When your hungry, about to eat, or just thinking about a delicious food…your gut releases ghrelin. Ghrelin goes up when the stomach is empty. Ghrelin is why you always feel hungry during particular times during the day. Your body clock goes off and releases ghrelin at particular times of the day…it’s a pretty finely tunded schedule. Ghrelin will go up until you have given your body enough nutrients to satisfy its needs. Consistent calorie restrictions will keep ghrelin levels high which is why many yo yo dieters will feel more hungry the more they restrict their calories…this is nature’s way of getting us to eat.

Sedentary lifestyle – getting too little exercise. 31% of Americans are getting adequate amounts of exercise. That’s moderate exercise for 30 minutes, 5 times per week. About 40% of people do no exercise at all according to the CDC. That means another 29% are active but not often enough. Regular exercise is a vital part of effective weight loss. It helps control your weight by utilizing excess calories that would otherwise be stored as fat. Not to mention, physical activity also improves your overall health. Study after study have shown that regular exercise combined with a good diet is the most effective way to control your weight.

Yo Yo Dieting – Losing and gaining significant amounts of weight again and again. Most yo yo dieters begin as early as in their teen years.

Crash Dieting – This is one of the craziest of the diets where people cut calories to as little as 400 calories per day. Cutting out complete macronutrients like high quality carbs and fats.

Yo Yo and crash dieting really throw off your metabolism… turning it into a cycle of a few pounds off, a few pounds on, a few pounds off, and even more pounds on. Studies show that any time you go on a diet it can slow your metabolism down from 10-15% making it harder even next time to lose weight.

You see your body goes into survival mode and begins to actually store more fat as your metabolism then starts to slow down. The reason this occurs is because many times with these diets the first thing people lose is muscle mass. You see in times where there are low energy store, like most these diets create, it is easier for the body to burn muscle as an energy source rather than fat. So you lose muscle at a greater rate than you are losing fat. When this happens, you become a fatter skinnier person. What I mean by this is, you lose more muscle which is denser than the fat and your body stores fat, so you have a higher body fat percentage despite dropping pounds on the scale. So you become fatter even though you may be shrinking. And this makes you even more susceptible to serious health conditions.

1. A thorough history. It is VITALLY important, as your doctor, that I ask about job related stressors, hobby related stressors (such as computer work or playing musical instruments), telephone work, or working out – especially if any activities are fast and repetitive and cause compression here at the wrist. I will also need to learn about other health conditions that can directly or indirectly cause carpal tunnel syndrome such as diabetes, thyroid disease, certain types of arthritis, as well as certain medication that have side effects which cause carpal tunnel syndrome, among other things.

2. A Physical Exam. I will need to determine the area(s) of nerve compression and degree of severity. This generally includes a thorough orthopedic and neurological evaluation. It may include ordering special tests such as EMG/NCV or MRI, if necessary.

3. Treatments can include manipulation, soft tissue release via the Graston Technique or Fast Technique, and my favorite treatment technique….laser therapy. Laser therapy is really neat because the laser will decrease pain and inflammation associated with your carpal tunnel syndrome. Most patients with laser therapy see long term relief in just 2-3 weeks. And lastly…

4. Home Therapies. This is the what can YOU do for yourself to help your Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Here are some of the things that a Carpal Tunnel Syndrome sufferer can do to help themselves:

• Ice your wrists
• Stretch your neck, chest muscles, forearms, and wrists
• Wear carpal tunnel splints, and
• Modify your job tasks or hobbies that may be irritating your carpal tunnel syndrome.

Another way that people will know if they’re autoimmune is that their symptoms may wax and wane.  Symptoms that wax and wane are a sure sign that you are most likely suffering from an autoimmune condition.

The third way to know if a patient’s autoimmune is that they will come in with a basket of supplements–I mean a truck-load.  I’ve had people bring in a list of supplements that was as long as my arm…and it wasn’t funny.  In many cases, the supplements that they are taking were actually making them worse! 

Number four…their life fell apart after they got sick.  That’s how they know they’re autoimmune.  They’ve been to 12 or 15 or 20 different doctors and they have a stack of medical records sky-high, all because it’s an undiagnosed autoimmune condition.

They may develop an autoimmune condition following a pregnancy.  Usually, women are TH2 dominant in the third trimester and TH1 dominant postpartum.

And finally, there’s positive testing via specific immune panels.  You see, your immune system is designed to protect you.  When your immune system runs amuck, it starts attacking different parts of your body. It’s important to know that once you realize you have an autoimmune condition, you need to get checked, and you need to manage that autoimmune condition.

Fresh fruits and veggies contain powerful antioxidants, enzymes, and phytonutrients which fight free radicals in your body. So what do free radicals do? Free radical can cause damage to your cells and DNA. The living enzymes in the raw fruits and veggies that you will be eating will work to help to break down the food so you can digest it easier…giving your gastrointestinal tract a much needed rest so it can repair and rejuvinate itself.

Dead foods such as starches, fats, and sugars don’t give you the nutrition your body needs so you tend to overeat. Not to mention that these dead foods cause tremendous stress to your gastrointestinal tract, constantly hammer at the lining of your gut, until they cause holes in your gut. These holes allow for things that should be blocked out to get into your body and can lead to more severe health problems.

Not to mention that overeating can put stress on your GI tract and liver eventually leading to poor digestion and poor absorption of nutrients. Your Gi tract and your liver work together so when one is overworked or stressed, the other becomes overworked or stressed.

The colon is designed to remove toxins and waste…and if your not getting enough fiber then your colon can become strained and stressed.An overworked colon has toxins and biles sitting around too long. Eventually the toxins and bile are reabsorbed by your liver and have to be refiltered. So your liver ends up refiltering something it already filtered once…this leads to a vicious cycle of your liver and GI tract being over-worked and stressed.

The 7-Day Detox week is designed to be a full week of detox with fresh fruits and veggies to help detox and clean your taste buds, liver, and GI tract. This is the hardest part of any lifestyle change program but it allows you to reap the greatest benefits.

During the detox, the majority of the week will be eating raw vegetables. There are roughly 42 acceptable vegetables to eat on the Detox week. You can eat as many and as much as you like of the vegetables over the next 7 days. I would prefer if you eat them raw, but if you have to prepare them I would suggest to steam or sautee them in some broth. Grilling them and broiling them is also okay, but again I would prefer if you have them raw. You can find lots of raw food vegetable recipes online. And don’t be afraid to get creative with spices and herbs. You can also use small amounts of salt, pepper, vinegar, and mustardto make your vegetables flavorable and delicious.

There are also 48 fruits which are acceptable during detox. You can only have 3 servings of fruits per day for the next seven days. If you are diabetic or pre-diabetic, I would suggest that you only eat stone fruits or fruits that have a pit since they will have a smaller effect on your blood sugar. I also recommend that you try to eat your fruits in the afternoon and evening.

So why can you only have 3 servings of fruits per day? Well the sugar in fruit is known as fructose. And when fructose is broken down by the liver it is converted into glycogen. When your body’s glycogen stores are full, your body will now store this excess energy as fat. Now the point of detox is to get rid of fat. If you are adding more fat rather than getting rid of it, then you are completely missing the boat when it comes to detox.

Now that I have discussed what you can have during the 7 day detox week , now let’s talk about what you can’t have. First of all you shouldn’t any fats during detox week…this includes no dairy, oils, or mayonaise. Also no coffe, alcohol, sugar, soda, artificial sweeteners, junk food, or caffeine containing beverages. These are the types of foods we are trying to eliminate from your body, so including them would be counter-productive. Also, if you are taking a mutlivitamin, continue to do so but don’t add any vitamins or supplements into your routine unless you are ordered to by your doctor.

You also don’t want to engage into strenuous exercise or activites during detox week.

Your body is going to be cleaning itslef using some of the phyto-compunds in the fruits and veggies you will be consuming. You may feel more tired after the first couple days. If you are used to consuming caffeine or junk food may have additional symptoms. Withdrawl symptoms may include headaches, fatigue, nausea, and irritability. This should pass after a few days, and by the end of the week you will feel energized and pepped up.

During detox week you should start each day off with the juice of half of a lemon in warm water. This will work as a natural diuretic and a natural detoxifier for your gall bladder. It will also help with GI discomfort and cravings. Individuals with ongoing medical conditions, such as diabetes, should consult their physician before beginning detox.

There are some individuals who should not partake in the 7 day detox; pregnant and lactating women, and individuals undergoing care for an ongoing medical condition. If you fall into this category or think you can’t get through the week, we do have alternatives that you can try but they aren’t as good but will get you on the right track.

Now let’s talk about how to survive detox week. I have a couple tips that will help tame your hunger over the next 7 dyas.

The first tip is to eat more vegetables. Your going to need to eat a large amount of food to remain full over the next week. I suggest taht when you get hungry, you already have vegetable cut up, nearby, and ready to eat so that your not tempted to eat the foods you are trying to eliminate. You can also drink more water, drink green or red tea, or drinking some fat free vegetable broth. You should take your body weight and divide it by 2, and that is how much water you should be drinking per day.

The next tip is to add a high quality fiber supplement. Use it between dinner and bedtime…this will ensure that your bowels will move properly. Fiber powder will also help you to stay full in between meal times.

You should find something to occupy your time as well. you should go for a walk and take your dog with you if you have one, clean your house, organize your office and house, catch up on emails, or read a book. The key is to choose an activity that doesn’t stress you out but occupies your mind.

One way to fight hunger during detox week is the addition of protein. I recommend that you try to refrain from eating protein as long as physically possible in order to reap the benefits from detox. But if you have to have protein during the week you can add a small amount. No more than 3 ounces of clean lean protein to either lunch or dinner. Some examples are fresh tuna, salmon, orange roughy or other white fish, lean chicken or turkey (without skin), and plain almond milk. Avoid soy and any genetically modified foods since they contain toxins that are damaging to your body. Also remember to avoid dairy during this week…so no milk.

So let me summarize. Eat more veggies than fruit, don’t go hungry, go as long as you can without protein, and if you can’t make it at least three days…you didn’t really try.

Eat more often.

Now what do I mean by this? You need to eat 6 times a day. Breakfast, a mid morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, dinner, and finally a snack before you go to bed. Snacks should be vegetables, nut, or seeds for your mid-morning and bedtime snack and fruits or veggies for you afternoon snack. You should be eating every 2-3 hours.

And the most important part of this tip…DON’T SKIP BREAKFAST. It is the most important meal of the day. It means breaking a fast.

Your body has been fasting all night while you have been asleep. You need to get your blood sugar up and at a steady level. You need to eat eggs or lean meats, such a turkey or chicken sausage, and have some veggies with them. This will keep your body running at a fat burning level during the day rather than eating bread, donuts, or cereals which are junk that only spike your blood sugar, leave you hungry in a few hours, and those excess high carbs are turned into fat ending up in those thunder thighs, that jelly belly, or that junk in your trunk.

Well I hope you enjoyed this first edition of weightless Wednesdays…see you next week.

Let’s start with your thyroid because it controls your body’s metabolism…ALL OF IT!  And Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (a.k.a. autoimmune thyroid) is the #1 cause of low thyroid in the United States. Your immune system is attacking your thyroid, and it is literally killing it. You don’t have just a “thyroid” problem, you have an “immune” problem!  Unfortunately, taking thyroid hormones do nothing for this autoimmune attack.  You will continue to lose more and more of your thyroid by taking the medications.  It is a slow, progressive, downward slide.

So the problem isn’t just your thyroid if you are fatigued, your adrenal glands if you are not sleeping, your joints, nerves and muscles if you are in pain…it is your immune system.  You have an immune system problem, and you need to heal your immune system.  The problem is medicine has no clue on how to heal your immune system.

There are two parts to your immune system, TH1 and TH2, and they should be in balance, kind of like a teeter-totter effect.  One should not be higher than the other.  If your immune system goes out of balance because of stress (physical, chemical or emotional), one system (TH1 or TH2) will become dominant and this will cause your immune system to attack your body.  There are specific blood tests that can be run to determine if you are autoimmune and if one part of your immune system is dominant.

Now the problem with an autoimmune condition is it just doesn’t attack one area of your body, it can attack multiple areas of your body.  It can attack your thyroid, causing extreme fatigue, your pancreas, causing diabetes, or it can attack your gut — your stomach lining, (causing IBS), or it can attack your joints (rheumatoid arthritis).  It can attack your entire body! You need to be tested to see if you are having an autoimmune condition, and if that is what is causing your migraines.  You need to get to the root cause of what is causing your migraines!