America's #1 Addiction

The concept of a sweet tooth takes on a different meaning when we realize it's not just a matter of liking something sweet after dinner, but sugar in our coffee and an afternoon treat as well. Without the constant sugar boost we feel deprived. Sugar can be a drug of choice, and constantly grazing on even so-called healthy hidden-sugar foods can train a body to demand it constantly. Here's the hopeful news: sugar addiction is not your fault.

“Being addicted to sugar and flour is not an emotional eating disorder,” says Dr. Mark Hyman, author of The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet. “It’s a biological disorder, driven by hormones and neurotransmitters that fuel sugar and carb cravings — leading to uncontrolled overeating. It’s the reason nearly 70 percent of Americans and 40 percent of kids are overweight.”

Studies confirm a food addict’s brain operates similarly to a drug addict when they think about eating sugary, fatty foods. As these and other studies emerge and prominent experts speak out, sugar addiction has become a legitimate, concerning focus as sugar consumption, particularly as high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), escalates.

“Animal studies have shown that refined sugar is more addictive than cocaine, heroin or morphine,” says Dr. Pamela Peeke, author of The Hunger Fix. “An animal will choose an Oreo over morphine. Why? This cookie has the perfect combination of sugar and fat to hijack the brain's reward center.”

It’s not just the immediate gratification that creates damage. Sugar addiction also sets the stage for future hunger, cravings, and food intolerances. Unfortunately once you are hooked on sugar hormonal havoc ensues. High blood sugar elevates insulin, which blocks your satiety hormone leptin. High levels of cortisol, your stress hormone, increase your urge for comfort foods. High cortisol during sleep increases ghrelin, your hunger hormone, so you’re more likely to ask for a stale donut the next morning with your caffeine fix.

The good news is with the right strategies, you can crush your sugar addiction in just weeks. In my office I help patients identify the so-called healthy foods that could also feed that addiction. Bottled drinks, vinaigrette dressings, and glazed meats are among the many “sneaky sugars” that add up. Going cold turkey isn’t the answer in my office. Instead, I want you to gradually taper off sugar so you never feel deprived or struggle with withdrawal. It helps if things from your diet are replaced with healthy alternatives so you don't feel so deprived.  Sweet crutches we use to help get off sugar is honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, stevia or fruit. 

Some people are ready to cut it out completely from their diet and sometimes they even go through sugar/carb withdrawal for 3-4 days with feeling tired and headaches as the body resets.  To go cold turkey we do a Sugar Cleanse.  If you think a 10 day Sugar Cleanse is right for you try it!

You’ll really shift from sugar burner to fat burner when the weight falls off and you reset your body and taste buds. You can break permanently your sugar addiction in just weeks, without feeling deprived, hungry, or struggling with miserable withdrawal. Simply transition to low-sugar impact foods and before you know it, you’ll be a 24/7 fat-burning machine!

To Have More Passion In Your Life, Balance the Sacral Chakra

The Sacral Chakra is your passion and pleasure center and it is located in the pelvic area. While the Root Chakra is satisfied with survival, the 2nd chakra seeks pleasure and enjoyment.



If you are interested in purchasing the sacral chakra orange glasses just email me and let me know at info@healingartsnyc.com! $30 plus shipping.

The gift of this chakra is experiencing our lives through feelings and sensations. When balanced, the second chakra is the center of feeling, emotion, pleasure, sensuality, intimacy, creativity, friendliness and connection.

The main challenge for the second chakra is the conditioning of our society. When the sacral chakra is not balanced we can have trouble handling our emotions. We live in a society where feelings are not valued, where passion, and emotional reactions are being frowned upon. We are being taught not to "lose control". And we get disconnected from our bodies and our feelings.

As if this was not enough, we also experience the wounds of our collective cultural struggles over many sexual issues of our society. On one hand sexuality is magnified and glorified, and on the other hand it is rejected. This results in either blocked or excessive second chakra issues.

The sacral chakra is related to feelings of guilt and kidneys, constipation, muscle spasms, bladder, and large intestine. The stones of carnelian agate, tiger’s eye, and orange calcite can help balance this chakra. So can wearing the color orange. The sacral chakracise are pelvic thrusts upward for at least 15 seconds and then circular in the clockwise direction and then counterclockwise, then clockwise again for at least 45 seconds.

Affirmations can also help. They can be said at any time of day and used with Emotional Freedom Technique.

Sacral Chakra Affirmations

I love and enjoy my body.
I have healthy boundaries.
I am open to experiencing the present moment through my senses.
I am passionate.
I feel pleasure and abundance with every breath I take.
I nourish my body with healthy food and clean water.
I know how to take care of my needs.
I value and respect my body.
My sexuality is sacred.

How to Open the Root Chakra to Manifestion

Over the next couple of blogs I'm going to talk about each chakra. So let's start with the first chakra, the root chakra. The root chakra is red in color and is located at your lower pelvis . It is the root of your being and establishes the deepest connections with your physical body, your environment and the Earth. It is the most instinctual of all chakras — it is your survival center.

Chakras are energy centers of the body and can be either open or closed. When the root chakra is closed the energy is blocked and a person will experience fear, anxiety, insecurity, frustration, obesity, anorexia, or problems in the hip, legs, low back, knee or sex organs.



If you are interested in purchasing the root chakra red glasses just email me and let me know at info@healingartsnyc.com! $30 plus shipping.

Having an open root chakra is about being physically present and such is needed in order to manifest what you want. It will be extremely hard to manifest what you want with a blocked root chakra because you aren't grounded enough with the physical world to make it happen.

When the root chakra is blocked one may not feel grounded. Expressions like "getting on your feet again" or "be on firm ground" convey a good connection with the ground or an open root chakra. "To lose ground" or "getting swept off your feet" convey a blocked root chakra.

When you aren't feeling grounded to help open up the root chakra you can wiggle your toes, stomp feet, march in place or do squats. It is best to do these chakracises with bare feet and on a wood floor. The wood contact is very grounding. When doing root chakracises have your attention on the root chakra, doing them fives times is sufficient.

Earthing pads may help one stay grounded as well. And rocks are said to have special energy characteristics. Rocks that will help open the root chakra are granite, smoky quartz, obsidian, and black tarmuline. When using rocks they don't necessarily have to be placed in the chakra but somewhere on your body or near it is good. Keeping one in your pocket where ever you go is a good idea. Wearing the color red will also help.

How to Heal Using Breath

After talking for years to patients about the importance of breathing using the diaphragm and showing them how to do it in order to get more oxygen into the body and decrease stress and tension in shoulder muscles that is as far as I went. It wasn't until recently that I looked into different breathing techniques to use as a tool during times of stress. My assistant was the one who suggested Coherent Breathing. After reading "The Healing Power of the Breath" by Richard Brown and Patricia Gerbarg and using their instructional CD of ten breathing practices I now know what a difference concentrating on your breathing can do to help one feel better.

Coherent Breathing is about training the body to do 5 breaths per minute. That would be 12 seconds for every breath, 6 seconds inhale, 6 seconds exhale. Depending on who we are, we breath too much when stressed or we actually hold our breath, taking deep sighs at times. So Coherent Breathing is a good technique to use to help us regulate it. The beginning steps of Coherent Breathing are:

1)Breathe through your nose with your eyes closed.
2) Taking your time count slowly and silently in your mind as you breathe in...two...as you breathe out...two...repeat this for 2 breaths.
3) Taking your time count slowly as you breathe in...two...three...as you breathe out...two...three...repeat this for 3 breaths.
4) Taking your time count slowly as you breathe in...two...three..four...as you breathe out...two...three..four...repeat this for 4 breaths.
5) Taking your time count slowly as you breathe in...two...three..four...five...as you breathe out...two...three..four...five...repeat this for 5 breaths.
6) Taking your time count slowly as you breathe in...two...three..four...five...six...as you breathe out...two...three..four...five...six...repeat this for 5 minutes.

When you start with Coherent Breathing it is best to find a quiet space and a comfortable place to sit. Start with 5-10 minutes and work your way up to 30 minutes once or twice a day. Most people feel benefits right away. People notice that their mind feels calmer, less filled with chatter and their bodies feel more relaxed. It can be done right before bed while lying down, just make sure you don't fall asleep! Once you feel comfortable with 5 breaths a minute you no longer have to do the beginning steps.

Besides adding it to your daily routine Coherent Breathing can be used during times of anxiety, right in the moment, if you have practiced it long enough or when having trouble sleeping. You can also do it with your eyes open when taking a walk. There is wonderful Coherent Breathing music you can download that chimes every time you should inhale or exhale.

Sometimes there can be problems when first starting to learn Coherent Breathing such as running out of breath, practicing with your nose stuffed up or if five breaths feels too fast. Information on how to overcome those problems and much more can be found in the book "The Healing Power of the Breath" which I do have a copy at my office for borrowing so just let me know!

Emotional Freedom Technique

Last week I blogged about balancing the body's energy centers, also known as chakras, to help with both emotional and physical ailments. This week I want to write about another technique used to balance patients' physical and emotional energy. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), also known as tapping, uses acupuncture points, that when tapped can help people release emotional and physical stress in the body. By applying pressure to the acupuncture points, EFT works on the meridians of the body to release emotional energy and because emotional stress can impede the natural healing of the body, once blocked energy is released, physical issues, chronic pain, or diagnosed conditions can get better.

EFT started in the 1990s by Gary Craig and here's a video demonstrating it.

EFT can be explained in these simple steps
1. Identify the Issue:
Make a mental note of what is bothering you. This becomes the target at which you "aim" the EFT Tapping Basic Recipe. Examples might be: Sore shoulder, my father embarrassing me at my age 8 birthday party or wanting to do well on a test. Be sure you are only targeting one issue at a time. As you will learn later, trying to combine issues in the process will compromise your results.

2. Test the Initial Intensity:

Here you establish a before level of the issue's intensity by assigning a number to it on a 0-10 scale where 10 is the worst the issue has ever been and 0 is no problem whatsoever. This serves as a benchmark so we can compare our progress after each round of the EFT Tapping Basic Recipe. If, for example, we start at an 8 and eventually reach a 4, then we know we have achieved a 50% improvement.

For emotional issues, you can recreate the memories in your mind and assess their discomforts.
For physical ailments you can simply assess the existing pain or discomfort.
For performance issues you can attempt the desired performance level and measure how close you come to it.

3. The Setup:

The Setup is a process we use to start each round of Tapping. By designing a simple phrase and saying it while continuously Tapping a point that is located at the center of the fleshy part of the outside of your hand (either hand) between the top of the wrist and the base of the baby finger. In this way you let your system know what you’re trying to address.

When designing this phrase there are two goals to achieve:

1) acknowledge the problem
2) accept yourself in spite of it

We do this by saying:

“Even though I have this _______________, I deeply and completely love and accept myself”.

The blank above represents the problem you want to address, so you can just insert things like:

This headache:
“Even though I have this headache, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”

This fear of heights
“Even though I have this fear of heights, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”



4. The Sequence:

This is the workhorse part of The EFT Tapping Basic Recipe that stimulates/balances the body's energy pathways. To perform it, you tap each of the points below while saying a Reminder Phrase that keeps your system tuned into the issue. I list the points below followed by a description of the Reminder Phrase:

Karate chop (KC): not pictured.  

Top of the Head (TOH)
Beginning of the Eyebrow (EB)
Side of the Eye (SE)
Under the Eye (UE)
Under the Nose (UN)
Chin Point (CH)
Beginning of the Collarbone (CB)
Under the Arm (UA)

The Reminder Phrase is quite simple as you need only identify the issue with some brief wording. Depending on your issue, you might say the following at each tapping point....

"This headache",
"My father embarrassed me",
"This difficulty in singing that high note."

Begin by tapping the karate chop point while simultaneously reciting your setup phrase three times. Then, tap each following point seven times, moving down the body in this ascending order:

• eyebrow
• side of the eye
• under the eye
• under the nose
• chin
• beginning of the collarbone
• under the arm

After tapping the underarm point, finish the sequence at the top of the head point.

While tapping the ascending points, recite a reminder phrase to maintain focus on your problem area. If your setup phrase is, “Even though I’m sad my mother is sick, I deeply and completely accept myself,” your reminder phrase can be, “The sadness I feel that my mother is sick.” Recite this phrase at each tapping point. Repeat this sequence two or three times.

5. Test the Intensity Again:

Finally, you establish an "after" level of the issue's intensity by assigning a number to it on a 0-10 scale. You compare this with the before level to see how much progress you have made. If you are not down to zero then repeat the process until you either achieve zero or plateau at some level.

Sometimes we are highly aware of what is bothering us and so figuring out what phrase to tap is easy but at other times it can be difficult. Since I believe this is a strong tool to help heal I have seen where a patient picks the wrong phrase of words to tap and so EFT actually has a negative impact on the patient. So to help prevent this I muscle test the chakras first and then depending on the chakra that is weak find a positive affirmation that makes the weak chakra change to strong. Then while tapping the patient is to say that affirmation at every point to help reset the chakra energy. Patient repeated report feeling lighter, breathing easier and physical relief after tapping this way.  EFT is a great tool to help with any feelings of stress to get both the mind and the body to relax and heal. 

Energy Balancing and the Chakras

There are 7 main energy centers in the body, known as chakras. The definition of chakra is a point of spiritual energy in the human body according to yoga philosophy. Each chakra has a certain location, color and correlation to specific body parts, mental thoughts and emotional moods. When the energy center, or chakra, is blocked or weak physical or emotional dysfunction can occur. When we release the blocked energy and open up the chakra it can give ease to the mind and the body, undoing tightness, stiffness, or malfunction in the body. There are different ways of releasing the energy and since being a chiropractor is all about releasing stuck energy in the spine, joints and muscles of the body it was only a matter of time before I started to release blocked chakra energy in my patients as well. 

I muscle test the chakras by putting my hand in the energy centers. Not only do I check the front of the body’s chakras but also the sides and back.  Chakras are not one dimensional but think of it as a ball of energy and we can check the four sides of the body for it.   after muscle testing and finding out which ones go weak I then prioritize which one needs the most healing and balance that chakra first.   I then have the patient wear the appropriate colored sunglasses that correspond to the weak chakra for at least 60 seconds. Wearing the different colored sunglasses puts that specific color or wavelength into the brain and that helps reset the blocked chakra to allow energy to flow again. If you are interested in buying a pair, they are $30 at www.chakraclass.com. 

There are lots of different ways to open up and balance chakras.  Sometimes the issues isn’t a blocked energy but an energy that is too open that needs to be balanced.  Working with the chakras I found so many ways that were beneficial in balancing the energy. Singing bowls which I have all 7 of them at home and use on a regular basis are wonderful, using sound to balance.  I also love using tuning forks, crystals, essential oils, yoga and color therapy.  There are 7 different chakras that correlate to the 7 different colors of the rainbow - starting from the bottom, the first chakra is red and up to the 7th chakra, white or violet., 

After developing the glasses I wanted to incorporate exercise and movement into opening up and stimulating the chakras so we developed Chakra Class. In this exercise class you will go through a sequence of movement to help open up and stimulate all the chakras. After getting a good workout you will leave the class feeling light and rejuvenated as well!

We also now have the Chakra Light Therapy at the office where you lay under 7 quartz crystals that have cold laser lights going through them to open and energize each of your chakras.

1st Chakra also known as Root Chakra (red)

Sits at the base of your spine, at your tailbone.

Physical imbalances in the root chakra include problems in the legs, feet, rectum, tailbone, immune system, male reproductive parts and prostrate gland. Those with imbalances here are also likely to experience issues of degenerative arthritis, knee pain, sciatica, eating disorders, and constipation.

Emotional imbalances include feelings affecting our basic survival needs: money, shelter and food; ability to provide for life’s necessities.

When this chakra is balanced, you feel supported, a sense of connection and safety to the physical world, and grounded.

The lesson of this chakra is self-preservation; we have a right to be here.



2nd or Sacral Chakra (orange)

Located two inches below your belly button.

Physical imbalances include sexual and reproductive issues, urinary problems, kidney dysfunctions, hip, pelvic and low back pain.

Emotional imbalances include our commitment to relationships. Our ability to express our emotions. Our ability to have fun, play based on desires, creativity, pleasure, sexuality. Fears of impotence, betrayal, addictions.

When this chakra is balanced, we have an ability to take risks, be creative. We are committed. We are passionate, sexual and outgoing.

The lesson of this chakra is to honor others.

3rd or Solar Plexus Chakra (yellow)

Located three inches above your belly button.

Physical imbalances include digestive problems, liver dysfunction, chronic fatigue, high blood pressure, diabetes, stomach ulcers, pancreas and gallbladder issues, colon diseases.

Emotional imbalances include issues of personal power and self-esteem, our inner critic comes out. Fears of rejection, criticism, physical appearances.

When this chakra is balanced, we feel self-respect and self-compassion. We feel in control, assertive, confident.

The lesson of this chakra is self-acceptance.

4th or Heart Chakra (green)

Located at the heart.

Physical imbalances include asthma, heart disease, lung disease, issues with breasts, lymphatic systems, upper back and shoulder problems, arm and wrist pain.

Emotional imbalances include issues of the heart; over-loving to the point of suffocation, jealousy, abandonment, anger, bitterness. Fear of loneliness.

When this chakra is balanced we feel joy, gratitude, love and compassion, forgiveness flows freely, trust is gained.

The lesson of this chakra is love.

5th or Throat Chakra (blue)

Located at the throat.

Physical imbalances include thyroid issues, sore throats, laryngitis, TMJ, ear infections, ulcers, any facial problems (chin, cheek, lips, tongue problems) neck and shoulder pain.

Emotional imbalances include issues of self-expression through communication, both spoken or written. Fear of no power or choice. No willpower or being out of control.

When this chakra is balanced, we have free flowing of words, expression, communication. We are honest and truthful yet firm. We are good listeners.

The lesson of this chakra is to speak up and let your voice be heard.

6th or Third Eye Chakra (purple)

Located in the middle of the eyebrows, in the center of the forehead.

Physical imbalances include headaches, blurred vision, sinus issues, eyestrain, seizures, hearing loss, hormone function.

Emotional imbalances include issues with moodiness, volatility, and self-reflection; An inability to look at ones own fears, and to learn from others. Day-dream often and live in a world with exaggerated imagination.

When this chakra is balanced we feel clear, focused, and can determine between truth and illusion. We are open to receiving wisdom and insight.

The lesson of this chakra is to see the big picture.

7th or Crown Chakra (white)

Located at the top of the head.

Physical imbalance include depression, inability to learn, sensitivity to light, sound, environment.

Emotional imbalances include issues with self-knowledge and greater power. Imbalances arise from rigid thoughts on religion and spirituality, constant confusion, carry prejudices, “analysis paralysis.” Fear of alienation.

When this chakra is balanced, we live in the present moment. We have an unshakeable trust in our inner guidance.

The lesson of this chakra is live mindfully.

When Losing Weight, Where Does the Fat Go?

When losing weight I have patients write down everything they eat and drink, holding them accountable for their food choices and to see specifically how many carbohydrates they are consuming. For more on carbohydrate consumption and weight gain read "The Schwarzbein Principle". I also think it's a good idea for patients to be able to understand what is happening in their bodies as they lose weight on the cellular level. A word of caution, I use scientific words in the following!

When you consume calories beyond what your body needs, you will end up storing that extra energy in the form of triglycerides within fat droplets of individual fat cells. Carbohydrates are easiest to make into fat. Assuming that blood sugar levels are adequate, the carbohydrates will then be stored as glycogen. Muscles and the liver use glycogen for energy. But muscle does not have the necessary enzymes to synthesize all carbohydrates into glycogen; therefore the liver converts the majority of carbohydrates into liver glycogen. Since the liver is responsible for supplying energy to the entire body, once its stores are full, it is responsible for signaling the body to convert the extra carbohydrates to fatty acids to make triglycerides and store it in the fat cells. This is how carbohydrates are easily converted to fat.



When attempting to lose weight, you increase energy output and lower energy input such that the body dips into its energy storage within fat cells to keep itself going. When breaking down fat, the triglyceride is taken out of storage from the fat cell and broken down and used as energy by the body. As a fat cell liberates more and more triglycerides during times of negative caloric balance, it becomes smaller and smaller, but never disappears.

The whole process can be summarized in the following chemical equation:
Triglyceride (C55H104O6) + 78O2→ 55CO2 + 52H2O + energy

So yes, when broken down, fat is used to create energy. I also wanted to show you that 1 triglyceride molecule (with the help of oxygen) is converted to a bunch of carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). So if we do the math as they did in this scientific experiment, when somebody loses 10 kg of fat (triglyceride), 8.4 kg is exhaled as CO2 while the remaining 1.6 kg is lost as water in urine, feces, sweat, tears and other bodily fluids.

So, when fat is lost, it is mostly exhaled as carbon dioxide (84%), with the remainder (16%) being excreted as water.

Interestingly, this also means that the lungs are the primary excretory organ for fat. Breathing from the diaphragm is important and breathing exercises have helped patients in my office decrease their emotional and physical stress and also boost their immune system. We can see now it is also important when one is trying to lose weight. There are many articles on breathing exercises to lose weight and only now do I see the validity. Try one and if you see results please let me know so I can pass it on to others!