In today’s episode, I discuss two specific topics:

1)     On Feb 2, 2015 the NY Atty General Accused major retailers like Walgreens, GNC, Target, and Walmart of selling a number of store brand dietary supplements that were fraudulent and in many cases contained ingredients not listed on the labels. He demanded that the retailers remove the products from their shelves in the state of NY. The NY Times and many other major news outlets ran prominently placed stories about the action.

2)     The 5 Pillars of Healthy Athletic Success- or the 5 Pillars of Holistic Healing as I practice it – where to start, why, and how and why the various pillars work synergistically together to produce a result greater than the individual parts.

 

NY Atty General’s accusation and action against retailers – my thoughts.

·         If true- they should be punished

·         Unlikely to be true- there is much more to the story – ie, the testing methods used  to back the accusation are faulty for various reasons I discuss in the podcast.

·         This is a big attack on the credibility of the supplement industry.

·         Separate articles are part of a narrative to discredit the industry- an imperfect industry like any- that is hugely profitable and therefore a huge target of ambitious parties from all angles.

·         A common accusation is that the supplement industry in the US is unregulated. This is untrue. The supplement industry is directly regulated by the FDA- albeit to the standard of food and supplements not to the drug standard.

·         If a company makes a specific health claim about their products effectiveness- the FDA now considers that product to be a drug and therforth the company must meet all of the requirements of a drug. This is a huge regulatory fence- companies do sometimes make claims but they are eventually forced to retract or be shut down. Same for pharma manufacturers.

·         Having worked directly in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry for over 15 years, I can speak directly to the stringency of the cGMP requirements laid down by the FDA in regards to manufacture and testing for adulteration and potency. US supplement manufacturers must adhere to cGMPs and the FDA holds them to this. This is massive regulation.

·         The NY Atty Gen relied on the results from only one lab- using a type of test called “DNA barcoding”- a type of assay that is not industry standard and does not come close to being as comprehensive an assessment method as other assays currently used by the industry to determine purity and potency per the FDA cGMP requirements.

·         Link to article on the problems with DNA Barcoding assay: https://www.standardprocess.com/getattachment/7b7eadca-3517-4b2b-95d9-ccaafed0b787/ENEWS-KB-ARTICLE-JAN-14-V1.pdf

·         Link to an industry cGMP quality control assay cascade from supplier to finished product: https://www.standardprocess.com/getattachment/fc16a9d0-9c7e-4a61-bfbf-70b7dd63dd1a/MediHerb-Page-16-and-25.pdf

·         More info on the questionability of the accusations as well as the assay method, lab, and scientist used to perform the DNA barcoding assay for the NY Atty General:

·         The American Botanical Council: http://cms.herbalgram.org/press/2015/ABCSaysNYAttyMisusedDNA.html?ts=1423152994&signature=3b16657d129e2e83c507ed18b7eae2f0&ts=1424905615&signature=16be51dd398dfa3008bf8b202164d8f2

·        Nutra Ingrediens.com http://mobile.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/NY-AG-takes-on-GNC-Walgreens-Walmart-Target-on-herbal-supplements/?utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=03-Feb-2015&c=%2BDGisBY2pXRtF%2FI2bLsgY%2Bplvk%2BxC3OJ#.VO5WFoY76nM

 

Part II 5 Pillars of Holistic Healing And Athletic Success

·         Part I of a two part series on the 5 essentials to holistic healing and how they work synergistically to produce a result greater than the sum of the parts.

·         Download the guide for free here: (insert as HTML code- make sure you test the link once you insert the code- use “text mode” like when you are inserting the podcast player)

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In today’s episode, I discuss the various scientific studies that quantify the positive effects of a regular meditation practice.

Remember meditation helps to balance out the nervous system response- in study speak, it induces the Relaxation Response (RR). In my own language, it down regulates the stress response (sympathetic nervous system or fight or flight response) and up regulates the rest and relaxation response (parasympathetic nervous system response or healing, digesting, and rebuilding response). See episode #35 on mindfulness which has a similar but not as powerful response as meditation. (http://therolfworkshop.com/blog/podcast/episode-35-is-mindfulness-bogus-new-age-science-2/)

Meditation has been shown in studies to improve everything from digestion to sports performance, to healing and athletic recovery (by lowering inflammation response)  to recovery from serious diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Additionally, meditation has been shown (in studies) to actually change gene expression and epigenetic gene expression (which passes down through your progeny for up to 4 generations).

Study: PLOS One: Relaxation Response Induces Temporal Transcriptome Changes in Energy Metabolism, Insulin Secretion and Inflammatory Pathways

Link: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0062817

Study reveals gene expression changes with meditation

Link: http://www.news.wisc.edu/22370

Meditation: Healing more than just minds? Mindfulness intervention for people with diabetes, coronary heart disease

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140529142313.htm

SCIENCE SAYS MEDITATION IMPROVES BOTH HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE

Link: http://breakingmuscle.com/mind-body/science-says-meditation-improves-both-health-and-performance

Can Meditation Soothe Your Stomach?

Link: http://www.everydayhealth.com/digestive-health/can-meditation-soothe-your-stomach.aspx

 

Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers- Robert Sapolsky: http://www.amazon.com/Why-Zebras-Dont-Ulcers-Third/dp/0805073698/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424287203&sr=8-1&keywords=why+zebras+don%27t+have+ulcers

Mindfulness is often described in terms of meditation protocols and in a somewhat mystical way. That is a misnomer perpetuated by folks in the media who would rather relabel meditation by calling it something different. Mindfulness is not meditation.

The mindfulness I am going to talk about today is actually a form of paying attention.

Paying attention to what we are feeling inside and making behavioral changes on the outside to get a positive response of what we feel on the inside. That is the mindfulness I am going to discuss today.

We can use mindfulness in myriad ways- from mindful movement, mindful communication, mindful eating, etc. Mindfulness is a base skill upon which we can build powerful pillars for living.

Today we are going to discuss how to use mindfulness to heal and nourish your body.

Mindful of mindset- Mindset helps us to regulate the way we experience and respond to stress- whether emotional stress, food stress, chemical stress, and physical stress.

Our bodies were designed with only one stress response- the fight or flight response of our Sympathetic Nervous System.

Sympathetic Nervous System- designed to save our life in the event of an emergency (tiger on the savannah)- The SNS shuts down our higher functions like digestion and healing in order to focus all of our energy on a physical threat- for a very short period of time. Once the threat is over, our body relaxes as our Parasympathetic Nervous System begins to dominate.

Parasympathetic Nervous System- is designed to nourish and heal our bodies- it keeps us relaxed and responsive without being reactive. A reactive body is in fight or flight mode. A responsive  body is in rest and relaxation mode. The PNS keeps us alive and in shape for the long haul.

In theory, both the Sympathetic Nervous System and the Parasympathetic Nervous System exist in balance- most of the time our Parasympathetic system is activated with a certain level of alertness driven by the SNS.

When we are under constant threat (worrying, living in a bad neighborhood, etc) our SNS is activated- ultimately this depletes our body in several ways:

1)     Keeps us from properly digesting food (and thereby absorbing nutrients)

2)     This leads to malnutrition over a longer term that cascades in to diseases.

3)     Glandular exhaustion. Constant taxing of the glands- digestive, adrenal, thyroid, hypothalamus, pituitary, sexual glands, etc- depletes them. This also leads to a degenerative cascade of diseases.

What you can do:

1)     Of course you can meditate/pray/visualize.

2)     Plan meals and eat sitting down undistracted.

3)     Pray or give thanks prior to the meal (bless the food)

4)     Eat with friends and family

5)     Chew your food

6)     No eating on the go, no reading or tv at the table, no eating in the car

 

I am going to do this for the next month and report back

In this episode I discuss how to tell if you have GERD, Reflux or Hiatal Hernia

GERD has become somewhat of a catch all these days- but the real problem may, in fact, be Hiatal Hernia- a condition where your diaphragm becomes strained and the stomach or esophagus becomes kinked or trapped above the diaphragm muscle resulting in things like palpitations, difficulty breathing, and reflux.

If you have Hiatal Hernia, taking drugs for GERD or reflux will not solve the problem and will, over the long term exacerbate your health issues as you will no longer be able to properly digest food in the absence of sufficient stomach acid. Additionally, your mineral stores will become severely depleted as sufficient stomach acid is required to activate and absorb minerals from food. As a result, cavaties and osteopenia and osteoporosis, depression, cardiovascular problems, amongst other degenerative diseases driven by malnutrition may develop in your body.

Even if you have been diagnosed with GERD- you may, in fact,  have Hiatal Hernia instead as doctors aren’t trained to diagnose Hiatal Hernia. Even if they do an endoscopy…

If you have signs of GERD or reflux, first test for acid sensitivity using the HCl test

If you are HCl sensitive- use the Hiatal Hernia assessment and maneuver until you feel a change. Retake the HCl Test. If you are still sensitive- your stomach and esophagus may have been damaged from organic acids and your tissues need to heal. Take the Zypan Test (contact me for this free assessment) and follow the instructions for HCl positive results.

If you are not HCl sensitive- take the ZYPAN Test (contact me for this free assessment) to optimize your digestion.

Additionally, digestive enzymes are generally depleted and your digestion, assimilation of nutrients, and thereby your health will greatly benefit from taking a broad spectrum digestive enzyme like Multizyme from Standard Process (order from me- Orders over $20 shipping is free)

“No one knows for sure what causes GERD. However, we have found that many GERD sufferers have inadequate digestive enzymes (acids) or faulty digestive enzyme production and distribution in their stomach and intestines. For most sufferers, the cause of the problem falls into one or more of four general categories:

•                Poor diet, poor food combining, overeating, and a high refined-carbohydrate-sugar intake.

•                Poor or inadequate digestive enzyme function in the stomach, pancreas, and small intestine.

•                Prescription drugs that contribute to reflux problems.

•                Mechanical problems in the diaphragm like a hiatal hernia or diaphragm strain (as discussed previously).

For numbers one and two, relief is pretty easy. Number three can often be readily solved by working with your MD to get off the offending medication. And even if you have mechanical problems (as in number four), or a combination of problems, relief is most often possible. In most cases, it boils down to whether or not you can break bad habits to solve the problem and prevent serious throat disease. “ – Dr Bruce West, Health Alert Newsletter

Additionally, it is important to consider the likely causes of Hiatal Hernia are structural in nature- just like a string-  if your esophagus or stomach, have any slack in them, you may develop a pouch in the tube, making a Hiatal Hernia much easier to occur.

The Basic 10 Series has, in the past, resolved Hiatal Hernia by doing what it does best- lengthening and organizing the body’s structure along its central, vertical axis. This literally “takes the slack out” of your internal structures like your esophagus, stomach, diaphragm, etc. This also has a whole body benefit by making you more efficient, taller in appearance, pain free, etc.

Many times those who suffer from chronic Hiatal Hernia will need regular weekly or more treatment to relieve the situation. The Basic 10 series eliminates the need for regular care for this issue in most cases.

“Mechanical Problems (Hiatal Hernia)

Nowadays, thousands (perhaps millions) of people are being treated with drugs and even surgery to correct GERD, while no attention is paid to the mechanical or structural causes of the problem. Even those doctors who suggest a nutritional/dietary approach generally ignore mechanical/structural causes. That’s not surprising since probably not one in 1,000 physicians knows how to detect and correct the underlying and mechanical causes of GERD.

Thanks to people like George Goodheart, DC, and in particular the now deceased Richard Van Rumpt, DC, the critical information needed to detect and correct hiatal hernia and mechanical causes of GERD is available. It is usually a chiropractor or kinesiologist or a practitioner of Structural Integration who knows how to perform this service. But you can often detect and treat a GERD problem yourself with the right data.

Upwards of 50% of the general population over age 60 may have the structural weakness likened to a hiatal hernia, when a portion of the stomach or stomach contents are allowed up through the diaphragm into the chest cavity or esophagus (see schematic). The general complaints of this condition are indigestion, heartburn, angina, vomiting, ulcers, left-arm pain, palpitations, difficult breathing, or just plain chronic fullness and bloating.” – Dr Bruce West, Health Alert Newsletter

For the Hiatal Hernia Assessment go to my blog page and scroll down to the bottom.

In this episode I discuss the rampant, undiagnosed, malnutrition that permeates our society and some of the common ailments that people perceive as “normal” but that are actually red flags for poor digestion, poor diet, and malnutrition. These symptoms are usually the result of years, decades even, of malnutrition- the body’s stores of certain nutrients exhausted, it can no longer function optimally and begins to fail.

Some of the red flags:

•    Adrenal exhaustion and insufficiency

•    Adult acne

•    Allergies to foods

•    Anemia, pernicious

•    Appetite, excessive

•    Asthma

•    Atherosclerosis

•    Autoimmune diseases

•    B12 Deficiency

•    B6 Deficiency

•    Bacterial Dysbiosis

•    Broken capillaries

•    Calcium deficiency leading to insomnia, cramps, nervousness

•    Chronic infections

•    Chronic weakness

•    Conjunctivitis

•    Constipation (with liver/gallbladder involvement)

•    Delayed gastric emptying (food feels like it’s just sitting there in your stomach for hours)

•    Diabetes

•    Diarrhea (with inflammatory bowel disease) or chronic diarrhea

•    Dizziness

•    Drowsiness after meals

•    Dysbiosis (bowel flora is out of balance)

•    Eczema, psoriasis or the history of eczema

•    Emaciation (a protein deficiency)

•    Environmental Chemical Sensitivities

•    Feeling too full

•    Flatulence in general

•    Food cravings for sour foods

•    Hair dry and brittle (nails too)

•    Hair falling out

•    Halitosis

•    Heartburn/GERD/Acid reflux

•    Immunity decreased

•    Intestinal damage

•    Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

•    Leaky gut

•    Loss of taste for meats

•    Malabsorption/maldigestion

•    Meal related bloating or burping

•    Mucoid Colitis

•    Nails, thin/weak or dry and brittle

•    Obesity

•    Offensive smelling stool

•    Pallor

•    Pimples turning into boils (can also indicate low exocrine pancreas function)

•    Poor memory

•    Poor muscle tone

•    Rheumatoid Arthritis

•    Swollen tongue

•    Thyroid problems

•    Ulcer like pains

•    Vision disturbances

•    Vitamins B3 (Niacin) deficiency—also called Pellagra

•    White spots on nails

•    Yeast/Candida

 

Digestion (food selection and diet is a whole different but related topic that we aren’t covering in this episode) starts in the mouth. In the mouth:

·         Chewing the food to liquification allows the sensors in your mouth to send signals to the brain telling it what types of nutrients you have consumed and how much. The brain uses this information to tell your stomach and intestine, pancreas, gallbladder, and so on, what enzymes to secrete and how much to secrete to prepare the food for absorption.

·         Insufficient chewing short circuits this brain pathway- leading to insufficient secretions of stomach acid and enzymes.

·         Insufficient chewing also leads us to drink liquids (particularly cold liquids) with the meal thereby diluting the action of acid and enzymes on food.

·         Cold foods and liquids must be warmed by the body (stomach) before they can pass to the intestine- this leads to fermentation of the foods creating organic gasses that burn the valve at the top of the stomach and if it happens often enough, weakens the valve and burns the esophageal lining (GERD).

·         Minerals need a very low pH (strong acidic environment) to properly break down so that they can be absorbed and used by the body. Insufficient levels of stomach acid can lead to minerals being absorbed into the blood stream but not being sufficiently activated, they remain in the bloodstream and are eventually excreted rather than being incorporated into the bones, teeth, and tissues.

·         Sufficient stomach acid kills bacteria, viruses, yeasts, molds, candida, and parasites before they get far. Insufficient stomach acid allows them to live and gives them access to the lower gut and body interior. Many autoimmune issues result from a cascade of issues following chronic insufficient stomach acid.

·         Tums, Rolaids, and proton pump inhibitors like Protonix, and other PPIs actually suppress or absorb the stomach acid- severely impacting digestion negatively and perpetuating an already pressing problem.

·         To test whether or not you are sensitive to HCl (and for the presence of ulcers) take the HCl Sensitivity Test HERE.

·         For those who FAIL the HCl Sensitivity test, shoot me an email (manny@therolfworkshop.com) and I will make recommendations to resolve the issue.

·         For those who PASS the HCl Sensitivity test, shoot me an email and I will send you the follow up test: The Zypan Test for optimal digestion.

·         To order Zypan (free shipping from me) in either 90Tablet or 330Tablet size- call my concierge at (949) 954-6225.

 

·         All other questions- email me directly at manny@therolfworkshop.comdi

Episode #32 Show Notes:

In this episode I interview PJ O’Clair, Owner of ClubXcel and of Northeast Pilates- In this episode I speak with PJ about the emerging field of Fascial Fitness, what it is, why its imperative that any serious athlete incorporate it into their program and the logistics of HOW athletes should incorporate this vital, 4^th pillar of sports science, into their training program for long term results.

NOTE: Resources are below PJ’s Bio

A brief bio:

PJ O’Clair is the owner of ClubXcel and of Northeast Pilates, an award winning STOTT PILATES® Licensed Training Centers.  PJ teaches a variety of group classes at the club and sees a full schedule of private clients.  She conducts numerous teacher-training courses in a variety of different movement modalities.  In addition to owning her training center PJ is an acclaimed leader in the fitness industry. 

She is a Merrithew Health & Fitness™ Master Instructor Trainer and an integral member of their internal programming and presenting team representing ZEN●GA™ Mindful movement, STOTT PILATES® and CORE™ Athletic Conditioning & Performance Training™ programs.  PJ has been presenting at conferences for fitness professionals since the late 1990’s.  She has presented on behalf of MH&F on an international level in more than 14 countries and throughout the USA, and has programmed and starred in over 60 of MH&F’s DVDs.   

PJ is a Senior Master course instructor for TRX® and teaches many of the Suspension and Rip Training courses.  She is the recipient of the prestigious IDEA “Program Director of the Year” award for 2008. PJ continues to be a sought-after speaker and consultant at fitness conferences and spas worldwide – and has written numerous articles for industry publications.

Experience and Excellence in Fitness and Wellness Training

Specializing in both post-rehabilitation and athletic performance, PJ O’Clair has been teaching group classes and training private clients for over 25 years. With a multifaceted background of fitness and movement, she has been named a STOTT PILATES® Master Instructor Trainer and is a featured instructor within the STOTT PILATES video library. Additionally, she holds certifications with ACE, Spinning® and Zumba® and is currently working on her Yoga Certification with Embody Yoga®.

Success Story

PJ’s dedication extends beyond her businesses and members to reach fitness professionals, students and consumers worldwide. She is a highly-requested presenter, teacher trainer and a program innovator who has been featured in numerous fitness DVDs and has partnered with such industry leaders as Reebok, Resist-a-Ball, STOTT PILATES®, Healthworks, Canyon Ranch, and Stoweflake Resort and Spa. She has authored numerous industry and consumer-based articles for publications such as IDEA’s Fitness Journal and Pilates Style Magazine.

 

PJ receiving the IDEA Program Director of the Year Award.

Outside of the studio, PJ is an avid cyclist belonging to the Essex County Velo (ECV) Cycling Club. For fun she races in the ECV Time Trials throughout the summer months and participates in the Pan Mass Challenge with her husband — the PMC is a 200 mile charity bike ride for the Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston, MA. Her longest one day bike trip to date is a 158 miles which went from Boston to Vermont. The longest multi day event she’s done is 500 miles in 5 days in the mountains of New Mexico.

A woman of boundless energy, PJ is also involved in numerous community charitable initiatives and her personal fundraising efforts for the Dana Farber Jimmy Fund have raised more than one hundred thousand dollars to date.

Personally, she was a finalist in 2007 for the IDEA Program Director of the Year and won the Award in July of 2008 – one of the most prestigious awards in the fitness industry.

Resources:

PJ O’Clair’s website: http://www.pjoclair.com

PJ on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pj.oclair?fref=ts

Fascial Fitness website: http://www.fascialfitness.com

Merrithew Health & Fitness’s ZEN-GA: http://www.merrithew.com/zenga/about

A few YouTube videos of Fascial Fitness:

Self Myofascial Release:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44jOOrIB1_0

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Rebound Arms from Fascial Fitness:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjKQ46uzLbY

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TRX Hip Hinge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5RmKdLK1BE

 

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