Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

My dad and step mom have been visiting the past week. I went with them as they visited a number of family and friends. One thing I observed is I do not ever want to end up like so many in my family. This is why my healthy whole food plant based lifestyle is a priority.

First of all, my dad has giant cell arteritis. He is on steroids and a monthly injection. He gets tired easily and has to deal with chronic aches and pains.This is an inflammatory condition. My gut instinct is that he could feel a lot better if he were to adapt a plant based lifestyle, but he has no intention of changing.

Easter is a time of joy and celebration for many, with traditions that include egg hunts, church services, and family dinners. For some, it also means indulging in seasonal treats, like the colorful and sugary marshmallow chicks known as Peeps. While they may be a fun addition to your Easter basket, for some people, Peeps can become a serious addiction that takes a toll on their health.

Peeps recently made the news, as an article from CNN mentioned how Peeps can cause cancer. That’s no surprise to me.

As most of you can attest that are reading this, it’s not easy to get workouts in when you are full time, or family issues, or life’s stresses. My job has been crazy busy, and I am unable to make the gym as much as I want to.

But here’s the thing, I always get my workouts in, even if I only do strength training a few days a week, I still make it a priority. I also make sure I get my steps in each day. If there‘s one invention that has kept me in check all these years, it’s the Apple Watch, with it’s reminder to have me stand every hour.

About a month ago, I had my annual physical That included lab work, blood pressure check, listening to my chest with a stethoscope, etc. 

Eleven years ago, my physical was very different, asI was morbidly obese and had hypertension. This year, my blood pressure was 110/68 and my lab work was awesome!

A few months ago, I happened to catch a video on the dangers of having amalgam (mercury) fillings in your mouth. I first became aware of the issues with the fillings in a video I saw. Dr. Kelly J. Blodgett, a holistic dentist out of Oregon was talking about some of the health risks associated with having mercury in the mouth. One issue is the fillings are incredibly close to the brain. Another issue is that if you have amalgam fillings, you are most likely breathing in mercury vapors whenever you brush your teeth, eat something hard, etc.

I decided to do a consultation with a dentist here in Connecticut. Dr. Mark Breiner owns “Whole Body Dentistry” and is what you call a biological dentist. He believes the teeth are in the same meridian as certain organs in your body. Basically, everything is connected. If someone has a pain and a doctor can't figure it out, it might be related to a tooth issue. He said one story of someone who was having pain in their tailbone. He figured out it was a tooth causing the issue. Once the tooth was fixed, the patient’s pain went away.