From the Desk of Dr. Karl R.O.S. Johnson, DC.....

Studies about medications published in the most influential journals are frequently designed in a way that yields misleading or confusing results, according to a recent study conducted by the medical schools of UCLA and Harvard.* The journals used for this study were NEJM, JAMA, The Lancet, Annals of Internal Medicine, the British Medical Journal and the Archives of Internal Medicine.

1. Did you know that your brain accounts for less than 2% of your body weight, yet uses roughly 20% of our daily calories?
2. Your brain is a picky eater. It demands a constant supply of glucose, primarily obtained from carbohydrates like fruits, veggies and grains. Sugary snacks provide the wrong kind of glucose, and damages cells everywhere in the body – including the brain.
3. A study at Aston University in England suggests that more frequent, but smaller meals help the brain work best. They found that the brain works best with about 25 grams of glucose circulating in the system – about the amount found in a banana.
4. The brain is 60% fat. Essential fatty acids – the Omega 3’s are brain food!
5. 20% of our blood circulation is devoted to the brain.
6. Don’t eat too much! A study at the University of Wisconsin found that there is an immune response to too much food and may cause cognitive deficit.
7. Rats that gorged themselves on highly saturated fats for several weeks showed damage to the hippocampus – a brain area critical to memory.
8. The frontal cortex is the CEO of our brain and particularly sensitive to falling glucose levels. When the glucose level drops, confused thinking sets in.
9. Keep building your brain. Your brain continues to develop new connections through learning throughout your life.
10. Exercise daily! Physical exercise helps the brain by improving circulation and memory, and balance, coordination and reflexes are all improved with exercise. Mental exercise can help the brain by building new neural connections, boosting memory and offsetting the debilitating effects of age and disease.

In order to maximize your health and reduce your chances of developing autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto's, Celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and other illnesses, it pays to know your blood type.  Let's explore this concept in more detail.

You have no energy – after work you come home and you’re spent – nothing is getting done around the house.  Getting to sleep is easy, but you wake up multiple times at night, never getting the quality of sleep that might help you feel better.  When the alarm goes off, the thought of getting up in the morning gives you angst because you wonder when it will ever get better. 

Gluten sensitivity is often least expected as a cause for a chronic health condition.  Health challenges such as Hashimoto's, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Depression and Anxiety, Balance Disorders, Irritble Bowel Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, ADD/ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, and many other maladies can be caused or triggered by gluten sensitivity.

Ever since the mid nineties when I received additional certification in pediatric chiropractic, I've continued to work on improving my treatment for children with neurobehavioral disorders.  I've seen too many children with ADD, ADHD and Autism put on too many brain and body damaging drugs over the years and I just had to do something about it...at least in my geographic area.

I have been treating kids using typical chiropractic treatments with developmental and behavior concerns since the mid ‘1990s’ after I earned fellowship status from The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA).  Some success was obvious (less fidgeting and better focus) but the improvements were not predictable.  Many parents were desperately trying to help their child perform without putting them on medications.  I offered the clinical skills I had at the time.

We are all creatures of habit, but when it comes to our food selections we can make "CRAZY" decisions.  Gluten can be very difficult to give up because of a little talked about compound it contains.  Often this compound can lead to addiction to wheat.  Similar compounds can lead to addiction to dairy and soy as well.  If the proper testing is not done - dire health consequences can be yours due to irrational decisions.