Part 2 My Journey to repair my good hip

Part 2 My Journey to repair my good hip

Two weeks ago I wrote the first in a series of blogs detailing my journey to repair my good hip.  You can read the first blog here.  In my previous blog I promised to share with you the different body types and some of the foods that I am using.

One of the biggest factors to poor health is chronic inflammation.  It contributes to every chronic health issue that modern medicine is attempting to deal with.  This includes joint health!  Our joints are impacted by chronic inflammation within our body and after years of dealing with it begins to lose the battle.  Rid the body of chronic inflammation and you can heal the body.

When my wife Susanne started to delve into the new personalized health program the first thing they asked was to get a profile.  This included measurements over various parts of the body as well as family history and current health circumstances.  Once this health profile is completed it goes into the database and provides an overall view of your body type.  There are 6 key body types.  Guardian, Diplomat, Activator, Connector, Sensor and Crusader.

Based on this profile and the body type that identifies with you the database sets what food are suited best for you and what food are best to avoid.  This seems so simple yet for most people the realization that certain foods are no longer on their “list” of good to eat they can find it very difficult.  It is often hard to let go of past habits to create new ones.  The real question then becomes…just how serious am I about my health and vitality…??

For me I was very serious about my health and vitality!!  I have the mindset that living to 100 should be everyone’s goal.

I was identified as an activator.  Along with that came a new food plan.  I started to eat foods that would help me to rid the chronic inflammation in my body.  Kale and spinach were my new everyday friends along with chives, artichoke hearts, carrots, potatoes and just about any dark green you can think of.  Interesting though, Swiss chard was not one of my new food friends.  In fact it was not recommended at all.  All the foods I have listed would help me to reduce inflammation in my body and as well provide vital nutrients such as vitamins, minerals such as sulfur which helps with joint health.  There are many other benefits such as being anti-fungal, which can help with nail fungus. Eating these foods also helps to create alkalinity which is great for tendons and joints.  Each food has it’s own nutritional super power that are there to help with my specific needs.  There were many fruits that were recommended but not everyday.  Some 4 to 5 times a week and some only once a week.  Protein such as animal protein were recommended only a few times a week.  For instance chicken was suggested to be 2-3 times a week.  Beef such as steak once a week.  Many different types of fish once or twice a week.  I would not go hungry!  Everyday I ate the foods that were rated excellent for me.  Plenty of salads, potatoes, egg whites, sunflower seeds and so on.

One of my favorite ways to get my Kale and Spinach is by making a green smoothie every morning with them in it.  Here is the recipe.

  • Kale 30 grams
  • Spinach 30 grams
  • Artichoke hearts 100 grams
  • Papaya 80 grams
  • Hemp seeds 30 grams
  • Pineapple to taste
  • fresh root ginger 10 grams
  • coconut water or plain filtered water 150 mil
  • egg whites 80 mil
  • grated nutmeg to taste

On the flip side the foods I needed to avoid were processed sugars, alcohol, caffeine, all sweets, junk food, pop, simple carbohydrate foods like white rice, all types of cheese, dairy, bread, chicken livers, and so on. For me it was an easy thing to do because I am highly motivated to have my other hip be healthy.  My “why” when it comes to health is very strong.

There have been times along the way that may have felt a little deprived but it did not take me long to get back on track.  Results helped!

So it began on May 21st, 2017. In the first 2 weeks I started to lose weight very quickly.  My starting weight was 175 and if you looked at me you would think I was at my ideal weight.  After 2 weeks i had lost 5 pounds and was closing in on breaking 170.  I made sure that i was eating lots of food.  My caloric intake remained high and water was an important part of the process drinking at least 8 full glasses of water everyday.  On June 14th I was 165 so in just over 3 weeks I had lost 10 pounds.  My hip was not “firing” like it was only a few short weeks earlier.  I experimented with different ways to cook my excellent foods and found that I started to really like my early morning shakes.  By the end of June I was down another 5 pounds for a total weight lose of 15 pounds!  Remember I was eating like crazy!  My caloric intake was high yet I was losing weight.  It is amazing what happens to the body when it gets the right food.  The pounds were just melting off and my hip was no longer “firing”.

In July I had a birthday and wedding anniversary so I celebrated by having a few of the food and drink that are on my avoid list.  So we celebrated with some champagne and a few beer along with bread and so on. The celebrations were a ton of fun!  It is not what you do once in awhile but what you do most of the time that determines the success or failure of just about anything.  By the end of July I had lost a total of 18 pounds and through the month of August have remained at this weight.  It seems my body has found the right set point and my hip has not “fired” at anytime in the last month.

Losing the weight has been an eye opener for me.  I am at the weight I was 30 years ago.  My hip is feeling better than it has since I started to experience symptoms 18 months ago.  I feel that I am on the right track to full recovery!

In my next blog I will detail other factors this program addresses such as what type of fitness program is right for your body type and what is the best environment for you to live in.  This is a complete personalized health program that is tailored to you and only you!  There are subtle variations for each and every person who does this program.  This is why it works so well.

Yours in Health,

John OneHipGuy

My journey to repair my good hip

My journey to repair my good hip

As you may already know I had a right hip replacement in 2012. I had an accident with and ATV in 2002 and over the next 10 years my right hip deteriorated to the point hat I needed to take action. All was good in the world and I resumed a vibrant healthy life.

18 months ago I started to notice some issues with my left hip. Needless to say I was not amused. I would find that from time to time it would “catch” which be like a lightning bolt that would shoot down my leg. I would go about my day knowing that at some point this lightning bolt would strike. It was an unpleasant feeling knowing it was coming but not knowing when.

I am very aware of health and live a healthy lifestyle so this made having another issue with my other hip frustrating.

My wife Susanne is always looking at opportunities to improve health and came across a program that she thought might help. We went to the conference and retreat and I was given a protocol on what to do.

Over the next few blogs I will detail my journey using this protocol and what effect it had on me.

So lets start from the beginning. We attended a 3 day conference to learn more about the program and how integrated it is. I was fascinated by the amount of detail that goes into this process. What I learned is that we are not all created the same and there are different body types that influence the food we should eat, the environment we should live in, what type of fitness program is best for us, how we think and how we should utilize it, how our natural tendencies are during social interaction and how to use it effectively and what our natural talents are and whether we are using them to their fullest.

The program looks at many different factors to establish what your body type is. Some of the ones that intrigued me are: Ayurvedic medicine (“Ayurveda” for short) is one of the world’s oldest holistic (“whole-body”) healing systems. It was developed more than 3,000 years ago in India. It’s based on the belief that health and wellness depend on a delicate balance between the mind, body, and spirit. Another area, Chinese medicine is a style of traditional medicine informed by modern medicine but built on a foundation of more than 2,500 years of Chinese medical practice that includes various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage (tui na), exercise (qigong), and dietary therapy. It also looks at Orthomolecular medicine is the restoration and maintenance of health through the administration of adequate amounts of substances that are normally present in the body. Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling, one of the leading molecular chemists of the century, established this definition of orthomolecular medicine in 1968. The aging process is typically accelerated as a result of free radical exposure, frequent or chronic inflammation, and toxic exposures (such as to heavy metals or industrial and agricultural hydrocarbons). Reversing this process or slowing it down is one goal of orthomolecular therapy, along with treatment of health problems. Also included is Epigenetics. A simple definition of epigenetics is it essentially affects how genes are read by cells, and subsequently how they produce proteins.

It was determined that when I had my ATV accident in 2002 that I not only broke some ribs, dislocated my shoulder but that I also injured my liver. My blood work showed that my liver enzymes were high but not past the threshold of “normal”. When the fingertip pulse oximeter was put on my left index finger the reading was normal, however when the right hand index finger was used there was NO reading! I told them that my right index finger gets cold quite frequently. When asked how long I had this cold finger I could not recall but I suspect it was after my ATV accident. This lead to the conclusion that the liver was not functioning at its highest level and that my electrical system was not functioning properly on my right side.

Starting May 21st I incorporated a diet that was specific for my body type with an emphasis on my hip issue. I will discuss the different body types in a later blog. I weighed 175 pounds and am 5 ft 9 inches tall.

I have been using this protocol for almost 90 days and have lost 18 pounds to date and my hip issues have slowly disappeared! I am excited by the results with renewed hope that I am on the right track to have a healthy hip and lifestyle.

In my next blog I will detail the different body types and as well my diet. It is my hope that incorporating a program like this using Ayurvedic, orthomolecular and epigenetics as the base can perhaps be a solution for any of you looking for answers.

Yours in health

John Onehipguy

Detox and regenerate

Detox and regenerate

There are many reports about doing detox programs.  Some are positive and some are not so positive.

I am a big believer in detoxing the body, however we can do this effectively without going overboard!

The benefits of doing a detox program is that once completed you will feel more energized, less foggy, sleep better, eliminate better and you may even lose weight!  Those are some pretty good reasons to do a detox.

First most people today eat a diet of highly processed foods, over abundance of sugar, and too much caffeine and alcohol.  This is the starting point in doing a detox.  Should you decide that you would like to detox it be wise to consult your physician, especially if you have health issues to begin with.

Here are some basic steps to help you.

  1. First get rid of the processed foods, minimize sugar, cut out caffeine and alcohol.
  2. Drink 1/2 lemon in tepid water with cayenne pepper every morning to help create an alkaline body.
  3. Have a protein shake to start your day.  https://shop.usana.com/shop/spring/shopping/productDetail?ProductID=209.020100#.VsYNb_krJaQ
  4. Eat fruits and vegetables.  Fruit in the morning preferably and vegetables afternoon and evening.  It would be best to have some of the vegetables cooked slightly as well.
  5. Drink 1/2 of your ideal body weight in water in ounces..  For example…your ideal weight is 160 then you drink 80 ounces a day.  Preferably purified water.
  6. Massage your lymphatic points to aid in the release of toxins.  Use a dry brush before you shower to help get the lymphatic system moving.  http://www.lymphatichealth.com/skin-brushing/
  7. Eat one major meal a day that includes a good protein source.  Free range chicken, organic beef, deep water fish like Salmon or Mahi Mahi.
  8. Have small healthy snacks that have no sugar like blanched almonds.
  9. Do not eat past 8 PM.
  10. Follow a moderate exercise program 3-4 times a week.
  11. Breathe!  practice some deep belly breathing to help get the stale air out of the lungs and fill it with new fresh air.  Do this many times over the course of a day.  It will help you to de-stress too.

Some of the side effects of doing a detox is that you may experience headaches.  This is normal especially if you are addicted to sugar or caffeine.  Your body will go through a withdrawal.  Drink plenty of water to help remove the toxins that are being released into the blood stream.  You may go to bathroom more.  Again this is normal.  The body is eliminating toxins.  We should be eliminating 2-3 times a day however many people eliminate 2-3 times a week!  This is a huge problem on you vital organs as they have to work much harder to filter more toxins that should have eliminated a long time ago!

You can search out all kinds of programs to detox your body.  I prefer to keep it pretty simple.  Whole food and proper balanced diet are your best options, however you can kick start a detox with a program I recommend called the Reset. https://shop.usana.com/shop/spring/shopping/productDetail?ProductID=251.020001#.VsYPJ_krJaQ

Its only 5 days and it enables you to start to lose the sugar cravings while incorporating you fruits and vegetables over a period of 5 days.  After this 5 day program then you follow the steps I have listed above.

The best way to detox and in turn lose weight is to find products that will serve you the best way possible.  If you are on the go and shake is the best start to your day then make sure it is a good one.  If you have the time to make a wholesome breakfast then this will be best for you.  Be mindful of the hidden dangers of many of the processed foods.  Eat as clean as you can!

Yours in health,

 

John – One Hip Guy

 

Why did the organic chicken cross the road?

Why did the organic chicken cross the road?

There is increasing concern over what actually goes in our food.  More and more consumers have forced the manufactures to disclose just what goes into our food.  Legislation has forced the improvement of labeling on the products we buy, yet there are still areas that are of concern.

Take chicken for example.  I recently was in a store that promoted free-range chicken, organic chicken, and the conventional chicken.  Okay so I ask myself which one should I be eating?  I did some homework and found that the free-range chicken most likely was not organic since the feed it ate would  be genetically modified and that the definition of free range is somewhat controversial.  In order to label chicken as free-range, producers must demonstrate through affidavits or testimonials that their poultry have free, continuous access to the outdoors for more than half of their lives. The free-range label is slightly controversial, since some producers insist that the label applies even if the birds do not actually go outdoors very much or at all — they merely need the option to go outside.

So lets take a look at the Organic chicken. Law states that it must be fed only certified organic feed, which is grown without artificial fertilizers or pesticides, from the time they are two days old. They may not receive hormones or antibiotics at any time, though they may receive vaccinations to prevent common diseases. Though they may be kept inside temporarily for specific purposes like medical treatment or to protect the quality of soil or water, they must be given reasonable access to the outdoors.

Scientific research does not clearly show any health or nutritional benefits from eating organic or free-range chicken versus conventionally-raised chicken. Nonetheless, consumers’ perception of nutritional superiority continues to drive much of the demand for certified organic and free-range poultry.   

Another key factor in deciding which chicken to eat is cost.  Organic and free range chicken costs significantly more simply because of the increased growing period.  A conventional chicken will be in the local store in 30-40 days.  An organic and free range chicken will be in the local store in 60-70 days.

Given all of the data that I have gone though the deciding factor for me is eating as clean as possible.  Since I have a hip replacement I take what I put in my body very seriously.  I believe the less stress I put on my immune system the better long term.  What eating clean means is eating chicken that has no added hormones, antibiotics, etc.  It also means eating a chicken that has been treated as humanely as possible.

So eating Organic Chicken is the only way to go for me, yet that my not be the case for all of you!

So why did the Organic Chicken cross the road?   You Tell Me!  I look forward to your answers!

 

Yours in health,

John – One Hip Guy