This is a testimonial from one of my current patients and she asked me to share it with everybody.

I would like to tell my story and experience with Dr. Yaeger. I have been a diabetic for over 40 years. When I was younger, I was able to control it with diet and exercise. However, in my mid-to-late 40″s I needed to start taking oral medication. Three years ago, I had to begin taking insulin injections twice a day, and despite a healthy diet and active lifestyle, I have still not been able to get my sugars nor my weight under control. While researching my disease, I found that insulin has a tendency to put on weight. Along with the extra weight came an increased need for insulin. I felt like I was trapped in a vicious cycle.

I was referred to Dr. Yaeger by my daughter who was a patient of Dr. Yaeger’s and having good results.

During my first meeting with Dr. Yaeger, we discussed my goals for weight loss, lower blood sugars and my desire to stop taking insulin if possible. Dr. Yaeger asked me to start taking supplements, paying special attention to address concerns with my liver and pancreas. I was a bit skeptical of his findings, but was willing to participate in the program he prescribed. By the end of the program I was feeling much better, but saw little to no change in my weight and blood sugar levels. He reassured me this was normal.

Dr. Yaeger then asked if I would be willing to participate in a 21 day cleanse and start taking the supplement, Glysen to address my blood sugar concerns. I finished that program and the results are nothing short of AMAZING! I have lost 11 pounds, my blood sugar is lower and I am taking less insulin then before.

It is too early to have a blood test to see if my A1C levels have been lowered (this test is based on 3 month average, and is coming up soon). However, am inspired by the results and success I have experienced with Dr. Yaeger’s help, guidance and support. I am motivated to continue with my new ways and am confident that I will be off of insulin in the very near future.

I am blessed to have the best doctor in Walnut Creek caring for me.

Sincerely,
Judy Malone

There has been a lot of press and diagnosing of vitamin D deficiency recently (at least I have seen a steady increase in my office of patients being told by their M.D. that they are vitamin D deficient). So, what are some of the common symptoms, what is causing the steady increase and what is the best supplement/way to resolve the problem? As for the common symptoms there are a thousand web sites to give that info so I am going to just share the ones I think are most accurate and relevant.

Symptoms of Bone Pain and Muscle Weakness

Low blood levels of the vitamin have been associated with the following:

• Increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease
• Cognitive impairment in older adults
• Severe asthma in children
• Cancer
• depression
• chronic fatigue
• weight loss
• diabetes
• heart disease
• stroke
• osteoporosis

Some of the common causes of deficiency are:

• Limited exposure to sunlight can also be the cause. This is very easy to treat. Just go out more. Everyone lathers up the sun screen to the point that they aren’t getting enough sun.
• Your kidneys cannot change vitamin D into its active form. This comes with age. The older you get, the harder it becomes for your kidneys to do this process.
• You are overweight. Vitamin D is absorbed by fat cells which can lead to low levels of vitamin D in your body. Lose some weight, because if you don’t your bones will become more fragile.
• If you have dark skin, you should be aware that melanin in your skin reduces skin’s ability to produce vitamin D. Take a vitamin D supplement.

How to Get Vitamin D

As discussed earlier the SUN

Very few foods in nature contain vitamin D. The flesh of fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel) and fish liver oils are among the best sources [1,11]. Small amounts of vitamin D are found in beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks. Vitamin D in these foods is primarily in the form of vitamin D₃ and its metabolite 25(OH)D₃ [12]. Some mushrooms provide vitamin D₂ in variable amounts.

Supplements, and not the kind you get at Costco as discussed in earlier blogs. Don’t get me wrong, I love Costco but not for your vitamins. There are numerous types and brands out there on the market. As always we recommend you get them from your doctor/chiropractor acupuncturist etc. In our office, we use a few different brands and which ever brand tests well for that patient is what we suggest. The dose again needs to be determined on an individual basis. In my office, we will dose out what the patient needs so they don’t get too much or too little.

I hope this helps clear up some of what you may be hearing in the media and from your M.D.

I have had a rush of questions lately about the risks and health benefits of Coconut Milk. A lot of people are concerned about the fat content. DON’T be! First, most people are too focused on the fat content when they should be more worried about the sugar content of things. Coconut milk, oil, etc., while high in fat, is 2/3 medium chain – which means it is pushed straight to the liver where it is readily used for immediate energy and doesn’t have a chance to be stored as fat. Bodybuilders have been using and looking for good sources of “medium chain” fats for years. I found a good description for you to read.

Benefits of Coconut Oil

Nearly 50% of the fatty acid in natural coconut oil is lauric acid, which converts to the fatty acid monolaurin in the body. Monolaurin has adverse effects on a variety of microorganisms including bacteria, yeast, fungi, and enveloped viruses. It [monolaurin] destroys the lipid membrane of such enveloped viruses as HIV, measles, Herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), influenza and cytomegalovirus (CMV). The usefulness lauric acid/monolaurin in treating AIDS is currently under investigation. Lauric acid is a main component of human breast milk and helps protect children from illness during infancy.

Capric acid, which comprises another 7% of coconut oil fat content, also stimulates anti-microbial activity.

In other words: not only does coconut oil not cause heart problems, it is good for you. To quote Dr. Mary Enig: “The research over four decades concerning coconut oil in the diet and heart disease is quite clear: coconut oil has been shown to be beneficial.”(See endnote)

Coconut oil is a “functional food,” defined as a food that “provides a health benefit over and beyond the basic nutrients.”(See endnote) It is an immune-system enhancer.

For further reading: Mary G. Enig, Coconut: In Support of Good Health in the 21st Century. Also the Center for Research on Lauric Oils, Inc.

A personal note as a new parent: my son will be turning 1 on the 10th of August. Most sources of course now say you need to put them on Whole Milk. I don’t think so! Unless you are getting Raw Milk, which unfortunately, can be difficult to come by depending on where you live, but that is a topic for another day. We are going to be adding good healthy amounts of Coconut Milk to his diet.

Questions, concerns, comments? Feel free to email us.

It is by some sources the most common intestinal complaint for which people are referred to a gastroenterologist.

It is characterized by abdominal pain, gas, and bloating. Some people describe a full sensation even without eating too much. One of the main hallmark symptoms we see in our office are switching between constipation and diarrhea. The symptoms usually occur after meals, come and go and are temporarily reduced or relieved after a bowel movement. People with diarrhea will have frequent, loose, watery stools. They will often have an urgent need to have a bowel movement, which is difficult to control. Those with constipation will have difficulty passing stool, as well as less frequent bowel movements. They will often need to strain and will feel cramping with a bowel movement. Often, they do not eliminate any stool, or only a small amount.  Most people are diagnosed simply by their symptoms. Occasionally a doctor will run a few tests if there are other complicating factors to rule out things like Chron’s disease.

What causes it? UNKNOWN. Has been seen after an intestinal infection of some type, stress and appears to be more common in women. Something not seen in a lot of literature that we have seen a high correlation with in our office is women who are hypothyroid or pre-hypothyroid, meaning it appears to occur prior to a full blow case of hypothyroidism. There are associations with, as most things now: diet, alcohol, caffeine etc.

What to do about it? Medical approach is to simple attempt to relieve the symptoms and tell you that this may be a life long problem for you.

Current medications include:

• Anticholinergic medications (dicyclomine, propantheline, belladonna, and hyoscyamine) taken about a half-hour before eating to control colon muscle spasms
• Loperamide to treat diarrhea
• Low doses of tricyclic antidepressants to help relieve intestinal pain
• Lubiprostone for constipation symptoms
• Medications that relax muscles in the intestines

According to Public Med Health, you can look the above up and ALL of them have side effects some worse then the problem itself. Which also seems to be a common theme among many of the medications for conditions like these.

What we have found in our office is if you help the person’s thyroid many of there IBS symptoms go away. My sister had IBS for 10 years once we helped her thyroid with natural supplements and a few diet changes of foods that she was sensitive to her symptoms where GONE. A natural product we use in office called Iodomere from Standard Process has really helped.

I came to Dr. Yaeger to head off all the symptoms that my older friends were having with menopause. They all said they wished they knew to get healthier before it’s onset. I was starting to experience sleeping difficulties and didn’t like the grogginess that even low doses of over-the-counter sleep aids caused. I just assumed this was my “early signs.” Little did I know, my adrenal system was extremely off balance. After about a three weeks of natural supplements to support my body’s self-healing, I began sleeping like a rock. Even if I wake in the night, I can go right back to sleep now.

Additionally, I always thought that stress was “who I am” and it couldn’t be avoided running my own business and a busy family. Getting my over-active adrenal system under control has been eye-opening. Now, I wonder how long it’s been this way. While I still have a very busy life and growing business, I can weather unexpected challenges a lot better.

If you are “stressed out” or “not sleeping” you need to see Dr. Gary.

Paula

I had a patient today ask me the difference between PCP and SCP on her insurance card, besides the extra amount in the copay. PCP stands for primary care physician and SCP stands for specialist care physician. We as Chiropractors are now considered to be a SPECIALIST. It wasn’t long ago that Chiropractors were not being treated as real doctors. We were considered “alternative care”. In other words, if a medical doctor couldn’t help with medications then you might as well try Chiropractic care. We were lumped in with Massage Therapy as an either-or scenario. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good deep tissue massage and they have great therapeutic benefits when used properly, but massage therapists are not doctors and can not diagnosis a person’s condition.

Chiropractors have now become known as the “back specialists”. While we are, we are more then that. Chiropractors are really more specialists of the nervous system as we work on relieving the pressure on the nerves that are causing you the pain that you feel. We also work on more then just the lowback and neck. So next time you are experiencing pain in the neck, lowback or any other joint you might want to seek out a Chiropractor first instead of waiting till other things have failed.

You should also know that Chiropractors can’t fix everything like some like to believe and if it is something we shouldn’t be treating or is out of our scope of practice we will make sure to get you to the appropriate doctor.

I am constantly being asked if sugar is really that bad for you. The answer is YES! It is up there in the top 10 problems affecting the overall health of our country. There are so many adverse effects associated with sugar that we need to break it down into different categories on what it does to the body.

141 Reasons Why – For a really complete list you can check out the full list here compiled by Nancy Appleton, PhD. Today, lets focus on sugar and your IMMUNE system since we are in the cold and flu season and I have definitely seen an increase in the number of patients that I have been performing Chiropractic and Nutrition Response Therapy work for in need of help to get over their sugar addictions.

Sugar raises insulin levels and reduces growth hormone levels, which in turn depresses the immune system equaling an increase risk of bacterial infection. Oh and by the way, Emergen-C is not the route to go. If you look at the first ingredient under total carbohydrates it is sugar – 6g per packet. So eliminate the sugar and help fight and prevent those “bugs”.

“In 2005 I began to feel very tired for no apparent reason; at least nothing was apparent to me.  I didn’t notice my fatigue until I started training for my first marathon.  After each training session, I would go home exhausted and take a nap.  My naps would last for 3+ hours!  I would wake up feeling fatigued and often take another nap.  Also, I noticed that I was gaining weight!  The gain in weight made no sense; after all I was training for a marathon and since when does Marathon = weight gain?

Finally when I went to see PCP (primary care physician), I mentioned the unusual weight gain (and we aren’t talking about one or two pounds, try 15 to 20) and that I was tired all the time.  His solution: exercise more and get to bed early!  I bought into it and didn’t press the issue any further because he was my doctor.  Unfortunately, I only continued to suffer from fatigue, weight gain, and abnormal menses well into the next year.  I wasn’t until I saw my nurse practitioner at my gynecologist’s office that I felt heard!  She ordered the appropriate blood tests and the results were that I had hypothyroidism!  I was relived because I knew that I could finally get a drug to make me feel better.

When I told Gary, he mentioned that there were other solutions that were safer and healthier.  I started taking my prescribed medication and did notice a difference; however it wasn’t until I started treatments with Gary that I began to feel great! I admit the whole hold your arm up and apply pressure muscle/organ stress test is a little weird but it works!

Gone are the days marathon naps, waking in the middle of the night to polish off a couple of bottles of water, and absent menses!  My naps are no longer than an hour and – the best part – I wake up feeling rested and awake!  My hair is softer, and I’m starting to lose the weight!!!!!!!  There was a period of time while I was first taking the medication that I thought I’d never lose the weight and I’d continue to be tired; however taking the organic supplements Gary has suggested is actually working!

As my body heals the amount of supplements I need reduces.  The supplements enable your body to be self sufficient without drugs.  As children we instinctively knew when we weren’t feeling well and as adults, we tend to let our bodies and health suffer.  Not anymore, thanks to Gary I feel like me again!”

Tabitha

“Some people call it colic, fussy baby, GERD, acid reflux or any number of things.  Regardless of what it was referred to- I knew Cailyn was in pain.  Even after going to a specialist, she was still miserable, arching her back, crying all the time and unable to keep food down.  Dr. Yaeger was able to pinpoint the source of the pain for Cailyn and prescribe a treatment plan for us to follow.  She quickly showed signs of relief from her discomfort and we were finally able to see our baby smile!

Thank you!!!”

Curtis, Stacie and Cailyn

“Before I began the Nutrition Response Testing program, I had gained weight over the last five years and was very unhappy about it.  Nothing seemed to work, I wasn’t seeing enough results with exercise alone.  I am now three and a half months into the Nutrition Response Testing program and I have lost half of the amount of weight I wanted to lose.  I feel better about myself (self-esteem) and I know my body is healthier, due to supplements I take.  Dr. Yaeger put me on a diet, which did take some getting used to, but has worked very well and is not hard to stay on.  I now shop at a local farmers market each week and in general I buy healthier foods and spend more time in the produce section of the supermarket.  It just takes determination.  I am very grateful for Dr. Yaeger’s helpful advice and enthusiasm.”

Cheryl