I’ve had a handful of practice members recently ask about improving short term memory. At Transforming Chiropractic I treat every person as a unique individual. Because that’s what they are! Having said that, there are certain actions that everyone can benefit from if they are looking for improved memory. Here are some of them:

1 – Take a high quality fish oil

You hear it all the time. Take a fish oil. There’s a reason you hear it a lot – it works! Fish oil, especially DHA, has been shown to improve many areas of cognition, including memory.

2 – Run

Aerobic training improves memory and other brain function at least in part by improving blood flow but also probably by increasing utilization of beneficial neurotransmitters and hormones. Running is great because it’s low maintenance. Even 20 minutes a day can make a huge difference. Bicycling, rowing, or anything else that raises your heart rate for an extended period are also helpful.

3 – Eat low glycemic foods

Eating high glycemic foods spikes insulin. Insulin increases inflammation in the brain as well as the rest of the body. Decreasing the amount of calories you take in from carbohydrate sources containing grains such as wheat or sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup will decrease inflammation in the brain, improving memory. Not to mention most people will drop some extra pounds simply by making the switch to healthy carbohydrate choices – namely fruits and veggies.

4 – Get a chiropractic adjustment

Chiropractic care is good for so many things, brain function being at the top of the list. Studies have shown chiropractic adjustments to act as a neurologial pattern interrupt. Think of it as a “Health Reset Button”. Not only can you decrease musculoskeletal pain but you can improve all kinds of mental capacities including creativity and memory.

5 – Take the right nutritional supplements

Nutritional supplements can provide much benefit if you take the appropriate ones. The best way to make sure you’re taking what you need is to be personally tested. Either through functional medicine testing or through the use of applied kinesiology. If you want to get a start in the right direction before getting tested the following supplements are great for brain function. Fish oil (its bears repeating), N-Acetyl Cysteine, reduced CoQ10, DHLA, and resveratrol.

So there you have it. My top 5 ways to improve brain function and memory. If you want deeper, more individual strategies call me at 952-224-2909 and we can set up a consultation. You can also email me at DrChris@TransformingChiropractic.com.

• Improved body composition
• Improved immune function
• Greater clarity of thought
• Better sleep
• Faster healing and recovery
• Increased libido (an individualized plan can even help with infertility)

So if a detox program is going to make you look, feel, and function better, it sounds like a no brainer.  But what’s involved in a detox program?  Didn’t your neighbor mention she was doing a a juice fast?  Well read on.

A lot people seem to believe that the best way to detoxify the system is to simply go on a water or juice diet for several days.  Well, there IS benefit in giving the digestion a break, but in terms of keeping the liver pathways functioning optimally, nutrient intake is essential.  In the article entitled, The Role of Detoxifiction in the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Disease, authors Deanne Liska and Robert Roundtree state, “Detoxification is an energy-requiring process that puts a metabolic burden on the body, so instead of decreasing nutrient support, a focused, high-impact source of nutrients is essential.”  “An overall protein, carbohydrate, fiber and fat nutrient base that has low-allergy-potential is important to maintain healthy metabolism during a detoxification program.”

In this day and age where we are exposed to so many toxins at every turn, fasting is an inefficient way to detoxify because the detoxification processes in the human body require nutrients for their function.  A better method of detoxification is to modify the diet by removing any and all offending foods like dairy, wheat, sugar, corn, sodas, and processed/packaged foods, while significantly increasing your intake of purified water and your intake of high-impact nutrients that you can obtain in supplement form and the correct foods to drive and support the detoxification process.

Use caution as you look over the web, finding the latest fast or detox program.  Contrary to popular belief, we don’t just do a detox program, like we’re scrubbing out our insides to make them clean the way we would clean the kitchen sink.  You see, detoxification is a process that occurs naturally in the human body.  By supporting the liver, kidneys, healthy skin, and other systems associated with the detoxification process, we can drive those pathways in an effort to produce a healthier environment for our cells.

The best way to do this is by first determining what, where, and how your body needs support.  While one person’s acid/alkaline balance could be completely off, another person may need to focus on supporting healthy liver function, and yet another person may need support with free radical damage that is causing inflammation.  One of the easiest, quickest, most effective methods for determining the health of YOUR physiology is to order a functional medicine assessment (FMA).  While the FMA won’t tell you if you have a disease, it will give indicators, called biomarkers, that are essential to understand for a healthy system.  Here’s a partial list of what you will find with an FMA and want to find out before starting any sort of detox program.

1. Inflammation
2. Liver stress
3. Kidney stress
4. Hydration/dehydration status
5. Electrolyte balance
6. Oxidative stress (many people have heard this termed free radical damage)
7. Buffering capabilities (is your system acidic or not?)
8. Carbohydration metabolism
9. Protein metabolism
10. Cellular respiration (are your cells producing the energy they need?)

It’s also useful to have some information about your body composition before going into one of these programs.  Some people will lose weight on a detox program.  You want to make sure it’s healthy weight that you’re losing.  If you’re dropping muscle, you need to make some changes to your plan and you don’t want to wait until its so significant that you can see in the mirror that you’re losing muscle.  Another body composition aspect to look at is how much of your water is inside your cells versus outside your cells.  This is an excellent indication of toxicity so monitoring if throughout your detox program is a great way to insure everything is going according to plan.  A simple test, called a bioimpedence analysis (BIA) will give us that information and more.

Just like the most successful athletes have coaches in their sport, the healthiest people have coaches.  Reach out to a professional that can give guidance and feedback to insure optimal results and minimize risk.

Yours in health,

Dr Chris Frykman

The Bad

Did you know that recent research shows that if you have a subluxation (that’s what I adjust when you come in for care) for more than 14 days it will cause “an inescapable degenerative pathological progression?”  Fancy words.  It boils down to this.  If you want to maintain optimal health, you need to come in for a check up every two weeks. If you want to IMPROVE your health status, you need to come more often.

The Good

You see, a subluxation, once formed, becomes a habit – it’s a neurological pattern. Once your body is used to that pattern, it’s harder to break it. Makes sense, right? The chiropractic adjustment is a neurological pattern interrupt.  The chiropractic adjustment is the body’s health reset button. Here you thought I was pushing bones or joints around, right? The most important thing that happens at an office visit at Transforming Chiropractic is your nervous system being “reset” so you can heal and function optimally. So make sure you’re set up for a health reset button triggering every other week or more often. Your mind and body will thank you.

The Answer

To make an appointment to have your spine and nervous system checked call 952-224-2909 or email me.

Researchers are finding more evidence that links the heart and the brain and the health of the entire body.  By monitoring AND training functions in the body such as heart rate variability people can now improve the adaptability of their cardiovascular system, nervous system, and their entire body.  Combining the best chiropractic techniques with biofeedback is the most effective treatment for managing chronic stress in patients.

Here at Transforming Chiropractic, patients have been doing Biofeedback with Heart Rate Variability since 2010.  Dr Chris Frykman, a leader in making this technology available to Minnesota resident’s, was the first to offer biofeedback and stress response evaluations using the Neuroinfiniti.

Call 952-224-2909 today to set up a FREE consultation with Dr Frykman and find out how chiropractic and biofeedback can help you.

The Problem: Chronic Stress.

At Transforming Chiropractic, I see chronic stress as the biggest player in what, for some, is a losing battle with health.  In health issues ranging from degenerative diseases to shoulder pain, chronic stress is most often a major contributor. When stress overwhelms your body. Something is going to snap. Here is what the Mayo Clinic has to say:

The long-term activation of the stress-response system — and the subsequent overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones — can disrupt almost all your body’s processes.

The Solution: Know Thyself

The first step is understanding how YOUR body handles stress. Two people can be in the exact same situation and yet their bodies response completely differently. A Stress Response Evaluation in which brain waves and other bodily functions are monitored is the place to start.  Once we know how your body is reacting to the stressors of daily living, we can begin to design practical strategies to build your resilience to those stressors.

Dr. Epel said,

It appears that resilience can ward off sickness and let us live longer, while those who feel overwhelmed by life may have a shorter one to live.

I think that this is yet another call to people to be alarmed about their stress levels, and to take them seriously. The cell is not a closed system. What happens in the mind, in particular, perceptions of stress, can indeed affect the most fundamental unit of our physical beings.

Call Transforming Chiropractic today at 952-224-2909 to schedule your Stress Response Evaluation with Dr Chris Frykman.

Research has long supported chiropractic care as a leader in the health care profession in cost-effectiveness and efficiacy.  In more recent years new insights have been gained that chiropractic care has farther reaching effects than anyone ever dreamed.  Now researchers are monitoring brain wave frequencies and finding out how chiropractic care can help encourage a healing state of mind.  Scientists call this state of mind, the parasympathetic nervous system.

Thanks to you our practice is growing!  Transforming Chiropractic is in high demand and we’re responding with our newly expanded spring hours.  Effective immediately Dr Frykman will be doubling his practice hours, which will now include treating practice members five days a week.

The new hours are as follows:

Now you can start your day right.  You like to get your workouts done first thing.  You feel better when you have a good breakfast.  Now boost your health by getting your nervous system adjusted and balanced before you start your day.  How will your day be better with more energy and focus?

Will you be gardening when you are 109 years old?

The 2008 book by Dan Buettner entitled, Blue Zones: Lessons from Living Longer from People Who’ve Lived the Longest details the most common demoninator’s of cultures where people are living longer and healthier – areas now being referred to as Blue Zones. Follow suit and you’ll be living longer and enjoying life more along the way!

Here’s the list of Blue Zone characteristics:

1. Be Active
2. Cut Calories by 20%
3. Cut down on meat and processed foods
4. Drink red wine in moderation
5. Have a life mission AND BE WORKING ON IT
6. Take time to relieve stress
7. Participate in a community of like-minded people
8. Make family a priority
9. Surround yourself by others that are doing the first eight items on this list

Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, can cause fatigue, depression, sugar cravings, weight gain, headaches, and mood swings.  Hypoglycemia is both a cause of certain health problems and also the result of other health problems. It can be caused by digestive problems, stress and adrenal gland problems, and nutrient deficiency, to name just a few. But perhaps the biggest culprit is poor eating habits (food high on the Glycemic Index).

The Glycemic Index is a measure of how fast blood sugar rises after eating certain foods. If a food has a high glycemic index, it will cause the body to produce a lot of insulin in response. Keep in mind insulin is a storage hormone.  Thus, it increases fat storage. Typically, an individual with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) will produce too much insulin and the blood sugar will drop precipitously. The individual then craves sugar or carbohydrates to increase the blood sugar, which triggers more insulin and so on. Eating food with a low glycemic index and eating frequently will help to stop the sugar/insulin roller coaster.

I must stress that the glycemic index is not the only consideration when choosing foods to improve hypoglycemia. Whole foods with all of the vitamin and mineral cofactors are important sources of the nutrients necessary for restoring the body’s biochemistry. Additionally, there are a variety of natural supplements that can speed along the process of getting your blood sugar under control.

Controlling your blood sugar can make a significant difference in your body weight and how you feel overall.  Feel free to call Transforming Chiropractic at 952-224-2909 for any guidance.

You may have noticed the increasing number of advertisements for products that have beneficial bacteria, such as Activa.  However, you may not know what beneficial bacteria actually does, except what the advertisements say about it getting your bowels moving.  Normally, you have between 4 and 7 pounds of bacteria in your colon. Normal and well-balanced bacteria have many beneficial functions.

Beneficial bacteria do the following:

• Produce vitamins like K, folic acid and B12.
• Increase bowel movements (you should poop as often as you have large meals)
• Reduce the chances for colon cancer by nourishing the lining of the colon by feeding on vegetable fiber and producing butyric acid.
• Keeps harmful bacteria levels down.
• Break down toxins.

Harmful microorganisms do the following:

• Inhibit beneficial bacterial growth, creating deficiencies of nutrients, gasiness, bloating and other problems.
• Produce toxins that can cause diarrhea. Harmful bacteria create toxins and inhibit beneficial bacteria from detoxifying the bowel. Toxins can burden the liver and affect every function in the body.
• Irritate the lining of the intestine, increasing intestinal permeability (leaky gut).

Allergies, chemical sensitivities, fatigue, fibromyalgia, depression, digestive problems, skin problems, headaches, joint pain, and virtually any chronic health problem can be caused by an imbalance of good bacteria, which is called dysbiosis. These health problems are the result of nutrient deficiencies, toxicity, GI irritation, and challenges to the immune system brought about by dysbiosis.

Dysbiosis can be caused by improper eating, exposure to toxins like chemicals and heavy metals, drug therapy (antibiotics), poor digestive enzyme production, nutrient deficiency or poor immune function. Transforming Chiropractic is able to evaluate your GI health.  Call us today at 952-224-2909 for an evaluation.