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Do You Even Breathe?!

Conscious BreathingOne of the simplest ways to improve health right this moment is absolutely free! Breathe deeply to increase oxygen intake, relieve stress, cleanse the body of toxins, improve digestion, alkalize your blood and much more.
What’s wrong with how I breathe now?
Without the practice of conscious breathing, you may be unaware that you are, in a way, suffocating yourself throughout your unconscious breathing habits. With shallow, frequent and anxious breathing, there is not enough oxygen provided for the optimal performance of all of your cellular activity. Breathing too shallow and rapidly can cause an imbalanced pH condition by stimulating the nervous system to release too many stress hormones. This can also cause the body to become oxygen deprived and leave excessive amounts of carbon dioxide in the blood, leading to an overly acidic state.
What is the correct way to breathe?
There are many different ways to practice breathing techniques. From professional singers and horn instrument musicians to Yoga, Tia Chi, Qigong and other Eastern martial arts, many teachers acknowledge that proper breathing is paramount to personal performance. I encourage you to study them and practice daily for your optimal health and wellness. You may be surprised to find out how poor your breathing patterns have become and actually feel a type of post exercise soreness within your core at your diaphragm after the first few exercises.
“Hypo-gastric” breathing means breathing below your stomach and bowels. This is a misnomer because the lowest parts of your lungs end before your stomach begins. But this does help us visualize and perform optimal breathing. By focusing on pulling the air deep in your core below your belly button, this will ensure the maximum use of all of the lung tissue while distending your digestive organs out of the way to allow more room. This also allows you access to your energy core. According to Eastern thought, breathing is the primary way we bring energy into the body. We extract energy from the breath and store it in the lower abdomen, and the more we can extract and store, the better our physical condition. 
Practice conscious breathing right now:
I invite you to practice deep; full breaths that fill the lower part of your lungs. Don’t be afraid of letting your belly hang out at first, but with practice, you should be able to pull a full breath without exaggerating this motion. Count to four slowly as you inhale, pause for four, and exhale for a count of four. When you exhale, imagine pushing the energy from your lungs into the lower abdomen about four fingers below the navel and about 2 inches deep into your core. If you’re in good condition, you may feel something right away. If not, with practice you soon will. You may feel a tingling sensation in your abdomen or lower back, or heat, or a pleasantly springy feeling in the abdomen, as though pushing on a shock absorber. You may also feel the spine relaxing and small movements with cavitation and popping or clicking taking place in the bones and muscles, similar to when you receive a Chiropractic Adjustment. Your physical body is releasing tension and stabilizing itself into optimal health. The position of body structures relative to each other are falling into alignment. This is a gradual process, like training a new skill, but each time you’ll be able to benefit more with less effort and less focus – it will become natural.
Practice often! Practice conscious breathing just a few minutes of this each morning, night, during a workout, while driving or at stoplights, or while practicing EFT tapping technique. As you become a pro, you will be able to passively and subconsciously pull more successful breaths throughout your typical daily routine which will have a profound impact on your overall health. 
Breathe easy,
Kelly Baltuska, DC

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Emotional Freedom Tapping Technique (EFT Tapping)

My name is Dr. Kelly Baltuska, DC and I want to share with you a very powerful self healing tool that can help improve any and every aspect of your life depending on how you choose to use it. It is very quick and easy to learn and use. It is so versatile, in that you can utilize it to address anything from removing negative emotions, reducing food cravings and other addictions, reducing or eliminating pain, implementing positive goals, and even improving performance. This is the Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT tapping. This is the most popular form of Energy Psychology used today. EFT has been extensively studied and has shown profound results in symptom relief across the whole spectrum of the human condition. Daily practice has even demonstrated a decrease in Cortisol levels in the body. This is a stress hormone that can reek havoc on all of our body systems. For this reason, daily use can provide preventative healthcare benefits. EFT operates on the premise that emotional issues in many forms get in the way of the bodies natural healing potential and the ability to function optimally. EFT can be an ongoing process that we use to clear our mind of past traumas, and welcome any new challenges with a healthy, productive attitude. By implementing this tool, your limiting beliefs can vanish, personal performance can soar, relationships can thrive, and vibrant physical, mental and emotional health can all be yours.

The cause of ALL negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy system.

This includes fears, phobias, anger, grief, anxiety, depression, traumatic memories, worry, guilt and all limiting emotions in business, sports, and the performing arts. We will all at some point or another experience these emotions. EFT is the perfect tool to acknowledge them and move on. I will demonstrate how you can get started right now by showing you two basic strategies. The first will be the mechanics of tapping and the second will be tuning into the problem and setting a strong affirmation. There are many areas on your body that correlate to the Ancient Meridian points. We will, gently and repeatedly, tap with two fingers about 7 times in each area while focusing your thoughts inward, directed at the emotional aspects of your goal. I welcome anyone and everyone to use this tool for their optimal health and wellbeing. With practice, you will become more skillful at EFT and achieve better results.
It is very important to really focus on whats bugging you both physically and emotionally. As best you can, try to stir this up and bring them to the surface. Be it pain, stress, anxiety, obsession or cravings anything, you name it. Whatever it is, experience it fully and describe it vividly out loud. Next, use the phrase: “Even though I have this ___________, I completely love, honor and respect myself.” Fill in the blank with whatever it is you’d like to work on. For the purpose of this video, I will use stress and anxiety as the focus point. But just because this is how you are learning EFT, don’t forget that the possibilities are endless as far as what you would like to self treat. I invite you to follow along with the video above and repeat as I do in my actions and words to begin learning and practicing right now. After you learn the basic principles, you can personalize this to your specific condition for better results.

You will likely feel instant results with EFT. If not, just go around again and be creative and modify your affirmations to suit your specific condition. Keep practicing multiple times each day. Try EFT as soon as you wake up, before every meal, every time you go the restroom, when stopped at red lights, and when you go to bed. This is such a neat tool to use for your optimal health and wellness. Share this with your friends and family and let me know how you have used EFT to improve your life.

Schedule your next Chiropractic Adjustment online now using this link!


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Dr. Baltuska’s Sleep Hacks for Optimal Rest

DrBsleepSleep is every bit as important for optimal health as healthy food, pure water, exercise, prayer and meditation, and Chiropractic adjustments. The human body’s sleep-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm, plays a central role in multiple processes including mood and energy levels, disease progression, weight gain and much more.

In Sleep Deprivation, Life is ROUGH!

Reaction Time Slows: When you’re sleep-deprived, you’re not going to react as quickly as you normally would, making every activity of the day a potentially dangerous one.

Cognition Suffers: Your ability to think clearly is dampened and you will have trouble retaining memories, processing information, and making decisions.

Emotions Are Heightened: Your emotions will be kicked into high gear. This means that arguments with co-workers or your spouse are more likely and you’re probably going to blow things way out of proportion. Count on experiencing strong anxiety and flowing tears.

Immune System Shutdown: Chronic sleep deprivation will weaken your immune system to that of a 80-year-old on antibiotics. You will be sick often. And if not actually sick, you will feel sick.

Better Sleep Quality and Quantity for Optimal Health

1. Sleep in complete darkness, or as close to it as possible. Even a sliver light in your bedroom can disrupt your body’s clock and your pineal gland’s melatonin production. The glow from your clock radio, phone, moonlight, or streetlights could be interfering with your sleep, so do whatever it takes to find pitch black slumber. Move all electrical devices at least three feet away from your bed. You may want to cover your windows with drapes or blackout shades. I recommend a sleep mask to cover your eyes each night. The bonus of sleep masks are twofold. First, the sleep mask will reduce the amount of light reaching your eyes and pineal gland. Second, the Oculocardiac reflex is a physiological process that causes heart rate to drop when pressure is applied to the eyeballs. The sleep mask will trigger this response and calm your body allowing you to fall asleep and stay asleep.

2. Avoid viewing your phone, TV or computer screens in the evening, at least an hour or so before going to bed. These devices emit blue light, which tricks your brain into thinking it’s still daytime. Normally, your brain starts secreting melatonin between 9 and 10 pm, and these devices emit light that may stifle that process. Even the American Medical Association now states: “…nighttime electric light can disrupt circadian rhythms in humans and documents the rapidly advancing understanding from basic science of how disruption of circadian rhythmicity affects aspects of physiology with direct links to human health, such as cell cycle regulation, DNA damage response, and metabolism.” Find out how to toggle your Iphone settings to protect your eyes from blue light when you use your phone just before bed here: Red Light Tint to Protect from Blue Light Exposure

3. Make sure you get BRIGHT sun exposure regularly. Your pineal gland produces melatonin with the strong contrast of bright sun exposure in the day and complete darkness at night. If you are in darkness all day long, it can’t appreciate the difference and will not optimize your melatonin production. Also, sun exposure is required to achieve optimal vitamin D levels for numerous health benefits.

4. Install a low-wattage yellow, orange, or red light bulb if you need a source of light for navigation at night. Light in these bandwidths does not shut down melatonin production in the way that white and blue bandwidth light does. You can also download a free application called F.lux that automatically dims your monitor or screens.

5. Keep the temperature in your bedroom between 60 and 70 degrees F. Many people keep their bedrooms too warm unintentionally just because heat rises to the upstairs rooms. Optimal room temperature for sleep is between 60 to 68 degrees F.

6. Take a hot bath before bedtime. This increases your core body temperature, and when you get out of the bath it abruptly drops, signaling your body that you are ready to sleep.

7. Avoid using loud alarm clocks. Being jolted awake each morning can be very stressful. Every time the loud alarm shocks you into reality, your body’s stress hormones flood the bloodstream. Imagine what you are doing to yourself with repeated use of the “snooze” button every morning! If you are regularly getting enough sleep, you might not even need an alarm.

8. Be mindful of electromagnetic fields in your bedroom. EMFs can disrupt your pineal gland and its melatonin production, and may have other negative biological effects as well. A gauss meter is required if you want to measure EMF levels in various areas of your home. Ideally, you should turn off any wireless router while you are sleeping. You don’t need the Internet on when you are asleep.

Nighty-night,

Kelly Baltuska, DC

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Doctor Baltuska’s Favorite Sweet 16 Superfoods

“Every time you eat or drink, you choose health or disease”

Superfood- A nutrient-rich food that is considered to be especially beneficial to your health and well-being. Research studies help these foods earn their “super” title by demonstrating their positive effects on health.

1. Avocado

Voted healthiest food by nutritionists around the world, avocados are actually classified as a fruit. They are rich in monounsaturated fat that is easily burned for energy. They also provide close to 20 essential health-boosting nutrients, including magnesium, potassium, vitamin E, many B-vitamins, and folic acid. Research has found avocados to help optimize cholesterol levels within as little as one week! They contain compounds that inhibit and destroy cancer cells and protect against liver damage. The greatest concentration of beneficial carotenoids is in the dark green fruit of the avocado, closest to the peel, so use the “nick and peel” method to maximize the benefits from your avocado.

2. Coconut oil

The healthiest oil you could ever consume. Anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal. The political and economical propaganda in the past might cause you to be hesitant, but don’t be scared to eat spoonfuls of this superfood everyday. It is so versatile, it has countless other uses, from topical beauty applications, to oral health and first aid treatments, to general household cleaning and sanitizing.

3. Coffee

Coffee lowers your blood glucose level and increases the metabolic activity and quantity of healthy bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract. Fresh coffee from organic, whole beans that are pesticide-free can help keep your brain and muscle tissue young. Adding milk, creamer and sugar as the popular commercialized convenient stores do completely ruins all of the wonderful health benefits and value you receive from coffee. Consume coffee in moderation prior to exercising in order to maximize health benefits. Dark roast coffee beans are richer in beneficial compounds and lower in caffeine than lighter roasts.

4. Kale

The quality and quantity of vitamins in kale are matched by no other vegetable. It’s potent antioxidant activity aids in DNA cell repair while slowing the growth of cancer cells. Kale is “the beef” of the vegetable world with plenty of iron, protein, and calcium. It’s anti-inflammatory capabilities are unrivaled among other leafy greens. It also has Omega-3 AND Omega-6 fatty acids. What a superfood!

5. Walnuts

Walnuts are good sources of plant-based omega-3 fats, natural phytosterols and antioxidants that are so remarkably powerful at free-radical scavenging that the FDA has gone as far as calling walnuts “drugs”. Plus, walnuts help reduce the risk of prostate cancer and breast cancer. They’ve also been shown to reverse brain aging and boost heart health in people with diabetes.

6. Almonds

The skin of almonds are rich in antioxidants including phenols, flavonoids and phenolic acids, which are typically associated with vegetables and fruits. Nut eaters gain several health benefits compared to non-nut eaters, including lower weight and systolic blood pressure, decreased waist circumference, and a lower risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Choose nuts that are organic and raw and avoid those that are coated in salt or sugar to boost your overall health.

7. Sweet Potatoes

The only food with more Vitamin A than a sweet potato is a cow’s liver. A surprising fact from mother nature reveals that even though they are high in sugar content, sweet potatoes actually help regulate blood sugar levels in a mysterious way. Don’t be afraid to cook them because unlike other vegetables, the heat releases more vitamins and minerals which are then more accessible to our body. Both Anti-inflammatory AND anti-obesity, this is the perfect “medicine” for the Standard American Diet.

8. Dark Chocolate

Chocolate contains anandamide, which means “bliss,” and is a neurotransmitter in the brain that temporarily blocks feelings of pain and anxiety. The caffeine and theobromine in chocolate have been shown to produce higher levels of physical energy and mental alertness while, counter-intuitively, lowering blood pressure in women. To reduce your cortisol stress hormone levels, eat one-and-a-half ounces of dark chocolate a day for 2 weeks.

9. Pomegranates

A symbol of prosperity, pomegranates contain all 3 different types of antioxidant polyphenols whereas other fruits only contain one or two. Effective in reducing the risk of heart disease, and suggested by nutritionists around the world to aid in weight loss and cholesterol level control, pomegranates are seemingly to-good-to-be-true.

10. Kefir

If you have not heard already, this is one of my absolute favorites. I am so jazzed about this superfood that I have been hosting “How to prepare Kefir” demonstrations around town. Beneficial bacteria in fermented foods help boost your overall nutrition, support digestion, and increase B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, digestive enzymes, and improve your immune system. Probiotics are in the spotlight of cutting edge research. Healing practitioners of all walks of life are utilizing them to treat every symptom across the spectrum of the human condition. You cannot sustain optimal health with a diet lacking in probiotics. This is nature’s probiotic.

11. Blueberries

Researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Center have ranked blueberries #1 in antioxidant activity when compared to 40 other fresh fruits and vegetables. Blueberries are associated with numerous health benefits including protection against heart disease, urinary-tract infections, cancer, age-related health conditions, and brain damage from strokes. Be sure to enjoy blueberries in their raw, natural state without heating or freezing them, as to obtain all of the health benefits.

12. Chia seeds

An ancient superfood used by Aztecs and Mayans, chia seeds were the basic survival ration of warriors. Just one tablespoon was believed to sustain an individual for 24 hours. The Aztecs also used chia medicinally to stimulate saliva flow and to relieve joint pain and sore skin. Chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids and the seeds antioxidant capabilities don’t deteriorate and can be stored for long periods without becoming rancid. Contrary to popular belief, they do not have to be ground to make their nutrients available to the body. Chia seeds also provide fiber, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc.

13. Eggs

Mother Nature’s perfect protein. Eggs contain high quality proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. (Even anti-oxidant properties if eaten raw.) Unfortunately, not all eggs are created equal. To get the most out of your eggs, choose the organic, free range option. Many people believe that they are allergic to eggs. Most often these people are actually allergic to what happens to the egg protein when heated and have no trouble when consuming them raw. Again, it is only safe to consume raw eggs when in the organic, free range form.

14. Broccoli

Our intestinal lining contains receptor sites for cruciferous vegetable phytonutrients contained in broccoli. When these receptors are activated, a biochemical cascade of events ensues that turbocharges our immune system. Eat raw broccoli to keep these receptor sites full for your optimal health and wellness. This superfood contains amazing compounds that heal the body and prevent cell damage. Try your best not to heat this veggie, because cooking broccoli literally burns away the health benefits.

15. Wild caught salmon

Eating oily fish once or twice a week may increase your lifespan by more than two years, and reduce your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 35 percent. Fish have always provided the best source for the animal-based omega-3 fats EPA and DHA. Be sure to pay the extra money for wild caught Alaskan salmon to gain the health benefits. Farm raised fish are fed foods that a fish would never EVER come into contact with naturally and seriously alter the nutritional content of the flesh.

16. Bananas

All this wellness, prepackaged by Mother Nature, and ready to eat on the go in the perfect portion size. They contain potassium, vitamins A, B, C, fiber, flavonoids, and antioxidants. Historically used to calm all different kinds of unwanted symptoms including: upset stomach, morning sickness, stress, heartburn, constipation, PMS, and poor brain function. Just like apples, one-a-day will help keep the doctor away.

Health/Liability Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Contact your health care professional for medical advice.

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