Everyone knows that multiple trips to the buffet for fatty fried foods and sugary desserts will pile on the pounds. But no matter how carefully you watch your diet, stealth saboteurs make be making it difficult for you to shed extra pounds. Three of the most common diet saboteurs you may not suspect are:

1. Lack of Sleep: Recent research has shown that a lack of sleep stresses your body physiologically and causes it to store fat more efficiently. Counteract by getting eight hours of sleep each night.

2. Stress: Stress throws the body into survival mode where metabolism slows and the body stores fuel. In addition, it dumps chemicals into your system, such as cortisol and other hormones, which tend to cause weight gain in the abdomen. Fight stress by exercising and experimenting with relaxation techniques.

3. Medications: Many prescription drugs, including some used to treat depression, migraine, blood pressure, and diabetes can cause weight gains as drastic as ten pounds a month! Other medications, such as steroids and oral contraceptives, can cause more gradual weight gain. If you've had weight gain with no change in lifestyle, look in your medicine cabinet.

Adapted from the article "Stealth Saboteurs of Dieting" by Sylvia Hubbard. May 12, 2008.

Who do I trust?

A very common occurrence in our office every day is when a patient is conflicted by what they feel is going on in their body and with what their doctor is telling them. We have the belief that lab tests, x-rays, and our Medical Doctors opinion is always right.

When you disagree with what your doctor, or chiropractor, or acupuncturist is telling you, who do you trust?

My experience is overwhelming and absolute. Trust your inner sense. Trust what you feel is right. I know of so many cases where a life was saved, because a patient or parent listened to their inner voice.

You know your body better than anyone: always trust yourself.

Suzie (false name) was frustrated. Her daughter was not well, but the Pediatrician had brushed her off as a young mother who was too uptight. But she knew her daughter, and she knew this wasn't okay. She was hot, miserable, and her crying was just not anything she had seen before. She finally pulled out the books and started reading and found why she couldn't relax: appendicitis! Oh my! She called the pediatrician back frantically telling him this is what she was sure was going on. The MD hesitated, and then said, "Why don't you take her in to the ER." Mom was right, and the baby's appendix had ruptured and she was hours from death. The road to recovery was a long one, but she recovered, because the mother trusted her own feelings, not the Doctor's opinions.

Many stories and experiences will reveal the same result. I don't remember one time where the patient, mother or parent was wrong and the Doctor was right; Always Trust Yourself. When both you and your doctor agree, you are right on track.

Trust your inner SENSE!

Confucius say: "Man who stick head in window get pane in neck."

World Health Organization say: "Man who have pain in neck go see chiropractor." Well, technically they didn't state exactly that. Although in a recent multidisciplinary report that spanned 19 areas of study and eight collaborating universities in four countries, chiropractic was stated to be more beneficial than usual care, sham, or alternative interventions. The report also noted that patients faired better if they stuck with a course of care rather than floating between various disciplines. Not only that, but they also set a new classification system for neck pain, starting from grade 1 to 4. (The good news is they skipped kindergarten and trimmed grades 5-12. I thought high school was a joke anyway.)

An important thing to take from this report, which is being touted as the most extensive report on neck pain ever, is that chiropractic has performed very well for neck pain. So, next time you get that pain in your neck, whether it's from the kids or from sticking your head through the window, make sure you get in here and stick to your treatment plan. You might just enjoy better health! Of course, fishing trips to Alaska help out quite a bit as well Dr. Olson.

-Dr. Olson will be out of the office from Monday, June 2nd through Thursday, June 5th. Dr. Johnson will be covering all of Dr. Olson's regular hours, and patients are encouraged to remain on their set treatment plans. Dr. Olson will return for his regular hours on Friday, June 6.

-As of June 1, Dr. Johnson has new hours on Tuesdays. New hours are from 9am-5pm. Dr. Olson's hours will remain the same, from 2pm-8pm

-While chemotherapy can remove breast cancer tumors, it fails to root out the stem cells that can revive the cancer.

-Comparing the challenge to eradicating stubborn weeds from a garden, the researchers at Baylor College of Medicine said chemotherapy often fails because it leaves behind many of the stem cells that help re- ignite tumors.

-Dr. Olson insists the best treatment for cancer is prevention. We have an herbal formula that research in China shows can reduce the risk of breast cancer. You need to take the herbal formula for 3 months one year, and then one month a year thereafter. Prevention is worth more than three rounds of chemotherapy.

-According to Medco Health Solutions, Inc., more than half of all insured Americans are taking prescription medications regularly for chronic health problems.

-The prescription drug use is seen in all demographic groups:
--Almost two-thirds of women 20 or older
--One in four children and teenagers
--52 percent of adult men
--Three out of four people 65 or older (among seniors, 28 percent of women and 22 percent of men take five or more medications regularly)

-Not only is prescription drug use on the rise, but prescription drug abuse is also surging. Prescription drug abuse has seen a continual rise through the 1990s, and remains stubbornly steady during recent years.

-Dr. Sidney Wolfe of Public Citizen's Health Research Group said the increased use of medications is partly because the most heavily advertised drugs are for chronic conditions, so most patients will take them for a long time. He also blames doctors for not spending the time to help patients lose weight and make other healthy changes before writing a prescription.

-Dr. Olson adds: "A thirty minute walk, five times a week, with a reduction of food intake and a slight improvement in the quality of our food would remedy 75 percent of the chronic conditions. This may sound dire, but a society that seeks to use medications to treat problems that are created out of self-indulgent lifestyle choices is heading in a direction that can only lead to corruption of the family unit, and a breakdown of the moral fiber of our country. Our level of health ranks below some third world countries, and this is exactly why. The illness of moral irresponsibility is an illness with no remedy.

"We must each keep taking personal responsibility. I commend our patients for taking personal responsibility. You are a cut above! You are representative of the solution to this devastating problem. Keep taking care of yourself! A regular chiropractic adjustment, a great nutritional supplement, regular exercise, and regular energetic balancing will make all the difference in your quality of life. Way to go!"

-A newly published study shows a statistically significant link between pounds of industrial release of mercury and increased autism rates. It also shows--for the first time in scientific literature--a statistically significant association between autism risk and distance from the mercury source.

-The new study findings confirm higher amounts of mercury in plants, animals, and humans the closer they are to the pollution site, and the price on children may be the highest.

-The autism prevalence diminished 1-2 percent for every 10 miles from the source.

-Women who use mobile phones when pregnant are more likely to give birth to children with behavioral problems, according to authoritative research.

-A giant study, which surveyed more than 13,000 children, found that using the handsets just two or three times a day was enough to raise the risk of their babies developing hyperactivity and difficulties with conduct, emotions, and relationships by the time they reached school age.

-It adds that the likelihood is even greater if the children themselves use the phones before the age of seven.

For the third night in a row, Sally (false name) was up for the third time with her three month old daughter. She was hitting a wall. The lack of sleep, the stress at work, the lack of understanding and help from her husband put her at her wit's end. What she wouldn't give for a full night's sleep. Four to five interrupted hours were not keeping her going. And her daughter, Jenny (false name), was miserable. Sally felt like a terrible mother. She felt she wasn't doing a good job anywhere in life. She knew the signs of depression, having dealt with them before, and they were coming back big time. What could she do? She may have to get back on the SSRIs. She didn't know what else to do.

Go back four months...Sally was deciding how she was going to take care of the little one, but fate got in the way. She picked up a magazine and started to read an article on breast feeding. She heard it was good, but her friend had talked about what it was. It hurt, she felt like she was just a milk cow, and she was always held back. So, Sally shuffled on through the magazine pages and read about Britney Spears' latest head shaving incident. Here is what Sally missed:

The US Department of Health and Human Services looked over 9,000 studies on breastfeeding from developed countries, weeded out the ones with poor methodology, and came up with the following percentages.

Breastfeeding reduces babies' risk of these diseases by:
-Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS): 36%
-Type 1 Diabetes: 19-27%
-Type 2 Diabetes: 39%
-Leukemia (acute lymphocytic): 19%
-Leukemia (acute myelogenous): 15%
-Asthma: 27%
-Gastrointestinal infections: 64%
-Lower respiratory tract diseases: 72%
-Atopic dermatitis: 42%
-Acute otitis media: 50%

Breastfeeding reduces mothers' risk of these diseases by:
-Type 2 Diabetes: 4-12%
-Ovarian cancer: 21%
-Breast cancer: 28%

Breastfeeding has also been linked to reduced risk of rheumatoid arthritis and gestational diabetes in mothers, as well as a reduced risk of obesity, HIV, and diarrhea in children.

If you want to give a child a leg up in life, breastfeed them, or encourage your children to breastfeed your grandchildren. Just think of the easier life your child will have, the saved sleepless nights of the parents, the degree of comfort of the family, and the saved medical costs. It is one of the most health-bringing gifts a mother can give to her children.