Sugar, Sugar, Sugar, Blood Sugar

We've all heard in recent years that Type 2 diabetes is a modern epidemic. It used to be called “adult onset diabetes,” but this is no longer the case since children are being diagnosed with it. Why?

Let’s dumb down some human physiology for a moment and look at what happens. The pancreas produces insulin and kicks it out into the bloodstream. Insulin is the key that unlocks the door of each cell to let blood sugar in. So, under normal circumstances, you eat an apple which gets broken down into carbohydrate and smaller molecules of fructose. This gets converted to glucose and gets sent out into the bloodstream along with insulin from the pancreas. Insulin unlocks the cell door, glucose rushes in, the cell churns through its functions keeping your body alive at a certain rate (your basal metabolic rate or BMR). In this situation, all is well and good. However; when the body is bombarded with refined carbs and sugars found in soft drinks candy bars, boxed cereals, pastries, breads, and pastas, the blood sugar spikes and insulin gets kicked out of the pancreas. The cells are overloaded with sugar so they change the locks on their doors leaving us with a condition knows as insulin resistance. Basically the cells are saying, “Talk to the hand…” This causes blood sugar to spike higher and higher leading to a condition known as diabetes. It’s largely a problem of our food supply.

Any idea how much sugar the average American consumed around 1900? The answer is: between 10-15 pounds. Today we are at a deplorable 115 – 125 pounds per average American. This is what the modernization of food processing has done for us. Wow! No wonder we’re in trouble.

What can you do? First of all…make sure you have an idea of your blood sugar level. We offer a complete urinalysis here at our office. Fortunately we did a urinalysis on a young lady yesterday for her initial exam which showed her urine glucose off the charts. I advised them to see a medical doctor right away. (The doctor told her had she not caught this glucose problem he would have met her in the ICU in about a week. Whew! ) Her fasting blood glucose the next morning was 321! Normal is between 70-120 (not fasting!) Had she not been fasting, hers would have been still higher.

In our office, we educate and inform the patient about healthy lifestyle changes that can make a dramatic difference in their lives. We also work with acupuncture, and herb, supplement remedies that help lower insulin resistance and virtually eliminate the need for medication except in severe cases. The beauty of it is that EVERYONE responds. Some will completely get off all medication, others will still need some assistance, but to a much lesser degree. All will understand their condition better and learn how to help themselves become healthy and lead a productive life.

Action Steps
1. Come in for a urinalysis (free for existing patients if you mention this blog through 8/31/2011)
2. Learn your glucose level.
3. Make adjustment to diet, lifestyle.
4. Add in herbs & acupuncture if necessary, like gymnema.
5. Nip symptoms in the bud.
6. Retest urine for glucose levels.
7. Avoid disease.

Back to School: Healthy Kids are Smarter Kids

We love your kids. We want to offer some advice on what you can do to give your child the best environment for scholastic success from a health perspective.


5 tips on How to Have Smart Kids

1. Get adequate sleep

This seems to simple, but ignore it and it will come back to get you. The only way to ensure your kids get adequate sleep is to have a schedule. Go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time. Lack of sleep slows response time, weakens immunity, and interferes with learning.

Text "twc" to "90210" and get $5 off a child-sized/travel Chiroflow pillow that makes sleep a little more productive.


2. Just say no to sugar

The Standard American Diet (abbreviated SAD ironically) is loaded with sugar in many forms. Boxed cereals, processed foods, and prepackaged snacks are loaded with sugar. Sugar pumps us with energy for about 15 – 20 minutes and then drops us into the cellar for hours. When the drop hits, we can’t concentrate, we feel foggier, and it literally makes us dumb. Instead of sugar and carbs like pretzels and chips….go for nuts and protein sources like a healthy cheese.

3. Drink water…nature's ale.

The chemical formula of water is H2O. The "O" stands for oxygen. Oxygen wakes up your brain. Many times we feel tired and we’re actually just dehydrated. Adding 8- 8oz. glasses of water will help immensely. By the way, the water needs to be in its natural form…not in ice tea, soft drinks etc.

4. Get off the couch and move

Yes…exercise gets the blood pumping and moves oxygen around the body and to the brain. An oxygenated brain is a smart brain! Coming home and sitting down at the computer after sitting in class all day is a great way to feel sleepy. Your drowsy teen will be tempted to down a Kit Kat or some Lucky Charms. While this will give a temporary high…it will drop in no time and

5. Get adjusted

First things first, chiropractic is safe for kids. When the top bones in the neck are malpositioned, they put tension on the spinal cord and interfere with nerve expression to the body. One of the benefits of a specific adjustment to the cervical spine is greater mental clarity, mental alertness, and an overall clear feeling. Mental fog, drowsiness, dizziness and many other symptoms accompany a neck that is not in adjustment. Call 417-336-2620 for a free consult for your child...to see if they could benefit.

DIY Doctoring: The Free, Tell-All Thyroid Test

I recently had a patient come to me with severe chills, hair loss, and a host of other symptoms. After asking several questions and making some observations, I decided the thyroid gland should be considered. She quickly told me that her medical doctor had done a thyroid test within the last month and it was fine. Lab tests were ‘unremarkable’ in regards to TSH, T4, and T3. However; my clinical 'suspicion' screamed, “Check the thyroid!”

Why worry about the thyroid if the blood tests all came back normal? Simply put, the blood test doesn't reveal the whole picture. We can have normal levels of TSH, T3 & T4, but it says nothing about our ability to take it from the blood to the cell and allow it to attach to the appropriate receptor site. Also some chemicals are actually toxins that take the best seats at the orchestra, keeping us from really ‘using’ thyroid hormone. The sneaky thing is, these toxins are are chemically very similar to iodine (critical for the synthesis of thyroid hormone).

So if you’re experiencing hair loss, weight gain, feel cold frequently, have feelings of malaise or depression, poor morning energy, and the list goes on...this message is especially for you! Read on...

Here's a test called the Barnes Thyroid Test you can do at home. All you DIY divas take heed! For next-to-nothing, you can ‘diagnose’ your thyroid as under-functioning, or functioning well but not taking up the hormone to the receptor sites:
1. Buy a glass thermometer. (much preferred over a digital thermometer for our purposes)
2. Put it next to your bed.
3. Measure body temperature immediately upon waking, under your arm (even before going to the bathroom.)
4. Leave thermometer under your arm for 10 minutes and get a reading.
5. Repeat Step #3 for 5 mornings in a row.
6. Add all 5 readings together and divide by 5.
7. Call Dr. Tompkins at 417.336.2620 if your temperature is outside the 98.2-98.8 range.

By the way, the patient mentioned in the first paragraph has no more chills and is experiencing much better health since we’ve addressed this issue using specific supplementation and a thyroid glandular to help her get on top of her thyroid issues. In closing, your natural, God-given thyroid CAN be restored and is much preferred over a synthetic thyroid given in pill form.

Re-trac-ing: Going from Bad to Good and then Bad to Good, for Good!

Thank you Facebook followers for taking a stab at the natural health definition of Retracing (aka Healing Reaction). Here is the "clinical" definition:

"Healing reactions are temporary symptoms that occur only on deep healing regimens in which the body retraces or goes back and heals old infections, wounds, injuries, or other imbalances from the past. Many are related to eliminating toxic substances, healing chronic infections, or metabolic shifts that take place as a body heals and its vitality increases."
(drlwilson.com)

Dr. Wayne's interpretation:
Retracing - When you go the wrong way down the wrong road, getting on the right road involves turning around and seeing some of the same scenery you saw going the wrong way. The only difference is, you're going the right way this time. The good news is that when you are healing and headed the right way, it happens quicker.

Detoxification can cause a well-known healing phenomenon that can be unpleasant for a short period. Things like skin eruptions, diarrhea, headaches, even throwing up can occur. The trick is to manage it and remember you're headed the right way. In musculoskeletal correction, the fascia, muscles tendons and ligaments (soft tissue) all hold a memory for trauma. It's not uncommon to feel muscle soreness while the body is clearing lymph backup in the tissues and 'letting go of old incorrect positions.' We chiropractor's can suffer through this phenomenon with patients as he/she can often assume that the chiropractor or other natural health practitioner is making them worse or not helping.

The same scenario occurs in acupunture. Dr. Wayne treated a diabetic losing feeling because of a greatly compromised vascular system. His health was headed the wrong direction and he went from feeling normal, to feeling tingling, pins and needles, and finally numbness.
After an initial round of acupuncture which put a stop to the trend, he went from feeling numbness (neuropathy), to feeling pins and needles to feeling normal again.

"How can pain be good?" you question.
Especially if you weren't in any notable pain, discomfort before you started treatment? Because the body will hold things in a state of status quo and mask over problems with pain feedback mechanisms to not 'rock the boat.' When we heal, it's like peeling an onion taking off one layer at a time. When the body has a chance and it's relieved of one thing...it will handle the next highest priority.

Think about this...you eat junk for years and eating a cheeseburger and fries doesn't bother you. Then you do a detox and turn back to your old ways again and eat junk again. This time you feel gross and disgusting. Why? You didn't feel gross and disgusting before the dtox? Do you notice trash in a garbage dump? No...you're surrounded by it. But a gum wrapper on a manicured golf course is very noticeable and so out of place. The same with your body.

Get your Dose of D: Play in the Sun this Summer

Dr. Wayne and Angie spent the day Tuesday with family out on a rented pontoon boat(Thanks Baxter Boat Dock...love all you Pollards!). Aaah...4 hours out on beautiful Table Rock Lake, just what the Doctor ordered for Dr. Wayne!

Needless to say, we got a bit sun kissed. In other words, we got our dose of D. We didn't put on a whole lot of suncreen because we wanted to get all the benefits of the sun:

Supports cardiovascular health

Promotes optimal cholesterol levels

Enhances your muscle strength

Helps produce optimal blood pressure levels

Helps maintain a healthy immune system

Supports healthy kidney function

Promotes healthy teeth

Helps keep your bones strong and healthy

Please understand -- this list of important benefits represents a tiny fraction of the ways vitamin D keeps you healthy and fit. And, although you can get vitamin D from natural food sources, experts agree on one thing. Natural sunlight is by far the best way to get Vitamin D. (mercola.com)

Many people slather suncreen on before they even step outdoors. Stop!

As you may know, wearing a sunscreen on your uncovered skin blocks your body's production of vitamin D. In fact, sunscreens reduce vitamin D production by as much as 97.5 to 99.9%. And interfering with your body's production of vitamin D by 97.5 to 99.9% may have dire health consequences.

Dr. Mercola's advice on run-of-the-mill sunscreen that is in your beach bag:

Dump it in the trash now.
Yes, that's right. Toss your sunscreen in the trash if it contains any of these questionable chemicals:


Para amino benzoic acid...

Octyl salicyclate...

Avobenzone...

Oxybenzone...

Cinoxate...

Padimate O...

Dioxybenzone...

Phenylbenzimidazole...

Homosalate...

Sulisobenzone...

Menthyl anthranilate...

Trolamine salicyclate...

Octocrylene...

Don't worry, we've got your covered. We bought a boat-load of Mercola's natural suncreen to protect you when your sun exposure is extensive this summer. Come on in and grab some and save 15% and you'll save on shipping costs if you were to buy direct from mercola.com.

The Gift that Keeps Giving: Hydration

Dr. Wayne would like to reward a few committed patients a special gift as the temperatures start climbing into the 90s. This gift, proper hydration, is going to keeping giving to you:
Increased energy
Detoxification
Weight management
Mental clarity
Help with Hypertension

"Did you say Help with Hypertension?" you perk up.
Many people who are being prescribed blood pressure medication could avoid it if they just starting drinking adequate water. Here’s why. High blood pressure means the pressure against your artery walls is too high either when the heart is pumping (the top #) or when it’s at rest (the bottom #). Drinking water causes the arteries to vasodilate….this means they stretch open to make a bigger carrying vessel. If you have a 1” diameter tube, the pressure against the walls of that tube are less than if you are trying to carry the same amount of fluid (blood) down a tube with only a 1/2” diameter.

Feeling tired & depleted?
“But Dr….I drink lots of cold ice tea…doesn’t that count?” you inquire. No it doesn’t. Actually tea has caffeine in it which depletes your body of water making you require more than if you hadn’t had any tea at all. We call caffeinated beverages, “diuretics” because they make us lose water. Instead of reaching for ice tea, or a coke or even coffee, try grabbing a big drink of water. It will leave you feeling more energized without stressing out your adrenal glands (the gland which helps you adapt to stress) and causing your heart to race.

How much do I need?
The simple equation is ½ your body weight in oz. of water per day. For easy math, let’s say you weigh 200 pounds. Take your weight, divide by 2, and that’s the amount of water you need in oz. In this case it would be 100 oz. Yes that’s a lot and you’re probably not getting nearly enough. If you’re just starting out making friends with water, try 2/3 of this amount. (Take half your body weight, then multiply that # by 0.66). Believe me; your body will thank you.

We've got the equipment you need to stay hydrated. We have 22 oz. glass water bottles for sale. See www.lifefactory.com. Don't face the heat without one!

Stomach Acid: It's a Good Thing

Standard Treatment for Acid Reflux: A bad dream

One night I had a dream that terrified me. I woke up in a cold sweat not believing what had just happened. I was greatly relieved that it was just a dream. The dream was about a treatment that would relieve patients’ symptoms, but in so doing would actually worsen the root problem. The good part of my dream was that I was making money ‘hand over fist’ using this wrong treatment AND I was unaware of what was the root cause. Phew…what a nightmare.

Sound far out? It’s really not a nightmare. It happens all the time when people take acid reflux medications like Prilosec, Zantac, Prevacid, Pepsid, Nexium or other proton pump inhibitors.

First of all, let’s get one thing clear. The stomach must be acidic! Unlike the majority of our bodies which requires and prefers a more alkaline environment, our stomach pH needs to be around 2 on a 1-14 scale with 7 being neutral and 14 being the extreme alkaline. As we age and consume the SAD (Standard American Diet), our stomach becomes less acidic. The result is that we never fully digest our food, don’t kill parasites, break down proteins, or ultimately get the GOOD out of our food.


How reflux works

Our esophagus is the path which food takes from our mouths to our stomachs. A valve at the bottom of the esophagus called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) must open for food to enter the stomach. It also must close to keep food and stomach acids from washing up into the esophagus. When it doesn’t close properly, stomach acids wash up into the esophagus and create heartburn (otherwise known as acid reflux or GERD -gastro-esophageal reflux disease). This valve is pH driven. It will not close properly unless the stomach is sufficiently acidic. An antacid doesn’t stop contents from washing up into the esophagus, it just makes everything less acidic so it doesn’t hurt!

How would you like a plumber to wipe up your kitchen floor without fixing the leaky pipe? He would proceed to tell you that as long as you repeated this mopping regimen once a day, everything would be fine!

Dr. Wayne’s Treatment Protocol

1. Correcting acidity usually involves taking a product such as Zypan from Standard Process (not just a food enzyme) for a period of time.

2. “Pulling down” a hiatal hernia when the stomach has actually started to invaginate up into the esophagus. (above the LES)

3. Nutritional counseling to avoid foods that lower stomach acidity like simple carbs, processed foods etc.

Do-it-Yourself Remedies

1. If you’re overweight, losing weight helps immensely. (Stay tuned for future posts on weight loss)

2. If you have issues at night after lying down, try elevating the head of your bed several inches.

3. Avoid eating right before you go to bed as this puts more pressure against the valve, forcing it open.

4. Refrain from drinking liquids with meals. We often tend to “wash down” food with liquid instead of properly chewing food. Also, too much liquid with meals dilutes the necessary stomach acids.