Vitamin D is a critical micronutrient that in many ways acts more like a hormone than a vitamin.  It is estimated that 30-50% of the population is low in Vitamin D, which can lead to a myriad of health conditions, including:

• bone thinning
• muscle pain and weakness
• cardiovascular disease
• diabetes
• breast and prostate cancer
• depressed immune system response
• asthma; wheezing
• high blood pressure
• metabolic syndrome
• fibromyalgia (widespread muscle tenderness)
• schizophrenia/ seasonal affective disorder/cognitive disorders

Studies show that low levels of Vitamin D are associated with increased mortality (death) across the  board, meaning, all diseases considered.

Your body can make Vitamin D with the help of ultraviolet (UVB) rays from sunshine, but you have to expose your skin to the sun, daily for it to suffice.  This is a problem for those who go from house to car to office; then back, every day.  People who live above 37 degrees N. latitude (that includes San Francisco) during the winter months are at higher risk of developing low Vitamin D levels — one of the reasons why colds and flu are more prevalent during these months.

The liver, kidneys and immune cells play a role in the manufacturing of the biologically active form of Vitamin D, referred to as calcitriol, or 1, 25 Dihydroxy Vitamin D.  So if there are any problems with these organs, it can lead to Vitamin D insufficiency.

Vitamin D occurs naturally in cold water, oily fish such as salmon (avoid farm raised), mackerel and sardines (canned is ok), tuna and eel.  Light-exposed mushrooms are the only vegan sources of Vitamin D.

Factors that can lead to Vitamin D deficiency include:

• elderly persons
• sunscreen users
• diseases of the kidneys, liver, intestines
• drugs and additives that interfere with fat metabolism (Olestra, bile sequestrant meds)
• statin (cholesterol-lowering) drugs
• long term use of anti-convulsive drugs
• frequent antibiotic use

As you can see, Vitamin D is critical to overall health.  You should have your Vitamin D levels checked periodically to make sure your levels are in the normal range (30-60 ng/mL).  There are numerous studies that show its beneficial effects in protecting against cancer, auto immune diseases, multiple sclerosis, metabolic diseases and depression.

Supplementation can help guarantee that your Vitamin D levels are where they need to be, and are probably required during the winter months for most people who live above the 37th latitude.  You should make sure the brand you choose has the proper potency, is stable enough to withstand delivery, and contains no contaminants.

We carry the Metagenics brand of nutraceuticals that meet all these criteria.  If you are experiencing symptoms associated with low Vitamin D levels, especially the feeling of weak muscles, tender bones, fatigue, and easily get sick make sure to get a blood test to measure your levels of active and inactive Vitamin D.

Ok, here are the last three core principles of the Primal Blueprint, a lifestyle system that I highly recommend to patients to help reduce pain, increase lean body (muscle) mass, prevent injuries, and even reverse chronic conditions like arthritis, diabetes, and back pain.  The last couple of posts covers this topic, so if you missed out, go back and check them out.  The consequences can literally be life-changing.

In a nutshell, our genetic profile is hard-coded to respond to environmental stimuli based on the conditions that existed millions of years before modern man.  Early man walked long distances at a brisk pace (hunting, foraging, looking for shelter) with occasional short bursts of all-out exertion (to run down prey and escape from predators); got plenty of rest, played, got lots of sunshine, and ate primarily animals and plants in their whole, unadulterated form (including the fat, cartilage and bones).  Man did not learn about agriculture until about 10,000 years ago (a fraction of the human species geological timeline).   There was no harvesting of wheat, stone grinding it and making bread and pasta; there was no harvesting of rice, oats, etc.  Therefore, our genetic make up is designed to metabolize fat and protein, primarily; and get extra vitamins and minerals from plant foods.

So, the Primal Blueprint basically discourages the conventional wisdom of long and grueling cardiovascular exercise (distance running) and consuming more than 150 grams of carbohydrates per day.  This includes excessive juice, sugary drinks, grain products, and even added fiber.

Today, the last three topics will be addressed:  Prescription drugs, footwear, and fitness goals.

Drugs.  Most people take prescription drugs to relieve pain, speed healing, and to prevent/cure disease.  They believe some drugs will enhance the quality of life, like Viagra.

The PB stance is that drugs mask the underlying causes of pain and disease; compromise homeostasis, and produce disastrous side effects.  Simple lifestyle changes can replace the vast majority of pills.  Drugs are good in cases of emergencies only.

Footwear.  Most people believe that sturdy, cushioned shoes minimize injury and improve comfort.

PB says to go barefoot as often as you can.  Perpetual use of shoes weaken feet, increase injury risk and increase pain throughout the lower extremities.  Shoes have the effect of blocking normal foot joint and muscle biomechanics during walking due to their constrictive nature.  When you walk barefoot over irregular surfaces, as primitive man did, it actually exercises the foot bones and makes the feet stronger and more responsive to varying loads; thus providing more support to the body and reducing the chance on knee, ankle, hip and lower back injury and pain.

Exercise Goals. Conventional wisdom says goals need to be specific and measurable.  It helps you stay motivated and focused.  “Consistency is key– missed workouts = guilt, weight gain, and lost fitness.”

PB de-emphasizes specific, results-oriented goals.  Stay motivated by focusing on fun and release attachment to outcome.  Consistency = overstress.  Vary exercise routine to minimize stress and improve your genes’ adaptive response.  “Missed” workouts actually drive recovery, improvement and freshness.

So that concludes the major pillars of the Primal Blueprint system for long term health and fitness.  Some of them may be hard to swallow due to longstanding beliefs perpetuated in the media and by most “health and fitness experts” including primary care physicians.  But if you are a person who feels that his/her health is not what is should be, and everything else you’ve tried has failed, give the PB a try.  The results are felt almost immediately.

Dr. Perez

(415) 627-9077

Ok, here are the next three pillars of the Primal Blueprint, a diet/exercise/lifestyle “blueprint” designed to naturally drop excess pounds, increase health, strength, and endurance.  I’m writing about this system because I believe it can help a lot of people overcome chronic health problems, including difficulty losing weight.

Regarding weight loss, conventional wisdom (the media, most fitness magazines, most primary care physicians) will encourage a high complex-carbohydrate diet, regimented meals with portion controls, and frequent (chronic) cardio exercises.  They will say “it’s all about calories and genetic disposition.”

Primal Blueprint encourages high fat/moderate protein/low carb diet incorporating generous amounts of greens.  Intuitive, sporadic meals (not necessarily eating the same time of the day every day) are encouraged.  Engage in primal exercise methods (slow, sustained strength movements with intermittent bursts of maximum exertion, no more than 30-45 minutes in duration).  PB says it’s all about keeping blood insulin levels under control– low and definitely no spikes throughout the day.

Regarding play:  conventional wisdom and most people don’t value “play” as a necessary part of fitness, but PB says that outdoor, active, unstructured fun is an integral component of overall health and balanced lifestyle, and is scientifically proven to increase work activity.

Regarding sunlight exposure:  conventional wisdom says to avoid the sun to prevent skin cancer, and use high SPF sunblock when outdoors.  PB says get adequate sun to avoid skin (and other) cancers.  Vitamin D synthesis promotes healthy cellular function.  Cover up with clothing in strong sunlight and find shade or go inside when sufficient exposure is achieved.

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Whether you’re trying to lose weight, reduce joint pain, increase strength and endurance, or improve your mood and energy levels, I encourage you to investigate the Primal Blueprint method.  The reason why so many people develop chronic health problems is because they are living a lifestyle that is counter to what their genes are coded for.  The system encourages a return  to humans’ primitive dietary habits and physical behavior to foster a stronger and healthier body.

Next time, I’ll discuss the last three pillars of the Primal Blueprint — prescription drugs, footwear, and goal setting health and fitness goals.

Dan Perez DC

Chiropractor San Francisco

415.627.9077

If you’ve missed the previous posts, I’m writing on the core concepts of the Primal Blueprint, a dietary, exercise and lifestyle plan to help maintain optimum health.  PB was conceived by Mark Sisson, an ex-super triathlete who got burned out by following the traditional dietary and exercise routines most people follow:  intense cardio workouts, carbohydrate-rich diet, “carbo-loading” before a sporting event to boost glucose stores, sugary drinks for hydration, and so forth.  PB dismantles these “pillars of fitness” using scientific logic based on evolutionary biology.  In a nutshell, thousands of generations of human lineage produced the genetic code we all carry today.  And those genetic codes still assume many of the environmental factors that existed during early man’s time:  hunter gatherer diets, foraging, energy preservation, and periods of starvation.  When we do things to our bodies (diet, exercise habits) that are not in line with these genetic codes, it adds stress to our system and eventually, chronic degenerative changes.

It’s common knowledge that, as far as the U.S. goes, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and gastrointestinal disease are still a big problem in the population.  Drugs have not been able to stem the rates of these debilitating diseases.   It begs the question, “what can be the cause of this?”  After all, the U.S. is a wealthy country with excellent medical facilities.  Could human behavior be driving this terrible morbidity rate?  Are people getting the wrong message when it comes to diet and exercise?  I think so.

Let’s talk about cardio workouts.  Conventional Wisdom says you should do a minimum of 30 minutes, three times per week (more is better) of sustained efforts in medium to difficult intensity zones.

The Primal Blueprint says frequent medium to difficult sustained cardio efforts (running, stairmaster, aerobics classes, spinning, etc.) = overstress, fatigue, burnout, injury, accelerated aging, and increased disease risk.  It is ineffective for weight loss, as calories burned through this Chronic Cardio method simply increase appetite, particularly for sugar.  PB says to slow down for better health and peak performance!

Basically, PB advises against those long endurance type cardio exercises, like five and ten mile runs, 60 minute aerobic classes, and similar long, sustained repetitive exertion exercises.  Our genetic code is not designed for this.  You wind up generating a lot of free radicals that overwhelm your body’s anti-oxidant defenses, and break down your body.

Next, I’ll discuss the Primal Blueprint position on weight loss.  Stay tuned.

Dr. Perez

San Francisco Chiropractic

I’m writing a series of posts on The Primal Blueprint , a book written by Mark Sisson a fitness expert and health researcher.  Sisson believes that there are a set of behavioral patterns, reinforced through millions of years of evolution that will tend to favor optimal gene expression.  In other words, our genes are hard-coded for survival, and will do everything to ensure survival (even for those who carry gene markers for disease) unless the individual engages in behavior that is profoundly different from these behavioral patterns (dietary, physical and other lifestyle behaviors).

And judging from the name of his book, you can probably guess that these “behavioral patterns” are those which were established through thousands of generations of modern man’s primitive ancestors.  So the premise is that we should adapt the basic fundamentals of behavior of early man since these behaviors shaped modern man’s genetic code.

Today, we’ll compare conventional wisdom (CW) vs. Primal Blueprint on popular dietary topics.

Cholesterol: 
CW says to strictly limit intake.  Elevated cholesterol levels cause heart disease.  Take statin drugs (Lipitor, etc.) and eliminate animal foods (especially eggs) if your total cholesterol is over 200.  Consider taking statin drugs pre-emptively if you have a family history of high cholesterol

Primal Blueprint – Cholesterol is an essential metabolic nutrient that has little to no relevance to heart disease.  It’s only dangerous when oxidation and inflammation occur from poor diet and exercise habits.  Statins can have disastrous side effects and minimal if any direct benefit.

Eggs:
CW – Minimize egg consumption due to high cholesterol; choose just egg whites as a high protein alternative.
PB – Zero correlation with heart disease or cholesterol levels.  Egg yolk extremely nutritious, whites minimally so.  Enjoy in abundance.

Fiber:
CW – Important dietary goal, derive mostly from grains.  Improves gastrointestinal function, lowers cholesterol, speeds elimination, helps control weight by minimizing caloric intake.
PB – Incidental fiber from vegetables and fruit is optimum.  Excess fiber from a grain based diet contributes to nutrient deficiency by interfering with nutrient absorption.

Meal Habits:
CW – Three squares or six small meals daily.  Skipped meals cause slowed metabolism, lower energy levels, sugar cravings and future binging risk.
PB – Eating frequency is a personal preference, but it’s all about insulin.  Control insulin production/levels and even sporadic eating habits will sustain energy without regular meals.  Fasting is a great catalyst for weight loss.

So there you have it.  Living “primal” requires us to abandon strongly held beliefs reinforced by the pillars of health “wisdom” — drug companies, agribusiness, AMA, FDA, and Madison Avenue marketing.

So check out The Primal Blueprint for an eye-opening challenge to the status quo on health.

Next, we’ll discuss the remaining behavioral patterns that have a strong impact on health:  Exercise and weight loss practices.

Dan Perez, DC
(415) 627-9077

Today, we’ll talk about one of the oldest concerns regarding diet:  is animal fat really as bad as the media and medical establishment makes it out to be?  How many times in your life have you heard “avoid red meat?”

This is the latest in a series about the Primal Blueprint, a book that I encourage my patients to read.  It is written by Mark Sisson, an ex-marathon runner and fitness expert who is the co-developer of the P90X Extreme Home Fitness Workout Program.

The Primal Blueprint premise is that, based on evolutionary biology, the human body is physiologically designed to metabolize animal and plant food sources in their natural state (thus, excluding prepared foods and crop foods; i.e. grains–wheat, rye, oats, etc.); be active in the form of long walks/slower movements with intermittent periods of intense bursts (no long runs or other excessive endurance exercises); and to engage in playful activities (a great excuse to have fun!).

Human physiology has not changed much at all over the last million years; only the food source has.  So any major alteration to the dietary habits that existed thousands of years ago is not going to agree very well with the human body.  This can include overweight/obesity problems, heart disease, high blood pressure, metabolic disease like diabetes, autoimmune diseases like Chron’s, celiac sprue, leaky gut syndrome, arthritis, and of course, cancer.  All these diseases plague society and continue to persist despite the best medicine has to offer, and research shows that many if not all of them are “lifestyle factor” related diseases; i.e. due to the patient’s dietary and other lifestyle choices.

Conventional wisdom says to limit your intake of saturated animal fat because “eating fat makes you fat.”  CW says to replace saturated fats (meat, lard, dairy) with polyunsaturated fats like vegetable oils.

Primal Blueprint says there is little or no association between consuming animal fat and getting heart disease (Framingham and Nurses Health studies).  Animal protein with associated fat should be the major dietary calorie source.  Animal protein/fat drove human evolution/advancement of brain function for two million years.  Promotes efficient fat metabolism, weight control and stable energy levels.  The major risk factors for heart disease are actually Metabolic Syndrome, driven by excess PUFA (polyunsaturated fats) and insufficient Omega-3s, high carbohydrate/excess insulin production, and an overly stressful lifestyle.

If you stop for a moment to think about it, it makes a lot of sense.  Our muscles are made up of protein, and we need protein to maintain muscle tissue.  Our cell membranes are made up of cholesterol, a main constituent of saturated animal fat.  The cell membrane is critical as it determines what can enter and exit the cell, and how well the cell is able to function.  It’s not the saturated animal fat that is the culprit in heart disease; the body definitely needs this food source, and has needed it for the past two million years.

The next post will deal with the controversial topic of cholesterol.  Where do you think cholesterol fits in in the Primal Blueprint?

Dr. Perez

This is the latest in a series on the book the Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson.

As a chiropractor interested in natural health and healing, the book intrigues me, and I want to share it with others as I feel it has some very important, potentially life-changing information contained in it.  Some people will be shocked, and even upset at some of the statements in this book because it attacks popular attitudes and beliefs, but that is always the case whenever the status quo is challenged.  After all, people tend to want to believe that what they believe is right.  But what if your beliefs about diet, exercise, and lifestyle are wrong after all these years?  Something definitely to consider.  With that it mind, here is the first Conventional Wisdom pillar the Primal Blueprint attacks:

CW:  “Grains such as wheat, rice corn, bread, cereal, and pasta are the foundation of a healthy diet.  6-11 daily servings recommended by the FDA and many nutrition experts.  Grains provide the main source of energy for working muscles.  Choose whole grains for more nutritional value, and extra fiber.”

PRIMAL BLUEPRINT:  The worst mistake in the history of the human race (UCLA evolutionary biologist Jared Diamond).  Grains drive excess insulin production, fat storage, and heart disease.  Allergenic, immune-suppressing, nutritional value inferior to plants and animals.  Whole grains possibly worse due to offensive pro-inflammatory, immune and digestive system disturbing agents, especially excessive fiber.

Pretty shocking.  After all, I, like many people, love to eat bread and pasta.  After reading the book and understanding the science and evidence behind it, I have drastically cut down my intake, and eat it only on occasion and even then, in small portions.  I do notice that eating bread tends to create an exaggerated fullness in me, and I feel more sluggish and less energetic (like I want to take a nap).

The next post will address conventional wisdom’s disdain for saturated fat– stay tuned!  In the meantime, if you wish to check out the book, see the link below to Amazon.com.

The Primal Blueprint

Dan Perez DC
San Francisco Chiropractic
(415) 627-9077

I am reading a book called the The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. Some of you may already know him.  His blog, MarksDailyApple.com has a growing, enthusiastic following, including me.

Mark Sisson is an ex-triathlete and marathon runner; basically an Olympic caliber elite athlete.  But now at age 53 he shuns this type of exercise and has good reason to believe such endurance type exercise is actually bad for your health (more on this later).

Well, I’ve been reading through his blog and the first couple of pages of his book, and I am hooked.  The guy does a great job identifying, challenging, and pointing out the huge shortcomings of the “conventional wisdom” of health.  His blog has incredible testimonials from people who reversed chronic illnesses and pain just by following his “Primal Blueprint” principles.  Yes, I mean people who were able to do away with blood pressure medications, allergy medications, diet pills, and insulin injections.   I even saw a before and after picture of a guy who followed the Primal Blueprint where the transformation was so powerful he looked like a different person!  It’s not that he just dropped a lot of pounds of fat, he looked like an athlete; toned muscles, flat abs, the works.  His posture was much better, his skin tone less pallid, and his expression suggested he was feeling a lot better than he did before he changed his lifestyle.

Basically, the Primal Blueprint, as the name suggests, uses evolutionary biology as its foundation.  In a nutshell, the Primal Blueprint maintains that we should “mimic” the dietary habits and movement patterns of early man (who lived around 10,000 years ago) because our genetic coding for health has not changed much over this time.  In essence, it involves eating food in its natural state (meat, vegetables, fruit); not sticking to any set pattern of meal times; and for exercise, long walks with intense bursts of activity (running away from predators, as early man did on occasion), with unstructured weight lifting that mimics movements of early man (carrying a weight on one’s shoulders and walking a half mile, for instance).

Of course there are finer details.  I will post the core Primal Blueprint positions on popular health topics in the weeks to come.  If you want to check out the book in the meantime, click the Amazon.com link below:

The Primal Blueprint

If losing weight has been on your list of New Years resolutions for as long as you can remember, you can finally cross it off your list next year with the new and exciting products we are now offering at San Francisco Chiropractic.

Carrying extra weight creates havoc to your health in several ways.  It’s been said that five pounds of fat requires an extra mile of blood vessels to supply, increasing blood pressure, placing more stress to your heart and accelerating its wear and tear.  So you can imagine what being 20 pounds overweight can do.

Extra weight can also lead to lower back pain, hip pain, knee pain, and foot pain.  As much as chiropractic can do to help you stay flexible, it cannot fix back and joint pain if the back and joints have to support 20-50 extra pounds every day.  You’ve got to lose the weight if you want the pain and stiffness to go away for good.

One of the reasons people find it difficult to lose weight is toxin build up in the gut and tissues.  Toxins refer to environmental chemicals we absorb over our lifetime, whether through breathing, eating, drinking, and skin contact.  Examples include aerosol sprays, copier toner, carpet fumes, benzene at the gas pump, artificial preservatives and colorings in our food.  Some of these environmental toxins get deposited in our fat cells and interfere with normal fat metabolism.

Nutritional cleansing is a logical step in reversing this life-damaging process.  The program offered at our clinic is the Isagenix 30 Day Cleanse, doctor supervised.  Isagenix is a leading brand in nutritional cleansing, detoxification and weight loss.   The strategy involved a combination of meal replacements; specially formulated whey-based protein shakes, an aloe vera based cleanse solution and natural fat burning accelerator supplements.  The great thing about this program is that it is very regimented (routine is easy to follow), the products themselves taste great, and the effects are noticed as early as 4-5 days after starting to program.

I’m very excited to offer nutritional cleansing at my clinic as it will serve as a wholistic approach to reducing the effects of chronic pain and encouraging healthy living.

If you or someone you know is in need of losing weight, call me at (415) 627-9077 and we can schedule an in-office consultation.

Dan Perez, DC

Do you know that butter is good for you, and that you shouldn’t be eating margarine?

The word has been out for some time now that margarine has the dreaded “trans-fats” which have been implicated in heart disease and free-radical damage, and have become one of the “radioactive” food ingredients mentioned in the media, along with high fructose corn syrup.  It is now common to see the phrase “No Trans Fats” on various food labeling.  Some schools have outright banned foods containing trans fats.

But some people haven’t gotten the word, and continue to eat margarine fearing the rich, saturated fats of butter.  But here’s the thing:  butter is good for you, especially if it comes from grass fed cows.  You can recognize butter from grass fed cows by its deep, yellow color.  Regular butter (grain or hay fed dairy cows) is more closer to a white color. 

Butter is rich in short and medium chain fatty acids, including even small amounts of lauric acid. It is rich in antioxidants as well, in the form of beta carotene, vitamin E, and selenium. It is one of the best sources of vitamin A. Because living grass is richer in vitamins E, A, and beta-carotene than stored hay or standard dairy diets, butter from dairy cows grazing on fresh pasture is also richer in these important nutrients. The naturally golden color of grass-fed butter is a clear indication of its superior nutritional value. (Searles, SK et al, “Vitamin E, Vitamin A, and Carotene Contents of Alberta Butter.” Journal of Diary Science, 53(2) 150–154.) 

Another benefit of grass fed butter is that it has a more favorable Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acid ratio.  The standard American diet is too heavy on the Omega 6 fatty acids, which come primarily from food fried in vegetable (corn) oil and consuming grain-fed meat (chicken, beef, pork).  High ratios of Omega 6 to Omega 3 can lead to heart disease.

Lastly, grass fed butter is high in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).  Research and anecdotal evidence shows that CLA can act as a deterrent for tumor growth, and can reduce body fat in people who are overweight.

So yes, go on ahead and load up on that rich, tasty butter.  The butter I personally buy for my family is Kerry Gold Irish butter, and can be found at your nearest Whole Foods grocery store.

Dan Perez, DC
San Francisco Chiropractor