metabolic", meaning that it is growing rapidly. I explained to this gentleman that "cancer feeds off sugar". As I stood there talking to this man, who coincidentally had a can of soda in his hand, I could see that he was beginning to understand. His paradigm was shifting ever so slightly. He said to me; "So sugar is bad? Cancer lives off of sugar?" Yes, Yes, Yes! He got it!       Well I certainly was glad that I could come up with that one fast, but now how about the title of this article? Well hang in there, I was just using the roundabout method to make a preliminary point which I know all of you are well aware of, specifically that "Sugar Is Bad!"       So, what is the common thread to which every "Cleanse Graduate" link and every patient in both of my practices can attest? Well it is that Dr. Pfeiffer wants you to avoid sugar in every form as much as is humanly possible! I have told you for years now that if you do you will be Healthier and Live Longer, without question.       Do you need more of a reason? Alright let's say that you already have a brain tumor, specifically a "Glioma". This MALIGNANT form of a brain tumor affects people of all ages. It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in children.      Researchers have recently published findings on a "ketogenic diet" in lab animals with this specific form of malignant brain cancer. The ketogenic diet is the form of diet made popular years ago by Dr. Robert Atkins. It is also the form of diet that has been used as a treatment for epileptic patients since the 1930's. This diet restricts all forms of grain-based carbohydrates. It does not restrict fat intake however.       The findings of this research were dramatic to say the least. The data demonstrated that by incorporating this form of eating (diet) "survivability" improved. The researchers believe that this diet alters the individual's genetic expression. It literally turns on or off certain genes.       O.K. Gang so there is one more reason why you need to eliminate the sugar and go to a low carbohydrate diet. next article Garbage - cont'd The processing of HFCS requires multiple phases of "processing", and incorporates different chemicals in order to extract the end product; a product which according to researchers at Chicago's Loyola Universities Stritch School of Medicine has been linked to a higher incidence of kidney damage. The risk of kidney damage in women who consumed 2 sodas per day nearly doubled in this study. HFCS has also been linked to "fatty liver disease" and obesity as well. It is believed that HFCS makes people fatter since it may actually bypass the bodies natural "sugar regulation mechanism". I had written previously about the link between HFCS and mercury. Mercury is a heavy metal which causes severe neurological damage and breakdown of the nervous system.     HFCS is in fact one of the Biggest sources of calories in the American diet, and what is the largest source of HFCS in our diets? You guessed it SODA! HFCS can be found in many other "Food Products" as well. Things like your "All Natural" granola bar, which you are consuming because the marketing Guru's have convinced you that it is good for you. O.K. Dr. P. you have leveled the criticism, how about an alternative? Well a wonderful alternative to your "delicious chewy all natural oat and honey granola bar" (sounds like I should work in the marketing department for the "product manufacturers") would be a handful of almonds, a banana, an apple, or a piece of cheese.     So where does this name change go from here. Well the FDA has 6 months to respond to the request. Now understand that while these name change requests may be uncommon they have occurred before with many products that you may consume. For example how many of you use "Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed Oil"? Probably none of you think that you do, and not many of you would if that were what it was still called. In the 1980's a similar name change petition was filed with the FDA, and that long name was shortened to "Canola Oil". A similar name change occurred more recently with good 'ol Prunes. There name was changed to "Dried Plums".       Don't forget that the abuse of our farm land through government subsidized repeat cultivation of corn has required the use of more and more nitrogen based fertilizers which have continually run off and polluted our fresh and salt waters. To the point where we have created the "Dead Zone". This region off of the Gulf Coast is about the size of New Jersey is "incapable" of supporting any form of life.       I will keep you posted at this latest ploy these marketing wiz kids are stewing up to make it easier to get this "Health Destroying" food product into the food chain, and create more health disorders for our culture. next article Move Right - cont'd     OK, let's think a little more about this one; many of you probably have assumed that these individuals (perhaps your Grandmother) had this occur in the reverse of the way that it really did. In other words you may have assumed that these individuals had osteoporosis and then had those spinal fractures called "compression fractures" which causes the front of the vertebra, or the spinal bones, to collapse. I think that you imagine the spine would begin to cave forward as a result. However, what if we reversed this course of events? In other words perhaps the slumping forward begins first (which it does), and the person begins to "cave in". According to the most recent research this is in fact what really happens. This research was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, in 2009. It was titled "Hyper-kyphosis (that is the scientific term for the bent forward spine that I just described) predicts mortality independent of vertebral osteoporosis in older women." The authors state that "many older adults who are most affected by hyperkyphosis do not have vertebral fractures. Hyperkyphosis may be independently associated with an increased risk for adverse health outcomes, including impaired pulmonary (lung) function, decreased physical function capabilities, and future fractures."       Let's think outside of the box again gang, if you start to "cave in" as I call it, you will put more pressure on your lungs and heart. You will not be able to take in as large a breath as needed to fully expand your lungs. This in turn can lead to other lung issues like recurrent upper respiratory infections and reduced ability to perform routine activities such as yard work or other household duties. You fatigue easier, and "can't catch your breath". This is all due to physical compression of your lungs and heart as a result of "caving in".       Go to the mirror right now and assume your "normal", comfortable posture. Stand so that you can look at yourself from the side. See if the back of your ear falls in front of an imaginary line that extends up from the center of your shoulder. If it does then you are demonstrating what is called an "anterior (forward) head carriage". This is an early sign that you are beginning to cave in. Look next at the area around your shoulder blades. Does this area extend back excessively? This is another sign.       I have to remind those of you who are not under chiropractic care that as this occurs you will without a doubt begin to develop "fixations" or locking of vertebral joints in this area. As I tell the attendees at my Family Health and Wellness Program™ every month; "The function of every joint in your body is motion, and lack of motion is a lack of health."       So, to live Longer Healthier lives all of our Silver Inner Health Circle™ members need to begin to be aware of and correct postural flaws. If you are not getting your spine checked and adjusted on a regular basis you need to start doing so right now. If you are not exercising regularly to strengthen in particular the muscles of extension (the ones in your back that keep you erect), you need to begin. top of page Featured Article The Cost of Good Health   The cost of good health can never be accurately measured until you don't have it, then the true value of good health becomes apparent. Good health is worth all of the money and possessions that you have.                                    Dr. Douglas G. Pfeiffer Quick Links Register Now for our FALL CLEANSE PA Raw Dairy Quit Smoking Chiropractic Care Grass Fed Food & Facts Our Fitness Trainer Delicious Organic Fruit Health Hints Archives Vanishing Bees Where have all the Bees gone? Click here October is NON-GMO Month Listen to an interviewwith the leading authority on GMO foods in order to get a true perspective on what this issue is really all about. You can help put a stop to GMO products! October is... What's Wrong With Our Food System? You all need to take 5 minutes to watch 11 year old Birke Baehr. He sums up GMO and Industrial Farming as well as I can, but he is definitely a lot cuter to watch and the audience loves him. You will too. Enjoy! Click here Breast Cancer Awareness Month Read articles from Dr. Pfeiffer on awareness and prevention: Click here and here