Caffeine - Going Cold Turkey

I have to admit it, I love coffee. I love the smell of it brewing. I love the taste of it, Tim Hortons, in particular. I have been drinking coffee since I was in high school. We would stop at the local donut shop and fill up our own mugs and drink as we drove to school.

My love affair with coffee continued through college and into chiropractic school. The caffeine delivery systems have changed over the years. Energy drinks have become quite popular. I was never a huge fan of Red Bull, but I would tolerate it from time to time to change it up from coffee. I steered away from the sugar loaded energy drinks and always picked up the sugar free ones.

I have since given up the energy drinks. The high amounts of caffeine combined with the aspartame was frying my nervous system. I opted to only drink coffee.

The only problem with coffee was I was drinking it all day. I would brew a pot in the morning and go back to it throughout the day. I would reheat it in the afternoon just to get a slight caffeine fix. Here's the real rub: I didn't need it for energy. I exercise, eat properly, take quality supplements, so the coffee fix was always for the taste. I believe my body was craving the caffeine so my mind was being tricked into wanting to get another cup of coffee for the taste.

My blood pressure has always been on the elevated side, never considered hypertension. This has bugged me because of how well I take care of my body. The only two culprits: caffeine and sodium.

I had an eye exam recently and the doctor indicated he could see evidence of arterial attenuation in the eyes. This finding is linked to high blood pressure and is typically seen in older populations.

My family has a history of macular degeneration, so I don't need any further challenges to my eyesight later in life.

This was my wake up call: it is time to cut caffeine out of my diet so my blood pressure can normalize. I believe my blood pressure remains elevated due to the habitual use of caffeine, not because of individual incidences. I believe there is a cumulative effect. Once my blood pressure normalizes I may reintroduce milder sources of caffeine or I might not. Time will tell.

I will blog about my experiences with caffeine withdrawal symptoms. The one I fear the most is the withdrawal headaches. I tend to get those fairly quickly upon cessation of drinking coffee. I am focusing my mind to get through the next 72 hours then I will see where I am.

Stay tuned...

Mobile Blog Test

I downloaded an app for the Droid that allows me to blog from a mobile platform.

Let's see how it works...

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Wellness in the chiropractic paradigm

There are many fakers out there when it comes to being wellness leaders. Just because you say you are a wellness leader, it doesn't necessarily mean you are a leader. In my opinion, true leaders lead by example. Leaders lead by example without contradiction. The wellness industry is filled with contradictions which causes confusion among the public seeking wellness.

Krauza Family Chiropractic: A Creating Wellness Center is on the verge of becoming the true leader of wellness within the Erie community. Chiropractic is the natural leader of wellness within the healthcare industry. We address lifestyle stress and we have done so since 1895, before it was fashionable.

Be on the lookout in 2011 for fantastic changes and improved services to help guide you on your wellness journey.

Rantings from a Gluten Free Week 1

It has been awhile since I posted on my official blog site. I have been posting more on Facebook and Twitter. It feels good to be back!

I have completed my first full week without any gluten in my diet. My thoughts? It has been extremely easy and extremely challenging. The majority of the day it has been easy to avoid gluten containing foods, however the evening hours have not been as kind. I never realized how much I snacked on foods with white flour and the like. The majority of snack foods contain some form of gluten. This has made snacking more challenging. I have found comfort in fresh fruits, vegetables for a lot of my snacks. Not a bad thing.

The Pros so far: To be 100% honest, I cannot think of many direct benefits of being gluten free for a week. I don't feel particularly any different. I have less bloating after I eat, but I'm not sure if I can link it to being gluten free or more to a new cleansing supplement I have been taking. I'm sure the benefits will appear in the long run. I have been eating more fruits, more vegetables, more lean meats, less refined, processed foods. These have been a tremendous pro, but again I don't necessarily "feel" any different. I would imagine my cholesterol, blood sugar have benefited from such a large consumption of fruits and veggies.

The Cons: I am not eating as many carbs, especially any derived from wheat, barely, etc. This has caused my blood sugar to drop at times causing me to be irritable, edgy. I don't care for this feeling because in my line of work I need to always be "on" when I interact with my patients.
Gluten is hidden in many products under obscure references. One must do their homework on what foods are gluten safe and which ones are not. I was surprised on some of the foods that contained gluten.

Eating gluten-free can be a huge change for people. It hasn't been a terribly hard shift for me to this point. I did play in a golf tournament over the weekend that consisted of much beer drinking. I abstained from the beer which was a challenge. I think the greatest challenge has been trying to get people (my family especially) to understand why I would take on such a challenge. I am not doing this for a particular health reason. I am not doing this to lose any weight. I am doing this merely as a challenge to myself. "Can I do this?" That is the only reason.

I will report back my musings every week for anyone who might be curious as to what is involved with a gluten-free diet. There is a lot more to learn than I had initially thought.

Just remember, health is not by chance rather it is by choice. Every cause has an effect in our world. Unfortunately, many of the effects of our actions are not felt or experienced until later in life. Drawing a connection between our habitual actions in our 20's and our health in our 40's is not something we do. Don't forget that the effects aren't instantaneous. Make better choices today so you can reap the benefits in 10 years or more.

Until next week, Be Fit. Eat Right. Think Well.

What is Chiropractic?

Happy Spring!

I have been talking for a couple months about wellness. I have been asked recently what is the connection between chiropractic and wellness.

Chiropractic is truly the coolest profession out there, however it's just a big secret. Quite simply, we live our lives through our nervous system. Everything we do is controlled, regulated, and influenced by our nervous system. Lifestyle stress causes tension patterns along our spine called subluxation. Subluxations interfere with our expression of life and vitality. It is the simple procedure called the chiropractic adjustment that dissipates the tension patterns along the spine and nervous system, thus allowing the body to fully express itself.

When we plug too many things into an electrical outlet, the circuit breaker trips thus cutting the power to the outlet to prevent fires and other damange. A similar concept occurs within our spines as well. When we overload our nervous system with too much negative stress, the segments in our spine "trip" thus altering the energy to the affected areas to prevent further damage. Just like in our homes, we notice the more important circuits first. Also like in our homes, if the source of overloading stress remains present and unaddressed the circuit will continue to trip irregardless of our intentions.

Chiropractic, since its development in 1895, has always contended that ill health/dis-ease is caused by "thoughts, traumas, and toxins." In other words, emotional stress negatively affects our nervous system. Physical trauma, lack of physical activity negatively affect our nervous system. Poor nutrition, artificial stimulants, drugs all negatively affect our nervous system.

Chiropractic and wellness go hand in hand. It is my belief that wellness is fraud without chiropractic. You can't achieve true wellness while being subluxated. Chiropractors are the only licensed health care professional trained to detect and correct subluxations.

Choose chiropractic. Choose wellness in your life. Reclaim your life one day at a time for a lifetime!


Until next week,

BE FIT EAT RIGHT THINK WELL


- Dr. Steve

Listening to Your Body

Happy Day!

Last week when I wrote, I did not realize what was ahead of me. I woke up last Monday morning with a severe sinus headache, chills, a persistent cough, and fatigue. I hated to do it, but I cancelled all my appointments for Monday. I figured patients would not appreciate me coughing all over them.

I'm not a pill popper. I very rarely take any type of medication. It isn't some sort of self-torture, but rather because I like to listen to my body. Symptoms are our body's way of telling us something isn't right. Commonly, it is our symptoms that are designed to protect us from outside invaders. Symptoms are our body's defense shield.

Sneezing, coughing, nasal congestion, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, etc are lines of defense that are essential to our survival. Most over-the-counter (OTC) medications rob us of our ability to defend ourselves from outside invaders. Taking an anti-histamine to dry up a runny nose is like tying our hands behind our back and telling us to protect ourselves from someone attacking us.

Many people no longer listen to their body. Many are unaware of subtle changes that occur with the body. Instant gratification leads many people to reach for the antacids, Tylenol, or Benadryl. Many don't stop to think about what their body is trying to tell them.

Your body is intelligent enough to "know what to do" when it encounters danger. Modern medicine has robbed us of our ability to fight illness and infection the way our body was designed. Modern medicine works great for emergencies and crisis care. The common cold, the flu, sinus congestion, urinary tract infections are not emergencies or crises in most cases.

Adopting a wellness lifestyle requires you to be in-tune with and to listen to the messages your body tries to tell you. If your communication with your body has been one-sided for too long, it will take time to rekindle your relationship. Be patient. You won't regret it.

By the way, the sinus headache I had last Monday was terrible. After suffering all day, I decided to take Tylenol to ease the discomfort. Needless to say, I was feeling a bit better on Tuesday so I returned to the office. I didn't feel terrible enough to stay home again. Deep down I knew I wasn't truly better, but because I "felt" better I couldn't convince myself to stay home one more day to rest. As a result of not listening to my body, I came back too soon and prolonged the duration of my symptoms. Sometimes it is best to listen to your mind and other times it is best to listen to your body. Unfortunately, I listened to the wrong source this time around!

Wellness is something we can all achieve on varying degrees. Continue on your path to wellness, this week, by being more in-tune with your body.

Until next week, BE FIT. EAT RIGHT. THINK WELL.


- Dr. Steve

What Does It Mean to be "Well?"

Happy Daylight Savings Time!

Although this weekend was overcast, rainy, and cool, it sure felt good to have some added daylight in the evening hours! I'm just happy it wasn't snowing. I was pleased to run over 7.5 miles as I train for next weekend's St. Patrick's 10K.

I have been talking for several months now about the importance of adopting a wellness lifestyle. As you remember, I define wellness as: the degree to which an individual expresses health and vitality in any dimension of life."

Health and wellness are not synonymous. As you can tell from the definition, wellness isn't something you have or don't have. We all possess a degree of wellness. Also, you might notice that wellness is multi-dimensional. To move towards wellness, we must work on all three areas of wellness (physical, biochemical, and psychological) at the same time.

Wellness doesn't mean you are "invincible." Many people think if you live a balanced wellness lifestyle that you can never get sick or suffer from more significant illnesses. It is true that staying physically active, eating balanced nutritious meals, managing emotional stress and getting adjusted regularly will stack the odds in your favor. Unfortunately, life still happens. The only real cause of disease is the body's inability to adapt to/comprehend its environment. There is a limitation to what the body is capable of adapting to.

As the famous heart surgeon, Russ Reiss, once said (I'm paraphrasing), the odds are greater of you surviving open heart surgery if you bring a strong body to the table. Meaning, if you live a life of wellness it is possible you can still suffer a heart attack, stroke, cancer, etc. Your chances of survival and coming out of the health crisis on top are that much greater than your overweight, de-conditioned, depressed, diabetic, unemployed cousin. Another way of putting it, what would you rather live in if a tornado had to come through your neighborhood, a dilapidated mobile home or a solid brick home built to code?

As the stress of our culture mounts (i.e. unemployment, rising cost of living, sky-rocketing health care expenses, tanking stock market, terrorism, etc), we need to be stronger than ever. The stress of our culture is not going away anytime soon. Rather than retreating and playing defense, we must go on offense and grow through these times. Cellular biology dictates that growth and defensive physiology cannot occur at the same time.

Why this topic this week? I have developed a case of bronchitis. Rest is crucial to healing and getting better. Retreating, however, is not. Although I did take it easy today, I did not get down about it. I did not start eating potato chips, chocolate cake, etc. Actually, when you have illness symptoms it is best to increase your consumption of fruits, water, etc.

Next week, I will discuss why the symptoms of common illnesses are actually a blessing rather than our enemy (i.e. cough, running nose, vomiting, etc.)

Erie, join me in this wellness revolution! Let's reclaim our lives together!!

Until next week,

BE FIT EAT RIGHT THINK WELL

- Dr. Steve