Trouble Sleeping? Try These Tips

Trouble Sleeping? Try These Tips
What you do and drink before bedtime can have an effect

(HealthDay News) -- Though the value of a good night's sleep is well known, it's not uncommon for people to get far less than the eight hours recommended for peak performance.

The Comprehensive Epilepsy and Sleep Disorders Center at Baylor Regional Medical Center in Texas offers these explanations why, and tips on how to get more shut-eye:

• Control caffeine. The cycle of downing a large cup of coffee to wake up in the morning and more after dinner, whether out of habit or desire to stay up late, counters the body's ability to sleep soundly on its own. Go easy on the caffeine, especially in the six hours before bedtime.
• Stress less. Lying awake at night worrying about responsibilities at home or work does little besides making sleep more difficult, so just let your troubles go at bedtime. "Once your head hits the pillow, your only duty is to sleep," Raul Noriega, manager of the center, said in a Baylor news release.
• Reschedule that nighttime workout. Exercising helps your body, but doing it too close to bedtime might hurt it in the end, because it makes falling asleep more difficult. That's because sleep causes the body temperature to drop about a degree and, if you're heated up from exercise, it could take hours for you to cool down enough for sleep, Noriega said.
• Develop a sleep routine. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Shut off the TV and music, turn down the lights and take a warm (not hot) shower to build an atmosphere of calm. And you might try reading in bed for a little bit before turning off the lights.

Vanillin is not natural

Vanillin may be made naturally or synthetically but the latter prevails because of the power of the dollar in synthetically making it than purifying vanilla plants.

I took a look at my "All-Natural Yogurt" = as long as it is 99% it is "all-natural" which means 1% can be toxins or toxic or artificial or "natural" flavoring. "Natural" flavoring is misleading due to lobbyists which influence the government enough to allow the use of artificial chemicals to be labeeled "natural".


Snippets from Wikipedia.

Vanillin, methyl vanillin, or 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde, is an organic compound with the molecular formula C8H8O3. Its functional groups include aldehyde, ether, and phenol. It is the primary component of the extract of the vanilla bean. Synthetic vanillin, instead of natural vanilla extract, is sometimes used as a flavoring agent in foods, beverages, and pharmaceuticals.

Methyl vanillin is used by the food industry as well as ethylvanillin. The ethyl is more expensive but has a stronger note. It differs from vanillin by having an ethoxy group (-O-CH2CH3) instead of a methoxy group (-O-CH3).

Natural "vanilla extract" is a mixture of several hundred different compounds in addition to vanillin. Artificial vanilla flavoring is a solution of pure vanillin, usually of synthetic origin. Because of the scarcity and expense of natural vanilla extract, there has long been interest in the synthetic preparation of its predominant component. The first commercial synthesis of vanillin began with the more readily available natural compound eugenol. Today, artificial vanillin is made from either guaiacol or from lignin, a constituent of wood which is a byproduct of the paper industry.

Lignin-based artificial vanilla flavoring is alleged to have a richer flavor profile than oil-based flavoring; the difference is due to the presence of acetovanillone in the lignin-derived product, an impurity not found in vanillin synthesized from guaiacol.[2]


Vanillin was first isolated as a relatively pure substance in 1858 by Nicolas-Theodore Gobley, who obtained it by evaporating a vanilla extract to dryness, and recrystallizing the resulting solids from hot water.[4] In 1874, the German scientists Ferdinand Tiemann and Wilhelm Haarmann deduced its chemical structure, at the same time finding a synthesis for vanillin from coniferin, a glycoside of isoeugenol found in pine bark.[5] Tiemann and Haarmann founded a company, Haarmann & Reimer (now part of Symrise) and started the first industrial production of Vanillin using their process in Holzminden (Germany). In 1876, Karl Reimer synthesized vanillin from guaiacol.[6] By the late 19th century, semisynthetic vanillin derived from the eugenol found in clove oil was commercially available.[7]

Synthetic vanillin became significantly more available in the 1930s, when production from clove oil was supplanted by production from the lignin-containing waste produced by the Sulfite pulping process for preparing wood pulp for the paper industry. By 1981, a single pulp and paper mill in Ontario supplied 60% of the world market for synthetic vanillin.[8] However, subsequent developments in the wood pulp industry have made its lignin wastes less attractive as a raw material for vanillin synthesis. While some vanillin is still made from lignin wastes, most synthetic vanillin is today synthesized in a two-step process from the petrochemical precursors guaiacol and glyoxylic acid.[3]

Beginning in 2000, Rhodia began marketing biosynthetic vanillin prepared by the action of microorganisms on ferulic acid extracted from rice bran. At $700/kg, this product, sold under the trademarked name Rhovanil Natural, is not cost-competitive with petrochemical vanillin, which sells for around $15/kg.[9] However, unlike vanillin synthesized from lignin or guaiacol, it can be labeled as a natural flavoring.

Excitotoxins

This is a long video lecture, about 1 hour long, but please watch in your spare time.

Did you know MSG may come up under different names?

hydrolyzed vegetable protein
vegetable protein
textured protein
protein extract
enzymes (depending on the source)
yeast extract
natural flavoring
spices
carragenum

Problem: the food industry lobbied to be able to disguise certain chemicals from being subject to mandatory labelling.

Also...

Surprisingly to me, it affects cholesterol and triglycerides too!

Baby acupuncture

This is a video of my son Aldan having four acupuncture needles inserted into his arms for his eczema. He did not cry at all.

Sausage, anybody?

I was talking to a patient today who works for a casing company. He states it is one of only two left in the world who makes this. It is to help with putting together the sausage. I asked if chemicals were used. Hesitantly, he did admit that but that the process is proprietary. My followup question is "it's not Organic, is it?" he CLEARLY shook his head. Something like this really makes me wary of eating hot dogs or anything of the like again, knowing that the sausages contain a multitude of chemicals to produce.

Whatever happened to the quaint German butcher that produced home-made sausages? That we would need to resort to putting chemicals in our food to make it hold together? taste better? not spoil as fast? Pickling the food with preservatives also means pickling our livers with the same chemicals. Let's face it, we live in a chemical world and our bodies are not made to handle chemicals. Happy eating.

Dr. Tang

WHEN PIGS FLY FLU by Don Harte, D.C.

The nation... the world... is on alert. A super zoonotic infection may be on the march. (A zoonotic infection is one that crosses from animal to human.) In this case, the latest flu outbreak is apparently part human, part pig, part bird... hence, "When Pigs Fly Flu." I doubt the CDC will come up with a better name. They surely will not dub it the Mexican Flu, since that would be so un-PC. For the same reason, they will not close the border, though common sense public health standards demand such. If and when this gets out of hand, you will know whom to blame. Ah, when science and politics mix, stupidity almost always arises.

So, what's the deal here? Might we have a catastrophic epidemic, what is known as a pandemic? Yes. Why do I say that? Three reasons. (1) This is very much out of flu season. (2) Many of the dead were young adults, unlike the usual targets of the very young and the very old. (3) Time of the appearance of the disease and death were short. (The Mexican archeologist who gave President Obama a tour was dead from this flu, so it is sometimes reported, the day after.) All three characteristics appeared in the Flu Pandemic of 1918. Certainly gives me pause...

But then, nothing might happen. Let's go back to the Swine Flu of 1976. Government health authorities spread panic, rushed a vaccine to production, which lead to 517 cases of paralysis and other very serious problems, and 23 cases of death, from Guillane-Barre Syndrome. Yes, all this was from the flu vaccine, not the flu. What was the actual toll of the swine flu of 1976 itself? 13 actual cases of the flu, one death. So, mortality-wise, the flu vaccine was 23 times more deadly than the flu itself. (You still trust these people???)

What does this mean? I urge you to think before you line up for the flu vaccine now, which is NOT the same strain as the current flu. (It almost never is.) DO NOT consider it a wise precaution. Besides have little to no preventive value, the substances in the flu vaccine carry substantial health risk. Despite what the "talking heads" of the media and the government may have to say, there will be virtually no benefit, and substantial risk getting this vaccine.

What about when they have the new vaccine ready in a few months? Remember the 1976 disaster. What will you do if you wake up paralyzed? Should you question to alleged experts? You betcha! Keep in mind the vast amounts of money that the pharmaceutical industry is destined to make on this. We are talking BILLIONS. You can be sure that they are leaning on all of their government contacts to make sure that everything (your tax dollars) is in place to enrich their coffers, despite the dangers, despite the lack of effectiveness.

So, what to do, to be prepared? Instead of following the "experts," like sheep, may I suggest that you THINK. Infection? Your defense is your immune system, which is run by your nervous system. My suggestions?
1. Get adjusted! If you are already under chiropractic care, make sure that you maintain your intensive care or your wellness schedule. Even a little extra, just to make sure, wouldn't hurt. Why? Again, your defense is your immune system, run by your nervous system. If you have interference, Vertebral Subluxation (most of the time, there is no pain), your immune system will be at a disadvantage in fighting what seems to be a totally novel virus. Vertebral Subluxation is corrected by chiropractic adjustment. There is no substitute. IF YOU ARE NOT YET UNDER CHIROPRACTIC CARE, call me now.
2. Eat well. Avoid junk food. Avoid excess sugar. Take supplements of Vitamins C and D.
3. Get some sun. (Good for Vitamin D activation.)
4. Get plenty of rest.
5. Have fun. Maintain a good mental attitude. Relax. Maybe meditate.
6. Exercise regularly. Yoga is good, too, but different.
7. Avoid crowds.
8. Make sure that you understand, and act on, #1.

If and when the When Pigs Fly Flu becomes dangerous? Do more of steps 1-8. That will surely be the critical time to get your family and all of your friends in here to get checked for Vertebral Subluxation. If you are not yet a practice member, get here as soon as you can. If it really hits the fan, there might not be any room here. WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT???

The Flu Pandemic of 1918. 25 to 40 million died. Here's the figures. In 1979, Walter Rhodes wrote that, during the Pandemic, medical doctors in Davenport, Iowa treated 93,590 patients, with 6,116 deaths, in other words, one out of 15 under medical care succumbed to the flu. At the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, 1,635 flu cases were adjusted, with only one fatality. Outside of Davenport, Iowa chiropractors adjusted 4,735 flu cases, with only six deaths - one out of 866. In 1919, Palmer College of Chiropractic published "The Flu and You." The ratio of flu cases cared for vs. deaths were as follows: Medical care: 1 out of 17 died. Osteopathic care: 1 out of 36 died. Chiropractic care: 1 out of 886!

Do the math. Outside of the BJ Palmer clinic, chiropractic care was 59 times more effective in saving lives than Medicine. Inside the Palmer Clinic, Chiropractic was 110 times as effective. No matter what preconceptions or prejudices you or someone else may have, what works... works. And, it makes sense. If you can't follow this, the time to come to my "Chiropractic: The Big Idea" class is now! It will all make perfect sense.

So, you can follow the so-called experts like sheep, or you can do what intelligent people do, use common sense, and learn from the lessons of history.

Chiropractic vs. Swine Flu

Written By: Dr. Wegmann

With today’s headlines dominated by the swine flu we need to learn more in order to protect ourselves and our families. The 1918 Flu killed an estimated 40 million people world wide. I pray this outbreak does not reach that proportion. I cannot comprehend the psychological impact of death on this scale in society today.

Here’s a little history on the swine flu.

On February 5, 1976, an army recruit died and four of his fellow soldiers were later hospitalized. Two weeks after his death, health officials announced that swine flu was the cause of death and that this strain of flu appeared to be closely related to the strain involved in the 1918 flu pandemic.

On August 20, 2007 Department of Agriculture officers investigated the outbreak of swine flu in Nueva Ecija and Central Luzon, Philippines.

In March and April 2009, more than 1,000 cases of swine flu in humans were detected in Mexico, and more than 100 deaths are suspected to have a connection with the virus. The Mexican fatalities are said to be mainly young adults, a hallmark of pandemic flu. [1]

The nature of a flu tends to be in waves. Flu pandemics typically come in waves. The 1889–1890 and 1918–1919 flu pandemics each came in three or four waves of increasing lethality. [2] I can’t find much information about what wave this flu is on, but researchers are more concerned about this flu than many in the past.

Here are 3 Sure-fire Strategies to help you and your family respond to the threat of the flu.

1. Hygiene- maybe one of the greatest advances of the industrialized nations was the change in the way sanitation and hygiene were practiced. Limiting our exposure to toxins both organic and inorganic makes sense. The body has a built in immune system, but sometimes that system can be overwhelmed. Frequent hand washing, especially when there has been contact with other people or with potentially contaminated surfaces can be very helpful.

2. Chiropractic- One of the most important studies was performed by Ronald Pero, Ph.D., chief of cancer prevention research at New York’s Preventive Medicine Institute and professor of medicine at New York University. It showed the positive effect that chiropractic care can have on the immune system and general health.

Dr. Pero measured the immune systems of people under chiropractic care as compared to those in the general population and those with cancer and other serious diseases. His initial three-year study was of 107 individuals who had been under chiropractic care for five years or more. The chiropractic patients were found to have a 200% greater immune competence than those people who had not received chiropractic care, and they had 400% greater immune competence than those people with cancer and other serious diseases. The immune system superiority of those under chiropractic care did not appear to diminish with age. Dr. Pero stated:

When applied in a clinical framework, I have never seen a group other than this chiropractic group to experience a 200% increase over the normal patients. This is why it is so dramatically important. We have never seen such a positive improvement in a group. [3]

Another study from Patricia Brennan, Ph.D., leading a team of researchers, conducted a study that found improved immune response in her test subjects following chiropractic treatment. The study specifically demonstrated the “phagocytic respiratory burst of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) and monocytes were enhanced in adults that had been adjusted by chiropractors.” [4]

Life Chiropractic University, produce an incredible study from the Sid Williams Research Center in 1994. The researchers took a group of HIV positive patients and adjusted them over a six-month period. What they found was that the “patients that were adjusted had a forty-eight percent (48%) increase in the number CD4 cells (an important immune system component).” These measurements were taken at the patients’ independent medical center, where they were under medical supervision for the condition. The control group (the patients that were not adjusted) did not demonstrate this dramatic increase in immune function, but actually experienced a 7.96% decrease in CD4 cell counts over the same period. [5]

The immune system is affected by the nerve system through the connections with the endocrine and the autonomic nervous system. And chiropractic care improves the function of the nerve system through improving the movement of the spinal bones that encase and protect the spinal cord.

Stressful conditions lead to altered measures of immune function, and altered susceptibility to a variety of diseases. Many stimuli, which primarily act on the central nervous system, can profoundly alter immune responses. The two routes available to the central nervous system are neuro-endocrine channels and autonomic nerve channels. [6]

3. Masks- no mask can provide a perfect barrier but products that meet or exceed the NIOSH N95 standard are thought to provide good protection. The rationale behind masks is to limit airborne secretions to stop the virus from spreading from person to person. The use of masks is not uncommon in the hospitals where the potential of infection can be greater in compromised patients. It would be unethical and potential deadly for a surgeon to operate without first washing their hands and using a mask.

As I stated previously I pray this flu does not turn pandemic. Millions of people’s lives will be at stake. I do hope you adopt some of the ideas I shared with you; starting first with the hygiene. I encourage you to explore the wonders of chiropractic if you currently know little about chiropractic. Finding a great chiropractor can be a challenge. Many chiropractors simply operate as “pain” doctors, never fully utilizing or understanding the miraculous results when applied properly.

[1]. Deadly new flu virus in US and Mexico may go pandemic”. New Scientist. 24 April 2009. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17025-deadly-new-flu-virus-in-us-and-mexico-may-go-pandemic.html.

[2]. U.S. Institute of Medicine; Stacey L. Knobler, Alison Mack, Adel Mahmoud, Stanley M. Lemon (editors) (2005). The Threat of Pandemic Influenza:

[3]. Pero R. “Medical Researcher Excited By CBSRF Project Results.” The Chiropractic Journal, August 1989; 32.

[4]. Brennan P, Graham M, Triano J, Hondras M. “Enhanced phagocytic cell respiratory bursts induced by spinal manipulation: Potential Role of Substance P.” J Manip Physiolog Ther 1991; (14)7:399-400.

[5]. Selano JL, Hightower BC, Pfleger B, Feeley-Collins K, Grostic JD. “The Effects of Specific Upper Cervical Adjustments on the CD4 Counts of HIV Positive Patients.” The Chiro Research Journal; 3(1); 1994.

[6] Felton DL, Felton SY, Belonged DL, et al. “Noradrenergic sympathetic neural interactions with the immune system: structure and function.” Immunol Rev. 1987 Dec;100:225-60.