EATING SNACKS CONTRIBUTES TO DEPRESSION
I remember one day the owners called me up and asked me to see one of the players.  I was told he wanted to retire from basketball and was clinically depressed and was not going back on the court - ever!  When I spoke to him he told me he could not face going out there in front of so many people ever again.  Shooting foul shots in front of 25,000 people was just too overwhelming for him and he could just not face it.  
 
I asked him about his diet and he had been grazing - eating 6 small meals a day.  He had got this advice from a personal trainer during the off season.  I reminded him that in the NBA, most guys eat a big lunch at 2:00 or 3:00PM and then go to the arena at 5:00PM and then play at 7:00PM.  They don't get back to the plane for another meal until 11.00PM.  That means that they have to go without food for at least eight hours and somewhere in there, play an NBA basketball game.  If you are used to eating six meals a day that means your body has conditioned itself to eating and needing food every three hours and you are trying to go for eight hours!  I told him "I think your blood sugar is crashing on the court which is one of the major causes of depression and anxiety."  I told him to start eating three good meals a day, read my book The Three Season Diet and take 2 capsules of Anxiety Free three times a day after food.   Within two weeks he was back on the court averaging twenty points a game.  He was the one who coined the name "Happy Pills" for Anxiety Free.  

 

 >>> WATCH MY FREE VIDEO ON THE IMPORTANCE OF 3 MEALS A DAY

In this video I explain the many benefits of eating 3 meals a day (without snacking) instead of grazing or eating many small meals.  Eating 3 meals a day stabalizes your mood, balances your blood sugar, maintains a healthy weight, increases your stamina and keeps you naturally detoxing each day.   (5:40 min)

 

HOW TO CALM DOWN AFTER A STRESSFUL OR EXCITING DAY
One of the other major complaints I heard from the NBA players was that after the excitement of a game they couldn't settle down and had a difficult time falling asleep.  When morning would come they felt like they were exhausted - like they had been hit by a bus.  There are only a couple of herbs in the world that can both help you get a deep night's sleep and give you the energy to start a busy and hectic day or play an NBA basketball game:
 
This herb is called Ashwaganda, which is sometimes referred to as "the strength of ten horses."  Ashwaganda increases or decreases stress fighting hormones, depending on what the body needs, as well as boosts immunity.  This herb is an adaptogen which means it helps the body adapt or rejuvenate from the wear and tear of stress.  If you are exhausted it will rebuild your reserves, strengthen the adrenals, boost immunity (prevent colds and flu) and give the body and mind the energy it needs to handle the stress of the day and the energy needed to stay calm and actually go to sleep at night.  
 
THE REAL CAUSE OF INSOMNIA
The number one reason why folks cannot go to sleep is that they are exhausted.  Many people think it is because they have too much energy.  In reality, we need energy to sedate ourselves so the body and mind can go to sleep and stay asleep.  So for these players the exhaustion was comprehensive - they got two days off all season if they had a forgiving schedule: Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Life in the NBA is an immune compromising and performance wrecking endurance event that Ashwaganda offered amazing results for.  >>>Learn more about this amazing winter adaptogen on my website.

 

MUSCLE PAIN INCREASES STRESS AND DECREASES PERFORMANCE
The main reason I was hired by the New Jersey Nets was to keep the players on the court and free of injuries.  My background in sport injury chiropractic was how I went from being a nutritional consultant to being full time.  After working on the athletes it became clear that they were in desperate need of soft tissue based chiropractic.  Soon I was in such demand by the players I was offered a full time job.  
 
WHY OUR MUSCLES AND JOINTS HURT
When an athlete gets injured, or the muscles become tight due to overuse, the amount of blood supply to that muscle is decreased.  When this happens, the muscles lay down a protective fibrous tissue called scar tissue to protect the area.  It is much the same as when you don't water your lawn you get crab grass.  Though it is green and better then dirt, it is a much tougher version of grass.  This is what the body makes in our muscles when we get stressed, tight, over exercised or injured.  The fibrous tissue is laid down between the muscle fibers and actually sticks the muscles spindles together making it more difficult for the muscles to contract and move.  Along with problems in muscle contraction comes a much higher risk of that muscle tearing.  So the techniques I now employ at LifeSpa are deep soft tissue techniques that are designed to break up the fibrous tissue and re-instate the blood supply back to the muscle.  
 
HOW TO FEEL GOOD
When the blood is restored to your muscles, the elasticity, optimal strength, and function of the muscle returns.  The supplement Pain Free is an herb which includes boswellic acids.  These naturally occurring substances actually break up the built up scar tissue and increase the blood supply to both the muscle and the joints when combined properly with the synergistic herbs in this this formula.  The action of this herb, Pain Free, mimics exactly what I was trying to accomplish in therapy.  Pain Free was an invaluable tool in keeping the fibrous tissue build up down and the  risk of injury down during a very long NBA season.  Each athlete got two capsules of the Pain Free twice a day during the season.  
 
THESE TOPICAL PATCHES ARE LIKE HAVING ME WORK ON YOU
More recently I have discovered Transdermal Wei Patches that use Chinese and Ayurvedic herbs topically.  You stick the patch right over the epicenter of the pain leave it on for 2 days.  Most pains are dealt with using 3 patches over an 8-10 day period.  (2 days on with the patch and 1-2 days off, repeat 2 more times). They work based on the same principles of driving micro circulation to the area, breaking up scar tissue build up, and increasing lymphatic drainage from the area.  The only difference is that they work locally and directly on the area of pain. 

 

We have two types of patches: 

I realize we are not all playing in the NBA, but we are all juggling family, friends, business and - now during holiday season - lots of stress. Remember to start using my easy yet effective One Minute Meditation throughout the day to bring more peace and calm into your life.  I felt that sharing with you the same strategies that worked in the NBA may be just what you need to make this season and the New Year the most healthy and joyful of all! 

 

Warmly,

John Douillard

1 (866) 227-9843