Intermittent Fasting

Looking for a simple way to lose excess weight and gain more energy? Then Intermittent Fasting may be the answer for you.

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where you cycle between periods of eating and fasting.

It is not a question of which foods to eat, but rather when you should eat them.

There are several different intermittent fasting methods, all of which split the day into eating periods and fasting periods. This diagram explains more.

                         

There are lots of health benefits to Intermittent Fasting, so it is definitely worth a try. If you find it difficult to go the distance, it might be helpful to have an electrolyte drink or herbal tea to hold you over.

Most people already “fast” 8 hours every day, while they sleep. So if you can just hold off a few more hours, it can make a world of difference in your health.

The easiest method is to skip breakfast, eat your first meal at noon or later and then your last meal by 8 pm. In this way, you’re technically fasting for 16 hours every day, and restricting your eating to an 8-hour eating window. This is the most popular form of Intermittent Fasting, known as the 16/8 method.

Despite what you may think, Intermittent Fasting is actually fairly easy to do. Many people report feeling better and having more energy during a fast.

Hunger is usually not that big of an issue, although it can be a problem in the beginning, while your body is getting used to not eating for extended periods of time.

Here are some health benefits that occur when you fast:

• Human Growth Hormone (HGH): The levels of HGH skyrocket, increasing as much as 5-fold. This has benefits for fat loss and muscle gain. A game changer in losing unwanted pounds and improving overall stamina.
• Insulin: Insulin sensitivity improves, and levels of insulin drop dramatically. Lower insulin levels make stored body fat more accessible to be utilized. A1c  may enter a more perfect range (lower than 5.7%)
• Cellular repair: When fasting, your cells initiate cellular repair processes. This includes autophagy, where cells digest and remove old and dysfunctional proteins that build up inside cells.
• Improve heart function by reducing inflammation. See this recent study
• Reduce pain caused by inflammation.
• Gene expression: There are changes in the function of genes related to longevity and protection against disease.
• Improve brain function. See this link.  

         Oral Health Benefits

·        Lowers the number of microbes in your mouth

·        Balances the saliva pH

·        Reduces inflammation of periodontal disease.

·        Reduces the risk of decay

 It is important to keep hydrated during Intermittent Fasting, as dehydration can occur while eating and drinking less frequently.

Personally, I make sure to keep up my electrolyte intake throughout the fasting time. This is as simple as drinking water with a quality mineral salt added or adding a flavored electrolyte powder to your water.

When you come for your next appointment, we can discuss specifics on the best way to do this.

There are tons of anecdotal stories on Goggle search or Pub Med where chronic disease has disappeared with fasting. So if this is a concern of yours, Intermittent Fasting may help you on your road to healing.

Facial Rejuvenation with Acupuncture

I just got the nicest compliment. I was returning from the airport recently, taking the Express bus back to the city, and got carded when requesting the senior citizens discount. The guy just couldn’t believe that I was over that certain age.

And just last week, I was at a dental meeting, and a classmate (from 40 years ago) of mine, approached me to see if it were really me. He said that he walked by a few times to be sure, because I looked too young to be me now.

As the years go by and the wrinkles creep in, the skin sags and the posture weakens. It takes focus and dedication to stay healthy. Looking younger than your years, is just a side effect of that dedication. I have always tried to have a healthy lifestyle, and it has been challenging. There are so many toxins to deal with on a daily basis. Toxic people, toxic food supply, toxic air (I live and work in the city), toxic electrical (EMF and Wi-Fi) and most of all working in toxic dentistry (high mercury).

I do a lot to detox daily and apparently it has paid off. You can look through my many blogs to get the gist, or you can purchase my book My Secrets to Regaining Health to get a better understanding of this philosophy.

Conventionally, surgery, Botox and dermal fillers are the most common choices to eradicate wrinkles and sagging. And these procedures are becoming more common in many dental offices. For those with sensitivities, side effects can be chancy and sometimes deadly. So if you are looking for natural ways to age gracefully, these choices are not on the list. There are other options.

Facial Acupuncture

Which brings me to Facial Acupuncture for Facial Rejuvenation. A simple non –toxic way to create a “facelift” without the surgery. As far as I know, we are the only dental office offering this, and honestly, I believe we have it handled really well. Since we take into account your many other health concerns that can be addressed with an integrative approach.

This would be a basic list that we can review to enhance the outcomes from facial acupuncture

• Exercise, including Face exercise

• Increase antioxidants

• Face massage

• Exfoliation

• Using healthy skin creams with no toxic chemicals

• Detoxification

• Drinking appropriate amounts of water

• Get enough sleep so that the body can actually heal

Facial acupuncture has been around for centuries. It will open the meridians to your face and other parts of your head, creating a clarity of mind that will never be possible with conventional methods. Surgery, Botox and fillers will create blockages in the meridians, and may ultimately create future health problems. 

Actually according to this article in Psychology Today based on a recent PubMed study, Botox will change your brain activity, and not in a good way.

Ongoing research, however, has revealed an unintentional and rather alarming consequence: Botox injections in the forehead and face rearrange the brain’s sensory map of the hands. What's concerning is that clients typically come back for regular injections, because the limited paralysis the toxin induces lasts only two to three months. The ongoing question is whether repeated treatments over a period of years result in permanent changes to one’s brain.

As an integrative health practitioner, I always look for the healthiest and simplest ways to heal and stay well. If we can physiologically stay young while chronologically aging, so be it. Facial Acupuncture is one part of the solution.

For further information please check out our webpages on Acupuncture and Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture

Finding Natural Health Information on the Internet

In case you haven’t noticed, it is getting more and more difficult to find natural health information through the usual search engines. In June 2019, Google began a new algorithm to change ranking results in their search engine. Many “holistic” and “natural” websites have been excluded from the page one listings thereby making it more difficult to find the health information and/or practitioner that you are seeking.

Some of the most popular sites, such as Dr Mercola, Dr. Axe and even IAOMT, cannot be found on page one when searching for information on holistic medicine or dentistry. In some cases, they cannot be found at all, unless you specifically look up their website. Even with that, some pages of these wbsites have been blocked to keep specific information out of the public knowledge. This seems to be particularly happening with ant-vaccine sites. Mike Adams at Natural News wrote an interesting commentary on this here.

In addition, QuackWatch seems to consistently come up on page 1 of Google search, which further undermines alternative/holistic health issues.

It seems that the only way to get around this is to use a different search engine. There are many to choose from, but I am personally using DuckDuckGo with good comprehensive results.

Feel free to share any information in the Comment section below that may be useful for those looking for answers.

Black Seed Oil for Dental Health

Black Seed oil, also known as cumin seed oil or black caraway seed oil, is an oil extract from the seeds of the Nigella Sativa plant. Nigella sativa is a small plant with pale purple, blue, or white flowers that grows in Eastern Europe, Western Asia, and the Middle East.

Nigella Sativa Plant

The oil comes from the tiny black seeds of the Nigella Sativa fruit and contains the powerful antioxidants of thymoquinone, phytosterol, amino acids, and omega 3-6-9 fatty acids. Black seed oil has been the subject of scientific research for its reputed benefits on cardiovascular health, immunity, cell metabolism and cytokine balance. This oil has been used a s a natural remedy for thousands of years and is said to “cure everything except death”.

Traditionally it has been used successfully to treat:

• Arthritis

• Skin conditions (can be used to topically)

• Diabetes (regulates blood sugar)

• Lowers cholesterol

• High blood pressure

• Asthma

• Obesity

• Kill parasites

• Boost immune system

Upon further research, I found some studies where black seed oil has been successful in treating these dental issues.

• Reduce Dental caries- was found to be very effective for killing off gram positive bacteria (but ineffective for gram negative bacteria)

• Reduce Periodontal and gingival diseases –has an antiplaque activity (results were equivalent to, synergistic with, or even better than the regularly used antibiotics, such as amoxicillin or tetracycline).

• Prevent nerve/pulpal inflammation when applied directly to the inflamed nerve

• Accelerate the healing of mouth ulcers and mucositis especially those induced from chemo and radiation therapy

• Expedite bone healing at dental extraction and surgical sites (good for all wound healing)

• Improve osseo-integration of dental implants into bone

• 4-fold potential effect when used with certain antibiotics. This makes Black Seed oil an excellent choice for treating antibiotic-resistant infections.

• Antifungal activity – to treat candida albicans systemically or topically (use a carrier oil with it)

The information from the study cited above basically provides the basis for a good natural analgesic for most dental related problems. The immune-modulatory activity makes the seed oil a good alternative for oral immune diseases. Additionally, its antioxidant and its antineoplastic activities, which have been extensively studied in relation to several cancers, (including oral cancer) make it an excellent treatment for just about every disease or infection.

The amazing thing about Black Seed Oil is that the plant has no toxicity or health hazards that have been reported by any researchers who have been working on related clinical trials for years. In substantial doses, it can affect blood clotting, so best to speak with your licensed health practitioner for proper dosage, before proceeding.

It does have a tangy peppery flavor that can be unpleasant, so it might be best to mix in with some honey and water to get it down. One teaspoonful once or twice a day is the recommended dosage to be effective and maintain good health. Usually, I would recommend starting at a lower dosage, to deal with any adverse Herxheimer (die-off) reactions that may occur.

A Gentle Heavy Metal Detox

I’ve tried numerous detoxes over the years. Many have been incredibly effective. Others not so much. Most have had some uncomfortable side effects.

Presently, I am using a detox product that is working well for me and I believe it will fare well with even the most sensitive person.

I am now into my third month of Advanced TRS, and I must say that I truly feel that this is one of the simplest most effective heavy metal detoxes that I have ever tried.

TRS is short for “Toxin Removal System”. It is a product manufactured in the USA by a company called Coseva and works to remove heavy metals and other positively charged poisons from the cells of the body

There are only two ingredients in TRS - man made nano-zeolites and purified water.

Nano-zeolites are tiny sized zeolite that are able to work at the cellular level. It goes deeper than other detox systems that simply pull out whatever is floating around. Advanced TRS actually passes through the blood-brain barrier, possibly making it more effective than most other heavy metal detox systems.

The creator of the product is Dr. Tracy Holdford. He holds 5 PhDs in various disciplines and used to work at NASA and is extremely knowledgeable about environmental pollution and detoxification. He has been working with zeolites since the 1970s and was very excited to chance upon a method that allow nano-zeolites to be encased into water molecules.

HOW DOES THE PRODUCT WORK?

Zeolites have a high negative charge and a strong affinity for toxins as most toxins are usually positively charged. This nano-zeolite acts like thousands of tiny toxin magnets going into your body. These toxin magnets attract heavy metals, pesticides and any other toxin that has a positive charge. They are so tiny (0.9 nanometers) that they cross the blood brain barrier easily and detox the body at a cellular level. Once the toxins get stuck onto the magnets, they are captured within the water molecules in the zeolites' cage-like structure. Our website explains more on this technology.

The beauty of this detox mechanism is that it does not cause redistribution and damage to the body. These little toxin magnets are then transported out of the body via the kidneys and intestine. The magnets are so tiny that the kidneys don’t have to filter them; that’s how gentle this method of detoxing is. This is also the reason why support supplements are not usually required while using TRS. Personally, I have been drinking lots of extra water and taking additional liver support to keep the system moving. Side effects have been minimal.

Here is our website that explains more about this product. And here is our previous blog that explains more about zeolite.

As most of you already know, toxins are everywhere. A daily detox is critical to maintaining good health. Advanced TRS may be the solution that we are looking for.

Why is My Head Buzzing?

For more than one hundred years, dental gold has been considered the “gold standard” in dental restorations. Used in crowns as well as tooth fillings alongside mercury silver fillings and other metals in the mouth, it has been found that this can create an electrical current sensation in the mouth.

Silver Mercury Filling next to Gold Crown

Sometimes, a patient will come in with exactly this symptom- electric shock sensations in the mouth with no obvious cause. Or something even more esoteric- a buzzing feeling in their head.

The concern with gold or any metallic material (titanium implants, nickel braces, mercury silver fillings, stainless steel crowns and partial dentures, etc.) in the mouth, is that they have the potential to create a galvanic reaction. Oral electro-galvanism is a term used for the association of oral or systemic symptoms of electric currents created between diverse metals between dental restorations and electrolytes (minerals) in saliva.

The pain associated with galvanic shock is caused by an actual electric shock. This shock occurs when the restoration of one tooth, touches the restoration of another tooth containing a dissimilar metal. Saliva facilitates the shock by functioning as an electrical conductor.

The electrical shock can be intense, especially when the 2 metals oppose each other and meet during chewing or when a fork tine should accidentally touch one of the metals. Or it can be mild, almost not noticeable as anything, except maybe for symptoms of chronic headaches, dizziness, nausea, concentration and memory issues, insomnia, psychological problems, tinnitus, epilepsy, hearing loss, eye problems, mouth pain, and other obscure indications.

With the introduction of EMF (electromagnetic frequencies) from cell phones and wi-fi, the symptoms can become intensified. Also, one should bear in mind that EMF exposure has its own set of health issues already associated with it, even if your mouth is metal-free. (See our many EMF postings here).

What is the best way to treat oral electro-galvanism?

The treatment is rather simple: remove all metals from the mouth and replace them with biocompatible dental materials. This will give you the start you need to move things in the right direction. Besides reducing the buzz in your head, other health challenges may abate.

Although there are no definitive studies on this topic, real clinical patient results have been observed. Here is one recent anecdotal account that may be of interest.

If you are having any of the symptoms that we mentioned above, it is advised that you should consult with your healthcare professional for a proper diagnosis before proceeding with any dental work.

Gratitude for Better Health

The holiday season can be stressful for many, but focusing on gratitude will make a tremendous difference in mitigating this stress. Additionally, it may also change your entire outlook on life.

Here are some simple suggestions on how to have a more positive attitude:

• • Smile. Children, on average, smile 400 times a day. Adults only smile on average of 20 times per day. ‘Fake it until you make it” comes to mind. Consciously put that smile on, until it becomes innate.
• • Eat healthy. Avoiding junk food (sugar, processed foods and alcohol) will keep your mind clear.
• • Exercise. Good to keep the energy flowing.
• • Keep your dental health in check. Regular visits to the dentist, will keep your teeth and gums healthy and pain free. Nothing worse than a toothache to ruin your mindset.
• • Focus on what you have, not on what you don’t have. The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.
• • Donate. Many studies have shown that donating activates pleasure centers in the brain.

Here is an excerpt from our book Enlightened Indigo Child that may give you a good idea on how to consciously focus on gratitude:

Trick #4: Feel Gratitude
Just like love, gratitude is a high frequency. Having gratitude for the positive memories, lessons learned, and experiences you have, is one step closer to forgiveness.
Say or think the sentence: I am grateful for____________.
Just fill in the blank. Do this exercise as often as you can for as long as you can; for at least ten minutes or longer. It almost becomes a form of meditation and can create an inner peace like no medication could ever possibly achieve.
I often use this as a walking meditation. “What beautiful trees. Thank you for being here and cleaning our air and making the street lovelier. … What a beautiful building. So tall and majestic. Wow. And look at the pretty architecture. … The clouds. They’re so puffy and white. Thank you for providing rain for the plants to grow and giving us water to drink….. And look at that beautiful big pile of garbage on the street. Somebody just cleaned out their home to make room for new stuff……And those dirty pots and dishes left in the sink. So grateful to have such healthy food to eat on these lovely dishes.”
You get the point. Find the joy of everything. It’s there if you change your paradigm viewpoint.
While the old adage says to count sheep if you can’t sleep, I say to count blessings. Not only will you fall asleep quicker, you will be in a very restful high frequency state of tranquility. Your dreams will be better and you will wake up more refreshed than ever. The added bonus is that you will see your life attracting more positive experiences. It’s a paradigm shift of focusing on what you have and not on what you want. The Universal Law of Attraction will always bring more of whatever you think about.
If you worry incessantly on how your parents are mean, guess what? They will be. But if you show gratitude for all the nice things they have done (given you food, clothing, toys, life, etc.) then you will find that they will continue to do more of it.
And for the parents, if you worry and continue to point out how inadequate your child is relative to other kids his age, then you will never see the blessings of their situation. Not everyone can be a doctor, lawyer or rocket scientist, so focus on their strengths and show gratitude for your child’s gifts.

Gratefulness is a mindset, and a gift in and of itself. My hope is that you experience deep gratitude this holiday season, and appreciate the gifts that are freely yours each day.

If you like this post you may also like An Attitude of Gratitude

Homeopathy in Dentistry

Homeopathic Remedy

Homeopathy is a natural form of medicine 

used by over 200 million people worldwide to treat both acute and chronic conditions. The name homeopathy, coined by its originator, Samuel Hahnemann in the year 1810, is derived from the Greek words for ‘similar suffering’ referring to the ‘like cures like’ principle of healing. In other words, a substance taken in small amounts will cure the same symptoms it causes if it were taken in large amounts. Homeopathic remedies are vibrational remedies, in which an exceedingly dilute amount of a particular natural substance is used to treat a particular ailment.

That being said, there are a plethora of different homeopathic remedies available over the counter, and even more being custom made for specific disorders.

In my practice, I have found that an increasing number of patients are seeking complementary and alternative therapies to conventional medicine. Homeopathy is one modality that is very helpful in this regard. It can be used successfully as an adjunct in healing dental infections, lessening dental pain, improving periodontal health, and expediting healing after surgery.

Will it cure everything? Probably not. But by integrating homeopathy with the wisdom of conventional dental care, the results can be more progressive than usually expected.

As many of you already know, I am a big believer of vibrational healing. (see The 2 Minute Tune Up post) By using different kinds of quantum energy healing techniques, I have been able to make a full recovery from chronic Lyme disease. By adjusting the energy field of a disorder, the disorder can be brought back to an energy of health.

“Energy (holistic) medicine recognizes that there is more to affecting change than going directly after the symptom. Sometimes you have to affect the field to create a shift in the particle; like listening to uplifting music to change your emotional state which will ultimately affect your physical health. This is based on Quantum physics: using indivisible units of energy called quanta to affect the field around it. And this theory basis of Quantum physics explains the precepts behind Energy Medicine,” inclusive of homeopathy. (Referenced from my post on Reiki: June 2011)

While homeopathy falls under the umbrella of alternative or complementary medicine, it is not to be confused with naturopathy or herbalism. Homeopathy is defined more narrowly than naturopathy. Homeopathy is one of the most frequently used complementary therapies worldwide.

Facial Massage for Better Health

There are approximately 43 muscles in the human face. These muscles are important for showing emotions as well as speaking and eating. It is understandable that many of these can be overused contributing to tightness or underused contributing to sagging.

The masseter muscle is usually the major one responsible for TMJ problems, as well as headaches, clenching or bruxism.   It is found on the jaw and chin and is the primary muscle used for chewing food and every time we open and close our mouth.

Facial Massage

Photo credit Creative Commons:  Beauty Zen

While the masseter is an essential and helpful muscle, it also plays a role in conditions like:
-       Bruxism (teeth grinding)
-       Teeth clenching
-       Tooth damage due to clenching
-       Temporomandibular joint syndrome or TMJ Disorder