Never forget you are a Lamborghini not a Honda Civic

The idea that what we put in our mouths can affect us physically is totally alien for many new clients I meet. When I ask people about their various ailments they normally attribute quite logically to something else they are doing or put it down to being that just happens normally. Here are a few examples:

• Having a neck and shoulder tension is due to sitting at the computer too long.
• Losing hair in the shower or during brushing.
• Having dry skin in the winter.
• Having pins and needles in their arms or hands because they sleep on their arm.
• Feeling anxious just because I've always been like that.

These are all plausible explanations but if you are experiencing all of these symptoms then they are signs to the trained medical eye that your thyroid may well be inflamed and as a result is under functioning.

If there is inflammation in your body then in my experience the most common reason for this is that you are eating or drinking something your body does not like. You have a food sensitivity. The way I explain food sensitivities to clients is that when they were born their parents thought they were a Honda Civic. I drive a Honda Civic and it's a tough little car. To fuel my Honda I use Regular or 87. Now the problem is our bodies are way way more sophisticated than a Civic so a much better choice would to say we are all Lamborghini's. Now, if we are ignorant to the fact we are a high performance car and we are still using any old regular gas then it will only be a matter of time until that car will not perform as it should and different mechanically problems will begin to arise. Does this scenario sound familiar? Now you could put peformance down to you're not a good driver but if you take your car into the mechanic they are soon going to say, of course, your car is having problems you're using 87. The sophisticated engine parts of a Lamboghini are not going do well with gas containing ethanol made from genetically modified corn.

So the next time you complain that you are feeling tired, or you have a stiff neck or back or nay symptom try to remember that you are a Lamborghini and think about what grade of gas you are using 87 or 91. I know when I splash out and buy 91 my Honda Civic feels like a sports car.

Finally

I hope you found these ideas useful. More importantly, I hope you do something with them.

Foods that may be giving you pain.

As I've mentioned before, as an osteopath working in Ottawa I tend to be the last in line of different

therapists that a client will consult for their pain issues. This is mainly due to many Ottawan's knowing little or nothing about osteopathy. Many, of course, have tried chiropractic, massage and physiotherapy, and because they now sit in my office the results from these approaches have been at most short term. When presented with such people I would often play a bigger emphasis on looking at their diet rather than physical therapy to alleviate their pain. On this note here are my top 7 foods that I find commonly cause pain:

1. Wheat gluten (Gliadin) - typically causing neck stiffness, chronic pain between the shoulders and lower back pain but can effect joints such as knees and hips. It is also linked autoimmune arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis.
2. Caffeine - Most notably associated with neck and lower back pain.
3. Soya - typically associated with shoulder pain.
4. Fluoride - although not a food, it is found in our drinking water, typically associated with finger stiffness and arthritis.
5. Artificial Sweeteners - most often associated with lower back pain.
6. Dairy particularly cheese - typically associated with sinus headaches and migraines.
7. Night Shade vegetables particularly potatoes and tomatoes - associated with headaches, migraines, upper back pain, and heavy legs.
8. Antibiotic feed chicken - typically causes general joint pain and stiffness.

This list is not exhaustive but gives you the most common foods and food additives which I find at the root of my clients pain issues.

If you know of any other foods that you know give you pain please let me know in the comments box below.