Published October 18th, 2015 in the State Journal
As fall approaches, so does the seasonal weather and holidays. Haunted houses, carving pumpkins and eating candy are an integral part of Halloween for our kids. These bring back memories from my childhood, as I am sure it does for you as well. Now that I am a healthcare provider, Halloween has a new meaning to me. Let me explain why.
One of the most common conditions that we see in America is called Metabolic Syndrome. This syndrome consists of obesity, elevated blood sugar, elevated triglycerides, elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure. Do you have Metabolic Syndrome? – If you have three of these five symptoms then yes, you do. This is a lifestyle induced syndrome that we help people manage by teaching them how to change their lifestyle. This condition usually starts out with a patient having elevated blood insulin levels, which tells us that he or she has insulin resistance. Metabolic Syndrome is a gateway syndrome to many other diseases later in life. Let’s give our children a chance to avoid one of the most prolific syndromes in America. One of the best ways to avoid “Met Syn” is to avoid sugar. In this article I will discuss what sugar will do to your body when over-consumed in the quantities that we eat it. Over the last 100 years our consumption of sugar has doubled; and since 1800 it has risen from less than 5 pounds a year to about 200 pounds per person per year!
One of the most important things to remember is that sugar is a quick source of energy, not only for us, but also harmful yeast, fungus and cancer that may be in our body. Believe it or not, we all have yeast and cancer cells in our bodies! Do not give them what they need to win the battle for your health. I am in no way whatsoever advocating the use of artificial sweeteners, for anyone. These toxins are a topic for another time. Refined sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup are sweeteners included in almost all processed foods. Studies show that sugar and cocaine have very similar effects on the brain and both are chemically addictive. As if that is not bad enough, sugar plagues our bodies with degeneration. This degeneration ultimately comes from the inflammation that sugar causes within the body. Too much sugar in the blood can cause macular degeneration in the eyes which may lead to blindness. Diabetic neuropathy is a something that we hear about often. This is when the nerves are damaged from having too much sugar in the bloodstream. Do you suffer from joint pain? Well cutting down on the processed foods (sugar) may help significantly with joint pain. Remember, sugar is inflammatory and can degrade your joints!
Always be sure to read the ingredient labels, “sugar” comes in many forms. Avoid “white four” or “bleached flour” because this is essentially sugar. Maltodextrin is another common ingredient that should be avoided. High Fructose Corn Syrup is a man-made sugar, consisting mostly of fructose from corn. This may be even worse than refined sugar. The fructose is harmful to the liver in this processed state and this concoction has been shown in many cases to contain heavy metal contaminants. Heavy metals destroy our organs slowly and lead to disease. The reason that HFCS is used in our foods is because it is sweeter than sugar and costs less to produce. Do your body a favor and avoid this. Halloween is around the corner and so is the candy! It is important that children grow up understanding “moderation”. Too often I see patients that live on soda (sugar), processed foods (sugar) and candy/cakes/desserts (sugar). These are coincidently the least healthy people that I know. Encourage children to eat melon and fruit as a tasty treat. If we limit the amount of sugar kids consume (remember it acts like cocaine in the brain) they will appreciate healthier sweets as snacks. Candy should be limited to certain occasions, like Halloween. This may take time to get accustom to, but you and your children will live healthier lives by reducing this “drug” in your diet.
-Dr. Ryan Zeronis, DC
Dr. Zeronis is a Frankfort chiropractor at Align Your Spine Chiropractic. He and his associate, Dr. Dayna Socha, DC, operate a wellness center that is “beyond chiropractic”. These doctors utilize therapeutic nutritional protocols to manage many common ailments and have a far reaching patient base with sports and athletic performance as an emphasis. It is not uncommon for patients to drive from other states to seek their unique approach.