Archive for December, 2007

8 Simple Tests that could Save your Life

Thursday, December 27th, 2007

Did you know that more than one million men will die this year, with the leading causes of those deaths being heart disease, cancer, injuries, strokes and lung disease?

And, with the exception of injuries, the rest of these causes can all be traced to lifestyle habits and changes that have been made to our food, and many other products that we use on a daily basis. (And even injuries could probably be traced to lifestyle choices. Think about the dock worker at the warehouse who runs into some boxes with his forklift. If he had been getting chiropractic adjustments, his response time may have been better, thus avoiding the accident!)

Sometimes it seems like we are fighting an uphill battle, doesn’t it? We are all aging, which breaks our bodies down (Urgghhh), we have stress that can negatively affect us, the food we eat no longer has the nutritional value it once did, and many of the foods and household products we use have chemicals that are harmful to our bodies.

So what should we do? Well, in addition to getting chiropractic care on a regular basis to make sure your nervous system, spine, and muscles are all healthy and functioning properly, it is a good idea to get a blood test each year.

Getting the right blood tests is a great step to monitoring your health and countering any problems that may be quietly starting to develop in your body. Remember, most health problems start out painless.

Here’s the thing: a good blood test will help you identify if there are any problems with your chemistry and give you the chance to take positive action towards becoming healthier.

Here are 8 tests you men or your husband/boyfriend should add to your overall blood test. Get these done once a year.

Here’s the list:

1. Coenzyme Q10
2. Homocysteine
3. Insulin
4. Testosterone
5. Total Estrogens (yes men have estrogen too)
6. HDL Cholesterol
7. Triglycerides
8. PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen)

These are great tests to monitor your health and take appropriate action if levels are out of balance.

That’s it for today. If it’s been awhile since you’ve been in the office, come in for an adjustment. I’d love to see you and give you a “tune up!”

Helping you reach YOUR Vibrant Potential,

Dr. Chris Frykman

Shakopee, MN.

P.S. Click Here to check out some of the great talks coming up here at Vibrant Potential. I hope to see you at one of them!

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New Information on Antibacterial Soaps

Thursday, December 20th, 2007

I came across an article in the Washington Post about antimicrobial soaps that I wanted you to know about.

Our country has an obsession with cleanliness, and some of that obsession is fed by the companies (and their marketing) that sell household products.

In fact, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), our country spends almost $1 billion annually on antimicrobial products. And the leading antimicrobial product is hand washes that contain the bug battling chemical triclosan.

But do antibacterial agents like triclosan work and are they safe?

Some researchers say there is no evidence the antibacterial agents are any better than regular soap and water. In fact, a 2004 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine studied 228 New York households that were randomly divided into two groups: One used regular soap and water and the other used antimicrobial soap. The results showed there were no health differences between the two groups.

The New York study’s lead author, Elaine Larson of Columbia University did say that antibacterial soaps may offer benefits when there are medically vulnerable people in the house: someone who is ill, has an immune disease, or an elder.

Dr. Shmeul Shoham, an infectious disease specialist at Washington Hospital Center says, “For general use, antibacterial soaps are not superior to cleansing with regular soap and water.” His view is backed by the conclusions of an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration, which voted 11 to 1 in 2005 that, when it comes to keeping us healthy, antibacterial soaps and washes are no more effective.

And while the arguments continue over whether antibacterial soap does any good, there’s a second concern over whether it may actually do harm.

One of the problems is that antimicrobial soaps kill both the bad and good bacteria. And when good bacteria are killed, it increases your risk of getting sick.

Also, there is speculation that chemicals used in antimicrobial soaps may be causing bacteria to become more resistant to commonly used antibiotics. This is essentially the same scenario that is happening from the overuse of antibiotic medications.

Also a “germ free” environment may actually weaken our immune systems.

The “Hygiene Hypothesis” is a theory that children build their immune systems from infancy by putting in their mouths toys and objects that have germs and bacteria on them.

A number of studies have linked the development of allergies, asthma and skin problems in children to their having been raised in environments that are too sterile. According to many, you need a little dirt to train your immune system correctly!

So here’s the takeaway message: If you are worried about sanitation, getting a cold, getting the flu, or even E. coli for that matter, you already know that you should wash your hands thoroughly.

And regular soap and water will work just as good as antibacterial soaps.

Helping your reach YOUR Vibrant Potential,

Dr. Chris Frykman

Shakopee, MN.

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Healthy Living: How to Age Well

Friday, December 14th, 2007

It’s never fun to talk about, but we are all aging. And as we age, wouldn’t you agree that we all want to look good, feel good, and be as healthy as possible?

I think so. Now you know that getting chiropractic care is a great thing to do as you age, but I wanted to give you a few other quick tips you can do to “turn back the clock” and rev up your anti-aging powers!

1. Decrease the amount of calories that you eat. For some of you, cutting back on your calories will actually help you INCREASE your energy! I would also recommend increasing your protein intake and decrease the simple (bad) carbohydrates. (This doesn’t mean starve yourself - email me if you have questions.)

2. Increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables. Yes, when your Mom told you to, “eat your vegetables,” she was right. For those of you who have trouble getting enough fruits and vegetables, there are supplements you can take to help.

3. Increase your exercise. Life is motion, so get moving! You don’t have to
become a gym rat, but you do need at least 4 days a week of exercise. You
will keep your muscles and joints healthy, as well as your heart. There are so many benefits to exercising that it really makes it a “no brainer” to do it regularly.

4. Take a GOOD multivitamin once a day. I don’t mean the junk you’ll find at most stores. A good one. We offer some of the best nutritional supplements available, so check with us for your supplement needs. I would also take a good fish oil supplement too!

5. Get some sun! Did you know that most Americans are deficient in vitamin D? And did you know that the best source of vitamin D is the sun? It’s important that you get healthy amounts of sunlight because you don’t want to be deficient in vitamin D, and there are multiple benefits to your health and psychological well being. Try to average at least 7 hours of sunlight a week.

6. Have your hormone levels checked…especially women. As we age, our
hormonal balance often changes. It is wise to have your hormone levels checked at least once a year and make changes accordingly.

The bottom line is it’s important to have a plan for your health as you age. If you develop a plan and execute it, you’ll live healthier, happier, and more youthful as you age.

Have a great day!

Helping you achieve your Vibrant Potential,

Dr. Chris Frykman

Shakopee, MN.

P.S. Isn’t this great information? If you’d like to receive great informative emails like this blog post conveniently delivered to you inbox just email me and request to be put on my e-newsletter list.

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Are you feeling fulfilled?

Friday, December 7th, 2007

How are you feeling today? Did you have a GREAT week last week? How about this week? Is this week going to be GREAT?

If you’re like many people, you feel stressed too often. You feel like you’re so busy that you can’t take time for yourself. Exercise, time with your children, reading a good book, sleep. WHAT?! You’re so busy you don’t take time to sleep enough? Well guess what? You’re not alone.

Have you ever heard of a little book called Seven Habits of Highly Effective People? It’s a great book. One idea that Stephen Covey puts forth in that book is “sphere of influence”.

Sphere of influence is another way of saying, “the things that you can control”.

Let me tell you something. If you’re spending most of your time on things that are outside your sphere of influence than I’ll bet you’re feeling busy, tired, stressed or all three!

Think about it. If you’re upset because the weather isn’t doing what you want. How much good is that doing for you? How mad do you have to get at the rain for the clouds to dry up?

A secret of the successful is that they focus the majority of their time on what they can control or influence in some way. They know that no matter how much they feel guilty or feel remorse, they can’t change the past.

So if you want to have a GREAT week. Look at your calendar, or stop and think about what you’re going to be doing and ask yourself. “How can I make this better?” “What can I do to make a difference here?” If you’re honest with yourself and you find that you’re not going to be able to make a difference, then scrap that off your calendar and put your time and energy into something more important!

By the way, there is a huge difference between what’s important and what’s urgent. Chew on that for a while and I’ll fill you in soon.

Create a GREAT week!

Helping you achieve your Vibrant Potential,

Dr. Chris Frykman

Shakopee, MN.

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The truth about muscle soreness…

Thursday, December 6th, 2007

Have you ever exercised or done a physical activity like working in a garden, and then the next day your muscles felt really sore? I know I have :-)

When this happens it is called “Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).”

Doctors used to think this muscle soreness was due to lactic acid buildup, but now scientists have proven that isn’t true. So what causes the muscle soreness?

When you do a physical activity longer or harder than usual, you put in motion an inflammatory response that releases chemicals that sensitize nerve endings, and in time these nerves send messages to the brain that say, “Ouch!”

So if you exercise or do a physical activity and you get the delayed muscle soreness, you can always apply ice to the areas where you are the sorest. Ice therapy is a natural anti-inflammatory and will help combat the inflammation. Put the ice on your body for 15 to 20 minutes and then take it off. Make sure you have something thin between the ice and your skin, like a t-shirt or paper towel.

Here’s another myth for you…the warm up, cool down myth.

There is a chronic confusion concerning the need to warm up and cool down as a way to prevent injury to your muscles. Stretching is the usual approach to warming up, but it doesn’t prevent injury like people think it does.

A warm up is definitely required because cold muscles are vulnerable to injury, but stretching is not the way to do it. The best way to warm up is to do a brief cardiovascular spurt with low resistance. Examples of this would be walking briskly on a treadmill (or outside) or riding the exercise bike for a few minutes. You want to do anything that brings blood to your muscles, increases your body temperature, and revs up your metabolism.

The cool down is the reverse of the body changes you are trying to make with the warm up. Just continue your exercise, but slow down the pace. Stretching after your exercise will not prevent sore muscles, but it will increase your flexibility and may speed recovery time.

I hope this was helpful. Have a great day and we’ll talk soon.

Helping your reach your Vibrant Potential,

Dr. Chris Frykman

Shakopee, MN.

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New Year’s Resolutions are POINTLESS!

Wednesday, December 5th, 2007

That’s right…those resolutions we make with ourselves after Christmas
and before New Year’s they’re POINTLESS…Typically they only serve
to show us that once again we’ve missed the mark and fell short of what
we wanted to happen and change in our lives. If you’re like most then
your resolution list each year is simply a copy of what you’ve written
throughout the previous decade. It’s filled with wishes like: get in
shape and lose weight; spend more time with my family; get a better
job; repair the run-down things around the house; and so on. Is this
jiving with you?

So, why do we do go through the pain-staking process of writing down
our resolutions each year, do really great on them the first two weeks
and then it’s all back to “normal?” Why do we torture ourselves and
follow the “herd.”

It’s because we DO want to see resolutions move from the list to
RESOLVED! It’s not a lack of desire but rather a lack of habit! Desire
alone is NEVER enough! Consider the smoker who wants to stop
smoking. Sure, they have the desire, but that desire alone does not
bring about the change in mindset and action.

The cure for the common resolution list is a firm understanding and
living that THINGS WILL NOT CHANGE UNLESS WE CHANGE!
That’s right -YOU must change in order for other things to change.
Your habits must shift to be reflective of the WHO that you want to
become and THEN the results WILL change!

Take for example the most common resolution about getting in shape.
The formula is simple (desire): spend more calories than you consume.
SIMPLE! How does that look habitually? Your lifestyle (habits) must
change. You must create the space in your day (perhaps less TV?) to
give you that 30 minutes or an hour in order TO exercise and be fit.
Your grocery list must change from processed, quickie foods to
wholesome and nutrient-dense fruits, veggies, and lean meats. At first
you’re likely to crave sugar and salt laden foods of your past, but if you
just stick with it, your “cravings” will shift and you’ll feel more satisfied.

Yes, I know, it’s a LOT! The only task is thus deciding if you truly
want it bad enough! NOTHING is impossible when habits are
matched with consistency. You have to change in order for things to
change. The fastest and most effective way to invoke change is to
find another person who wants what you want and then partner
together for the BEST you both desire! You can hold one another
accountable, share ideas and strategies for moving forward at a
quicker pace, have fun with one another and relish in each other’s
victories. It’s a great plan! I’d love to assist you and support you for
your best year EVER!! Please join me and other members of our
community as we effectively unlock the mystery of New Year’s
Resolution and truly resolve to have the VERY BEST YEAR EVER!
Join us on Monday, January 7th at 6pm at Southbrigde One in East
Shakopee. Please either call (952-224-2909) or register online at
DrChris@VibrantPotential.com. Upon registering you will be given
worksheets to formulate your success strategy for New Year’s RESOLVED!
This workshop is free for you and your most cherished guests and friends.
Refreshments will be served. Call or email today to begin the journey
of your BEST YEAR EVER!! Invite your accountability friend to join
you and start 2007 with the BIGGEST bang EVER!

I am honored to be of service, friendship, and help to you! You are
valued!!!

Helping you live life to your Vibrant Potential,

Dr. Chris Frykman

Shakopee, MN.

P.S. Oh yeah, and if you’re reading this post after January of 2008 then you’re out of luck. Just kidding! I’d still love to help you with your goals, even if you don’t know what they are yet! Simply email me at DrChris@VibrantPotential.com or call me at (952) 224-2909 and we set up a free consultation.

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Shovel Snow and Keep a Health Back

Tuesday, December 4th, 2007

I’m glad you took the time to read this. It may prevent you from
walking into my office bent over in pain! Let’s be real here, I love to
see you in the office, but I’d rather you came in for Wellness care
instead of because you hurt your back shoveling!

I was outside shoveling my drive way and sidewalk just now. Yes,
I’m one of those people that still doesn’t have a snow blower! (smile)
Anyway, I was outside shoveling and I looked over at a neighbor and
saw him taking a break from his shoveling, holding his back. I could
tell it was tight. It made me think about you. I know you may not
read this until you’ve already shoveled but you’ll probably have to do
it again tomorrow and later this year so it’s worth it to read on…

Steps to a pain free back during shoveling season

1) Warm up. Yes, I know you think it’s nerdy but hey, it’s better than
being in pain and besides, no ones looking anyway. All you need to
to warm up is do some simple movements. Bend down and touch
your toes, reach up and try to touch the ceiling, try to touch your
shoulder with your ear, and so forth. Just don’t wake up and go
shovel first thing.

2) Try to push the snow more than lift it.

3) Push with your center. In martial arts one thing you learn is to move
from your dan tien. (Think of it as right behind your belly button.)
The point here is that you don’t want to be slouching over and lifting
and twisting with your arms. Use the full power of your center.

4) Utilize your core. Related to the last bullet. Try pulling your belly
button to your spine. That will contract your TA (tranversus abdominus)
which will, in turn, do much of the work so your back doesn’t have to
do everything.

5) Take a break if you need one!

6) When you come in, make sure you stretch out your hip flexors (do a
lunge) and your hamstrings and glutes (bend down and touch your toes).
Also, contract your upper back muscles (try to touch your elbows
together behind your back). Even though it seems counter intuitive,
you’ll thank me for it.

7) Lastly, try making more than one trip. Meaning, if you’re expecting 12 inches, go shovel every 2-3 hours and you won’t have to mess with the whole thing at once!

I hope you find these tips helpful. I hope to see you in the office soon.
Hopefully you’ll come in and say, “Hi Doc, thanks for the tips. I feel
great, just here for a tune up!”

Loving Life,

Dr. Chris Frykman

Shakopee, MN.

P.S. If you find this post useful and you’d like to receive useful information like this right in your own inbox, just email me at OptimizeHealth@chirocontact.com and ask to receive my free eNewsletter.

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The Truth about Vitamins and antioxidants

Tuesday, December 4th, 2007

If you’ve been reading or listening to the news recently, you might have seen the attacks on vitamins and antioxidants and thought they weren’t worth consuming. Headlines have declared antioxidants useless, vitamin C to be dangerous, and vitamin E to be deadly.

It seems that nutrition has been under attack lately. So what’s with all of these scare tactics? Is there any science or truth behind these attacks? To answer this question, let’s look at a few things.

First, let’s look at a recent antioxidant study (vitamins E and C). A 9 year study followed more than 8,000 women to determine the effects of antioxidants in preventing heart disease. The study found a SIGNIFICANT reduction in stroke (31 percent) and heart attacks (22 percent) among the women who actually took the vitamins.

But here’s the problem. If you consider all of the women who originally signed up for the study, and include the THOUSANDS who never took the vitamins, then the results show nothing substantial.

I use this example to illustrate how the media manipulates the facts. The media declares antioxidants to be useless because they are considering the measured results of all of the women, including those who didn’t take the antioxidants. This logic is similar to taking a hundred cars that ran out of gas, filling up 40 of them with gasoline, then declaring that gasoline doesn’t make cars run because 60 of them are still on empty.

It sounds absurd, I know, but it’s only the beginning of this story. Time after time, medical researchers and the mainstream media seem to go out of their way to distort scientific studies and misinform readers about the usefulness of vitamins and dietary supplements. And why would they do that?

Because researchers receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants from the drug companies. Their primary revenue source is from studying the effects of pharmaceutical drugs. And the researchers who don’t consistently find positive effects for the drugs are eventually blackballed and shunned from the industry, and find themselves without a job.

There’s a tremendous amount of pressure on researchers from the drug companies to make sure their findings support their financial interests. As an example, 80% of all clinical trials funded by drug companies produce results that are favorable to the financial interests of those companies.

There’s also a lot of pressure to find something wrong with vitamins, dietary supplements, herbs, and nutrition - because these substances compete with pharmaceutical drugs. The truth is, the more people take nutritional supplements, the less they need pharmaceutical drugs because nutrition actually prevents disease.

So one of the best ways to create a strong market for pharmaceutical drugs is to discredit nutritional supplements and make people think they are dangerous or have no health benefits.

This is all quite laughable, given the fact that prescription drugs are now the 4th leading cause of death in America. Did you know that FDA approved drugs kill over 100,000 people each year right now? That’s more Americans than the number that died in the Vietnam War, and this is every year.

The truth is, nothing kills Americans faster than prescription drugs. Not terrorists, not war, not AIDS, not car accidents, and not drunk driving. And how many people have vitamins killed? No one.

It’s sad that the mainstream media, which receives billions of dollars in advertising from the pharmaceutical companies, is now in the business of misinforming the public. Don’t believe all of the hype. Consider who’s funding the studies that keep inventing the dangers of taking herbs, vitamins, and other natural supplements.

High quality vitamins and nutritional supplements are a great way to get the nutrition your body needs to maintain optimal health.

So keep on taking your vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant supplements. You’ll be healthier for it!

Have a great day,

Dr. Chris Frykman

Shakopee, MN.

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Conquer the Cold and Flu this season

Tuesday, December 4th, 2007

Isn’t MN weather funny? 82 degrees one weekend and 28 degrees the next. Makes it hard to plan, eh? Chinese medicine tells us that the change of seasons can be a dangerous time for our health due to the hit that our wei chi, or defensive energy, takes.

I thought this would be a good time to share with you some great pointers that keep my family from falling ill. If you do fall ill, you can recover quicker and with less toxic medicine. That way you won’t have to detox it out later!

All the basics still apply here. Make sure you get enough sleep (7-8 hours, more for children), plenty of water (take your weight in pounds, divide that by two and that’s how many ounces you should drink, more if you exercise), lots of exercise balanced with lots of relaxation.

Oh, did you know that Chiropractic adjustments help keep away the viruses as well? That’s right. Instead of getting a flu shot (look to my post script if you want to see what’s in a flu vaccine) try bringing in your family for regular chiropractic tune-ups this year. The adjustments help the nervous system function more effectively which in turn controls the immune system. It also stimulates white blood cell activity, including natural killer cells, which is what keeps our bodies free of cancer. On another level, when I administer any treatment to you, I’m putting energy into your body. Your body will take that energy and use it for healing, digestion, or whatever it needs!

Check out what one patient had to say this autumn after I adjusted her.

I went in to see Dr. Chris because I thought I had an ear infection. He told me that an adjustment would boost my immune system and help my body fight off any infection. I received and awesome adjustment and I hopped off the table and exclaimed, “I feel like a new woman!” The next day I no longer felt any pain in my ear. Thanks Dr. Chris!
Heather K.

I also wanted to let you know about my “conquer the cold and flu” packages. These are awesome! I have put in just the right amount of antioxidants like vitamins A, C, and E. Important immune boosting minerals like selenium and zinc. Herbs like Echanacea, ginger and more. I also have eleven different mushroom extracts that help to increase your wei chi.

Email me at DrChris@VibrantPotential.com if you want to know more about Wei Chi, the “conquer the cold and flu” packages, or anything else. I’d love to discuss any of it.

If you want to purchase a “conquer the cold and flu” package you can email me at DrChris@VibrantPotential.com, call me at 952-224-2909, or just let me know when you’re in for your next appointment. You can pick them up here at the clinic or I can arrange to have them mailed to you.

Helping you reach YOUR Vibrant Potential!

Dr. Chris Frykman

Shakopee, MN.

P.S. Here’s what’s in the 2007 flu shot. (yuck)

3 strains of viruses
A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1)
A/Wisconsin/67/2005 (H1N1)
B/Malaysia/2506/2004

Thimerosal (that’s mercury! - why would you put that in your body?)
Hydrocotisone
Gentamincin sulfate
Ovalbumin (that’s egg protein)
Formaldehyde (no big deal as long as you’re a dead frog in a jar!)
Sodium deoxycholate (basically a laundry detergent!)

Wow, what a great list. You know what? Sign me up for the adjustments and natural remedies instead Doc!

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Stress can Kill

Tuesday, December 4th, 2007

Stress kills…

Study after study show us that it does… and the beginning of the fall season also tends to be the beginning of stress season for most people. Whether this corresponds to getting kids back to school, a change in the weather, the pending holidays or whatever the reason may be, it’s the time that proves to be most stressful for society.

These skyrocketing levels of stress are quite alarming, especially since it can literally kill you… just the physical and emotional consequences alone are enough to cause great concern.

There are several things you can do to combat the lethal effects of stress.  Here are some of them…

1)    Commit random acts of kindness

Studies have shown that committing acts of kindness, whatever the reason, releases serotonin (your feel good neurotransmitter in the brain) into the blood stream making you literally feel better.  It’s going to cut back on the effects of stress and strengthen your immune system.
You know what’s cool though?  Receiving acts of kindness does the same thing.
You know what’s even more cool?  Simply observing an act of kindness done to another individual will do the same thing!  Isn’t that amazing?  I love the way our bodies work!  You can do something nice for someone, have something nice done for you, or even just watch someone doing something nice for someone else and you’re going to be happier AND healthier.

2)    Tai Chi

Really all exercise reduces stress but activities like yoga and tai chi are inherently relaxing beyond going for a run.  I was reading the latest issue of Ode magazine and they reported on an article that was recently released on Tai Chi in the elderly.  Turns out that when people over the age of 60 engage in regular (no, you can’t just do it once.) tai chi they have half the incidence of diseases like shingles.  They have the immune systems of someone in their 40’s and also had significantly less infectious diseases such as influenza and pneumonia.  Pretty cool!

3)    Chiropractic adjustments

Did you know that having chiropractic work done actually strengthens your immune system along with a whole litany of other great benefits!  It’s true.  It’s been reported in many research articles but don’t take my word for it.  Ask someone that’s gives themselves the gift of regular chiropractic care to compare a year when they didn’t see the chiropractor versus when they did see the chiropractor regularly.  Give it a try, you’ll love the results.

There are several other things that can be done to reduce your stress levels including, getting eight hours of sleep every night, eating a healthy diet, supplementing with a great nutritional supplement, meditating and more.  Feel free to email me or ask me the next time you’re in for your regular chiropractic office visit if you have questions.

Loving Life,

Dr. Chris Frykman

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