Supplement Quality--What's the Deal?

In the United States alone there are approximately 1,000 supplement manufacturers. These companies can be anything from a mom and pop operation putting raw materials into capsules in a garage to a multimillion dollar lab with high tech equipment comparable to some of the large pharmaceutical companies. And there's no government regulation of the supplement world. This often leads the consumer to question the purity and manufacturing process of what they see on the shelves, as they should. All supplements are definitely not created equal. But just because the government doesn't regulate the supplement industry (which is good, because they would probably make it worse) doesn't mean the industry doesn't have some internal regulation.

I now direct you to the Natural Products Association, a company that, among other things, has a "Good Manufacturing Process" seal of approval available to supplement companies that pay to have their labs audited. If the supplement company goes for it, and passes, they get to put the "GMP" stamp of approval on their products. I already mentioned that there are 1,000, give or take, supplement companies in the U.S. There are only 77 companies that have made it through the process and sport the GMP label.

And of the 77 that have made it that far, only one company can claim that they also, in fact, manufacture actual pharmaceuticals, and therefore have inspectors and auditors of various natures in their facilities on a very regular basis. And that supplement company is Anabolic Labs--the guys I deal with.  Not just because of their level of quality; their actual line of products is congruent with my thinking about what people need less of: inflammation. They're making it easy these days by putting 30 day packages together of the four supplements I think most people should take: vitamin D, magnesium, fish oil, and a multivitamin that contains no iron (more on that in a future post). The clinical results from a low inflammatory diet (more on that, too) and the addition of the aforementioned supplements can be impressive.

I'm not telling you not to take the stuff they sell at your corner vitamin/supplement store, I'm just telling you to be aware that there are quality control measures in place. There are some good companies that aren't participating (yet) such as Houston's own Biotic Labs. I just set up an account with those guys because they have some great products. But I sure would like it if they were on the list, too.

Flu Season Cometh

If you want to get a flu shot that's cool with me, but I would be remiss if I didn't give you the goods on Vitamin D studies that show that elevating your levels of this substance (it's really more of a steroid hormone than a vitamin) can be incredibly beneficial when it comes to avoiding the bug of the season. The bonus is that there are many other reasons to get those blood levels up besides not getting the flu. The other bonus is that there are almost zero reasons to not take it (the most common reasons to be aware of are hyperparathyroidism, and taking the medication hydrochlorothiazide).

Among the most well known researchers on the subject is a fella name J.J. Cannell MD. In a paper titled Use of Vitamin D in Clinical Practice he and another researcher, Bruce Hollis, PhD, break down the mighty vitamin's role in everything from cancer prevention to inflammatory bowl disease. Also listed among vitamin D's uses are a role in prevention of macular degeneration, osteoporosis, and even periodontal disease. The authors describe a year long study of incidence of colds/influenza after supplementing with 2,000 IU of vitamin D. There was a placebo group, and also a subgroup of participants that took 800 IU a day (which is twice the government's recommended dose, by the way). The results? The placebo group had the usual high incidence of influenza, especially in the winter. The 800 IU group was markedly lower, and nobody from the 2,000 IU group even caught a cold that winter. Or the spring. One in the summer, and none in the fall.

I can tell you from personal experience that I haven't had a cold or the flu in over four years--the same amount of time I've been supplementing. On my 40th birthday in July I didn't feel quite right, but I still had people over, still cooked dinner and still had a good time. And by the next morning I was feeling normal again. I suspect I had a touch of the flu, but it just never "took."

The authors of the paper also state that a potential therapeutic dose when someone feels the initial onset of the flu is 2,000 IU per pound of body weight for 7 consecutive days. I've taken 100,000 IU at a time when I feel the slightest hint of sickness (like on my birthday), and lived to tell about it, so there you go. Very little concern for taking too much.

So take vitamin D! Wintertime holidays bring us in close quarters with each other when our D levels are naturally lower from the lower level of sun exposure we get that time of year. Plus, it's likely that you will be eating more sugar which lowers immune resistance, too.

And if you're wondering where to get a high quality supplement, look us up at Green Chiropractic

www.greggreendc.com

"Evidence Based" Chiropractic?

The "Evidence Based" question (as in, what does that mean?) comes up with some degree of frequency, so I thought I would address it here. Part of my standard spiel about the profession is that there are a wide variety of styles, philosophies, and practice models when it comes to chiropractic. Sometimes you get a doc that walks around you in a counter-clockwise circle with a crystal in his hand telling you that he can cure all that ails you, and some of us stick to strictly musculo-skeletal diagnosis and treatment. And in case you didn't pick up on it, my passion lies within the latter camp. The exception comes in the area of nutrition advice, which is good for much more than just preventing back pain, neck pain, and headaches.

So what does that look like in day to day practice? Very often it looks like what you're used to seeing in a chiropractor's office. Spinal manipulation (the adjustment) is very often used as a treatment for back pain for instance. The real difference is the explanation for how it all works along with the fact that manipulation isn't the only tool in the toolbox here. Exercise and rehab are the bigger focus--which is good for the patient because they can learn to be independent from any health care provider to maintain their freedom from pain.

We don't spend time trying to get you to sign up for lifetime care. We try to get you well and rehabilitated as quickly as possible so you'll tell your friends about us. We also want you to come back if anything else goes wrong up the road, which we think you'll do if we treat you right the first time!

Chiropractic and Nutrition

It's hard these days to know who to believe when it comes to diet and nutrition advice. Some say low carb. Others counter with whole grain. And there's everything in between. The same goes with supplements. How do we even know what to take, let alone know what brands are reliable? Should we be taking supplements at all? And don't chiropractors just treat back and neck pain? Why would a chiropractor know about any of this stuff?

These questions and many more permeate the collective conscience of the community at large that are seeking to lose weight, get off of medications, and feel better. And I've got a little secret for you: a good chiropractor knows much more than you would think about these subjects. Chiropractors don't prescribe. As a result, we don't take a heck of a lot of pharmacology classes (one of the many reasons I tell my colleagues that we aren't qualified to enter the debate about vaccinations, but I digress), but we do take quite a bit of nutrition. One of the reasons for this is that the consequences of inflammation from a poor diet are often manifested in the form of low back pain. If I can't help people get to the root cause of their pain then I'm not really helping with anything other than symptomatic relief. For me, those classes were a great revelation. I ate it up, if you'll pardon the pun. And as a result, at 40 years of age I'm healthier than I ever was in my 20's. I had the bonus of being instructed by one of the most well known authorities on clinical nutrition, Dr. David Seaman. Don't tell him, but I recorded every lecture, and have listened to them all multiple times.

Chiropractic as a profession is moving toward an evidence based paradigm. And Dr. Seaman is leading the charge when it comes to nutrition. As a result, I have literally hundreds of papers to back up my nutrition recommendations to go along with the self-experimentation I've been up to for years now. These recommendations have helped people lose weight to be sure, but even more gratifying are the cases of ulcerative colitis, IBS, acid reflux, and joint and muscle pain that have resolved or gone into remission after starting my program. And I use the word "program" loosely, as it's more of a sustainable way of eating that I advocate than a "follow these three easy steps" kind of program.

If you're ready to make a change, give us a call at Green Chiropractic. 832-203-5884. You can learn more about what we do at our website: www.greggreendc.com