Coffee: How Bad Is It...Really?

With over 400 billion cups consumed per year, coffee is the most popular drink in the world.  Over half the population in the U.S. consumes coffee on a daily basis.  The average American coffee drinker will consume nearly 10 pounds of it in a year's time, and about 400 million cups are drank everyday in our country!  Something consumed this much deserves a closer look.

First, why do people drink coffee?

Though some do drink it for the taste, most are anticipating an energy "boost" to propel them through their day.  This of course is provided by the caffeine present in coffee.  Many swear that without it, they'd never be able to "get going" in the morning and would be physically tired and mentally foggy throughout their day.

Hasn't coffee been shown to help some diseases?

It's true that coffee has been shown in certain studies to reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes, and even improve short term memory. This is most likely due to the antioxidants found in coffee that are known to have healing benefits.

So I guess coffee is safe then…right?

Wrong!!! Drinking coffee for its “health” benefits would be like smoking cigarettes to inhibit your appetite and avoid obesity! While we all know obesity’s negative effects on your overall health, it would be crazy to prescribe cigarettes as an obesity treatment. Are you all with me on this!?!

So how is coffee bad for my health?

Let’s get right down to it folks…coffee is a drug. And like all drugs, along with its “benefits” come a variety of side-effects, such as:

• Increased risk of stomach cancer
• Increased risk of leukemia
• Interference with your body’s ability to use water and promote fluid loss
• Raising blood cholesterol levels
• Massively raising insulin levels (wake up diabetics!!!)
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Stroke
• Damaging blood vessels
• Interference with the body’s ability to use folate, and vitamins B12 and B6 (life threatening)
• Prostate and other cancers (due to pesticide use)
• Parkinson’s disease (pesticides)
• Miscarriages (pesticides)
• Adrenal gland burn-out (due to over stimulation)
• Osteoporosis (from metabolic damage and increased blood acidity)
• Insomnia
• A rise in blood pressure and stress hormone levels
• Heart palpitations
• A sensation of jitteriness and nervousness
• Symptoms of anxiety, especially if you already have a panic or anxiety disorder
• Depletion of iron and calcium levels in women
• AND increasing your risk of heart disease (America’s #1 killer)

But it’s the only way I know to get a “pick-me-up”!

The caffeine in coffee only provides a fake and temporary jolt of energy. It actually depletes your B vitamins, which leads to more of an energy shortage! If you’re tired all the time, your body is telling you something is wrong! Start listening to your body and making the right lifestyle changes to naturally enhance your health.

Our bodies are divinely designed. Self-healing has absolutely been PROVEN to be a part of our plan.

Remember, health is your God given right!

For my personal recommendations on coffee substitutes and raising your energy naturally, please email me at eric@pierceresults.com

The Low-Down On Lowering Cholesterol

This is a long, but life saving blog post...so fasten your seatbelts and brace yourself!

I bet we all know someone who has been diagnosed with "hyper-cholesterol-emia" (a.k.a. high cholesterol), and it's almost a guarantee they were prescribed at least one cholesterol lowering medication to achieve "healthy" levels.  This of course is due to the fact that cholesterol "increases the risk of heart disease," right?...WRONG!  Saying that is like saying yellow fingers cause lung cancer!  Increased cholesterol is absolutely something we see when heart disease is present, however, did the yellow fingers cause the lung cancer, or did the cigarettes cause it?  Cholesterol is being framed here for something it did not do!  Let me explain...

First off, what is cholesterol?

• a waxy substance found in the blood stream and ALL your cells

What does it do?

• Helps produce cell membranes, hormones, Vitamin D and bile acids (digest fats)
• Also helps in formation of memories and neurological function
• Vital to nearly EVERY function in your body

Where is it made?

• 75% of it is made in your liver

Isn't there a "good" and "bad" cholesterol?

• Many have called HDL "good" and LDL "bad" types of cholesterol.  The truth is that your cholesterol levels are always appropriate to your external and internal environment, which in the end is almost always dictated by your lifestyle choices.

So what causes my cholesterol to go up?

• More often than not, inflammation is what causes cholesterol levels to rise.  Let's use a cut on your finger as an example.  What happens?  Well, first your blood vessels will constrict so that you don't bleed to death and your blood thickness will increase to make clotting easier.  Some might call this high blood pressure...insane!  Next your immune system will kick into high gear and cells will start to multiply to repair any damage.
• It's no different with arteries, only the "scar" is plaque.

So what substance will be sent to aid in cellular repair when my arteries are damaged?

• CHOLESTEROL!!!  It shows on the scene AFTER the damage is already done.

And what is medicine's answer for this occurrence?  To artificially lower your cholesterol levels with a drug.  Does this sound nuts to anyone else?!?!  Of course they must manufacture these drugs so they don't affect any other bodily function...right??...WRONG again!  Low cholesterol levels have been linked with the following conditions:

• depression
• suicide
• violent behavior
• aggression
• increased risk of cancer
• increased risk of Parkinson's

...just to name a few!

So how low should my levels be?  And who decides?

• before 2004, LDL levels of 130 were considered "healthy"
• U.S. government's National Cholesterol Education Program panel then advised they be lowered to 100 and even 70 for "high risk" individuals
• levels that low almost ALWAYS need one OR MORE drugs to achieve
• in 2006 a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found these numbers to have no scientific basis

So who was on this panel?

• 8 of the 9 people on this panel had direct financial connections to the companies producing the cholesterol lowering drugs...I know...shocking.

Do these drugs have side effects? (come on now!)

• depletion of CoQ10 (important for heart health and muscle function)
• rhabdomyolysis (muscle pain and weakness)
• polyneuropathy
• dizziness
• cognitive impairment and memory loss
• increased risk of cancer
• decreased immune system function
• depression
• liver problems
• Lou Gehrig's disease

So do these drugs even reduce the risk for heart attacks?

• Business Week exposed a Pfizer claim that Lipitor reduced heart attack incidence by 36%
• What the study actually showed was that 3% of placebo patients got heart attacks and that 2% taking Lipitor got them...really a 1% improvement...but Pfizer used 1% divided by 3% to come up with their 36% number...again, shocking and misleading!
• So basically, you're exposing yourself to all the conditions mentioned above for a 1% improvement...

Ask yourself...is it worth it?  You're better off learning what causes chronic inflammation and using natural ways to reduce it. 

So what causes chronic inflammation?

• Oxidized cholesterol (cholesterol that has gone rancid, such as that from overcooked, scrambled eggs)
• Eating lots of sugar and grains
• Eating foods cooked at high temperatures
• Eating trans fats
• Improper spinal movement or a sedentary lifestyle
• Smoking
• Emotional stress

So what can I do to naturally reduce inflammation?

• It's easy!  Just follow my Top 10!!!

Remember, health is your God-given right!

(For the references to the information provided in this blog, please email Dr. Eric at eric@pierceresults.com)

"Get FAT!"

Somewhere along the way, fats got a bad rap!  We've all been sucked into the idea that "low fat" and "no fat" means healthy...WRONG!!!  Essential fatty acids, like omega-3's, are extremely important to your health.  In the world of nutrition, the word "essential" means that our bodies don't make it, and that we need to get it in our diet.  Omega-3 fats, like vitamins and minerals, can never be made by our brains or bodies...so if we don't get them in our diet, we won't have enough!

So why should you care about having "enough" omega-3's?  Well, these little guys are the main component of brain cell membranes.  Since your brain coordinates EVERY function of the body (nearly 3 trillion bits of information every second!), this makes omega-3 fats VERY important to your overall health and wellbeing.

"How do I know if I am deficient?"  Studies are showing now that we are ALL deficient.  If you eat a typical western diet, high in grains, dairy, trans-fats, and processed foods...guess what...you're deficient!!!  If you feel you eat a fairly healthy diet, you're probably STILL deficient!

"What kind of Omega-3's should I be getting?"  EPA and DHA omega-3's are two of the most important fats that we all need and that we all don't get enough of.

"What about flax oil?"  Flax oil is a great source of omega-3's, but not EPA and DHA.  These 2 crucial omega-3 fats are only found in wild game and fish.  Vegetable sources simply DO NOT contain EPA and DHA omega-3 fats.

"Can't I just eat more fish?"  Although wild fish contain healthy amounts of EPA and DHA, nearly all sources nowadays are contaminated with mercury, dioxins, and PCB's, making it unsafe to get the omega-3 fats you need to be healthy by simply eating more fish.

"So what conditions have been linked to a lack of EPA/DHA fats?"

• development, learning, and behavioral problems (like ADHD)
• cancer (breast, colon, and prostate)
• heart disease
• stroke
• diabetes
• obesity
• high cholesterol
• high blood pressure
• depression
• skin disorders
• digestive disorders (like Crohn's and ulcerative colitis)
• arthritis
• osteoporosis
• Alzheimer's
• the list goes on, and on, and on!

Last year, Harvard University published a study describing omega-3 deficiency as the 6th leading cause of death in America, killing more than TWICE AS MANY as breast cancer every year!  The best way to make sure you are getting enough is to take a molecularly distilled, animal-based omega-3 supplement that has the proper amounts of EPA and DHA fats.  For my personal recommendation, you can contact me at eric@pierceresults.com!

Remember, health is your God-given right!

"Dr. Eric's Top 10 for 2010"

I'll say it again...our bodies are DESIGNED for HEALTH!!!  My Top 10 for 2010 are simple lifestyle choices that will make ALL the difference in your life.  Following these simple steps will ensure you live a longer, healthier life with more energy and vitality to share with the ones you love!

1. Get your spine checked by a chiropractor!
• The health of your spine has a HUGE impact on your brain, overall health, and wellbeing!
2. Get more sleep!
• Sleep recharges your batteries, and not getting enough increases your chances of getting heart disease and diabetes.  Start with an extra 30 min!
3. Eat the right foods, and eat until you're full!
• Humans are really only designed to eat organic, grass-fed beef and free-range meats, local fruits and vegetables, raw nuts and seeds, and water...THAT'S IT!!!  When you "eat to live", you can eat as much as you want!
4. Move it!
• Forget elevators and escalators...take the stairs!  Always take the next easiest step.  Remember, our bodies NEED movement to express health.  Start slow, stay committed and I promise you'll get there!
5. Get more sun!
• The sun's rays combine with cholesterol in our skin to make Vitamin D.  Vitamin D has been found to be VERY important for nearly every single thing your body does!
6. Relax!
• Find natural ways to reduce stress!  Stress is now known to cause nearly 85% of ALL illness!
7. Keep your mouth clean!
• Inflammation causes tons of problems in the body.  Gingivitis is a leading cause of widespread inflammation.  Eat right!  Brush and floss daily with non-toxic ingredients!
8. Eat some bugs!
• Our bodies are 90% bacteria.  Taking a good probiotic supplement daily will help replenish your body with the bacteria you need to be healthy!
9. Get fat!
• Somehow fats got a bad rap!  Essential fatty acids (EFA's), like Omega-3's, are extremely important for the health of your heart, brain, and pretty much every cell in your body!  Get a good supplement! 
10. Pray!
• As a Christian, I have definitely experienced the healing power of prayer.  Having a belief in a higher power has actually been proven to increase happiness, overall health, and longevity!

Never forget, it's always easier to add something good before you take away something bad!

Follow these simple steps for a healthy, happy, and grace-filled 2010!

Remember, health is your God-given right!

"Let There Be Light!" - The Truth About Vitamin D

News about Vitamin D is everywhere!!!  So what's the truth?  First let's remember what the only 2 things are that lead to real health...sufficiency and purity.  That is, sufficiency in the nutrients we genetically require for health and purity in their quality.  Vitamin D is no different!  God, or nature, or whatever you want to call it, gave us all we needed to produce sufficient, pure amounts of Vitamin D...the SUN!!!  That's right!  We've been sold a bill of goods that the sun's rays are harmful to us...quite to the contrary!  There are certain ultraviolet rays called "UVB" rays that are actually very important and needed for our bodies to create Vitamin D.  You see, life began many years ago by the equator, and continued there for generations.  In these tropical regions of the world there was never a shortage of sunlight, and virtually no one had Vitamin D problems.  It wasn't until we moved further north, started covering up our skin, working indoors, and destroying our diet that Vitamin D deficiency became an issue.

When our skin is exposed to sunlight, 4 UVB "photons" will combine with 1 molecule of cholesterol in our skin to form 1 ring of human D3.  This inactive form of Vitamin D will go on to the liver, kidneys, and other surrounding tissues and become the Vitamin D our body needs to function properly.

Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to:

• Osteoporosis
• Ricket's
• High blood pressure
• Obesity
• Decreased immune function
• Inflammation
• Age-related DNA damage
• Skin conditions (psoriasis, eczema)
• Insomnia
• Hearing loss
• Muscle pain
• Periodontal disease
• Poor athletic performance
• Age-related macular degeneration (vision)
• Myopia (near-sightedness)
• Pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy)
• Autism
• Seizures
• Diabetes Type-1
• Fertility
• Mental disorders (depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's)
• Migraines
• Asthma
• Cystic fibrosis
• CANCER!!! (breast, colon, prostate, lung (early stage), non-hodgkin’s lymphoma, and melanoma)

Some are saying Vitamin D should be used as a therapy for these illnesses among others.  As a wellness practitioner, I am more inclined to say simply that human beings on this earth were designed to have sunlight exposure and therefore sufficient Vitamin D levels.  Anyone deficient should be working harder to get more healthy sun exposure or making up for it with an acceptable alternative.  To learn more about how to achieve healthy Vitamin D levels, healthy sun exposure, the dangers of some sunscreens, and to get my personal Vitamin D supplement recommendation please email me at eric@pierceresults.com!!!

Health is your God-given right!

"Let's Eat Some Bugs"

Now of course I am not talking about picking up a bug from the garden and having at it...although I have heard they're good for you! The bugs I'm talking about are BACTERIA...healthy bacteria that reside in our bodies. Our bodies are made up of roughly 100 trillion cells, and guess how many of those cells are human...only 10%! The rest...yup...ALL bacteria…which means 90% of ALL the cells that make up our bodies are not even human! Kind of makes you wonder about the next time you look in the mirror at the "human" staring back at you...and we're 90% bacteria! Anyway, the point is that our bodies have evolved to live in a "symbiotic" (partnership) relationship with these bacteria...meaning they need us to survive, but we need them just as much! They are important for healthy immune function, digestive function, body weight, fat levels, vitamin production, skin health, and on, and on, and on.

There are actually 500 different kinds of bacterial species, weighing a total of 2-3 pounds that live right inside of you! Of these many kinds of bacteria that are in a healthy individual, not all of them promote health. The important thing is to make sure we have the right amount of good bacteria we're genetically designed to have to ensure our health and wellbeing. The ratio is EVERYTHING! You see, the healthy and harmful bacteria all fight for the same cell attachment sites. This means if you have the right ratio of healthy to harmful bacteria (about 6:1), your body will be able to perform to its genetic potential...which is ALWAYS healthy!!!

So what amount of the genetically required healthy bacteria do most Americans have???...About one millionth!!! And why?? Well, the first exposure to healthy bacteria comes from your delivery through the birth canal. Unfortunately, many doctors are delivering by C-section these days, and this robs the newborn of this crucial bacterial exposure. Secondly, antibiotics are generously used today with many people having multiple rounds on a regular basis. These antibiotics kill harmful bacteria AS WELL AS healthy bacteria. It’s a double edged sword! You’re killing the ones that may be harming you, but also killing the ones protecting you at the same time…not a great trade-off. Furthermore, many people are in an anti-bacterial frenzy, disinfecting everything in sight and every part of their body. This also unfortunately kills many of the healthy bacteria they would have been exposed to. Our diets definitely play a major role too. Modern diets are dangerously deficient in fruits and vegetable fiber, and toxic from dairy, refined sugars, alcohol, and prescription drugs. All of these promote illness-causing bacteria and yeast and obstruct the survival of healthy bacteria. Finally, our modern farming, food processing, and food preparation methods are so incongruent with what we’re genetically designed to be practicing that we've basically obliterated any chance we have to maintain a healthy intestinal environment.

"That's OK Doc...I eat yogurt with probiotics in it!!!"...Sorry yogurt lovers! Not only is it made from dairy, which we are not genetically designed to consume after infancy, but most yogurts are made from pasteurized milk! This process kills any decent components milk has in it. Furthermore, most yogurts have high fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners to improve taste. These chemicals also kill any good bacteria that might be present, leaving your yogurt with strains that are not alive when you eat them. And finally, most dairy bacteria are "non-adhesive", which means they’ll mostly just pass through the intestines and go “out with the wash”!

So what can I do to increase my healthy bacteria?? Well, since the human intestinal bacteria make-up was established before agricultural became popular, start eating like they did before! You’ll want to organic, fresh-picked, local fruits and veggies. You’ll also want to eat organic, raw nuts and seeds as well as organic, free-range meats and grass-fed beef. Stay away from dairy, goat’s milk, soy, wheat, and corn. No one EVER ate these things for almost 200,000 years and our ancestors had NONE of the chronic diseases that plague modern man (heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc.)…and you can take that to the bank!

You’ll also want to get a good probiotic supplement. Unfortunately, antibacterial substances and antibiotics are everywhere and it seems that supplementation is the only means to ensure repopulation of the essential healthy bacteria to our intestines. When choosing your supplement, be very careful! Make sure the company has researched what bacteria our ancestors had. Make sure they’re providing you with the same amounts our ancestors consumed as well. Also, make sure your probiotic has NO MAGNESIUM STEARATE (a flow agent to load the capsules; can lead to a bile film in your intestines and block nutrient uptake) and NO TITANIUM DIOXIDE (a known cancer-causing agent). Finding a good high-quality probiotic will be a difficult task, but definitely worth it when you consider the benefits of restoring your gut to a healthy amount of life-promoting bacteria. I personally have found a brand I am very happy with, and would be happy to refer anyone to it. Please email me at eric@pierceresults.com!

Remember, health is your God-given right!

God bless!

"It's not my fault...it's genetic!!!"

OK, let’s dispel the genetics myth once and for all! I hear it every day, “Yes I do have high blood pressure (or cholesterol, or diabetes, or cancer, or, or, or…fill in the blank!)…but it runs in my family.” Folks, ask ANY geneticist when the last time our genome (genetic code) actually changed and you’ll get the same answer across the board. What do you think?...50 years ago?...100?...how about 1,000?...The last change to the human genome actually occurred around 40,000 years ago! What significance does this have to so-called “genetic” illness? Well, you need only look at the major killers today. Nearly everyone in America dies from either cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes/obesity related illness, and/or the medication they’re taking from any of the above. If you go back only 100 years, these diseases were nearly non-existent…let me say that again…they BARELY existed! Nowadays, almost no one dies from old age.

These are not genetic diseases! If they were, they would have been around for thousands of years! They are intelligent adaptations to the chronically stressful environments we place ourselves in day after day. Our body is genetically adapted to require a certain amount of physical activity, certain types of foods, and certain types of thoughts and emotions to express health properly. Without them, there is no drug or surgery that will EVER give this to you, and you almost certainly will die from one of the aforementioned conditions.

I don’t say this to discourage, but to empower! When you know the truth, it’s far easier to make the changes you need to improve the quantity and quality of your life. A geneticist will also tell you that it appears humans are genetically designed to live about 120 years…and what’s the average age people live to today…77? Pitiful!!! And this is not 77 years of health, happiness, and vitality. Typically this means 64 years of “functional” life. The last 13 years are usually dysfunctional and lacking in quality, not to mention filled with multiple drugs, frequent hospital stays, and a massive amount of money spent on it all.

So what’s the answer? Free healthcare for everyone?? That’s another post, but OF COURSE NOT!!! You have to find a doctor who understands the innate genetic requirements the body needs to express health and start implementing them! Turning a toxic and deficient body into one of purity and sufficiency is the ONLY way to avoid the pandemic of death plaguing our nation. No matter how much money and time is spent on the newest miracle drug or surgery, they will never work because neither move you closer to sufficiency or purity, and those are the ONLY things that can restore and preserve health!