You have mentioned using “good” vitamins and herbs. Could you tell me what brand(s) you suggest? Thank you!

The best brands are marketed only to health professionals (and these are the brands I use on the website).

I have taken great care in designing the Primivia supplement line that is available on this website, incorporating the key ingredients in the most beneficial products on the market.  There are also some good quality supplements among the network marketing programs; however, I would have to examine their ingredients in order to give you an assessment of each individual brand.  I have had many readers frequently share their product information with me (often several readers share the same products with me). My decision is to recommend the successful treatment options I have personally tried.

Health food stores would probably be your next best option. Your least desirable options would be regular grocery stores and pharmacies. Buying on the internet will give you all the range of qualities, and you are dealing with unknowns unless you have a proven source in which you are confident.

Almost any option is better than taking no supplements, although there remains the concern about toxic metals found in them (mercury, lead, arsenic). The lower quality brands are not as careful about extracting harmful substances, or not letting them into the product during processing.

I need to change eating habits as well as exercise more to better control my weight and health. I have been reading your articles and now wonder how big a part of my weight issue is my fibromyalgia and thoracic outlet syndrome issues. For years I have felt bloated and like I was retaining fluid no matter how much water I drank to try to stay well hydrated and hopefully not retain fluid. How can I beat my own body’s internal functioning?

Let’s look first at your final sentence in your question: How can I beat my own body’s internal functioning?  An important part of healing and getting your body back into balance, with weight and with health in general, is to recognize your partnership role with your body in being healthy.  You and your body are not at war, even if it may seem so at times when you struggle with health issues.  But start thinking of your body as a beloved, faithful servant, doing what you bid it.  When we are unhealthy, the signals can be messed up, but your body is doing its best to keep you alive and well.

Thoracic outlet syndrome is impingement of nerves coming out of the neck. The pressure or impingement needs to be relieved, or there is pain on movement of the arm or shoulder. The less the overall movement of any joint, the less complete the whole body is.

Lack of movement will contribute to weight gain. Massage therapy, physical therapy, energy work (Jin Shin Jyutsu, acupuncture, frequency generators like FSM) may be able to release the pressure.

Fibromyalgia has so many possible causes, that it would be difficult to know what is the chicken and what is the egg as far as weight gain and poor health. One consideration is the possibility of a cervical disc injury causing both the thoracic outlet syndrome and fibromyalgia. If you were in a car accident or fall (or even aggressive raking or shoveling) months before the start of these problems, then that should be considered. The best and most successful treatment I have encountered in my practice is with the FSM machine. The diagnosis is also confirmed by measuring response to the first few treatments with the machine.

I’m looking at your website and love it…… however my problem is needing to lose weight and keep it off. There is so much information to go through but I have no idea what would be specific for me. I live in Mesa, AZ. Is there someone here that you could recommend that could assess my needs?

Thank you for the compliment  We will be offering an on-line program to get healthy and get your weight into balance, called Ease on Down. It will be launched in the next few weeks, so watch for my announcements and emails as the date approaches.

Regarding your question about a doc in Arizona, I don’t know of a person in Arizona to recommend, although the state is very open to alternative-minded physicians and naturopaths.  However, I’d love to meet you and work with you, and Utah is a short (and scenic) drive away.

I have a 48 year old brother with diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. He is in constant pain and never gets a decent night’s sleep. He also suffers from depression,. Though he manages to put on a good front for church responsibilities, he hasn’t worked in years. Are you taking new patients? Do you accept most insurance plans? I would love to refer him to you. He lives in SLC.

I am in the process of transitioning my practice to a site in Sandy called Healing Solutions Medical Center. It is now open for appointments.

Because the majority of what I do is outside the box of the insurance industry, pharmaceutical industry and conventional medicine, we cannot accept insurance. However, the billing codes can be used to get personal reimbursement as an out-of-network provider. Call 801-565-3755 to get more information.

By the way, just as a little side note, here’s how I look at insurance reimbursement: Your body is the only one you get.  It’s worth paying whatever it takes to be healthy and well–even if that means out of pocket expenses.  You’d do the same if your car broke down, right?  (You can replace your car, but not your body)  Just a little food for thought  Dr. Stan

How do I exercise with so little available time?

I have some great news for you!  You do NOT need to spend hours at the gym, sweating and straining and taking time away from things you would rather do.

The Ease on Down program reviews the various options for exercise.  For weight loss, new research is showing that the best way to lose fat for hours after exercising is through short spurts of maximal exertion exercise.  Each spurt takes less than 60 seconds to do (if you can do it longer, you are not exerting hard enough).

You need to do 4 of these spurts per day, 3 to 4 days per week.  These can be done over a 15 minute block of time at a gym or at home, or can be split up at 4 different times during the day–before work, lunch, after work, evening.  Everyone has 4 minutes per day for exercise.

How do I eat on the run?

You would be better off not eating than eating on the run.

When you eat on the run, your body is in hyperdrive, and your sympathetic nervous system is active.  This is the system that decreases gastric acid and pancreatic enzyme production, and inhibits the gall bladder from contracting to release bile to assist in fat digestion.

While you’re eating on the run, the intestinal tract is also slowed down.  When the food and bile from the gall bladder stays longer in the GI tract, more toxins are reabsorbed.

When you relax and take time to enjoy each bite, even if only a few bites, then the parasympathetic nervous system is more active and assists the GI tract at all levels of food breakdown and absorption.

If food is worth eating, take the time to prepare it, sit down, and enjoy it.  If you’re out and about when it’s time to eat, perhaps you can plan ahead and take a healthy picnic lunch with you.  Stop at a beautiful place and relax while you enjoy your meal.

Dear Healthy Thinkers,

I have accepted a position as Medical Director at Healing Solutions, a primary care facility, located at 9274 South 300 West, Sandy, Utah 84070.  I’d love to see you and care for you and your loved ones, providing them with healthy alternatives to drugs and surgery as your first treatment options.  (Of course, there is a place for drugs and surgery, but we’ll work with strengthening your immune system before we try invasive pharmaceuticals).

I’ll keep you updated as we initiate lecture series, cooking classes, health coaching, massage therapy, and a host of other wonderful options to help you become healthy and stay healthy, and get your energy levels up.

To schedule an appointment, call my office at (801) 565-3755.

My gratitude and love to all of my Ohio and Eastern patients.  I’ll miss you, and hope to see you whenever you travel to the West.  Blessings and health to all!

Dr. Stan

Yesterday’s post was not posted !  So here is the info from yesterday, followed by the answer to today’s question.  Just scroll down to read about stress and weight gain.

I am 79 yrs old, not fat (129lb), but I do have some belly fat. Is there any way to get rid of that? I do work out at a fitness center or ride a bike 15 miles 5 or 6 days a week.

The best way to burn fat, that keeps burning after exercise, is to do what I call spurts. Trainers call it HIIT (high intensity interval training). This is a timed exercise in which you do maximal exertion for 30 to 60 seconds. If you can keep going for longer than 60 seconds, it is not hard enough. If you do 4 to 8 of these per day, but only 3 to 4 days per week, you will discover the belly fat disappearing. Of course, you can’t be eating sugar or a lot of carbs, because that will put on more fat.