This may give you a little more insight about those treats and a simple way to make them more healthy.

All prepackaged cookie type things are going to be made with margarine or shortening and many people will likely use shortening with their baking.

Here is a little insight as to how margarine and shortening are made.

1. They start with the cheapest seed oil available, either corn, safflower, cottonseed, soybean, or canola.Next they crank up the heat and pressure to extract the oil.
2. To get every drop of oil, hexane solvent is used. very toxic
3. Since the oils are rancid, now they get a steam cleaning. This ensures all the natural vitamins are destroyed.
4. Now they are mixed with a nickel catalyst
5. They are now put in a reactor and flooded with hydrogen gas. This turns the oil into a lumpy, grey, semi-solid. I’m sure you’re salivating now
6. Emulsifiers are mixed in to remove the lumps.
7. More steam cleaning, to remove the odors.
8. It’s now bleached to get rid of the grey color
9. Artificial vitamins and flavors are now mixed in.
10. Except for margarine, legally it has to be a natural coloring.
11. Now it is shoved into a tub and promoted as healthy.

I hope that turns your stomach enough to make you think twice about using the artificial stuff for holiday baking / cooking.

Probably the best substitute for shortening is virgin coconut oil. It is the most heat stable oil. It has similar consistancy and is actually natural and really healthy for you.

If you’d like some recipes just add a comment below or send me a message via Facebook.

-Dr. Altman
(Special thanks to the Weston A. Price Foundation for the info)

If you have been a reader for along time then you know that it is Flu Shot hype time. The basic message of get our shot or die.

I want you to learn to be healthy without putting poisonous chemicals in your body and becoming so strong that viruses go and pick some one else to beat up.

.Welcome to the Main Event

Mega- FLU – Mania.

Since the only topic in the office is…

#1 The weather or

#2 The Flu

We can’t change the weather, so let’s go with talking about the flu and what it means to be healthy. Whether you get the flu shot or not is really up to you. But, every year for as long as I have been writing about the flu shot it has been a dismal failure. Meaning it doesn’t prevent any more flu than any other year.

Need more info?

If you still want more info on vaccines, just go to www.mercola.com. There is a new article that may shock you. Talking about people who get the seasonal flu shot are TWICE as likely to get the swine flu. If you get my emails, you had the chance to see Dr. OZ on national T.V. saying that he WON’T vaccinate his kids or wife for H1N1. The risks of being in a GIANT social experiment are too great.

Sick people will die of the flu, no matter what you do. Why?

The flu is not the danger, it is your immune system that determines whether you get sick or not. Every day you get exposed to millions of germs. Sure, taking precautions will help, but the ultimate decision lies within you. How strong are you? If you are sick for weeks on end, you aren’t very strong.

Here is an outline of what I consider strength.

against the flu and other nasties in life:

#1 Stress... unmanaged, it will beat you down like nothing else. We all have stress, but how you handle it makes all the difference. When you are feeling like life is bigger than you, it is time to step back and read something inspirational. Start a simple morning mediation to let your brain relax and work on problems. Find a quiet place for 5 minutes and listen to NOTHING but the sound of your breathing and let your mind wander.

And for heavens sake…the more you worry about getting the flu…the more likely you are to get it.

#2 Adrenal health…these little dynamos are heavily responsible for your front line immune system that keeps those little viruses at bay. Problems is they are also responsible for your energy and response to stress.

If you are tired a lot and especially if you have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, take heed, your adrenals are in trouble.

• Immediately start prioritizing life and only do the 3 most important things for that day.

• Take a vacation-doesn’t have to be exotic.

• Stop working so hard. No one wishes on their deathbed that they would have worked harder.

• Eat less sugar, more protein, and Celtic Sea Salt.

• Astragalus Complex from Mediherb helps with stress and the adrenals.

Side note…a hyperactive nervous system often contributes to a person’s ability to handle stress. I am a living example. When I started getting adjusted, I could handle amazing amounts of stress, where prior to that I no ability. Ask me in the office for the full story. The health of the nervous system is king, and a chiropractic adjustment helps the nervous system better than anything else.

#3 Sleep...The holy grail of health. Your body heals while it sleeps. Do everything you can to get a good night’s sleep.

• Get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night.  Why?  They have done longevity studies, and those were the ideal amounts of sleep.  So sleeping too much can be detrimental as well.

   

• Sleeping recharges the immune system.  I can speak personally on this.  Some of you may remember emails from last year on my sore throat.  I almost never ever get sick.   When I feel any type of illness, it is almost always because of having too many irons in the fire (stress) and not sleeping multiple nights in a row.

   

• “Warm hands and feet induce sleep quickly”-Mayo sleep clinic

   

• Get up at the same time everyday.  This is probably the most important aspect of regular sleep.  If you are not sleeping well, this would be a great place to start.  You should not need an alarm clock.  If you need an alarm clock and you are not working shifts, you have sleep problems, lifestyle problems, or adrenal gland problems.  Once again, I’ve been on that path, and I know when I don’t wake up easily I need to slow life down.

   

• Go to bed at the same time

   

• The room should be quiet and dark, the  darker the better.

   

• No caffeine within 6 hours of going to bed

  No alcohol before bed

  No exercise before bed

  No naps over 20 minutes

   

• Don’t face the alarm clock out if you tend to wake in the middle of the night.  You will stress about the time and fret about not sleeping.  Don’t watch the clock at all.  Just lay back down and start counting backwards from 100-1.

#4 Sugar…this has so many implication for bad health, I could fill the whole newsletter just on sugar. Just remember that sugar wrecks the immune system.

#5 Exercise…get some at least 3 times per week. The benefits for your body are infinite. A simple fact: exercise helps burn and use sugar, so exercise will help your immune system.

Which is more disgusting? A stagnant backwater bug-filled pond or a swiftly flowing river? Exercise keeps the fluids of your body moving.

#6 Negativity Kills

This topic is very important. I see patients struggling with, living with, or spending time with, someone who has nothing positive to say.  I call them “energy suckers”  You feel drained and lifeless after spending time with them.  They are the opposite of the energy givers.   An energy giver will give you energy and make you feel better after spending time with them.  One of the most positive experiences I have ever had was sitting in a room of 10,000 high-energy, positive chiropractors.  For your long term health, start eliminating energy draining people. 

Our friends should be companions who inspire us, who help us rise to our best.

-Joseph B. Wirthlin

#7 Lack of vitamins…All food is not created equally. For more than 100 years, food has been stripped of vital nutrients.

This is from the foreword of “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration”-by Dr. Weston Price, and I think it sums up today’s problems.  “Food–fresh from fertile soil or the sea–has been replaced, for the most part, by refined, processed and preserved produce of far different nutritional qualities….Against his better judgment, the modern farmer has been forced to use monoculture, artificial fertilization, pesticides, herbicides…production for ‘quantity’ rather than ‘quality’.“  -Granville Knight M.D. (1970)

Our food supply is much worse for quality today.  With processing and preserving foods for shipment all over the world, it is no wonder that people are literally starving for vitamins. 

My Winter Program

The hype about the flu this year is very impressive.  Last year I never got sick, and I don’t plan to again this year.  This is how I do it with 5 simple steps.

1. Chiropractic Adjustment - the most influential thing on your immune system isn’t a shot, it’s your nervous system.  If your nerves are not functioning at 100%, your immune system can’t function at 100%.  If the spine is misaligned,  it only takes a little pressure (~approx. the weight of a quarter) to shut a nerve down 60%.  Just think if you did your job only 60% of the time, or only ate 60% of the time, or only filled your car 60% full.   I used adjustments exclusively for years with great success.

    

2. Immuplex - Standard Process’s long-term supplement that feeds the immune system with the vitamins and minerals it needs.

    

3. Probiotics - Those good bacteria that make your intestines hum along.  Second to the nervous system, your intestines are the next biggest contributor to the immune system.  Good bacteria = good health.   The good bacteria take a beating with antibiotics and processed food.  Most people need some. My whole family takes these, even our 8 year old.

    

4. Cod Liver Oil - Besides an adjustment this is one of the most important things I take all winter long.  The Vitamin A is critical for a powerful immune system. 

    

5. Astragalus Complex - This is a powerful combination of Astragalus root, Echinacea, and Eleuthro.  It is made by Mediherb, so the potency is stronger than anything else you can buy.  This trio helps the general immune system, promotes feelings of well being, and helps the body cope with stress.  Stress will crash your immune system faster than anything.

There are 5 very potent immune-enhancing ideas. A strong immune system is key to ignoring the crazy hype over the flu.  You WILL be exposed to the flu, no matter how careful you are not to shake peoples’ hands.  The only thing that determines if you get sick or not is the power of your immune system.

Every winter we have a Cold/Flu program. When we were in Chiropractic school, if we started getting ill, we’d get adjusted 3-4 times that day and by the next day we were always between 80-100% better. So, if you are feeling ill and want to see how chiropractic can help you. You can come in and get adjusted 3-4x a day and we will only charge you for 1 adjustment.

“I felt terrible, coughing and sneezing, no appetite and no energy to do anything. Ran a slight temp. I went to Dr. Altman on a Wednesday at 8:50. I left , I felt better, he told me to be back around 11:00 and then at 12:20. I think it was after the first adjustment that I felt better.

I can’t believe it, now I feel like myself. I feel great and I think I will be getting better right along.”

-Shirley Drexler

Dr. Royal Lee (the founder and genius behind Standard Process) had always been susceptible to colds until…

He discovered a potent B and C vitamin concentrate made from food. After taking it he found his immunity was increased. Soon after his mother became ill with a disabling heart condition. He gave it to her and her recovery was phenomenal. He completed the formula into what we now know as Catalyn.

The spin off formula for illnesses is Congaplex. This is the primary whole-food vitamin concentrate we use if you do actually get an illnesses. If you want to order any supplements or have more questions, just call the office.

This secret has been around for centuries. Many other countries in the world have enjoyed these benefits without the USA ever taking notice until now. Many of you have been to some of the classes and probably already know where I’m headed with this.

How would you like to:

• Lose weight, and increase your metabolism.

• Decrease your heart disease risk

  • Yes, you heard that right! (read on)

• Improve your cholesterol

• Improve digestive problems

• Decrease illness from bacteria, viruses, and fungus.

• Improve thyroid function, (it sure would be nice if the millions of people on Synthroid would have known this. Somehow someone forgot to tell them.)

My thought for the moment. I find it so ironic that people are tricked into believing that soy is the savior oil for all problems, yet it slows down the thyroid. And this healthy oil is shunned and made virtually unused, yet it can improve thyroid function in many people. Myself included.

So what am I talking about? Coconut Oil

I first learned about the outstanding qualities of coconut oil from Mary Enig’s book, “Know Your Fats”. She is one of the world authorities on fats and cholesterol. I think one of the reasons she is so well respected is because she is NOT bought and paid for by FOOD INDUSTRY MONEY.

The myth that coconut oil is bad for you was fueled primarily by the corn oil industry. Corporate profit can all too often overshadow science.

Coconut oil has a smaller structure than other saturated fats, so it goes right to your liver to be converted to energy. This gives it less stress on your pancreas, liver, and your whole digestive system. It is like throwing gas on a fire for fuel instead of large wet logs.

It is also one of the best sources for lauric acid.

Mary Enig Ph.D says “Lauric acid turns into monolaurin in the gut, and this is what keeps infants fed human milk from getting sick even when they are exposed to lipid coated viruses and various pathogenic organisms.” This is a proven bacteria, virus, and fungus fighter. So, in this day and age of new viruses, the better your immune system, the healthier you will be. “The AIDS virus is killed by monolaurin,” says Dr. Enig.

MOST Common Myth about coconut oil

-Coconut oil will increase heart disease

If coconut oil caused heart disease then there would be no Polynesian or Asian people left, they would have all died off from heart attacks. Yet, there are more people living in Asia than anywhere else, oh… they also live longer than Americans do. Commonsense would indicate that coconut oil doesn’t cause heart disease.

If coconut oil was bad for you, do you think they would put it in baby formulas? Babies use lauric acid from mother’s milk to improve their immune systems. This is one reason breast fed babies are healthier than bottle fed babies. So to try and duplicate this, formula makers add coconut oil to their formulas.

Some ways we use coconut oil

1. In place of other oils. For instance, if you made muffins you could use coconut oil 1 for 1 for another oil or use half coconut oil and half butter

2. It’s the most stable cooking/ frying oil. For instance, vegetable oil turns into a toxic cocktail of “funny fats” and trans-fats when it is heated up. It is much better to use coconut oil.

   One easy way to use coconut oil is to pop popcorn in it on the stove. It is 1000 times better for you than microwave popcorns.

3. We add it to juices or smoothies. (my kids love it, too!). 

There are a lot of antioxidants in coconut oil. It helps to prevent sagging and wrinkled skin. The oil is absorbed into the skin and connective tissues to keep them strong and supple. Before we found the coconut lotion from Tropical Traditions, I used coconut oil on my skin.

-Dr. Altman

P.S. Don’t forget the Essential Oil class on Wednesday. Sign up on the same schedule you make appointments on. If you haven’t used the schedule just go to the website drdavidaltman.weebly.com

Odds are, you may have had one serving or two.

In the fast paced American life, the processed and packaged, often comes first, and restaurants come second. So I’m going with the assumption that the average family is reading this.

We are coming into the fall and oh so soon winter will be here. There are 4 things that can all but assuredly keep you from being ill this winter. As I ride the train every day, I know it is coming. I already hear people coughing and sniffling.

I have no intention of being ill.

This series is for those of you who want to rise above the health of the average American.

This is the first step to health enlightenment.

If someone gets ill the first vitamin people reach for is vitamin C. It is well known for it’s rolls in immunity. No surprises here.

The problem is what people know and dietitians are taught about vitamin C. This is where it gets interesting. Vitamin C is also known as ASCORBIC ACID to the scientific community. Did you know that’s wrong according to your body.

Szent-Gyorgi discovered ascorbic acid and the world took off with it before his work was done. Kind of like letting a wolverine out of a cage. Good luck getting it back in.

In 1939, Szent-Gyorgi wrote a book called Oxidation. I’m going to summarize part of it for space issues today. A colleague of his was suffering from a vascular disease and wanted to try the “new” ascorbic acid for his condition.

Szent-Gyorgi sent him a preparation of paprika that contained much ascorbic acid and the man was cured.

Later, a friend, St. Rusznyak had a similar problem and Szent-Gyorgi sent him pure ascorbic acid and had no response.

“It was evident that the action of the paprika was due to some other substance present in this plant.”

4 Problems with modern understanding of vitamin C.

1. It is much more than just ascorbic acid.

2. It is water soluble, so you need a regular supply of it.

3. Oxidation destroys it with storage and transportation.

4. Soil depletion of minerals such as manganese limit the plants production of vitamin C.

Now you’re probably thinking, “we started talking about illnesses”. You’re right, but the relationship with healing is critical.

Vitamin C plays many very critical roles in your body. Sadly, the FDA doesn’t allow me to publicly tell you the amazing things vitamin C has been able to cure. It would interfere with too many drug sales.

The most common thing known is scurvy. Szent-Gyorgi’s book “Oxidation” covers this topic by him saying that ascorbic acid does not cure scurvy. So what does it?

Ascorbic acid is like a peel on a banana. It is a protective wrapper, which is why it was the first part of the natural C complex that was discovered.

There are lots of goodies on the inside that your body uses to heal. Things like Rutins, Bioflavinoids, J-factors, K-factors, and copper.

So when you eat a food with vitamin C it is a very different thing to your body than ascorbic acid off the big box store shelf.

Natural vitamin C is also known as a protector of endothelial and connective tissue. Basically, if you get cut or broken and need to repair tissue, vitamin C is a vital link to how well that gets done. So as a chiropractor, patients who have high levels of C heal better and faster than those who don’t.

Dr. Bartlett of Harvard shows that wound healing with plenty of vitamin C present is several times faster than deficient tissue and tensile strength of the new skin is much greater.

In a war, there are casualties. If there are good medics, and enough of them, more guys will live, right.

When a foreign bacteria enters your body to produces toxins and enzymes that destroy proteins, amino acids, and create general carnage to your cells.

Your white blood cells come in to save the day.

Your white blood cells carry more vitamin C than any other cell in your body. Why do you think that would be?

As the white blood cells go into combat with these foreign invaders it is going to take some damage. Vitamin C acts like an armor and helps heal and protect the protein structure of the white blood cell itself.

So why does off the shelf ascorbic acid seems to help with colds? Good question. It acts in an entirely different way. It is an acid, it will acidify your body and make the general environment for the bacteria more hostile. Just like a fever. As the body temp goes up bacteria have a harder time.

This is a far cry from normal immune function. Like I said earlier, illness occurs from 4 primary causes. If you maintain a regular level of natural vitamin C complexes do you think it will be easier or harder to get ill this winter.

This is just like if you do preventative maintenance on your car or you could wait until it breaks.

Dietary consumption of vitamin C is good and necessary, but because of storage, transportation, and soil depletion veggies and fruits often are lacking in vitamin C.

Today’s modern lifestyle pretty much necessitates supplementation of natural vitamin C complexes. Standard Process is the oldest whole food company and has been making living supplements since 1929. They know more about it than any one else, period.

I have been to their farm and manufacturing plant twice and when a veggie is pulled from the ground it travels about 1 mile to be processed. In a special vacuum assisted machine they pull the fiber and water out and use no heat, so the enzymes stay intact.

They produce a living supplement which is very unlike the processed, fractionated and dead ascorbic acid on store shelves.

I take their vitamin C supplement every day. It is called Cataplex C. Now, remember I can’t tell you more of the amazing things C does in your body, but if you understand the improvement to the immune system and healing capability then you can likely figure out a lot more uses.

For those of you looking for better health this winter, this sale will help. Plus, if you aren’t ill, you can do a much better job at work.

Cataplex C is 20% off this month.

In Utah, Call 801-896-3259

Outside Utah call my Standard Process order line 612-BE-GREAT (612-234-7328) and leave a message.

During the events of the day two patients came in with very different stories.

Lets back up and start with a basic question. Can you ever be 100%?

Yes, most of you were born that way. You were born with your greatest health and potential.

No, in reality, you slowly decline through out life and a lifetime of trauma, poor nutrition, and toxicity slowly eats away at your health.

So, depending on where you are on the scale of health, makes a difference on how close to 100% you can get.

The good news is that you can get closer to 100% easier than ever.

Tonight, one patient came in super frustrated because he didn’t want to be in the office at all and thought his body shouldn’t be having this much pain.

He wanted to be fixed yesterday and never have to return. O.K.

Here is the part he was having a hard time with. The adjustment takes the pressure off the nerve and increases the joint function, and that is it. A stuck joint can’t heal.

The healing comes from inside the body.

• Do medications heal? No
• Does a surgery heal? No
• Does a cortizone shot heal? No
• Does the body heal? Yes

This patient was having a hard time with the fact that his body was unable to heal instantly. This occurs because people mistake the effects of a drug, which masks all the symptoms, with true healing.

Now, this other patient has been coming in for years and can tell when her body is out of balance. She has paid her dues and she eats well, exercises, and gets adjusted every two weeks.

If she does start to get some pain, she gets in and gets adjusted as quick as possible. If she starts to feel ill, she cranks up the vitamins. IF she can’t fit in her jeans, she hits the gym an extra time.

I’d call this a proactive patient.

Most patients fall into a range inbetween these two. It was just weird that the two opposite spectrums came in the same evening within an hour of each other.

Even if you are a proactive person, can you really “fix” yourself?

If you have a house and are going to “fix” your house with a little DIY repair, are you the best person for that job? Are you a master carpenter, a plumber, an electrician, a master dry waller, tile layer, landscaper, etc?

You may be able to do them, but are you great at all of them?

Did you know, your body is the perfect builder for you?

So when you get hurt your body is able to do the job on its own but how it performs depends on a few things.

After a storm, lets say your roof has some missing shingles and a hole in the roof. When a big disaster hits there is often a line of people waiting for supplies and carpenters.

Do you want your roof fixed well or poorly?

You could take a picture of a shingle and print it on your printer and make it look exactly like a shingle. Would you want that on your house?

No.

You want the real deal. The 50 year warranty. Maybe the steel stuff.

If you are hurt, your body needs excellent building materials. If a patient is struggling to get better one of the first places to look is what kind of building materials they have on the inside.

If your body is filled with processed food, fast food, artificial vitamins, these can’t create good strong tissue. They are FAKE. This kind of diet can’t help a person “fix” themselves very well.

If a person cooks with whole foods and avoids packaged foods, then you’ll be getting some better raw materials.

The next step for a modern American is to add whole food supplements to increase the overall vitamin and mineral content. I’ve actually sent a patient home for a week with a specific supplement because she was so inflammatory I couldn’t even adjust her with the lightest instrument I have.

When she returned a week later it was incredible how much easier she could be adjusted.

Remember, your body will fix itself, but how well it does, depends on your inside building materials.

1. Get adjusted so the damaged parts actually function to heal.
2. Eat the best food you can.
3. Take whole food supplements to heal even faster.