Truth In Labeling: You Just Never Know

By Nancy Mehlert, MS

Here is a great example of the uncertainty of ingredient labels and the fact that manufacturers have a great deal of leeway regarding what they put on the label.

In March 2016, I spotted this product (Left) and while “ Made in China” gave me pause, my confidence was regained when I saw the Non GMO Project Certification, USDA Organic Certification and the Certification as a Gluten Free Product.

The label read, Ingredients: Organic Black Beans. Manufactured on shared equipment and may contain trace soy. (Right)

That did not surprise me since their other products on the same shelf included soy pasta, specifically an edamame pasta. Nevertheless, I was aware of the many health benefits of black beans including the obvious high fiber content and the protein was surprisingly good (this should have been my first clue!), so I gave it a try. It was very good, and the texture was very much like wheat pasta. We decided to recommend it to our patients and, while not everyone loved it, many did.

Last week, (February 28, 2019), I picked up another box and noticed (since I’m always looking) there has been an interesting change on the package ingredients.

Now it reads, Ingredients: Organic black beans (black soybeans). Contains soybeans. (Left)

It tastes the same and looks the same. Price is the same. What I suspect now is that it has ALWAYS been soybeans. Who knew there were black soybeans? And why didn’t the manufacturer say that in the first place? Soy is a highly allergenic food for many people. I wonder if they had a few complaints? Who knows what else we don’t know about this food product?

It is in a box. It is a processed food product. And it was not what we thought it was. I’m glad lettuce is lettuce and an apple is an apple. I’m sticking with real, whole food. Let’s all do that, shall we?

Be well. Choose well. Eat well.

By Mila McManus MD|2019-04-23T13:34:01-06:00March 21st, 2019|General, NANCY’S NUTRITIONAL NUGGET|

Transfer Factor By Researched Nutritionals

Transfer factors exist naturally in the human body and are short strands of amino acids and small bits of ribonucleic acid (RNA).

According to Aaron White, Ph.D. and author of Transfer Factors & Immune System Health, “research strongly suggests that transfer factors are effective for helping the body beat an array of disease states that involve faulty or overloaded immune function and can prevent infections before they occur. Transfer factors seem to prime the body for battle against intracellular pathogens, like viruses, mycobacteria and cell wall deficient bacteria, and help squash infections before they can take root. Transfer factors turn non-immune-related white blood cells into immune-related white blood cells and stimulate the birth of new Helper and Cytotoxic T-Cells, Natural Killer cells and macrophages. After stimulating an increase in T-cell counts, transfer factors orient these new T-cells toward a target presumably by influencing the nature of the antigen (protein of the pathogen) receptors expressed by the cells. Further, by binding to antigens on infected body cells, transfer factors paint infected cells for destruction by Cytotoxic T-cells.”

In individuals with chronic immune-related conditions, Natural Killer activity is often suppressed. Transfer factors, taken supplementally, are effective at promoting healthy NK cell function and strengthen the immune response.

Transfer Factor Multi Immune is a comprehensive immune support which fortifies the front line of our immune systems by promoting healthy natural killer cell function.

Formulas are also available to target tick-born pathogens, environmental challenges and fatigue.

Office Support Materials

By Mila McManus MD|2019-04-06T11:03:16-06:00March 20th, 2019|Articles, General|

Savory Sweet Waldorf Salad

Ingredients:

1 large or 2 small organic apple(s), washed

1 to 2 stalks organic celery, washed

¼ cup walnut pieces

2 Tablespoons mayonnaise*

Chopped parsley

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Slice and dice the apple into small pieces into a medium bowl. (using two different colors is visually nice).
2. Slice the celery stalks in half length-wise, then dice celery and add to the bowl.
3. Add the walnut pieces, mayonnaise, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Toss well.
4. Can be refrigerated for 1-2 hours to allow flavors to develop or served immediately.

*We recommend an avocado oil based mayonnaise such as Primal Kitchen, Sir Kensington or Chosen Foods. If egg allergy, then Chosen Foods Vegan Mayonnaise is a nice option.

By Mila McManus MD|2019-03-20T15:45:46-06:00March 20th, 2019|General, Recipes|

Food Gums in “Healthy” Foods

By Nancy Mehlert, MS

Gums are common food additives used to add stickiness, thicken, prevent separation of ingredients, and improve texture. In a small amount, they are generally considered safe.

When larger quantities are consumed, there can be reason for concern. You may be surprised how easy it is to be eating a lot of them! They are common in many organic, non-diary, non-GMO, certified gluten free foods, and are often chosen with the belief that these foods are cleaner. Look for them in nut milks, gluten free foods, salad dressings, protein powders, mayonnaise, non-dairy products, soups, and sauces.

Here are the ones I see most often: carrageenan, xanthan gum, gellan gum, guar gum, locust bean gum, and acacia gum ( a.k.a. arabic gum). Only one of them, acacia gum, stands out with some favorable benefits and has the least negative impact when used in small amounts. It is considered a pre-biotic, which means that it can actually feed the healthy bacteria in the gut.

Here are reasons to limit or remove the rest of them from your diet:

Multiple studies have shown that many gums create GI inflammation, especially carrageenan, which is believed to have the highest potential for harm, especially for those already suffering with gastrointestinal issues.
Many gums are very difficult to digest and cause diarrhea, bloating, cramping, and stomach pain. It is also common to experience symptoms unrelated to digestion such as a runny nose, congestion, hives or body pain.
Those with gluten intolerance, gluten allergy, or celiac disease should avoid xantham gum as it is produced by bacterial fermentation of corn, wheat and other grain based sugars.
Many gums can alter healthy levels of intestinal bacteria in some people. This happens by disrupting the normal mucous layer that lines the gut and contributes to chronic, low-level inflammation promoting changes to cells in the digestive tract, including the colon.
Agar gum, karaya gum, and konjac gum (a.k.a. glucomannan) can expand in the gut and, without adequate fluids, can cause esophageal and bowel obstruction.

If you already know your gastrointestinal health is compromised in any way, you may want to eliminate these gums entirely. For most people, simply limiting their use to infrequent and small quantities would be wise. Check all your packaged and bottled foods – you may be surprised!

Choose well, be well!

https://www.glutenfreesociety.org/toxic-food-additives-common-gluten

https://civileats.com/2015/02/25/how-emulsifiers-are-messing-with-our-guts-and-making-us-fat/

https://draxe.com/gum-arabic

https://draxe.com/gellan-gum/

https://draxe.com/locust-bean-gum/

By Mila McManus MD|2019-04-06T10:58:17-06:00March 20th, 2019|Articles, NANCY’S NUTRITIONAL NUGGET|

“Doing Awesome!”

Doing Awesome!

A. is doing awesome! Tomorrow is actually day 6. Being off the probiotic was hard on her but she’s doing much better now. Tell Dr. McManus that she is a blessing from heaven because since the Wednesday night after her appointment A. has been falling asleep at night so quickly and staying asleep!!!!! I feel like a new person and she is feeling great too. Hug Dr. M for me. I think the Hemp oil is really helping her.
-E.

By Mila McManus MD|2020-09-14T16:27:34-06:00March 14th, 2019|General, Testimonials|

Help Heal Your Body from the Inside Out

By Guest contributor Tyler Hamel, DC

Edited by Mila McManus, MD

Chiropractors evaluate the spine and nervous system to determine whether issues with these are affecting your health condition. Your neck pain, back pain, sciatica, or migraine headaches may be caused by spine/nerve irritation and, if that’s the case, chiropractic treatment can help.

What is a chiropractic adjustment?

Oftentimes postural stress causes wear and tear on the spinal joints in your neck, mid-back and low back. These joints become compressed which causes irritation, pain and muscle spasm. In the simplest explanation, here is what the chiropractic adjustment does:

Decompresses the spine
Realigns the spine
Takes pressure off of nerves
Restores proper function

Why be open to chiropractic treatment?

It’s very safe and more effective at treating neck and back pain than any other treatment out there, including, e.g., muscle relaxers, pain pills, or surgery.
Chiropractic helps the body heal from the inside out naturally by restoring proper alignment and nerve flow.
It’s affordable. Chiropractic adjustments are a fraction of the cost of long-term use of pain medicine, ongoing cortisone shots, and surgeries.
Everyone can be helped with chiropractic care. Our youngest patient was 7 weeks old, and our most senior patient 99 years old.
You don’t need a referral from a doctor.
We accept insurance, but keep in mind that sometimes insurance co-pays cost more than our cash prices.

Which Chiropractic technique is best for you?

Manual adjusting- you will hear pops and cracks when we release pressure from the spine during a chiropractic adjustment. This is very safe.
Instrument adjusting- we use vibrating adjustment tools that accomplish the same result as manual adjusting.

Why do we offer both?

Some patients do not want their neck or back “popped”, whereas others love the feeling of a manual adjustment.
Depending on the age of the patient, it may be easier and safer to use instrument adjusting. For example, if a patient has osteoporosis, or recently had surgery, instrument adjusting may be preferred.
Having more than one adjusting technique makes it easy for anyone to come and experience the benefits of chiropractic care.

Dr. Hamel cares for patients part time at our TWIHW facility, and part time at his Kingwood office.

By Mila McManus MD|2019-03-21T20:49:59-06:00February 26th, 2019|Articles, General|

“Yippy Skippy Hooray!”

Yippy Skippy Hooray!

This patient had been on our protocols for only a few weeks when we received this email:

“Today is the first day in 1 and a 1/2 years that I have NOT HAD A MIGRAINE! Yippy Skippy Hooray!!! Thank You!”

-L. T.

By Mila McManus MD|2019-07-01T13:42:00-06:00February 21st, 2019|General, Testimonials|

The Doc’s Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad

The Doc’s Shaved Brussels Sprouts* Salad

Edited from Chowhound.com

Serves 2

For the salad:

½ bag shaved Brussels sprouts

2 to 3 hearts of palm, sliced

⅓ cup pine nuts

For the dressing: (enough for 2-3 uses)

¼ cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

¾ cup olive oil

½ to 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

½ to 1 shallot, finely chopped or minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Combine the shaved Brussels Sprouts, hearts of palm and pine nuts in a large salad bowl.
2. Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl or bottle and stir or shake.
3. Pour desired amount of dressing on the salad and toss well. Serve
4. Save the remaining dressing in the refrigerator.

*These little green mini cabbage like balls are named after the city of Brussels in Belgium. Most people call them Brussel Sprouts, but the correct name has the “s” on the end.

By Mila McManus MD|2019-03-04T06:34:11-06:00February 20th, 2019|Articles, General, Recipes|

The Sugar that Never Satisfies

By Nancy Mehlert, MS

You most likely have heard about high fructose corn sugar (a.k.a. HFCS) which is the most processed form of fructose, a simple sugar, and the most damaging to your health. Manufacturers make HFCS with corn starch and add it to many processed foods such as fast foods, soda, ice creams and condiments like ketchup and pickle relish. On labels it may be called high fructose corn sugar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup or fructose.

This is one of the most harmful substances for human health and we encourage you to audit your pantry, refrigerator and grocery cart to ensure you and your family are not consuming it.

Here’s why:

Many scientists are suggesting that this processed fructose is a contributing factor to the obesity epidemic.
Processed fructose feeds pathogenic gut bacteria and disrupts a healthy microbial balance.
Fructose does not stimulate insulin production in the blood stream like other sugars, such as glucose, but goes directly to the liver for handling. As a result, leptin, an appetite suppressing hormone is never released to inform you that you are full. As a result, you remain hungry, craving and unsatisfied.
The output of fructose being processed in the liver is uric acid, known to be a contributor to gout and heart disease.

Step by step, be well and stay well by choosing well.

By Mila McManus MD|2019-03-04T06:30:29-06:00February 20th, 2019|General, NANCY’S NUTRITIONAL NUGGET|

Regenerative Orthopedic Options

By Shaun Lehmann, MD
Edited by Mila McManus MD

The body is designed to heal itself. As we age, our bodies start to lose the ability to focus a sustained healing response to musculoskeletal injuries. Injuries can occur from multiple sources including trauma, repetitive stresses, or medications. The body’s healing response can also be diminished due to nutritional deficiencies, hormone deficiencies, and genetic conditions.
The field of Orthopedic Medicine is rapidly changing to now include many regenerative options aimed at improving our ability to heal. We are now learning that some of the traditional ways that we have been treating musculoskeletal pain and injuries may actually be causing problems by negatively affecting the body’s ability to heal itself. Steroid injections, for example, are now showing in research to decrease the local stem cell counts and could actually damage cartilage. NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) also have been shown to accelerate cartilage loss.
Regenerative medicine aims to accelerate our natural ability to heal after injury occurs. The goal of regenerative therapy is to optimize the cellular environment by stimulating growth factors and repair cells.

Some of these treatments include:
Point of Care Therapies (same day procedures)

Nutritional Growth Factor Stimulation

Prolotherapy
Ozone Therapy

Personal Cell Therapy (Autologous)

Platelet Rich Plasma (aka PRP)
Bone Marrow Aspirate
Fat derived Mesenchymal cells – or VSF “vascular stromal fraction:”

Donation cellular therapy (Allogeneic)

Umbilical Allograft Cells
Amniotic growth factors
Placental growth factors

Cultured Cellular Therapies (not a same day procedure… takes weeks to grow)

Nutritional stimulation treatments such as Prolotherapy and Ozone therapy aim to focus the body’s healing energies on the location that needs repaired. They aim to wake up the body’s local healing mechanisms by refocusing and restarting the healing process. These treatments can work well as long as the body is healthy, and the repair mechanisms are in working order.

Personal cellular therapies do the same as above; however, they also bring extra cellular workers to the job site. These treatments are usually deemed stronger than Prolotherapy and Ozone and are deemed relatively safe since the workers are your own cells.

Donation cellular therapies are from a donor person, are more potent than Personal cellular therapies, and are tested for safety (e.g., viruses such as HIV, hepatitis); however, the tissues are not tested for every potential infectious disease, so there may be some theoretical risk.

Cultured Cellular Therapies are not legal to use in the U.S. at this time, but it is legal to process and store these stem cells in the United States. One has to travel to another country to have the stem cells injected or infused. Cultured stem cells can be either Personal (autologous) or Donated (allogeneic).

There is a large body of research done on the efficacy of Prolotherapy and Platelet Rich Plasma, but more is still needed. Stem cells show so much promise that they are said to be “the future of medicine”.

By Mila McManus MD|2019-02-22T08:55:43-06:00January 30th, 2019|Articles, General|

About Mila McManus MD