The War on Cancer

"1 out of every 2 males and females will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime."

                                                                              - The National Cancer Institute

In 1971 President Nixon declared "the war on cancer." Since that time cancer rates have continued to increase. It is now estimated that 1 out every 2 people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Is that as alarming of a statistic to you as it was to me? We all know or will know people in our lives that have been diagnosed with cancer. Only about 5% of all diagnosed cancers can be attributed to genetics. What does this mean to us? This means cancer is a disease driven by environment. In order to optimize your body's ability to fight cancer, you have to optimize the environment your body is in. My goal today, is in no way to discourage you from the conventional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. I am not an oncologist and I don't treat cancer. My goal today is however to get you to start thinking about pro-active methods you can take to help improve your immune systems ability to fight cancer!

The number one thing any person can due to aid their body's ability to fight cancer is to change their diet.  One of the primary reasons food matters so much when it comes to cancer, is that many of today's foods are laden with environmental toxins. If your immune system is already in a stressed state the last thing you want to do is add more toxins into the body. Simple steps that can be taken to avoid toxins are to buy organic produce, grass fed beef, free range chicken, etc. Don't buy all the processed garbage with a bunch of words on the ingredient label that you can't even pronounce. Always make sure to clean produce thoroughly before consumption. The method of preparation matters as well. If you enjoy grilling meats make sure that you do not burn the meat. Eating burned meat increases the amount of carcinogens you are consuming.

You may have heard the saying that cancer cannot survive in an alkaline state. What this references is the idea that cancer needs an acidic environment to thrive. There are many companies and products that claim to help alkalize the body and reduce the potential for cancer. I could go into extensive detail here, but for the sake of keeping things simple let's put it this way. The best way for a person to alkalize their tissues is to eat a diet high in... vegetables and fruits!

And lastly for today, reduce sugar intake! This is crucial. The American Diet is saturated with all sorts of sugar. Glucose (sugar) and glutamine are the two primary fuels that cancer cells use to grow. Eating sugar rich foods, candy, and even simple carbohydrates (pastas, rice, bread) can be strengthening the hold cancer has on your body.

This is a very brief synopsis of steps that can be taken in the fight against cancer. In upcoming weeks I will delve into more specific detail. At this time it is my encouragement to you that if you or someone you love has been diagnosed with cancer that you/they work with an oncologist, but also find a qualified professional that can help to provide supportive and adjunctive nutritional support in addition to the traditional approaches.

If you have any questions for me or would like to schedule a consultation my office can be reached at 763-398-7770.

God Bless,
Dr. Joshua Huffman
Board Certified in Chiropractic Neurology and Integrative Medicine

The Best Indicator of Your Future is Your Past

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result."


                                                                                                 -Albert Einstein

Hey everyone. Dr. Huffman here. This weeks post is going to be short and sweet. It was my daughter's fifth birthday today so we have been busy celebrating it. I don't think there is anything more precious than the time spent with your loved ones. Unfortunately most of the patients that come into my office are literally having the time that could be spent with their families and loved ones ripped away from them by sickness and suffering. One of the statements I find myself repeating multiple times throughout each day to different patients is that "the best indicator of your future is your past." 

Most of the patients that come to office have been sick for years. They have tried all types of conventional treatment and all different types of alternative treatment. Many have been to the mecca of the health care world (Mayo), but they continue to suffer. I can't say it any more clearly than this: If you are sick and you find yourself looking for that magical cure, that single pill, that special supplement that will rid you of your illness, all you will actually find is continued disappointment. The reason you are where you are in your current state of health is a reflection of the decisions you have made in life to this point. I don't mean to imply that your illness is your fault, but I do mean to say that you have to start doing something different if you are ever going to get a different outcome. 

In my office I never look for a single problem to "treat". My goal is to look at the whole person, to take as comprehensive of an approach as possible, and identify all the contributing factors to each patients illness. Chronic disease is ALWAYS a web of dysfunction that has to be unraveled in layers. If you want to be freed of your chronic pain, your chronic fatigue, your irritable bowel, your obesity, you are going to have to change the way you are living. If you want to change the outlook of your future you must change what you are doing. I can't promise you that my care is the easiest option or the cheapest. But I can promise you that I will dig as deep as I need to dig to get you the answers you need to change the direction that your health is moving. My office can be reached at 763-398-7770 and I can be reached by email at drhuffman@moundsviewchiro.com.
God Bless,
Joshua Huffman, DC, DACNB, DAAIM
Board Certified in Chiropractic Neurology and Integrative Medicine

Why Do I Feel Sick but My Labs Are "Normal"?

Have you asked yourself this question..."Why does my doctor keep telling me my lab tests are normal...but I feel horrible?" The answer to that question may be more obvious then you think. The truth of the matter is that our medical system is based on a disease model meaning that when you see your physician the primary objective is to discover if you have an active disease process. The question of how you may be able to improve your health is never really the focus. It is vital to understand that your body does not know that the difference between having diabetes and not having diabetes is whether you fasting blood sugar is above or below 126. We have an arbitrary set of numbers that classifies whether you have disease or not. I can assure you that if your fasting blood sugar is at 110 you will not be feeling as "optimal" as you would at 95. Before I get too far into this, let's go back to how these lab ranges are established (from here on out I will refer to lab ranges as "sick ranges"). Lab ranges are based off of a bell curve of everyone that goes in to have blood work done. Think about this for a minute. The majority of people that go into a lab for testing are sick! So, they are comparing your lab results to those who are SICK!!! This is what makes me different, I use what is called a functional range when it comes to looking at your blood work. A functional, or healthy, range is the optimal range your body should be in. Once you go outside of this range, you are or will become sick!

In the above picture, you will see where there is a functional range, with a green edge around it. Then you will see the red (sick) range. Your doctors are only concerned with your lab values if you are in their RED/SICK range. This red range is where you have to be to be diagnosed with a disease. If you are in the the functional range (in the green shaded area), you are probably experiencing symptoms but your doctor is not concerned yet. Not until you are in their SICK range! See how that works?

In the above picture you will notice a patient's lab results when compared with the SICK (Lab) range and the HEALTHY (Functional) range. So, if your glucose (blood sugar) was measured at 73, your doctor would not be concerned. However, with a fasting blood glucose of 73 you could be feeling tired, fatigued, light headed when standing up, and getting headaches between meals. You might notice that you feel better after you eat a meal. This would be considered reactive hypoglycemia. If your TSH is measured at 4.2, your doctor will tell you it is within the "normal" range. However, you could be experiencing symptoms of fatigue, depression, lack of motivation and weight gain. If you look at the functional (healthy) range, you will see your TSH is well outside our optimal range. You are suffering from functional hypothyroidism. You should be seeing a pattern by now. If you are not looking at your lab results from a functional perspective, you might be missing some big pieces of your puzzle! This is why when you come into my office we will evaluate all of your results using both the lab range model and the functional range model. I don't just care about what areas of your body are already diseased. I want to promote optimal health in all the areas of your body. This allows for your body to operate like a well oiled machine, and in my opinion is the only way to begin unwinding chronic health conditions. As always if you would like to receive more information about my office and the care that we offer you can reach us at 763-398-7770 or by email at drhuffman@moundsviewchiro.com. Sincerely in Health, Dr. Joshua Huffman Board Certified in Chiropractic Neurology and Integrative Medicine