Is Strenuous Exercise Bad for Me?

Naturally, my curiosity was peeked when I read about this study that basically says strenuous exercise is bad for people.  I thought, ‘Interesting’. Then I thought, ‘Shoot, I hope this study is not well done’.  I didn’t want strenuous exercise to be bad for me because, frankly, on occasion, I LOVE ME MY STRENUOUS EXERCISE!

Let me break down what the study basically says:

• No exercise = you die early.
  
• Strenuous jogging = you die early (“not statistically different than the non-joggers”).
  
• Light or moderate jogging = Longest life.  Specifically, a total of 1-2.4 hours per week divided into 2-3 sessions gives a total of 6 more years of life than non-exercisers.  That’s a lot of extra time on this planet!  Not many (if any) medications can do that!

The study was long term and, in my opinion, is decently legit.

Ok.  So that sucks for me, right?!  Strenuous exercise is part of my weekly routine.  Fortunately for me, some easy workouts and some medium workouts are also part of my weekly routine.  

As the conclusion in the Abstract states, “The findings suggest a U-shaped association between all-cause mortality and dose of jogging as calibrated by pace, quantity, and frequency of jogging.” 

Over the years, my professional advice has always been and will continue to be that people should move regularly, EVERY day.  That’s it.  It doesn’t have to be strenuous, but movement is the key and every day is the other key.  That is what I firmly believe.  There’s a reason that it has been said that “sitting is the new smoking”. 

So, this study tells us that regularly exercising lightly or moderately is one of the most effective ways to extend our lives.  6 years to be exact.  That’s fantastic.

The bigger question is...  Does this study mean that I (or YOU) should stop strenuous exercise? 

My answer is, “yes” and “no” and “it depends”.

What this study doesn’t address is the role that inflammation plays in exercisers.  Inflammation is not always bad (ie. after you cut yourself, you want some local inflammation to heal the wound faster).  Strenuous exercise increases systemic inflammation.  Too much systemic inflammation at the wrong time is bad for the body.  When a person does what I call ‘strenuous yo-yo exercising’ (ie. exercise hard just on weekends) along with the Standard American Diet (SAD), they add fuel to the fire and create this systemic inflammation process that does nothing good for the body and in fact, seems to completely undo all the benefits that exercise has on the body.  What I suspect DOES HELP the body is consistent strenuous exercise so that the body gets acclimated to the systemic inflammation COMBINED with proper nutrition.  By proper nutrition, I mean lots of anti-inflammatory organic veggies and fruit that are rich in vitamins, minerals, bioflavonoids, and other nutrients.  Combine proper nutrition with certain added nutrients, perhaps in the form of supplementation, and you can exercise to your heart’s content.

Thank goodness!  Since I’m pretty good about eating healthy food most of the time and I take a few other inflammation busting supplements right before and after my strenuous workouts, I feel pretty confident that I’m way better off than the average strenuous exerciser who adds fuel to the fire with the Standard American Diet on top of occasional and random strenuous workouts.

In short, I’m good with my strenuous exercise regimen.  Are you?

A question: How does this apply to all those who are taking up marathons and distance triathlons?

Of course, lots more study is needed on this subject and I look forward to reading the next piece of info to come out on this subject.

Medical Disclaimer: Information provided in this article is for informational purposes only. The information is a result of years of practice and experience by Yoshi Rahm, DO. However, this information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional, or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. 

Do not use the information provided in this article for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider promptly. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking professional advice because of something you have read in this article.

Information provided in this article and the use of any products or services related to this article by you DOES NOT create a doctor-patient relationship between you and Yoshi Rahm, DO or any other physician featured in this article. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

The One Thing My Wife Drinks Every Morning

There is one simple thing that my wife, Sonia, drinks every morning.  She does this one thing to improve her digestion.  For her, it’s specifically to help decrease stomach pain.  She’s been doing it a few years now.  It’s hard to do something for a few years if it doesn’t palpably help you, so you can bet that it truly helps her.  That’s why I want to share it with you.  What she also does it for (though she doesn’t know it) is to help her body detoxify, improve her metabolism, boost her immune system and improve her energy.

What is the one simple thing she does that improves her digestion, detoxification, immune system, metabolism and energy?

Lemon water first thing in the morning upon awakening.  She (sometimes I do this for her :) squeezes ½ to 1 whole organic lemon into a warm cup of purified water then drinks it at least 10-15 minutes before eating or drinking anything else.

It’s a simple remedy that’s been used in Ayurvedic medicine for a few millennia as an immune strengthener, digestive aid, especially as a bowel movement regulator, and as a liver cleanser.  Not a bad track record.

Lemons contain citric acid, magnesium, bioflavonoids, vitamin C, pectin, calcium and limonene, which supercharges your immune system.

Interestingly, lemons are considered one of the most alkalizing foods you can eat. This seems weird since they are acidic on their own outside the body. However, once put down the hatch (mouth), lemons become alkaline because the citric acid does not create acidity once it has been metabolized. The minerals in lemons are actually what helps to alkalize the blood.  Most people are too acidic (from eating too much sugar and grains), and drinking warm lemon water helps reduce overall acidity, drawing uric acid from the joints.

So, to review:

• ½ - 1 fresh organic lemon (not store bought pre-squeezed lemon juice)
• 1 cup warm purified water
• Taken at least 10 minutes before any other food or drink first thing upon awakening.

This daily trick can help you improve your digestion, help you detoxify, boost your immune system, boost your metabolism and boost your energy levels.

Medical Disclaimer: Information provided in this article is for informational purposes only. The information is a result of years of practice and experience by Yoshi Rahm, DO. However, this information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional, or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. 

Do not use the information provided in this article for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider promptly. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking professional advice because of something you have read in this article.

Information provided in this article and the use of any products or services related to this article by you DOES NOT create a doctor-patient relationship between you and Yoshi Rahm, DO or any other physician featured in this article. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Epsom Salt & My Favorite Mineral

My favorite mineral is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body.

My favorite mineral keys over 300 physiologic reactions in the body.

My favorite mineral is demanded by every cell in the body or the cell will die.

My favorite mineral has become woefully lacking in the food supply due to modern soil depleting methods.

My favorite mineral is now woefully lacking in about 80% of Americans.

Can you guess what my favorite mineral is?

My favorite mineral is Magnesium.

What does Magnesium help the body achieve?

• Strong bones by giving both rigidity & flexibility to them thereby preventing osteoporosis
• Strong teeth
• Hormonal homeostasis
• Nervous system health (decreases stress, promotes restful sleep, decreases pain, lessens concentration problems like ADHD, lessens brain fog)
• Cardiovascular health (regulates blood pressure, lessens congestive heart failure, decreases coronary artery disease, enhances circulation, balances out calcium in the body so as to decrease arterial calcification)
• Decreases strokes
• Prevents and reverses kidney stone formation
• Decreases asthma severity
• Decreases allergies
• Decreases constipation

What are the four most common medical complaints I see in my office that are quite likely due to a deficiency of Magnesium in the body?

• Migraine headaches
• Heart palpitations
• Muscle cramps/spasms
• Insomnia

What depletes magnesium in the body?

• Caffeine
• Sugar (it takes almost 30 molecules of magnesium to metabolize a single glucose molecule)
• Alcohol
• Birth control pills
• High blood pressure medications
• Diuretics
• Insulin
• Some antibiotics
• Sweating (i.e. from exercise)

Are you deficient?  As I mentioned above, my favorite mineral is woefully lacking in about 80% of Americans.  So, chances are ‘yes’.

Magnesium, unfortunately, is lacking in our foods and water and when it is taken orally, it is often not absorbed well by the gut, especially if you have gut dysbiosis (unbalanced gut bacteria) or are deficient in Vitamin D.

How can you get magnesium?

Leafy green vegetables are one of the healthiest ways of getting magnesium from your food.

Assuming you have good kidney function it is almost impossible to overdose on magnesium when taken orally, so start low and slowly increase until your symptoms resolve and/or you get loose stool, at which point you should back off slightly until bowel regularity is achieved.  This is the point that your body tissues and blood will become nicely saturated with magnesium.  I find that chelated Magnesium glycinate is usually the best tolerated by people for oral consumption.  Most other forms will give uncomfortably loose stools long before enough gets into your blood stream to achieve meaningful benefits.  Many people do well with a product called Natural Calm.

Transdermal magnesium can be gotten from magnesium oil or lotion rubbed on the skin or from a magnesium salt bath.  This is great if one’s digestive system is not working optimally as the gut is bypassed with this method.

This brings me to Epsom Salt.  Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate.  Unless you are allergic to Epsom salt, it should be in almost every household for its many uses, since it can be used for things like:

• Relaxation & Improved Sleep – add 1-2 cups of Epsom salt to a warm bath and soak for 20 minutes.
• Aches & Pains (either acute or chronic) – add 2 cups to a warm bath and soak for 20 minutes.
• Headache Relief – add 2 cups to a warm bath and soak for 20 minutes.
• Relief for Sunburn, Itchy Skin, & Bug Bites – 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt dissolved into 1 cup of water then cool then spritz onto the skin or use wet compress on skin.
• Splinter Removal – soak in concentrated Epsom salt water to pull the splinter out.
• Laxative (for occasional constipation) – a teaspoon of Epsom salt dissolved in water can help.
• Facial wash – add a dash of Epsom salt to your normal face cleanser to help exfoliate skin while giving it nourishing magnesium.
• Smooth skin – for healthy smooth skin, ½ cup Epsom salt mixed with ¼ cup olive oil or coconut oil, then in the shower scrub mixture into skin.

So there you have it.  Now you know my favorite mineral and why I like Epsom salt so much.

Medical Disclaimer: Information provided in this article is for informational purposes only. The information is a result of years of practice and experience by Yoshi Rahm, DO. However, this information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional, or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. 

Do not use the information provided in this article for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider promptly. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking professional advice because of something you have read in this article.

Information provided in this article and the use of any products or services related to this article by you DOES NOT create a doctor-patient relationship between you and Yoshi Rahm, DO or any other physician featured in this article. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.