Natural Pesticide

Natural Pesticide:

In a world where a newborn’s cord blood assessment, only a few minutes old, reveals approximately 270 different chemicals, a child who has not even had a chance to live for 24 hrs, it is paramount to assure that (s)he is exposed to as little chemicals as possible.

I garden, I have free range chickens and ducks and live on a farm. One of the lucky Orange County residents who is fortunate enough to find a place to call home in the suburb, close to the city and practice and yet, far enough to stay clear of the hectic city life. Dealing with weeds and pests is a daily agenda for me so I have made it my mission to learn more about the natural ways to combat the unwanted!! The first thing to emphasize is that no matter what, you simply do NOT give in to the chemicals; that means that you pretend to live as if the chemical alternative is not an option. You will be amazed at how quickly, with the help of internet and wonderful consumers and advocates for ‘clean’ living, you can find the alternative. You have to be patient. The chemical alternatives are there with ONE purpose and only ONE agenda-- to kill the weed or the pest no matter what. They do a great job performing that goal but at what cost?!!

So in my farm, I use old card board boxes, spread open the veggie garden to keep the weeds out when resting the soil. The winter rain makes them a great compost after all. I use a combination of vinegar, epson salt and mild dish soap to spray the weeds that grow on my patio. By the way, many weeds host the perfect ground for Lady bugs which are perfect for Aphids who can attack my roses or other plants including my Citrus trees.

For pests, I actually acquired two kittens that do an amazing job scaring, key word: scaring because they have not mastered the art of hunting yet, the pests. Ants are a big problem and I use borax mixed with sugar water at the point of entry to the house. My goal is to keep them live outside while we have the inside as our territory. I consult my all time favorite Facebook reference, ‘Ask the Bugman’, who is a wealth of information, a very generous individual out of New Mexico who generously offers his help to EVERYONE, free of charge (yes nice people do exist). He explains in detail the purpose  of each pest, how to naturally deal with them and simply a great reference to consult when need be.

I hope you find this blog helpful and remember to share it with your friends as together we WILL make a difference.

Dr. Mamak Shakib

High Cholesterol, Saturated or unstaturated oil for cooking?

Hate to break this to you but all this time, cooking with vegetable oil was a fallacy the general public was fed. Let's explore this a little! Saturated fat, a solid fat, is the most stable fat therefore it does not break down as easily. For cooking, this is a great feature to look for. The best saturated fat is the animal fat from a pasture raised mammal that eats the type of food nature intended for it! If that is not an option, then coconut oil is the next best option. As for olive oil or grape seed oil, they are great over your salad or when cooked at a super low temperatures.

Seek the right advice from the right expert- your PCP is an MD trained in medication and not nutrition. What you hear in the media has gone through many filters most of which is not intended to check for the accuracy of information but rather some company or entity's gain. Use the internet to educate and empower yourself and question all that you hear.

Next time you go shopping, look for the solid oil to cook and start seeing an improvement in your over health soon after.

Dr. Mamak Shakib

http://ensurewellness.com

Providing Chiropractic/Massage/Functional/Hormone therapy/Nutritional counseling/EFT/Cold Laser all under one roof

Is this Sciatica or something else?

Most patients with pain in their glutes, extending down to any part of the back of their leg (thigh, above or below knee area, or all the way to their ankles) either self diagnose or are told by their family doctor, or an orthopedist that they have Sciatica. Here I am telling you that THAT is not necessarily true. Piriformis Syndrome mimics Sciatica very closely in that there is pain going anywhere between the glutess to the back of the thigh above the knee. I have seen it even at times go slightly below the knee but not extend down to the ankle necessarily. The cause: tightness and trigger points in the Piriformis muscle which is one of the muscles in the gluteal (Buttock) region. This is not a nerve issue (Sciatica involves the Sciatic nerve) but as far as pain goes, patient feels intense pain in the region.

Treatment includes seeing your chiropractor since the guarding to stay clear of the pained site causes misalignment of the spine and pelvic region which leads to stress of all muscles including the Piriformis muscle (the perpetrator of the pain in this case), stretching the muscles of the region (Piriformis, Tensor Fascia Lata, Quadratus Lumborum, Quads and Hamstrings), and massage. I have had a great success doing Ultrasound-EMS combo on the patient for approximately 4-6 sessions prior to the patient's adjustment. Prevention: includes daily stretching of the area, getting up and moving around for a few minutes every 45-50 minutes, maintenance adjustments by your chiropractor to keep everything aligned.

Hope this helps:-)

Dr. Mamak Shakib

http://ensurewellness.com

Providing Chiropractic/Massage/Functional/Hormone therapy/Nutritional counseling/EFT/Cold Laser all under one roof

My weight loss has plateaued. How can I jump start it?

This can certainly be discouraging and a turning point for worse for many who wish to lose weight and keep it off for good.

While aerobic exercise was at its height back in the 80s and early 90s, it is really not the best exercise if you wish to lose weight. If you think about it, it is best to do things as close to natural as possible. Running, jump roping, or doing activities like that for 30 minutes or more is NOT what our old ancestors did. They generally had a hunter-gatherer life style. That means short term super fast followed by a period of rest (they could not get away from the 'lion' chasing them if they did not run fast but they also could not have run fast for too long or they'd pass out!!). With that said, the best exercise is Interval Training of super fast aerobic exercise for 90 seconds, followed by a 30 second rest done 8-9 times in a row: it is quick, fun, burns fat quickly and activates the super fast muscle fibers that deal with the Growth Hormone which  leads to fat loss.

Have a blast doing this exercise, do know that no potion or lotion is going to get the fat off of you and make you not only look but feel healthy. It is a process and not an event no matter what 'they' try to sell you on TV or magazine!!
Hugs,

Dr. Mamak Shakib

http://ensurewellness.com

Providing Chiropractic/Massage/Functional/Hormone therapy/Nutritional counseling/EFT/Cold Laser all under one roof

Headaches: How to prevent them naturally

Many people today suffer from headaches, majority of which are MIS-LABLED migraine headaches because of the severity of the pain. Most headaches are in fact Tension or Suboccipital or Stress Headaches with the source of the pain coming from the back of the head where the head connects to the neck. Unfortunately our life style of using computers and seated positions contribute heavily to these types of headaches.
Solution: Chiropractic Adjustment which will bring the function back to the vertebral area in the region, taking away the tension caused by the muscles. In most cases, there is an immediate pain relief for the headache. Stretching is also very important and need to be specifically geared toward the very base of the neck. Proper positioning in front of the computer AND proper use of your pillow when sleeping are to be looked into as well.
Headaches take away fun out of life and can make one miserable so stop taking those quick fixes and look into a long term solution. BTW, if you suffer from chronic headache, talk to your chiropractor to get an MRI to rule out any thing serious like a tumor!!

Hope this helps and do know that you are in charge of your own health and life so start today.

Dr. Mamak Shakib

http://ensurewellness.com

Providing Chiropractic/Massage/Functional/Hormone therapy/Nutritional counseling/EFT/Cold Laser all under one roof

Natural approach to address seasonal flu

This is a commonly asked question in my office. I'd like to remind everyone that it is not the presence of germs that cause disease but the absence of STRONG immune system that allows one to be the suitable 'host' for that germ to reside. Common sense here tells us that instead of fighting a germ, one germ at a time, let's work on strengthening our immune system!
This is a multi-faceted approach and here is the list:
1. Sleep plenty (not necessarily the 8 hour rule-- we can't put everyone under one formula for goodness sake)
2. Eat less but quality food. That means meat too!!! Yes, quality meat is free roam, grass eating animal. None of that factory farm set up. Of course, organic veggies and fruit (you can have your own even in an apt.)
3. Take Olive Leaf Extract/ colostrum. I really like the first one because it is a major anti microbial
4. Organic Apple Cider viniger
5. Get adjusted by a Chiropractor. Your sympathetic nervous system ( a part of your autonomic nervous system) resides in your mid back and is in charge of disease. Mid back (Thoracic spine) adjustment will take care of that.
6. Vitamin D orally or a full body exposure to the sun for about 20 minutes a day if you live in OC
7. Vitamin A. This is another vitamin that has not hit the media yet but watch, it will!!
8. I like high doses of Vitamin C (non-Costco type please)!! My favorite is called Methoxyzyme and works like magic.
9. Do daily relaxation techniques like Theta or Meditation but whatever you choose, give yourself 10 minutes of your day. You are SO worth it.

That's all I can think of before going in to see patients:-)

Hugs and do know that you are in charge of your own health and life.
Dr S.


http://ensurewellness.com

Providing Chiropractic/Massage/Functional/Hormone therapy/Nutritional counseling/EFT/Cold Laser

Is this a pinched nerve or something else?

Occasionally patients come in with the complaint of pinched nerve but most often it is not a true case of nerve impingement. The most common area is the neck with pain shooting down the upper back and arm and sometimes to the hand. There are multiple issues that can have similar symptoms that need to be ruled out. For instance since the nerves existing the neck region go to the muscles of the upper back and shoulder as well as the arm, forearm and hands, any IRRITATION (not necessarily impingement) in that area can lead to pain in those areas. Also, lactic acid build up can cause false pain in the region. While the first rib should start at the very first thoracic (mid back) vertebra, occasionally it may start where the last cervical (neck) vertebra ends. If the area is inflamed and the muscles are tight in that area, one may experience similar symptoms. The best thing to do is to come in and get checked. Depending on your examination, the cause of your problem (vs just the symptoms of your impingement) is addressed. At my office, I give life style recommendations, including proper sleeping methods (for that you'd need to bring in your pillow so I get to see how you use your pillow) are made so you don't feel the pain again.

Shoot an email or call me at the office if you have any questions. Check me out and my office at 

http://ensurewellness.com

Providing Chiropractic, Massage, Functional/Hormone therapy/Nutritional counseling/EFT/Cold Laser