What if there was something you could do that would slow down the rate at which you were aging?

Sounds too good to be true?

Not according to the latest developments in the Anti-Aging market.

Many top researches believe that the bio-marker responsible for determining a person’s aging process is the Telomere of the chromosome.

The human body is made up of 100 trillion cells and every cell contains a nucleus.  Inside the nucleus are the chromosomes that contain your genes.  The chromosome is made up of two “arms,” and each arm contains a single molecule DNA, which is essentially a string of beads made up of units called bases.

A typical DNA molecule is about 100 million bases long.    The last 15,000 of these bases is the Telomere.   It is believed that you are conceived with 15,000 Telomeres, born with 10,000, and die when the number reaches approximately 5,000.

Bad News! Diet and Exercise won’t STOP the shortening process!

You can, however, ACCELERATE your telomere shortening with an unhealthy lifestyle such as obesity, lack of exercise, psychological stress and smoking, which all cause FREE RADICALS.

Decrease YOUR Free Radicals and Live Longer!

If you eat healthy, exercise, reduce your stress levels, and take antioxidants you will DECREASE the free radicals in your body and the rate of your telomere shortening.

The best and most powerful antioxidant available is Glutathione (GSH), AND your body makes it!

Yes, that’s right!  Your body makes one of the most powerful antioxidants available and by INCREASING its levels in your body you will decrease the rate of your telomere shortening.

How do you Increase Glutathione levels?

Here is the dilemma.  Unfortunately, simply taking glutathione as a supplement is not possible. You must create an environment in your body that naturally produces it. . This process requires certain precursors: glycine, glutamate and cysteine.

Most people Can’t make glutathione!

Due to chronic inflammation of the lipid bilayers of most people’s cells, they are unable to produce glutathione.  Despite consuming glutathione precursor foods such as whey protein, animal foods and eggs, people are unable to increase their glutathione levels because of the chronic inflammation present.

The key is to provide the right precursors to create glutathione, as well as, decrease the inflammation of the cell.  One of the ONLY products that I have see that does this is CytoCleanse distributed by Zylene International.  CytoCleanse is not yet available but is scheduled to be released in the very near future.   I plan on personally using this amazing product, as well as, make it available to my patients and family.

So How Old Are You?

Are you a 45 year old that “feels 60” or a 65 year old that “feels 40”?

Knowing the length of YOUR telomeres may give you a good indication on how fast you are aging.   SpectaCell Laboratories offers a Telomere test that will show you how you are aging by measuring how long your Telomeres are.   This information can be used to indicate to you just how well your body is aging and may provide some insight to help you live longer.   Many doctors, including myself, can order this lab for you so if you are interested simply ask your doctor or contact my office.

The rate at which you age CAN be influenced by YOU.   By decreasing you weight, exercising, reducing your stress levels, and increasing your glutathione levels you can dramatically slow down your telomere shortening and your aging process.

I encourage everyone to get a Telomere test and then implement the necessary lifestyle factors to ensure a healthy and LONG life.   By doing this you will take one more step to Achieving Optimal Health!

About the Author: Dr Tunis Hunt Jr is a wellness adviser specializing in nutrition, chiropractic, and weight loss.  In addition to serving his clients, Dr. Hunt lectures and educates the public on nutrition and health based information, as well as, is a contributing author to several publications and websites.  To reach Dr. Hunt for questions and comments or to schedule him to speak to your group or company please call 704-588-1792 or email him at drtunisjr@HuntChiropractic.com. www.HuntChiropractic.com

Today I wanted to continue on telling you how to turn your body into a FAT Burning Machine.

The next element that we must address is Exercise.

Yes, Exercise!

Did you really think you were going to reach ALL of your goals without it?

Anyway, exercise can be tricky and unfortunately many people don’t know how to perform it correctly to ensure FAT Burning.

I often see people in the gym doing ALL the WRONG stuff and they aren’t experiencing the results they desire.  You probably have seen them too.

These are the people that are there ALL THE TIME and they NEVER seem to lose ANY weight!

In fact, YOU may be one of them!

Unfortunately, it is these NON-results that eventually cause people to give up exercising and return to a sedentary lifestyle.

So what is the best way to exercise to burn FAT?

The best way to become a fat burner is NOT to walk or run on a treadmill for extended lengths of time.

Although these aren’t BAD exercises, they just don’t create a fat burning environment in your body.

Aerobic exercises like jogging, using an elliptical machine, and walking fast are great ways to get your heart pumping.   These exercises increase the levels of oxygen in your blood, as well as, endorphins and can improve your immune system.  Great benefits, but NOT FAT Burning.

Research is showing that the BEST way to condition your heart and burn fat is to alternate short bursts of high-intensity exercise with gentle recovery periods.

This type of exercise, known as interval training or burst type training, can dramatically improve your cardiovascular fitness and fat-burning capabilities.

Another major benefit of this approach is that it radically decreases the amount of time you spend exercising, while giving you even more benefits.

For example, intermittent sprinting produces high levels of chemical compounds called catecholamines, which allow more fat to be burned from under your skin within the exercising muscles.   The resulting increase in fat oxidation increases weight loss.   So, short bursts of activity done at a very high intensity can help you reach your optimal weight and level of fitness, in a shorter amount of time

In fact a study in the Journal of Applied Physiology, showed that interval training enhances the body’s ability to burn fat.   Eight women in their early 20s were told to cycle for 10 sets of four minutes of hard riding, followed by two minutes of rest.   After two weeks, the amount of fat burned in an hour of continuous moderate cycling increased by 36 percent, and their cardiovascular fitness improved by 13 percent.

So how do you perform burst training?

The concept is to pick an exercise, running, biking, elliptical, jumping, etc. and do it with ALL OF YOUR MIGHT for approximately 45 sec to 1 minute.   This should render you exhausted and will require a 2-3 minute break or cool down period.   After the cool down or break you then repeat the exercise for 45 sec to 1 min. followed by a break. You repeat this for 4 to 5 cycles.

A great short video to watch is Dr. Dan Pompa’s Burst training video on YouTube.   Dr. Pompa is friend and mentor of mine and has been helping people become Fat Burners for years. I recently attended one of his training sessions and am now implementing his protocols in my office.

Burst training is the exercise to perform for fat burning and if that is your goal I highly recommend you begin to implement it in your workout routine.  You will begin to love your shortened workouts and most of all, the decrease of fat.   Begin a burst training exercise program today and take another step closer to achieving Optimal Wellness.

About the Author: Dr. Tunis Hunt Jr is a chiropractor serving the Charlotte/Steele Creek Area. In addition to chiropractic services, Dr. Tunis Jr lectures and educates the public on health and nutritional related subjects. He writes for several publications and is the author of the popular health Blog: Dr Tunis Jr’s Blog (www.drtunisjr.wordpress.com) Dr. Tunis Jr can be contacted at: drtunisjr@HuntChiropractic.com www.HuntChiropractic.com

So how is it going with your transformation into becoming a FAT BURNING machine?

Still struggling with eliminating grains and sugars?  No problem.  Please remember this is a process, so don’t beat yourself up if you haven’t been able to master it yet.

Anyway, I wanted to continue with some more info on how to help you BURN MORE FAT.

The best part about today’s information is it actually encourages you to eat more of something instead of restricting it from your diet.  In fact, I am willing to bet you don’t eat enough of this “health food” and is one of the reasons you aren’t a fat burner.

So what is this wonderful substance that you should be consuming more of? It’s FAT!

Yes, to burn more fat you must EAT MORE FAT!

I know this seems counter intuitive and is completely different than what the media has told you, but it’s TRUE.

The truth is, FAT is essential to health and when you restrict it you actually encourage your body to hold on to the amount that it has.

Fat’s Role In Your Body:

• Essential for Fat Soluble vitamins such as Vit. A, D, E, and K
• Maintaining healthly hair and skin
• Insulates body organs
• Maintains body temperature
• Promotes Healthy Cell Function
• Serves as Buffer to many diseases

So, as you can see, Fats are actually good for you and are ESSENTIAL for your body to operate normally.

This is why when you restrict your fat intake with LOW FAT diets and foods you are actually doing more harm than good.  The body also knows that it requires fat for survival and will hold onto the fat it does have.  This is why despite your diet and exercise your Body Fat Percentage never changes.

When you are constantly giving your body a healthy supply of GOOD fats it will have no reason to hold onto its supply of fat and will utilize it for fuel.   This is when you are truly a FAT BURNER!

Now, for the catch.   Although fat IS good for you, this truth only applies to GOOD FATS.

So what are GOOD FATS?

The healthiest sources of GOOD FATS are:

• Coconut oil
• Grape seed Oil
• Sesame Oil
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• Butter
• Flax Oil
• Hemp Oil
• Avocados
• Grass Fed Beef
• Fish Oil
• nuts

Check out this link for guide on what oils to cook with. CLICK HERE

The fats you should AVOID are TRANS-FATS.  These are products such has margarine and other Hydrogenated or Partially- hydrogenated products.   This type of fat is found in ALMOST EVERY cookie, cracker, boxed or processed food product found on the grocery store shelf.

Hydrogenation is a way of making vegetable oil harden at room temperature.

Small particles of nickel or copper are added and the mix is heated to very high temperatures under pressure for up to eight hours while hydrogen gas is injected. This process destroys the essential fatty acids in the oil and replaces them with deformed trans fatty acids.

These trans fats formed by hydrogenation are unnatural and as a result the human body is not well-equipped to deal with them.  They also compete with essential fatty acids for absorption in the body.

This blocks or delays the work of the essential fatty acids, creating deficiencies and imbalance throughout the metabolism, including fatty deposits in the arteries.

Adding good fats and avoiding trans fats can be one of the HEALTHIEST things you do for yourself.   Fat is essential for health and is not the villain our society has made it out to be.  I encourage you to continue to do your best to eliminate grains and sugars from your diet and begin to add GOOD FATS to your life. This will help you move closer to a life of Optimal Health!

About the Author: Dr Tunis Hunt Jr is a chiropractor serving the Charlotte area. In addition to administering chiropractic care, Dr. Hunt lectures and educates the public on nutrition and health based information. Dr. Hunt is also is an author of a popular blog: Dr Tunis Jr’s Blog. To reach Dr. Hunt for questions and comments or to schedule him to speak to your group or company please call 704-588-1792 or email him at drtunisjr@HuntChiropractic.com. www.HuntChiropractic.com

In my previous blog I shared with you the secret to get your body to burn fat.  I had such an overwhelming response I have decided to dedicate the next several weeks to providing more information that will help you turn into a FAT burner.

I know many of you are trying to recover from hearing that you had to give up your rice, bread and pasta so I wanted to follow up with some information that will help you “jump start” your efforts to losing FAT.

As I mentioned above, I have received many questions and comments concerning this lifestyle change and most of them have been excellent.  It appears many of you are fed up with your current weight plateau and are ready to experience real change.  Many, however, just don’t know where to start and what you can do to achieve success.

In the last blog I discussed that you had to give up Sugar and Grains in order to transform your body into a fat burning machine.  As you remember this is because your Leptin receptors must heal so your body can recognize and utilize Fat for fuel.   Unless, you give your body this break it will never become the fat burning machine it was designed to be. This is why ALL GRAINS must be eliminated initially for this process to work.

One of the most prominent questions that I received was whether or not FRUITS were OK to eat.

Most people realize that fruits contain HIGH amounts of sugar (although natural) and can wreak havoc on your insulin levels.  It is for this reason, that I strongly encourage you to ELIMINATE most fruits from your diet IF weight loss is your desire.

Some fruits are OK in moderation. Fruits such as:

• Berries – (blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, elderberries, gooseberries, loganberries, raspberries, strawberries)
• Avocados
• Lemons
• Limes
• Granny Smith Apples (very sparingly)

Fruits containing the MOST sugar and should be avoided (if weight loss is desired):

• Banana
• Grapes
• Mango
• Pineapple
• Watermelon
• Papaya

So, as you can see, you CAN eat some fruit but it needs to be mostly berries and in moderation.  Once you achieve your desired weight loss you can introduce the other types of fruit back into your life.

One of the hardest things to do is locate recipes and ideas to begin to implement into your daily life.   There are fortunately, tons of resources and ideas available and I am going to share with you some these with you now.

Day 1

• Breakfast- Florentine omelet (2 eggs, spinach, mushrooms, feta)
• Snack- ½ cup of almonds
• Lunch- Greek Chicken salad (Romaine, olives, cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, (oil/viniger))
• Snack- 1 Bell pepper, Guacamole (avocado and salsa)
• Dinner- Dilled Salmon & Asparagus

Day 2

• Breakfast- Almond butter, Flaxmeal, ½ cup of blueberries
• Snack- ½ cup of pumpkin seeds
• Lunch- Hard boiled egg salad (spinach, sprouts, tomato cucumber)
• Snack- Hummus, Celery
• Dinner- Grilled chicken breast, Green beans

Bonus Recipe: (I am actually having this Tonight!)

Pan-Roasted Salmon with Mushrooms

• Two 6 oz wild salmon portions
• Juice of half a lemon
• Curry salt (1/3 curry powder to 2/3 sea salt) to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons organic extra virgin olive oil or organic macadamia nut oil
• 2 varieties of mushroom, whole (e.g., button, crimini, oyster, morel, shiitake)
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• Splash organic balsamic vinegar
• Pinch of sea salt and organic pepper
• Handful fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped (chopped basil leaves may be substituted if desired)

1. Rub the salmon with lemon juice and sprinkle with the curry salt.
2. Heat a pan medium-high and add a little oil. Lay the salmon on the hot pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Flip the salmon when it is 2/3 cooked should cook a total of 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Heat a little oil in another pan. Add the mushrooms and garlic and toss. Add a little balsamic vinegar. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and cook until the garlic is translucent.
4. Scatter the parsley on the mushrooms.
5. Serve the salmon on top of the mushrooms.

Hopefully, this information will help you continue down the path of becoming a FAT burner.  I the next several weeks I will continue to share secrets and recipes that will help you achieve your weight loss goal.  Health isn’t a result of a “magic pill” or procedure, but as a result of conscious healthy choices.  I encourage you to continue to educate yourself so you can make the healthiest choices for your and your family and enjoy a life of Optimal Wellness.

About the Author: Dr Tunis Hunt Jr is a chiropractor serving the Charlotte area.  In addition to administering chiropractic care, Dr. Hunt lectures and educates the public on nutrition and health based information.  Dr. Hunt is also is an author of a popular blog: Dr Tunis Jr’s Blog. To reach Dr. Hunt for questions and comments or to schedule him to speak to your group or company please call 704-588-1792 or email him at drtunisjr@HuntChiropractic.com. www.HuntChiropractic.com

Many of you have probably made some sort of New Year’s resolution about weight loss and exercise and many of you have probably already broken it.   If you fit into that category, don’t beat yourself up, 95% of all New Year resolutions are broken by January 15^th!

Weight loss is a billion dollar industry and if you asked most people they would tell you that they would like to lose a little weight.  But what really are people talking about when it comes to weight loss?

Loosing Fat!

Most people want to lose FAT.  Sure we want to see the number on the scale decrease but anyone who understands health knows that it is the loss of fat that will make the most difference in your life.  Having said this,

MOST PEOPLE CAN’T BURN FAT!

Unfortunately, many of you are probably half starving yourself and overexercising right now and it is doing NOTHING to burn your fat.  The process of burning fat is much more complicated that just

Calories In < Calories Out.

Fat is actually regulated in your body by a hormone called Leptin.  Leptin is produced by fat cells and indicates to your body that fat is available for energy.

In a normal working body, the hypothalamus would hear the Leptin in the body and utilize the fat for energy.  The problem is, MOST people can not burn Fat as fuel!

This is because, due to the Standard American Diet (SAD), most people are Leptin Resistant.

Many of you are probably familiar with insulin resistance (Type II Diabetes).  This is a condition where, due to too much insulin being secreted, your insulin receptors become overburdened and quits working.  This is the same mechanism that happens with too much Leptin.  When your body becomes overburdened with Leptin, your leptin receptors will eventually stop working and your body will not know that fat is available for energy and stores it instead.

So how does your body get too much Leptin?

Leptin is directly correlated with Insulin.   When you have a increase in insulin you have an increase with Leptin.

Insulin is increased as a result of adding glucose (sugar) to your system.  For a cell to utilize glucose as energy, the pancreas must release insulin to attach to the glucose so the it can enter the cell through the insulin receptors.   So when you consume food/products high in sugar, your insulin levels spike as well as your leptin levels.  You do this often enough and long enough, your receptors-both insulin and leptin- can become overburdened and quit working.

Unfortunately, this is exactly where many Americans are right now.  Because of the amount of sugar that is consumed in our diet (2-3 lbs. Per week!), there is an obesity epidemic and why 64% of the United States adult population is overweight.

How do you burn Fat then?

In order to help your body heal so it can begin utilizing fat for energy you must STOP adding sugar to your body.   The largest source of sugar is from soft drinks and fruit juices.  Sugar, however, is in ALMOST every processed food, and you must begin to eat and buy fresh food.  Sugar has many names and forms so read the ingredients on the label and look for words ending in -OSE. (glucose, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, etc.)

The second food you MUST eliminate is GRAINS.

YES, EVEN WHOLE GRAINS!

I know many of you are shaking your head in despair right now wondering how in the world you are ever going to survive without them, but the truth is YOU CAN!   Unfortunately, grains turn into sugar within seconds of touching your tongue and we just went over why you need to reduce sugar.

Now, for some of you this will be temporary, but for others this should be a permanent lifestyle change.  If you are attempting to lose any fat, however, I STRONGLY suggest total elimination of grains until you reach your desired goal.

There is obviously more information that I could share with you about insulin, leptin, grains, sugar, glycerol-3-phosphate, etc. but for now this will do.

What you MUST take away from this is that YOU probably are not a FAT burner and YOUR body is burning sugar for fuel and is why despite your exercise efforts and “diet” you can never seem to reach your desired goal.

The good news is, it can all change.  YOU can reach your goal and become a FAT burner but you MUST do what it takes to allow your body to heal.

Unless you let your receptors heal, your body will never begin to burn fat.

I challenge you to a 10 day experiment.

I challenge you to eliminate ALL grains from your diet and drastically reduce your sugar for 10 days.  I am willing to bet if you do this that you will lose more weight/fat in the next 10 days that you have over the last 30 days.

Results require specific actions and unless you are willing to do what it requires, you will NEVER experience the results you desire.

Do yourself a favor by eliminating grains and reducing the amount of sugar you consume and take one more step to achieving Optimal Health.

About the Author: Dr Tunis Hunt Jr is a chiropractor serving the Charlotte area. In addition to administering chiropractic care, Dr. Hunt lectures and educates the public on nutrition and health based information. Dr. Hunt is also is an author of a popular blog: Dr Tunis Jr’s Blog. To reach Dr. Hunt for questions and comments or to schedule him to speak to your group or company please call 704-588-1792 or email him at drtunisjr@HuntChiropractic.com.   www.HuntChiropractic.com

Roughly a quarter of the U.S. Population buys fast food daily and in most of the cases, hamburgers are the food of choice.

Regardless of the constant information proving that fast food is not healthy, millions choose to continue to consume it on a weekly and sometimes daily basis.

Are you one of them?

Well here is one more reason to consider eliminating it from your diet.

The truth is that the hamburger meat used in most major chained fast food restaurants are injected with ammonia!

Yes, the same toxic chemical found in glass cleaners.

And to make matters worse, this same meat is used in many schools as well.

According to a New York Times article, much of the beef sold to McDonald’s, Burger King, schools and other fast food restaurants are injected with ammonia.  And the USDA endorses it!

According to them, this procedure is a way to make the hamburger beef “safe” enough to eat.  Although the ammonia is used to kill the e.coli., the USDA seems to think the ammonia is safe for human consumption.

The ammonia-injected beef comes from a company called Beef Products, Inc. The NYT reports that the federal school lunch program used a whopping 5.5 million pounds of ammonia injected beef trimmings form this company in 2008.

According to the NYT report, “The company says its processed beef, a mashlike substance frozen into blocks or chips, is used in a majority of the hamburger sold nationwide.  But it has remained little known outside industry and government circles.  Federal officials agreed to the company’s request that the ammonia be classified as a “processing agent” and not an ingredient that would be listed on labels.”

To make mattes worse, the ammonia doesn’t always kill the e.coli and salmonella which have been detected in the cow-derived products sold by this company!

This is just another classic example of how YOU must be responsible for your own health and health decisions.  Too often, the public is deceived and manipulated by corporations and the government agencies that are supposed to regulate them.

The fact that the “beef” contained e.coli and samanella in the first place and then was injected with a toxic substance used in glass cleaner in order to “make it safer” is absolutely ludicrous and is the type of practice that has led to the pandemic of chronic disease and obesity in our nation and the world.

You need to protect yourself and family from this type of corruption by spending your money on products that are safe and natural.  Support local farmers and companies that have taken the responsible route in livestock farming, those who feed the animals natural diets of grass and refuse to pump them full of antibiotics.

Unfortunately, the “Law of Bioaccumulation” creates very toxic substances with conventional beef and meats.  It takes several pounds of grain (some say as many as 12) to produce a pound of beef, so because the grain is usually filled with pesticides and other chemicals the amount of toxins located in a pound of meat is substantially high.  When you add in all the other drugs and antibiotics that are necessary to keep the cow “healthy” due to the unnatural diet of grain, the amount of toxins passed onto the consumer is astronomical.

It is for this reason that you MUST buy organic, GRASS FED beef.

I know that it can be more expensive, but the cost of chronic disease and illness is more.  Spend the few extra dollars on you and your family, YOUR WORTH IT!

Make 2010 your healthiest year ever and make the choice to eliminate fast food and processed beef from your diet.  By consuming organic grass fed beef you will be providing your body with an excellent source of omega 3 without the risk of toxic exposure.

Health is a choice, and by making this switch in your diet you and your family will be one step closer to achieving Optimal Health.

About the Author: Dr Tunis Hunt Jr is a chiropractor serving the Charlotte area. In addition to administering chiropractic care, Dr. Hunt lectures and educates the public on nutrition and health based information. To reach Dr. Hunt for questions and comments or to schedule him to speak to your group or company please call 704-588-1792 or email him at drtunisjr@HuntChiropractic.com.   www.HuntChiropractic.com

As the new year approaches many of you will be setting your annual “New Year’s Resolutions” and most of them will have something to do with health.  Whether it is to begin a diet, or start to exercise, or quit that bad habit, many of you recognize the importance of good health and its effect on your life.

On resolution that I believe you should make is to make better food choices.  Although dieting, exercise, and quitting poor habits are helpful, if you are putting harmful things into your body you won’t ever experience true health.

A recent article in Prevention magazine titled the “7 foods experts won’t eat”, Liz Vaccariello lists seven foods that are harmful to you and should be avoided.  Interesting enough I agree with all of her recommendations.  She lists the following foods:

1. Canned Tomatoes

The expert: Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A

The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Acidity — a prominent characteristic of tomatoes — causes BPA to leach into your food.

2. Corn-Fed Beef

The expert: Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farms and author of books on sustainable farming

Cattle were designed to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. A recent comprehensive study found that compared with corn-fed beef, grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

3. Microwave Popcorn

The expert: Olga Naidenko, PhD, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group

Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize — and migrate into your popcorn.

4. Nonorganic Potatoes

The expert: Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board

Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes they’re treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they’re dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting.

5. Farmed Salmon

The expert: David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany

Nature didn’t intend for salmon to be crammed into pens and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers.  As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT.

6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones

The expert: Rick North, project director of the Campaign for Safe Food at the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Milk producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST, as it is also known) to boost milk production.  But rBGH also increases udder infections and even pus in the milk. It also leads to higher levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor in milk.  In people, high levels of IGF-1 may contribute to breast, prostate, and colon cancers.

7. Conventional Apples

The expert: Mark Kastel, codirector of the Cornucopia Institute

If fall fruits held a “most doused in pesticides contest,” apples would win.  And increasing numbers of studies are starting to link a higher body burden of pesticides with Parkinson’s disease.

Unfortunately, much of the food industry is laden with harmful toxins and byproducts.  Much of this is due to corporate greed and profits and has zero benefits for consumers.  Chronic diseases are at an all time high and will only continue to rise as long as we subject our bodies to these pesticides and chemicals.

Do yourself and your family a favor and eliminate these 7 foods from your diet.   Begin to take control of your own health by making healthier choices and educating yourself on the possible toxins and dangers present in our society.  Make 2010 your healthiest year to date and take one more step toward Optimal Health.

In our modern, “ultra clean” and germaphobic society, we often go to great lengths in making sure our exposure to germs is minimal.

I often watch people use pocket size antibacterial soaps constantly throughout the day, making sure they apply it on their hands after touching anything not connected to their own body.

And many parents spend a majority of their day making sure their children are properly doused with this soap in an effort to restrict any and all germs from contacting their children.

But is all this fuss actually doing you or your children any good?

Not according to the latest study published in the December 9^th edition of the journal Proceedings of the Royal society B: Biological Sciences.

This study is the first to investigate whether microbial exposures early in life affect inflammatory processes related to diseases in adulthood.

The Northwestern study suggests exposure to infectious microbes in childhood may actually protect youngsters from developing serious illnesses, including cardiovascular diseases, when they grow into adults.

Researcher, Thomas McDade concludes that “inflammatory networks may need the same type of microbial exposures early in life that have been part of the human environment for all of our evolutionary history to function optimally in adulthood.”

Basically, the “Super Sterile” environment that we have prided ourselves on creating, is actually inhibiting the body from naturally creating proper antibodies and is resulting in higher incidences of inflammation in the adult years of life.

The truth is: Germs DO NOT cause disease!

A body’s inability to deal with the germ causes a disease to manifest and produce symptoms.  This is why only some of the people exposed to a virus or germ are affected by it.

If the germ was the cause of disease, EVERYONE exposed to it would get sick.

Proper healthy exposure to germs is necessary for the body to build natural immunities that will help fight off future diseases and conditions.  The body REQUIRES good bacteria to function properly and the use of antibacterial soaps destroys BOTH the good and the bad.

Not only that, but by using antibacterial soap repeatedly you are contributing to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Antibacterial soaps are also laden with other chemicals that have been shown to disrupt the endocrine system.

One particular ingredient is Triclosan, which has been shown to hasten the transformation of tadpoles into adult frogs.

The best way to practice proper hygiene is to use good old fashion soap and water.  This method will eliminate harmful germs from your hands while preserving the essential bacteria that your body needs. In fact, studies show that using soap and water is the MOST effective way to eliminate viruses from your hands.

So stop being an over protective parent or germaphobic adult and live a little.   Allow your kids to play in the mud and stop allowing the fear of germs dictate your life.

Throw away your antibacterial soap products and concentrate on using good old fashioned soap and water.  This simple change will help you and your family stay healthy and move you one step closer to Optimal Health.

About the Author: Dr. Tunis Hunt Jr is a chiropractor serving the Charlotte/Steele Creek Area. In addition to chiropractic services, Dr. Tunis Jr lectures and educates the public on health and nutritional related subjects. He writes for several publications and is the author of the popular health Blog: Dr Tunis Jr’s Blog (www.drtunisjr.wordpress.com) Dr. Tunis Jr can be contacted at: drtunisjr@HuntChiropractic.com www.HuntChiropractic.com

Recently I read an interesting article written by one of my favorite doctors, Dr. Joseph Mercola, and he was discussing the power of baking soda.  I wanted to share some of the info with you.

Baking soda (also know as sodium bicarbonate), popularized by Arm & Hammer some 155 years ago, is derived form a natural occurring mineral, and is one of the safest and most versatile substances around.

Some of it’s potential uses are:

• Household cleaner
• Sunburn remedy
• Alternative to toxic antiperspirants
• Sports performance enhancer

Few people realize, however, that baking soda also has potent medicinal properties.  Taken internally, it helps maintain the pH balance in your bloodstream.  For this reason, it can be used against both cold and influenza symptoms, and even cancer.

Yes, It can help fight off the flu and cancer!

In 1924, a booklet was published titled: “Arm & Hammer Baking Soda Medical Uses,” where Dr. Volney S. Cheney recounts his clinical successes with sodium bicarbonate in treating cold and flu:

“In 1918 and 1919 while fighting the ‘flu’ with the U. S. Public Health Service it was brought to my attention that rarely anyone who had been thoroughly alkalinized with bicarbonate of soda contracted the disease, and those who did contract it, if alkalinized early, would invariably have mild attacks.

I have since that time treated all cases of ‘cold,’ influenza and LaGripe by first giving generous doses of bicarbonate of soda, and in many, many instances within 36 hours the symptoms would have entirely abated.

Further, within my own household, before Woman’s Clubs and Parent-Teachers’ Associations, I have advocated the use of bicarbonate of soda as a preventive for “colds,” with the result that now many reports are coming in stating that those who took “soda” were not affected, while nearly everyone around them had the “flu.”

Recommended dosages from the Arm & Hammer Company for colds and influenza back in 1925 were:

• Day 1 – Take six doses of ½ teaspoon of baking soda in glass of cool water, at about two hour intervals
• Day 2 – Take four doses of ½ teaspoon of baking soda in glass of cool water, at the same intervals
• Day 3 – Take two doses of ½ teaspoon of baking soda in glass of cool water morning and evening, and thereafter ½ teaspoon in glass of cool water each morning until cold symptoms are gone.

Further dosing recommendations and instructions for taking sodium bicarbonate can be found in Mark Sircus’ book Sodium Bicarbonate – Rich Mans Poor Mans Cancer Treatment, which is also available in Kindle edition.

According to Arm & Hammer’s dosing instructions, do not exceed seven doses of ½ teaspoon per day, or three doses of ½ teaspoon daily if you’re over the age of 60.  In addition, do not use the maximum dosage for more than two weeks.

Personally I have never used Sodium Bicarbonate in the treatment of any colds or flu but I will definitely keep it in mind next time I come in contact with it.

I will caution that there is some concern that Arm & Hammer may contain some aluminum so using a product like Bob’s Red Mill Baking Soda, which is proven to be aluminum free, may be better.

Dr. Mercola further discusses how Sodium Bicarbonate is being used with great success by Dr. Tullio Simonici and Mark Sircus, Ac, OMD in treating cancer.

He explains that they are seeing 99 percent of breast – and bladder cancer heal in just six days, entirely without the use of surgery, chemo or radiation, using just a local infiltration device (such as a catheter) to deliver the sodium bicarbonate directly to the infected site in breast and bladder tissue.

Of course, these treatments will never become mainstream because of the profits that conventional treatments provide.  Unfortunately, money will always impact medicine and is the reason that amazing natural treatments are often covered up and the doctors willing to use them are made to look like quacks.

The truth is there is tons of natural resources for all types of diseases and symptoms if you are willing to keep an open mind and look into it for yourself.

In addition, you need to begin to ask and demand from your health care professionals to help identify the causes of your symptoms and diseases and not settle for symptom treating healthcare.  Optimize your health today by taking responsibility for it and learn the natural solutions for your problems.

About the Author: Dr. Tunis Hunt Jr is a chiropractor serving the Charlotte/Steele Creek Area. In addition to chiropractic services, Dr. Tunis Jr lectures and educates the public on health and nutritional related subjects. He writes for several publications and is the author of the popular health Blog: Dr Tunis Jr’s Blog (www.drtunisjr.wordpress.com) Dr. Tunis Jr can be contacted at: drtunisjr@HuntChiropractic.com www.HuntChiropractic.com

This week as I prepared my coffee I noticed that I was out of the sweetener that I typically use.  I use a sweetener called Stevia, a natural herb with VERY sweet attributes. (Stevia doesn’t raise your glucose levels, so your insulin levels aren’t affected.)  And because I am not a big fan of bitter coffee, I had to resort to finding something else.

Sugar has harmful effects on the body and artificial sweeteners like Splenda, aspartame, and Nutra Sweet are all excitotoxins that destroy brain cells, so I used the next best thing, HONEY.

Local, raw (unprocessed) Honey is one of the great natural sweeteners available to us.  It has a milder affect on your blood glucose and actually contains some health benefits as well.

Local unprocessed honey can be very beneficial for allergy sufferers.

As bees pollinate the flowers they deposit small amounts of pollen in the honey.  When you consume these small particles your body adapts to the pollen and your are less likely to be affected by it when you come into contact with it in nature.

This is why, LOCAL honey is best.  You want to be exposed to the pollen specific to your geographic area.  If you consume honey produced from distant places the pollen exposure will be different than the environmental exposure you will encounter.

Don’t be fooled into buying conventional processed honey.  This type of honey WILL NOT have the same health benefits that the unprocessed honey will have.

Unfortunately, about two thirds of the honey in the United States falls into this category.  For corporate profits, honeybees are being force fed High Fructose Corn Syrup and other sugars to allow production year round. 

In addition, this honey is pasteurized and many of the beneficial enzymes are being removed from the honey.

The best source to find your honey is by a local supplier.  Many farmer markets have bee keepers with honey to sell.  Also, some health food stores offer local raw honey as well. Just make sure to read the label to verify that it is unprocessed and local to your area.

Honey can also be used as a topical ointment to help treat mild burns, sunburn, and small wounds.  You MUST use the RAW honey though.  Processed honey may actually do more harm than good.

Honey topical wound-care benefits:

• It draws fluid away from the wound.
• The high sugar content suppresses microorganism growth.
• Worker bees secrete an enzyme (glucose oxidase) into the nectar, which then releases low levels of hydrogen peroxide when the honey makes contact with the wound.
• A chemical reaction between the honey and tissue also makes healing wounds smell good.

As you can see, Raw unprocessed honey is a great item to have around your house.  I will caution that if you have blood sugar handling problems or obesity issues using honey may not be for you.  Stevia would be a better alternative.  For everyone else, consuming small amounts of honey throughout the year will yield great health benefits.

About the Author: Dr Tunis Hunt Jr is a chiropractor serving the Charlotte area. In addition to administering chiropractic care, Dr. Hunt lectures and educates the public on nutrition and health based information. Dr. Hunt is also is an author of a popular blog: Dr Tunis Jr’s Blog. To reach Dr. Hunt for questions and comments or to schedule him to speak to your group or company please call 704-588-1792 or email him at drtunisjr@HuntChiropractic.com.   www.HuntChiropractic.com