May 2008 Newsletter

An Inspirational Quote

"You're born an original. Don't die a copy."

John Mason, author

Total Fitness Welcomes Paula Owens
by Catherine Carrigan, catherine@totalfitness.net

I am pleased to announce that Paula Owens of Phoenix, Arizona, has joined Total Fitness.

Paula has established herself as one of the most successful fitness and nutrition experts in the United States, empowering and inspiring her clients for over 25 years.

Ever since starting Total Fitness, it has been my dream to offer the very best in fitness, nutrition and natural healing.

Many people around the U.S. are now accustomed to the idea of consulting with a fitness trainer, a nutritionist or an alternative health care practitioner.

With us, a whole new breed of practitioner is emerging. What's unique about us is that we integrate the disciplines of intelligent exercise, healthy eating and energy medicine to create unique solutions for each of our clients.

Paula is passionate about helping her clients with holistic nutrition, balanced exercise program design and lifestyle transformation.

We at Total Fitness are here to stand for this new paradigm, one that transcends the traditional fitness industry, with its emphasis on over exercising and dieting, and outside the traditional nutrition business, with its focus on restricted calories and processed foods, and expands the traditional medical model, with its emphasis on drugs and surgery.

People around the world are realizing that their health and fitness lie in their own hands and that natural methods of healing may be far more effective.

Paula's upcoming book, The Power of Four, is the best summary I have read to date about what really works to help people achieve exceptional levels of health and fitness. She is a living breathing walking talking example of what she preaches, and for this reason we are excited to welcome Paula as part of our team.

Training in Fitness

• Certified NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist
• Certified CHEK Practitioner, Level II
• Certified Poliquin BioSignature Practitioner
• Certified efi-GRAVITY Personal Trainer
• Certified Poliquin Level II Strength Coach
• Certified Level II Flexibility Specialist
• Certified Post Rehab Specialist
• Certified Medical Exercise Specialist
• Certified ACE Personal Trainer Master Level
• Poliquin Olympic Coach, Level III Intern
• Certified Golf Performance Specialist
• Certified Yoga Instructo

Training in Nutrition

• Master of Science, Holistic Nutrition
• Bachelor of Science, Holistic Nutrition
• Extensive studies with nutrition expert, Dr. Eric Serrano, MD

Other Experience

• Author of soon to be published book: The Power of 4: Paula's Winning Formula 4 Health, Vitality, Longevity & Fat Loss
• National seminar presenter and speaker
• Health and Fitness columnist
• Bachelor of Science, Kinesiology
• Fitness Model

You can reach Paula Owens to make an appointment at:
480-706-1158 her office in Phoenix
www.paulaowens.com her personal website
paula@totalfitness.net Email

Client Success: Sarah English Perry
by Sarah English Perry

     How did you feel before coming to Total Fitness?
I was at the end of my rope. I was barely functioning physically or mentally. I could take a shower but then I would have to get back in bed because I was too exhausted to do anything. I could go on maybe one or two errands a week. I spent the majority of my day in bed. The smallest tasks seemed insurmountable.

     What sort of professionals had you seen to try to get help before?
Many different types of doctors: a GP, 2 different endocrinologists, a gynecologist, a psychiatrist and also an acupuncturist. While all of them had my best interest at heart, none of them had the answers. Many of the doctors gave me prescription drugs that only made my problems worse. I would feel better for a little bit and then I would crash all over again.

     Who referred you and why?
My gynecologist actually referred me because I have low cortisol.

     How do you feel now?
Soooo much better! I still have some work to do, but I am already at least 90% better than I was.

     Have the changes we suggested led to improvement in reducing medication, improving energy levels, feeling healthier?
I have been able to get off of 3 of the 7 medications I was on. My energy is definitely better.

     What are some of the important things you have learned about what it takes to be healthy?
One of the main things is being aware of what I am putting into my body. I am also trying to get enough exercise and also enough rest and sleep. Patience and a good attitude are goals that I am working on.

     Were there any techniques that especially helped you?
Everything has helped. Getting my custom amino acids has been one of the best things. Getting rid of my parasites has helped also. Catherine has been able to give me some valuable insights that I might not have ever gotten even if I had been in therapy for years. And I really enjoy the cranio sacral work with James. It is incredibly relaxing.

     What advice would you give to other people who are in a similar situation?
Well, I have already referred my husband, my best friend, my cousin, and now my daughter to Total Fitness. I think anyone would benefit from working with Catherine and James. My advice: Don't waste anymore time feeling bad, with their help you can take control of your health.

Sarah English Perry's Program
by Catherine Carrigan, catherine@totalfitness.net

Sarah English Perry was referred to me by her medical doctor.

We began as we do with all new clients by going over a thorough health evaluation. At that time, I recommended further investigation for parasites. Subsequent lab testing proved that she had parasites, and Sarah English was able to take her test results to her medical doctor for effective treatment.

We put together a program that included these elements:

Exercise: Easy walking outside in the sunlight for 45 minutes and qi gong she does at home for 30 minutes to build her energy for a total of 5 workouts per week.

Nutrition: I recommended daily juicing as well as organic food and individualized nutritional supplements. We also tested her amino acid levels and put her on a personalized suppolement to balance her body chemistry.

Healing: Sarah English visited James Williams for cranial sacral therapy, which helped her body to remove layers of stress from her the nervous system and other tissues. She saw me for medical intuitive readings and kinesiology, and I recommended flower remedies to accelerate her healing. I also recommended that she receive permission from her medical doctors before going off any medication, which she was able to do very easily over the course of just three months.

How Gluten May Affect Your Mental and Emotional Health
by James Williams, james@totalfitness.net

For the past 55 years a growing number of psychologists and psychiatrists have investigated the effect of gluten and casein on mental health. Yes - eating cookies, bread, pasta, and consuming pasteurized cows milk may rapidly affect how you think and feel.

Gluten is a generic name for specific kinds of protein. It is found in wheat as gliadin, in rye as secalin, and in barley as hordein (Zarkadas et al., 2006). The jury is still out in the scientific community about whether oats contain a glutenous protein (Kalish, 2006).

Unfortunately, the three cereal grains barley, rye, and wheat, and a protein found in cow's milk named casein are overeaten by most Europeans and North Americans. These four are key ingredients in:

• Baked and breaded goods
• Beer
• Breakfast cereals
• Malt sweeteners
• Pasta
• Processed soy foods and dressings
• Cheese, yogurt, and milk
• Most snack foods

All four proteins are thought to be common causes of subtle food sensitivity reactions that include:

• Bloating - temporary or permanent
• Nose running
• Headaches
• Lethargy
• Depression
• Diarrhea

The poorer your health is, the less likely you are to notice signs of food sensitivities. That's because either these symptoms occur frequently and you have accepted them as normal, or the reactions may take up to four days to manifest due to slowed digestion. When you have delayed reactions, it is nearly impossible to determine whether a specific food triggered a reaction just by recalling what you ate. The most reliable and cost-effective solution we've found is kinesiology, which we use at Total Fitness. In contrast, a prominent reaction would be your tongue or eyelids swelling. These are food allergy reactions - peanuts are a classic trigger food - and the symptoms can be life threatening.

    How Gluten and Casein Affect Your Behavior
What do scientists know about how gluten and casein can trigger changes in mood and concentration? When your food is being physically broken down into small molecules during digestion, partially digested gluten and casein proteins are formed into a chain of amino acids named peptides. These particular peptides permeate the intestinal tract and end up in your bloodstream where they travel around your body (Wakefield et al., 1998; Wakefield et al., 2002) triggering a multitude of symptoms and reactions in your brain, organs, and endocrine system.

The peptides have an opioid-like effect on the human nervous system (Reichelt & Landmark, 1995) and excessive levels disrupt the function of neurotransmitter systems (Shattock, Kennedy, Rowell, & Berney, 1990) and trigger changes to EEG readings (Reichelt & Landmark, 1995). The opioid-like peptides increase the activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine (Hole et al., 1979) which affects motor function, attention, and hyperactivity (Ciaranello et al., 1995). Do you know someone who just can't sit still or finds it hard to focus? Maybe they have a sensitivity to gluten, casein, or other foods.

    Gluten and Depression
Gluten-derived peptides have also been shown to have both opioid-like and anti-opioid-properties (Klee, Zioudrou, & Streaty, 1978). What this means is that to some people, it will feel really good to eat the foods listed above, yet they're also the very foods which are causing them mood and focus difficulties. Others will feel more depressed or anxious.

In some people with digestive tract irritation, such as colitis, depression may also be exacerbated by gluten proteins irritating the digestive tract, which reduces the intestine's production of serotonin, a hormone associated with feelings of comfort and happiness. Experiments have determined that adults' anxiety and depression are worsened by eating gluten and that the signs of major depressive disorders can be dramatically reduced or eliminated when gluten is removed from the diet (Pynnönen et al., 2004).

Here's the clincher when it comes to mood and what you put into your stomach: At least 90 percent of the serotonin you need to be happy is produced in your GI tract (Kalish, 2006). If you are eating foods that inflame your gut - like gluten grains - you will have a much harder time producing the neurotransmitter you need to be happy.

    Does Gluten and Casein Affect Everyone?
You might be wondering whether a behavioral reaction to gluten or casein happens to everyone. The answer you'll hear from the scientific community is a clear "No." Part of the reason for their answer is that research has focused on small numbers of participants, mostly children, who have had inflammatory intestinal conditions such as colitis or Crohn's disease.

Experiments performed with adults volunteers who had severe mental health problems (Vlissides, Venulet,& Jenner, 1984) and no colitis or Crohn's produced disappointing results. Only a very small number of patients experienced a measurable improvement in behavior. Because of this, for the past 20 years research has focused instead on people with severe intestinal inflammation.

    What You Can Do
So what's the answer? First of all, you can get your food sensitivities checked with us at Total Fitness. When you know which foods, if any, your body wants you to take a break from you can switch to some alternatives such as gluten-free products and sheeps' and and goats' dairy produce. A simple way to tell whether you'll benefit from having your food sensitivities checked is to switch from gluten to gluten-free products for three weeks. You'll feel much better during the third week and will know it's time to come and see us to quickly determine what other foods you may need to find alternatives to.

    Resources To Help You
For more information about food sensitivities, you can download our interview with Dr. Dan Kalish titled: Are Food Allergies Making You Fat? from our website. You'll get the latest information and lots of tips all in one 45-minute Mp3 file for just $5.99.

For a list of gluten-free recipes, please visit: http://www.totalfitness.net/nutrition%20recipes.htm

See this file for a list of foods to avoid if you suspect you have food sensitivities: Food Sensitivities: What To Avoid, by Catherine Carrigan.

The citations mentioned in this article are available on request by emailing James Williams, james@totalfitness.net.

Webstore Special

For the latest in fitness, nutrition and healing products, please visit our webstore.

This month's webstore special is $10 off a blood pressure cuff. Put the cuff into the shopping cart for $39.95 and use the coupon code BP when you check out to get the $10 discount. Your price is just $29.95 + shipping.

We use the blood pressure cuff for teaching our clients how to flatten their lower abdominal area and strengthen the transverse abdominis. You can set up an appointment with your Total Fitness practitioner to find out how.

Yoga and Qi Gong Classes in Atlanta

Yoga Classes: Every Tuesday and Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
Holy Spirit Catholic Church
4465 Northside Drive, Atlanta, GA.
$15 per class or $65 per calendar month.

Qi Gong Class: Every Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.
1951 Northside Drive, Atlanta, GA. $15 per class.

Booking appointments with Total Fitness

To schedule an appointment to find out about a personalized fitness, nutrition or healing program that will help you get results, please contact us:

In Atlanta

Catherine Carrigan catherine@totalfitness.net

James Williams james@totalfitness.net

In Los Angeles

Nina Lynn nina@totalfitness.net

In Phoenix

Paula Owen paula@totalfitness.net

You can also visit us on the web at www.totalfitness.net