Here is some information which may help people who tend to have weight gain problems around the Holiday Seasons.  This info is from a seminar I attended a few weeks ago,  Dan Murphy, DC was the instructor.  I will have more for you from that seminar in the next few weeks.

Dr. Bles

Water Weight

Many people are not fat, they have problems with fluid retention, which adds water weight.  Some of the culprits are:

1) MSG – MSG contains huge quantities of sodium.  Where sodium goes, water follows
MSG is found in virtually all processed foods, it is ubiquitious.
MSG is usually found hidden in food, and can be called dozens of different things on packaging.  (see  www.truthinlabeling.org)

2) Artificial sweeteners, especially diet drinks, including aspartame, accharin, acesufame K, and Splenda (sucralose).
3) Sodium, which includes table salt and the salt that is added to nearly all processed foods.

Water Weight Rules

1) No MSG.  One must also avoid all hidden MSG by being familiar with the list from www.truthinlabeling.org.
2) No artificial sweeteners, especially diet drinks, including apspartame, accaharin, acesulfame K and Splenda.
3) Do not add salt (sodium chloride) to foods.
4) Avoid all processed/packaged foods because most contain significant added salt (sodium).
5) Elevate your potassium because it will help your body eliminate excess sodium.  Taking potassium supplements does not work, the potassium must come from food.  Foods that are high in potassium include all of the leafy greens, kidney beans, avocados, honeydew melon and sea kelp.

Hidden sources of processed free glutamic acid (MSG)
autolyzed, hydrolyzed, glutamate, glutamic acid, hydrolyzed, autolyzed

These ALWAYS contain MSG
glutamate                               gutamic acid                     textured protein
monosodium glutamate           calcium caseinate            yeast nutrients
monpotassium glutamate         sodium casinate               autolyzed yeast
yeast extract                           yeast food                       hydrolyzed corn gluten
hydrolyzed protein                  gelatin

These SOMETIMES contain MSG
carrageenan                           maltodextrin                       malt extract
citric acid                               malt flavoring                    bouillon and broth        natural chicken flavoring         soy protein isolate               ultra-pasteruized soy sauce
stock barley malt                     soy sauce extract               whey protein concentrate
pectin                                    soy protein                          whey protein     protease                                 whey protein isolate            protease enzymes
soy protein concentrate         anything enzyme modified      flavors and flavorings
anything fermented               anything enzyme modified      seasonings
natural flavors
Remember: By definition, all MSG is “naturally occurring.”  “Natural” doesn’t mean “safe.”  “Natural” only means that the ingredient started out in nature.

Many common conditions for which people see a doctor can be treated successfully by dietary modifications, nutritional supplements, and herbal remedies. I frequently see patients who have been to dozens of doctors and received countless medications, with little to show for it except bills and side effects. However, after following a nutritional program, they report feeling better than they can ever remember.

Symptoms which often respond to a nutritional approach include fatigue, low-level depression, anxiety, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, premenstrual syndrome, joint pains, muscle aches, recurrent infections, nasal congestion, and others.

The important first step is to eliminate refined sugar, caffeine, and alcohol from the diet. For some people, this change is difficult, as each of these foods can be quite addictive. However, if you commit yourself to “toughing it out” through the first three to five days of withdrawal symptoms, you might find yourself entering a level of well-being you had not thought possible.

For many individuals with chronic symptoms, elimination of sugar, caffeine and alcohol is all that is necessary to feel well. Others, however, have allergies to specific foods. Food allergy is a common, though usually unrecognized, cause of migraines, fluid retention, nasal congestion, arthritis, fatigue, spastic colon, asthma, and other symptoms. To diagnose food allergies, I usually recommend an elimination diet: strict avoidance of all foods containing refined sugar, wheat, dairy products, corn, eggs, citrus fruits, coffee, tea, alcohol, and food additives. If, after 10 to 21 days, certain symptoms have disappeared or greatly improved, each eliminated food is tested individually. Those foods which provoke symptoms must be avoided completely for at least 3 to 6 months; those foods that do not cause symptoms are returned to the diet.

With attention to these dietary recommendations, nearly half of all symptoms seen by a typical family doctor can be relieved. To supplement the diet approach, vitamins, minerals, plant extracts, and other natural substances can be used as alternatives to prescription drugs. Although nutrient biochemistry can be quite complicated, below are a few examples of simple, safe, and effective natural treatments:

• Urinary difficulties caused by an enlarged prostate gland usually improve with supplements of essential fatty acids, zinc, and an extract of berries from the palm dwarf (saw palmetto) tree.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome, a disorder caused by compression of a nerve at the wrist, often responds to 50-100 mg. per day of vitamin B6.
• High blood pressure may come down in individuals who take supplements of calcium, magnesium, and hawthorne berries.
• Individuals with asthma may find themselves having fewer attacks and requiring less medication when they take vitamin C, vitamin B6, magnesium, and pantothenic acid (vitamin B5).
• Individuals with hypoglycemia may find that their blood sugar does not fall as easily if they take chromium tablets.

There are many other examples of how non-toxic natural substances can be used as an adjunct to or substitute for prescription medications and surgery. In ten years of medical practice, I have not seen a single serious side effect from any of these treatments. At the same time, there have been many satisfied patients who had previously failed conventional treatment.

Although the treatments described above are generally quite safe, it is not impossible to overdose on a vitamin, mineral, or herb. In addition, there may be interactions with some prescription medications. Furthermore, certain medical conditions require special precautions. For these reasons, you should not attempt a nutritional program by yourself. Seek the guidance of a competent practitioner who can teach you how to undertake a nutritional program safely and effectively.