Health Matters

Coaching Corner: Mindfulness Meditation and Sleep

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 18:33:04 GMT

"Sleep is the golden chain that binds health and our bodies together." -Thomas Dekker

Mindfulness practices can improve your health in so many arenas, but most of all it can aid in improving your sleep. Mindfulness meditation can be defined as focusing awareness on each moment, including the environment, as wells physical and emotional sensations. In clinical studies, practicing mindfulness and/or mindfulness meditation before bed has led to benefits including: reduced insomnia, deeper sleep, fewer episodes of wakefulness during the night, improved mood and resilience, greater daytime energy and less anxiety.

Give this a try:

Be in a quiet place where you can relax. Sit, or lie down in your bed.
Pay attention to the environment, listening to the sounds, smelling what is around you and feeling the temperature of the room.
Focus inward. Take several deep breaths, paying attention to how your body feels as you breathe. Let your eyes close as you become more relaxed.
Scan your body and assess how you feel. Focus your awareness on the parts of your body that are tense or in pain. Breathe deeply and acknowledge the feeling, without judging it.
Imagine your body becoming heavier, more anchored to the earth. Visualize a location that makes you particularly happy. This could be a natural setting, a vacation spot you remember, as long as it leaves you with a calm, peaceful feeling.
Let your thoughts flow. If you have anxious or worried thoughts, let each occurrence be an opportunity to observe the thought and let it go. Rather than fighting the thoughts, imagine standing still and letting the thoughts flow around you. Bring your attention back to your breath.

You can use a timer if you need, or just fall off into sleep. Do keep with this practice as it might take some practice, but you will reap benefits however you do or how long you choose to do this meditation.

What we are taking: I-Theanine

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 18:33:02 GMT

“A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.” — Irish Proverb

Dr. Bump's most recent musings discussed lifestyle choices that are impacting our ability to get a restful sleep. While you implement some of the changes he suggests, we recommend I-Theanine per supplement support. Click the image above to purchase from our online store.

What we are eating: Cilantro Chimichurri

cassie.cuppek.ihc@gmail.com (Cassie Cuppek) — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 18:33:00 GMT

We know that there is a love it or hate it sentiment around cilantro. We happen to be in love with it. It's scent, textures, that hint of lemon to taste. It makes us think of salsas, curries, pesto, or even a smoothie. We also love the health benefits. Cilantro helps to transport heavy metals from the body; think low budget, natural chelation treatment. It also helps the liver in removing toxins from our system.

We like this recipe from Sylvia Fountaine posted on Feasting at Home . We have put it with fish, meat, grilled veggies, and so many other things.

Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce

Ingredients

1/4 cup red onion

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon fresh chilis, diced (jalapeño, red chilies, or feel free to omit for a milder version)

1 cup Cilantro, tiny stems OK

1 cup Parsley, thin stems OK (optional, if not using, add another cup of Cilantro)

1 tablespoon fresh oregano ( or 1 teaspoon dried)

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (1–2 limes) or use red wine vinegar (or use half lime and half vinegar)

3/4 cup olive oil, add more to the desired consistency

1 tsp kosher salt

1 teaspoon pepper

½ tsp smoked paprika– (optional –only if you like smokey flavor)

½ teaspoon chili flakes, more or to taste

Finely mince everything and place it in a medium bowl along with wet and dry ingredients. Taste, adjust salt, lime and heat ( add more chilies or chili flakes) to your liking.

Or, alternatively, use a food processor:

Place all ingredients through oregano in processor, and pulse a few times until finely chopped.

Add olive oil, lime juice, smoked paprika (optional), salt and pepper. Pulse a few more times, until well combined (but not smooth).

Taste, adjust salt, lime and heat ( add more chilies or chili flakes) to your liking.

If the mixture seems thick add a little more oil to loosen it up.

This will keep up to 4 days in the fridge, or freeze.

Dr. Bumps Musings on Sleep: The Magic and Elusive Elixir of Health

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 18:32:59 GMT

“Some people can’t sleep because they have insomnia. I can’t sleep because I have internet.” — Anonymous

Sleep, the mysterious and essential state, where our bodies rejuvenate and repair, our minds turn off and reboot, our hearts soften and quiet and our soul reconnects with its Source. And yet, sleep is elusive, so frequently unobtainable, and all too often, fitful and fragile. Despite what we desire, despite what we know to be true, that a good night’s sleep is so good, so necessary and so fulfilling, it seems to remain just out of reach. Perhaps a metaphor of our dreams?

Sleep is etched deep into the complex and poetic structure of our DNA and we all must surrender to its artistic muse. For many, it remains a sore spot, a challenge and simply another source of worry and dare I say; stress. For without a sleep replete with deep delta waves of resounding bliss, we do not refresh and regenerate. When we are not revitalizing and regenerating our bodies, with the luxury of sleep, we do not function well, at all.

“I want to sleep better” or simply, “I am just so tired” is at the top of the list of requests, complaints, concerns, challenges, or symptoms I hear as a physician. I am sorry to say, although you must not be surprised, not all sleep challenges are created equal as per treatment. Some are driven by deep biochemical imbalances that have been in place for years and others by the same pharmaceuticals which are supposed to help us be healthier versions of ourselves. But, most sleep difficulties I see in my practice are driven by personal lifestyle choices. The simple things we unknowingly do, each and every day, which form the foundation of what we call our lives. With the Emperor being exposed, know that if these choices have been made before, they can be unmade, or changed and therefore on our way to a more restful slumber.

Let's look at 3 different lifestyle choices we all make, to some degree or another, that affect the sweet nectar of sleep from satisfying your desire for slumber.

First: Blue Light Exposure

The photoreceptors in your eyes are constantly tracking the amount of light in your environment and communicating that sensory stimulation to the “suprachiasmatic nucleus deep with the brain. There is a relation between the amount of light we absorb through our eyes and the messages it sends to our brain to stimulate the production of your sleep promoting hormone, melatonin. The photosensory chain reaction establishes the process we call circadian rhythm with which we were designed to dance. This “Night-Club Two-Step” is a thing of perfect harmony and beauty when we live with all of our light shining from Sunrise to Sunset. We have lost our rhythm as we live under a continual stream of blue light emanating from every palm, lap, and wall in our lives. Blue light tells your brain that there is still plenty of sunlight to enjoy and consequently diminishes your melatonin which should be telling your brain it is time to slow down, surrender to the sand-man and go to sleep. As you remain awake your brain thinks something is wrong and pushes you into Flight or Fight mode. That’s right, adrenaline starts pumping through your body getting you ready to flee. You undoubtedly are aware of the drill. It can often manifest in all of the mind chatter that comes flooding in as you close your eyes. What do we do? Reach for the blue light device again!

The solution to this first insomnia inducing agent is both obvious and simple: Turn off the blue lights. Alternatively, here are some smaller more digestible actions that can be taken:

Easy to do: Use blue blocking filters on your phones, tablets, computers and any screened device. Most smartphones have blue blocking, Night Shift settings. Turn them on. My phone is set for Night Shift from Sunup to Sundown.
Moderate effort needed: Change the lights in your home to special blue reducing bulbs. (eg: Philips Hue, and no we don’t get paid to say that.)
Moderate to harder effort needed: Blue-blocking glasses: readily available, fashionable, and scientifically researched. Little costlier than we’d like as per a recommendation, however what is the sleep of your life worth to you?!
Hardest effort: Have a no blue light rule for at least 2 hours before an established bedtime. Yes, this means not scrolling while lying in bed hoping to fall asleep.

Second: Caffeine

Caffeine is the world’s stimulant whether it is tea, coffee, cocoa in chocolate, or those other energy drinks we see on the market. There is nothing quite like the bouquet of roasted coffee brewing in the morning after a deep and restful sleep, its aroma tantalizing our senses. As much as you might enjoy the sensory up-tic caffeine provided in the morning, it has detrimental consequences on sleep for more than 50% of us. Have you gone out to dinner with the person who can down a double espresso at 10 pm and sleep like a newborn babe? That person probably has an unregulated cytochrome CYP1A2 gene which helps them break down caffeine in a jiffy. The rest of us are not as fortunate.

All drugs (yes, caffeine is a drug) have a half-life which is the length of time it takes to break it down 50% of it and clear it (detox it) out of your body. Caffeine has a half-life between 5 and 7 hours, which means that if you drink a cup of coffee at 2:00 p.m. then by 9:00 p.m. 50% of that cup’s stimulating effects are still working on the neurons in your brain. This caffeine is also then blocking a brain chemical, adenosine, which helps to calm and quiet you and prepares you for sleep. The result is you stay awake. From here it gets worse; remember with the blue light we’ve triggered the brain to think something is wrong, so it goes into Flight or Fight mode? That’s right, we are pumping the body up again with adrenaline here… and many reaching for that blue light if we haven’t already been on it.

The solution, possibly as obvious and simple as the first solution described: A void caffeine. Here are some steps to get there:

Easy to do: Limited any caffeine sources to before 12 PM noon.
Moderate effort needed: Shift caffeine sources from say a cup (8 oz) of regular coffee contains between 65 and 150mg of caffeine to a cup (8 oz) of tea that may contain 15 to 100 mg of caffeine, or non-sugary cacao beverage may contain zero to 25 mg of caffeine. Be sure to look for hidden sources of caffeine like in soft or other sugary drinks, and treats.
Moderate to hard effort needed: Don’t reach for that blue light if you are already wide away due to caffeine. Your body will break the caffeine and allow you to fall asleep. But if you grab the blue light… forget about it.
Hardest effort: Go caffeine free on perhaps an 80/20 basis.

Third: Alcohol

One of the most touted and highly performed rituals of relaxation in our society is the imbibing of alcohol. Tragically, the consumption of alcohol has increased during the covid-19 pandemic. It is estimated that drinking alcoholic beverages has increased 32% in “normal” drinkers, and as much as 60% in binge drinkers. Alcohol has numerous health related risks associated with its use and it is not my intention to do a deep dive into those concerns here as I want to only focus on how alcohol affects sleep.

Alcohol both stimulates and sedates. The sedative effect helps you fall asleep seemingly more easily after that glass of wine or two. Its stimulating effects wakes you up or keeps you up. What? How? Here’s how:

Alcohol inhibits melatonin, similar to the blue light issue.
Alcohol increases both adrenaline and cortisol, both stress hormones which put you in survival mode, like Flight or Fight.
Alcohol inhibits and reduces Growth Hormone, which is used at night to aid in repair and rejuvenation.
Alcohol also disrupts your circadian rhythm, which interrupts both your brain’s and your liver’s proper cycles.
If you drink alcohol which contains caffeine, such as soda, Red Bull, chocolate you’ll enjoy a double whammy of sleep interruption.
Alcohol can not be stored so you must burn it as a fuel, while all the food you ate at dinner or as snacks works your metabolism, which keeps you awake, and also increases fat.
Many beers and wines contain sulphates which stimulate histamine which is a very excitatory neuro-chemical.
Alcohol is a diuretic; you will have to get up to urinate during the night.

I am not here to sound condescending, when I say, the obvious and simple solution to share is: Don’t drink alcohol. Yet it’s seemingly futile as alcohol is deeply ingrained in the human experience, similarly to caffeine and blue lights. Thus, I offer here some tips that help reduce alcohol's stimulating effect.

Take your last drink much earlier, allowing your body at least 3 hours before bed to metabolize the alcohol from your system. Keep in mind this varies by your weight, gender, genetic uniqueness and consumption.
Stay hydrated. Keeping your body hydrated before (daily), during (alternate from alcohol to water), and after (daily and always) can help keep the blood alcohol concentrations low.
Avoid mixers or drinks with caffeine and or sulphites.

Of course there are other lifestyle choices we can make to achieve a more restful sleep. Hot baths in mineral salts an hour before bedtime, meditating before bed, slow, gentle stretching or yoga and engaging slow diaphragmatic breathing., And yet those efforts might be without success if we don’t change some of the other, more damaging choices first. For example, a hot bath with a blue light device is not going to serve your sleep. If we are caffeinated or have consumed alcohol we likely won’t get into a meditative state, and gentle stretches or yoga could become injury inducing. Further, there are supplements one can take, and they would be beneficial, and support any number of solutions above, but they are not THE solution. The “right” solution is the one you choose, you control, and you stick to.

“A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.” — Irish Proverb

What we are eating

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 17:36:30 GMT

Spiced Nuts by Elena's Pantry

Ingredients

2/3 cup almonds
2/3 cup pecans
2/3 cup walnuts
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine spices chili thru salt
Place nuts in a large cast iron skillet with medium heat
Toast nuts for 8 - 10 minutes, stirring frequently as to not burn, but they become lightly browned
Once toasted, stir in olive oil, then spice mixture coating nuts
Remove from heat and let sit to cool before serving

After we tried this recipe, we've been coating our mixed nuts with a variety of different spices. Follow the same instructions with the following dry spices for a change: Everything But the Bagel Seasoning, California Pepper Plant Dry Rub Seasoning. Keep the dry spices sugar free to be compliant on our detoxification or dysbiosis programs.

Reference: https://elanaspantry.com/low-carb-keto-spiced-nuts-recipe/

Coaching Corner

Mon, 11 Jan 2021 20:22:53 GMT

Enhance your detoxification with some of these tips

If you follow us on Facebook you know that Dr. Bump and myself completed our 28 Days of Detox on Dec 27th, 2020. Since we’ve been packaging up supplies for all of our detoxers participating in our annual Group LivClear II Detoxification Program beginning Jan. 12th, 2021. There is still time to sign up and get your supplies if you have not done so!

Enhance your detoxification with some of these tips:

Drink warm lemon water - first thing in the morning. This helps to get your digestive tract moving. It also stimulates your enzyme function, which in turn helps the liver to detox.
Epsom salt baths. Epsom salts help to draw out the toxins. Perhaps you don’t have time for a 30 minute bath, but you can get the benefits by just soaking your feet while on one of your work from home Zoom calls!
Meditate. A detox isn't just about our food intake, which I will coach you through during the program. Endotoxins can result from negative thoughts, emotions, and stress. You might not be able to take a large chunk of time out to meditate, or even know how for that matter. You can take 1 minute a few times a day to focus on your breath. Perhaps just before a Zoom call, or directly after. This will greatly improve detoxification!
Sleep. If you are having difficulty getting the 7 - 8 hours of sleep that a body likes to fully rest and restore, then start with some simple before bed changes: bath before bed, chamomile tea, stop screen time 1 hours prior to bed.
Drink dandelion tea. Dandelion root, is a plant high in antioxidants, vitamin C and A. These contribute to detoxifying the liver. We prefer a tea, and you can make a juice, or a smoothie with low sugar fruits and green vegetables!

Musings: Cautious Optimism

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 21:17:42 GMT

Dr. Bump's December 2020 musings: Covid-19 Vaccine.

Everywhere I go these days, people ask: “Dr. Bump, should I get the Covid-19 vaccine? Is it safe?” The short answer is, I would exercise patience and caution. Continue to support your health in ways that you’ve learned over the years with us. The long answer is:

While not an anti-vaxxer, I am prudent and reticent. As with any topic, per healthcare, beliefs are formed based on perceived “truths”. The questions asked produce the answers sought, unless we keep an open and objective mindset. I am curiously excited about the prospects of this vaccine and the technology behind it. I am for intelligent choices based on sound evidence provided by the best facts we can compile.

When studying therapies related to healthcare, whether they are techniques, nutrients, vitamins, herbs or pharmaceutical drugs, I want to know there is properly done research to support their use by my patients. So it is with a healthy amount of investigative curiosity that I reviewed the landmark study being used to validate the use of the Pfizer vaccine.

First, the marvels of modern genomic technologies (mRNA) used to create this vaccine are mind boggling. Suffice it to say that conceptually, the use of mRNA to prime our immune cells is brilliant. Basically, this vaccine will encourage your own muscle cells to make the protein (S for spike) that the corona virus uses to attach to your cells. It’s that spiky thing you see in pictures of the virus. mRNA has been used in cancer therapy for a number of years now, but it has not been used for a vaccine. From a broad overview perspective; it seems safe and hopefully effective, and time will tell.

Secondly, by nature I am an optimist, and I look with a bit of skepticism towards big pharma, the medical industrial complex and the federal regulatory agencies created to protect these industries, such as the FDA. As a Functional Medicine physician, I am interested in the science behind a new drug or nutrient supplement, as much as the quality of the research studies from which decisions are based. This is especially true with the Covid-19 vaccine which is the end result of research, clinical trials and FDA approval steps, just like any other new drug coming to market. This inoculation’s path from “bench” to CVS was titled “Project Warp Speed”, and has been tested and approved in record time. The title of the project alone should increase the scrutiny of those who know a bit about how to read and interpret medical research studies, to be cautious about the results. The storyline reads that because this vaccine uses the new mRNA technology cited above, it has been able to be fast tracked through testing and approval. That makes you an unofficial test subject in the short and long term, if you choose to be injected because this technology has not been used as a vaccine.

Thirdly; Is the landmark study which the FDA used as the basis for approval for this vaccine represent good science? Has it had proper peer review? (NEJMDecember 10, 2020 Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 VaccineDOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2034577) And has the research answered the most important questions regarding safety and efficacy? It is these questions and concerns I would like to address by briefly summarizing what I have learned about this vaccine, the research behind it, and some advice about moving forward for you my dear partners in health. Here are my concerns about the study which are less discussed:

There were 2 age groups studied: Group 1: ages 16 to 55 years and Group 2: ages >55 years. How do a 75 year old, high risk individual compare with a 55 year old? We don’t know. Researchers use this broad sweeping age range like this when they want to blend the results to make the outcomes look better than they might otherwise might be. Otherwise, in most other viable studies, one would see the age groups broken down by decade and responses tracked and noted accordingly. This is not the case here.
There was no identified exclusion criteria. That means researchers did not identify people with certain risk factors and exclude them from the study. We would hope the at risk individuals, like those over 70, with obesity, heart disease, allergies or diabetes would have been excluded. We learned on day 1 of the UK rollout that 2 nurses suffered anaphylactic shock due to allergies, and only after world-wide coverage of these events did Pfizer admit that yes indeed, there are exclusion criteria, but they didn’t report it initially. (What’s up with that!?) My suggestion: if you suspect you have any at risk condition for receiving this vaccine, it will be best you wait at the back of the line until more data surfaces in the months to come.
Side effects such as headaches, fatigue, chills, muscle pain and joint pain were reported at a higher rate than with other vaccines. These effects were not -yet- tracked over time. Thus, the long term side effects remain unknown.
The study did not address what should be -in my opinion the most important question of all: How many asymptomatic patients were there in the study who were positive with the virus? As a follow up to that, how many who were vaccinated were still able to spread the virus? We don’t know the answer. This data was not included in the tracking and testing of the participants. Dare I say, bad science practice?
There was no consideration either about re-infections, and because we know someone can become reinfected, how effective will the vaccine be with those who have already contracted the Covid-19 virus? We don’t know. This data was not included in the tracking and testing of the participants.

Should you get the Covid-19 vaccine? Is it safe? It is your choice to make with the evidence provided, the facts that you have. If you feel you are healthy in immunity and have no risk factors, and are anxious about contracting this bug, perhaps get the vaccine. Otherwise, it is an exercise in patience and caution. In either case, continue to support your health in ways that you’ve learned over the years with Dr. Bump. Eat your fruits and veggies, take long gentle walks, take quiet time, pray, laugh and play and take your citicholine !

PS: Speaking of Citicholine : remember way back months ago when I spoke about the supplements ability to prevent coronavirus infection by strengthening the cell membranes? A recently published well done research study has demonstrated exactly that! (Molecules 2020, 25, 2271; doi:10.3390/molecules25102271)

Musings: Holiday season stressors: From November edition of Health Matters

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 20:22:37 GMT

"As the holiday season approaches, we can anticipate increased stressors which often means weakening of immunity."

Here we are already, anticipating another holiday season as we enter Thanksgiving week; one with a major “twist”. It has become crystal clear to me that the amount of information that slams us each and every day is overwhelming. What is most concerning is that the sources of our knowledge base, which forms the foundation of our opinions, are thwarted, distorted and unreliable. It causes me to ask: “What is our Truth”, as individuals, as a community, and as the people of this incredible experiment in freedom, called the United States of America. As such, I deliberately chose NOT to contribute to the barrage of information showering down upon you. As a result, you might have sensed my “non-participation”, which has really been about protecting you from another notification on your “PIG” (personal information gadget).

That said, it is Thanksgiving time, and this always stimulates reflection for me about what is important and next and or needed. I wish to express my overwhelming gratitude for each and every one of you. Thank you for being in my life. I am grateful for all of you as patients, in my more than 35 years of practice. 2020 has been the most challenging year for nearly all of us - this practice and community included. On a very positive note, to the best of our knowledge, we have made it through thus far without a single exposure case. I attribute this to you all taking great care of your immunity and us being able to offer virtual office appointments, and no contact supplement purchasing. You understood when we ceased our structural care appointments March through May (except for acute needs), made shifts in scheduling, offered sanitization in the waiting room, checkout, patient rooms, and pivoted on how we sell the supplements you need to stay well. Together we worked to limit exposure to this insidious virus.

As the holiday season approaches, we can anticipate increased stressors which often means weakening of immunity, during a time of a major increase of the Covid-19 infection. These stressors include: uncontrolled exposure to non-immediate household family and friends, increased indoor time due to colder temperature, increased indulgences in sugars and alcohol, the influenza virus, increase in retail visits resulting in uncontrolled exposures, increase in spending resulting in stress, and many other things. As I review all of these concerns, against the success we’ve had together, it begs the question, “What can I do that is proactive in this phase of the global pandemic, whereas patients receive care and remain healthy, and we play our part to keep exposures low during a period of immune weakening activities?” I will continue to protect you and your extended networks you might come in contact with, my family and friends by removing any potential exposures that could manifest through my in office care.

Effective Nov 30th through January 10th, 2021, all functional medicine will go back to being held fully virtual. Chiropractic, structural care appointments will, again, be paused. It’s worth noting, structural care can be treated in part, and has with many of you, virtually. The paradigm of chiropractors is not always the actual manipulation done to your spine and muscles. It’s how we as individuals treat those things, nurture and care for them. We intend to resume treatments for structural care January 11 2021. We will remain in contact with you as we track the pandemic, CDC guidelines, and otherwise through that time regarding reopening procedures. Staff will be in the office 4 to 5 days per week and remain your first point of contact. For questions, scheduling, and ordering supplements please call 973.827.3500.

This is not an easy decision and we hope you understand our need to be proactive in the coming weeks to your health and ours. As stated earlier, I have such incredible gratitude and appreciation for each and every one of you. I also wish to thank you for your continued support, cooperation and understanding, now and for many years to come.

Yours in Health and Caring.