Category — Wellness Strategies

Being healthy is usually one of the highest priorities to each of us. Living to a “ripe old age” in good health is also important to most people.

Unfortunately no one, doctors of chiropractic included, can guarantee that you will live to be 100 or that you will live even one day in perfect health.

But while there are no guarantees, there are things that you can do to increase your potential to be healthier and to live longer.

Things like:

• Eating a whole food plant-based diet
• Getting regular moderate exercise
• Managing your stress (we all have it!)
• Getting the proper amount of rest and sleep
• Drinking clean water
• Breathing clean air
• Getting the proper amount of sunshine
• Maintain the integrity of your nervous system

Making These A Regular Part Of Your Life Will Increase Your Potential To Be Healthier, More Productive And To Enjoy Life More!

Maintaining the integrity of your nervous system is something else that’s essential to your  health in general.  When your nervous system is working properly, you have the greatest potential to have superior health. Without a working nervous system you cannot live… and if it’s not working properly, you cannot experience superior health.

You Can’t Even Receive The Maximum Benefit From Good Food, Exercise And Rest Unless Your Nervous System Is Healthy!

This is why doctors of chiropractic (like me) place such a great emphasis on taking care of the nervous system. Chiropractic doctors can improve the function of your nervous system by removing interference caused by subluxations (misaligned bones).

I use a highly effective “whole-body” adjusting approach to improve joint biomechanics and reduce nervous system interference. The approach we use is based on our judgment and years of experience.

Do You Have Any Concerns That Your Body Isn’t Working At Its Optimal Level, And You Want To Experience Superior Health?

Not sure what to do?

I can help! To find out more, please give us a call or just stop by our office.  I can provide you a FREE introductory exam and consultation.  You can ask me anything.  I’ll do a brief assessment to see if care at our office would be appropriate.  If I can help you, I’ll let you know within 15-30 minutes.  And you decide to start care… then we’ll take it from there!

Our Wellness Programs Are Each Individually Designed And Well-Balanced To Help You Achieve Superior Health!

Don’t be satisfied with:

• Chronic back pain
• Low energy or fatigue
• Headaches
• Neck pain
• Shoulder pain
• Sciatica
• Being overweight
• Knee pain
• OR WHATEVER ELSE IS BOTHERING YOU!

We may be able to provide you with a NATURAL and PROVEN solution!  Contact us today to schedule your exam and consultation!

It’s a common misconception that by following a vegetarian diet, you will be limiting your food choices to a few basic and bland foods.  This idea is absolutely wrong.  These days, traditional supermarkets and restaurants offer a variety of delicious meatless choices. Going vegetarian can be a very healthy lifestyle choice but it has potential pitfalls.  After all, pizza, chips, cookies, soda, and french fries are vegetarian… but far from healthy!  So instead of focusing on “vegetarianism”, I recommend a whole food plant-based diet, which can do more to promote superior health than many vegetarian diets.

Defining Vegetarianism. A healthy vegetarian diets consists of eating plant-based foods such as vegetables, salads, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains. These are the three common types of vegetarianism:

• Vegan – a strict diet consisting of only plant-based foods; all animal-based foods (and in some cases animal-based products/clothing) are avoided.
• Lacto-vegetarian – allow dairy products in their diet; completely avoid eggs, meat, fish, and poultry.
• Lacto-ovo vegerarian – allow dairy products as well as eggs, but avoid all other animal-based foods.

Health Benefits of Vegetarianism

• Maintenance of normal body weight
• Lower rates of diabetes
• Greatly reduced risk of cancer
• Greatly reduced risk of heart disease
• Lower cholesterol
• Lower blood pressure
• Reduced risk of kidney stones

Common Pitfalls

• Not eating enough nutrient-dense foods (green leafy vegetables; learn how to make salads exciting)
• Eating too many grain-type products (especially non-whole grain)
• Not getting enough protein (learn how to get enough protein from plants)
• Not getting enough calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, and zinc (if your diet is filled with dark green veggies, legumes, fruit, nuts, seeds, and a variety of whole grains, you should have no difficulty; you may want to consider supplementing with a quality liquid whole food superfood supplement like intraMAX)

Simple Tips to Get You Started. Consider selecting a variety of different foods to construct your healthy diet.  Using a variety has always helped our family stay on track.  Also, realize just how blessed you are with such an amazingly delicious array of natural and wholesome foods at local stores… so explore a little and enjoy them.

• Start fresh with a home clean out.
• Start with simple recipes that you are already familiar with, such as pasta with veggies, veggie stir-fry, salads, and fruit salads.
• Begin replacing one or two meals a week and keep adding meals until your menu is fully whole food plant-based.
• Search this site and the internet for recipes.
• Dining out can be challenging.  If you’re unsure of the menu choices, I recommend filling up by eating a healthy meal prior to going out.  Restaurants that have a fair variety of vegetarian choices are Chinese, Indian, Thai, and Middle Eastern.
• Try these tips to handle picky eaters.

Everybody needs an energy boost from time to time.  Many of us need a daily pickups… usually during that “down time” between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm.  Don’t reach for junk food, caffeine, drugs, or expensive energy drinks.  These produce “empty energy”, result in an energy “crash”, and can be addictive.  Instead, will your body to do some exercise.   Get up and get moving!

Here’s a simple routine that doesn’t require any equipment and will really wake you up.  Remember to breath fully and deeply while exercising.  With each repetition taking about two seconds, the whole routine will take less than two minutes:

1. 10 jumping jacks
2. 10 pushups
3. 10 squats
4. 10 crunches.
5. If still groggy… go back to step #1 and repeat!!!

Here are some immediate benefits from exercise to your mind & body :

• improved mental alertness
• reduction in body tension and stress
• increased ability to focus
• greater motion of stiff joints
• reduced pain
• improved mood
• you don’t get caught by your boss sleeping on the job

Try this routine and let me know how it works for you.  If you have your own routine, share it with us!

When you’re out and around kids, instead of just watching them play, get involved.  Kids just keep moving.  Keep up with them and stay as active as them.  It’ll be fun and very rewarding for you and for them.  

Having an active lifestyle is one of the keys to promoting superior health.  I tell my patients that they must find an exercise they like, or they probably won’t continue it long-term.  Don’t get me wrong, I think traditional work outs are great.  But playing games are really fun… and if the games are active, you get a double bonus!

This past weekend my family had a blast playing a couple of really fun outdoor “kids” games.  These games are so apparently so much fun that the onlookers just can’t resist.  We had no problem gathering more and more players as the games progressed.  I took the leadership and organized several games of “Capture the Flag” and “Kick the Can”.  Both games are classics, and they’re good for kids of all ages and physical abilities. They’re easy to learn and can be played for hours without becoming boring.

How to Play “KICK THE CAN”:

• Equipment – 1 can or plastic bottle partly filled with rocks or dry beans.
• Setup – an outdoor area with lots of places to hide; 1 small base; 1 jail area (usually near or around the base); the can is placed upright in the base; 
• Variation – played at night
• Object – IT tries to capture all players; players try to stay free as long as possible
• One player is designated as IT.
• The other players get ready to hide as one player kicks the can as far as he can. The idea is to give the others a chance to hide.
• IT retrieves the can and returns it to the base as quick as possible.  After setting the can upright in the base, IT can “capture” players by spotting them and running back to the base before the player.  If caught, the player goes to jail. 
• If IT fails and the player kicks it first, then he and all captured players are freed and can hide again.
• While this is happening, other players can risk their own capture to free fellow players by running up to the can and kicking it–before being spotted by IT.

By Gabrielle Goldman (age 6)

How to Play “Capture the Flag”:

• Equipment – Two flags (you can make flags with two sticks and bandanas, you could use two brooms or two plastic bats); orange cones (optional, but help  considerably in marking boundaries)
• Setup – divide into two even teams; have two territories (front and back yards; trails through the woods; etc) with clearly marked boundaries; one jail in each territory
• Variations – hidden flags; using socks filled with flower to strike and capture opponents; at night with flashlights.
• Object – capture the opponents flag and return it to your home territory before your flag gets captured.
• Once you cross into enemy territory, you can be captured and placed in jail.
• Captures are made by grabbing an opponent and yelling something like : “one, two, three, you’re my man, no breaksies”.
• Each flag should be surrounded by a 10-20 foot safety zone that cannot be entered by it’s own team, unless an enemy is within (this prevents a total defensive game)
• Once your own team’s flag is placed, it cannot be moved again by your own team.  If a flag is carried out of the safety zone and then the carrier is captured or the flag is dropped, the flag must be returned to the safety zone. 
• Players can be freed from jail if one of their teammates tags him and yells “freedom”.  Only one prisoner can be freed at a time.

I promise you’re going to love these games.  You may even want to try them with a group of adventurous adults!  You will have a lot of laughs, I guarantee it.  Who knows, it may become a regular family event…

Don’t worry if people (usually adults) are just sitting and watching.  They’re just jealous that they’re not as energetic as you.  Come on, be a kid again!   Stay active, stay young, and have fun!

The squat should be normal and natural movement for the human body.  If you ever watch a child of 4-years-old or younger squat, they will almost always use perfect form.  As we get older, we either “forget”, or get lazy, and stray from correct form.

Learning how to perform a correct squat is essential if you want to avoid back injury.  Here is a summary of the correct form:

• stand with feet approximately at shoulder width
• keep your head forward, your chest lifted, and your shoulders back
• as you squat keep your weight in your heels (not on the ball of the foot)
• bend from the hips
• feel the strength in your thighs, buttocks, and back
• keep your knees from crossing over past your toes
• maintain a correct lower back curve (the lumbar spine has the same type of curve as your neck – a forward banana-shaped curve)
• as you deepen the squat your bottom should stick out a bit (as if reaching out to sit down on a chair)
• you can lift the arms in front as you squat to maintain balance
• squat down as far as comfortable (generally to 90 degrees)

I recommend practicing the form without weights for several sessions before using any weights.  A good way to help with your form is to hold a ball (ranging from a playground ball to a Swiss ball) and push the ball away from your chest as your squat.  The ball held in your extended arms acts as a counterbalance and helps with balance. When using weights, I recommend using dumbells to start.

The squat is one of the most beneficial exercises. When you do a proper squat  you will use all the major muscles of your lower body, including your quadriceps, hamstrings, abductors, adductors, and buttocks.  You will also use your core muscles, including your abs, back, and deeper core muscles.

Adding the squat to your exercise routine will pay large dividends in lower body strength, core strength, and overall energy.  When you bend to pick up your shoes, a pencil or whatever, use the proper squat.  By using the correct form you’ll have more strength, better balance, and reduce your risk of injuring your spine.

Blueberry Banana Smoothie – A Recipe for Superior Health

•  3 C rice milk
• 5 medium bananas
• 1 C blueberries
• 1 C baby spinach
• 6 pitted dates
• 1/2 C walnuts
• 1/3 C ground flax seed
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 8 ice cubes

This makes a rawsome smoothie that is loaded with healthy energy and lots of nutrition.  You don’t have to tell your kids about the spinach, or the Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, or the high levels of antioxidants… they just won’t care!  But they will think it’s delicious!

Glucosamine (glucosamine sulfate), chondroitin (chondroitin sulfate), and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) are widely used natural supplements used in the treatment of osteoarthritis (bone and joint).  They have been shown to be most helpful for knee pain, but reports have shown that they can help with all types of osteoarthritis. They are commonly used, especially in veterinary medicine, but their overall acceptance varies.

When patients ask me if they think a supplement can help them get rid of some pain, I tell them that for the best long-term outcomes, embracing a lifestyle of healthy eating and exercise is the most critical. Healthy living is the key.  Let me tell you my story…

Starting in the year 1999, I personally had serious back and neck problems that stemmed from past injuries and degenerative spinal conditions. I had serious pain, loss of motion, and muscular weakness.  It became so bad, I could barely exercise or practice chiropractic.  As the pain became chronic, I had mild depression and discovered that life became very hard.  I didn’t want to just cover up the pain, so I refused to take medications.

I received good care that included various natural therapies and chiropractic care.  Both helped, but my problems really became minimal only when I adopted a lifestyle of healthy eating and regular exercise. I started focusing on core strengthening exercises and I began to eat a whole-food plant-based diet.  Within 30 days, my pain diminished.  Through my lifestyle changes, I was finally able to gain control over my back/neck pains.  I thank God that he has designed our bodies with the ability to heal… from the inside.  This is much better than just pain relief through medications.

I don’t believe there are any real shortcuts to true health… such as glucosamine, chondroitin, or MSM supplements.   Today in my practice, in addition to chiropractic care, I offer patients coaching on exercise, nutrition, and healthy living.  Spectrum Wellness is a holistic and integrative approach to wellness.

In short… I do recommend a superfood supplement, called Intramax, that does contain glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM.  Although supplementation can be of some help, any supplement should only be an addition to a foundation of healthy living.

Don’t believe what they tell you.  There is no pill that can replace a lifestyle of healthy living.  True health can’t be found in a bottle.  Here’s the truth… you can achieve superior health through a commitment to healthy living!

Cabbage, Apple, and Raisin Delight

• 5 C green cabbage, chopped
• 4 apples, cubed
• 1 C raisins
• 1/2 C walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 C flax seed, ground
• cinnamon, to taste
• 1 C water

Put all ingredients in a large pot and cook on a low heat for around 15 minutes or until the cabbage is tender.

This is a simple, whole-food, and very tasty dish.  Also, this recipe fits right in to a healthy weight loss plan.  Even the kids will enjoy it.  For a different variety, try adding 1/2 C of chopped onion and some curry powder.

(thanks to Eugene P. for his inspiration on this recipe and to http://veganbarbie.blogspot.com/)

Green leafy vegetables are among the healthiest foods for us.  They are loaded with vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, and phyto-chemicals.  And dark green leafy vegetables have more protein per calorie than sirloin steak!

Eating salads can help you lose weight and achieve superior health.  But how much?  From what I’ve read and learned, I believe we should be striving for about one pound of salad (or other raw green veggies) per day, minimum.  This isn’t easy (especially in a large family) unless you get creative.

So here are some quick, easy, and wholesome ideas to help you make your salads more enjoyable:

• Add fresh fruits.  Strawberries (organic), blueberries, clementine oranges, pears, apples, etc. add a delicious sweetness on salads.
• Add ground nuts.  Walnuts, almonds, etc.  add a tasty crunch to any salad.
• Add ground flax seed.  Adds a unique flavor that is very healthy (contains omega-3 fatty acid and lignans) and a vegetarian alternative to popular fish oils.
• Add leftover cooked vegetables from the day before.  What a great way to use day-old peas, corn, carrots, etc.
• Add salsa, beans, and sprinkle in some corn chips for a southwestern salad.
• Experiment with the large variety of leafy green vegetables available.  Don’t just stick with iceberg or romaine lettuce.  Be adventurous… you will be pleasantly surprised at the variety of tastes and textures you’ll find.
• Use a variety of vinegars for homemade dressings.  I prefer white wine, red wine, and apple cider vinegars.
• Try different varieties of spices and herbs.  Try basil, thyme, granulated garlic, oregano, pepper, and chives.  For something different, try cilantro, rosemary, mint, cinnamon, curry, or cumin.
• If one day you find that you’re tired of the prep work for a big salad, then drink it!  Click on this link for my wholesome veggie juice recipe.

People always ask me if we see more patients when we get snow and ice.  The truth is… yes and no.  Initially, we see fewer people because they stay home and won’t risk the weather. Which I think is wise.  It’s only later when things clear up that we start to see people flooding into the office.  Some seek help after slips and falls on the ice.  But most come in due to lower back strains from shoveling snow.

Here are some tips to avoid hurting yourself while shoveling snow:

• Start out with a wide base.  Keep your feet shoulder width apart or a little farther.
• Warm up first.  Start out easy and pick up the pace and intensity only after 10-15 minutes.
• Keeping good postural alignment is critical.  Bend at the hips, use your legs and bend those creaky knees.  Never round your back when you bend. Keep your chest out, your shoulders back, and your head up.  
• Use proper breathing.  As with any exercise, inhale while at relative rest and exhale while exerting energy.  While shoveling, inhale while reaching for snow and exhale while lifting and tossing snow.
• Listen to your body.  If you become fatigued, rest.   I often switch from pushing to lifting and back again to give my muscles a rest.
• Wear a good pair of boots.
• Beware of icy patches to avoid a fall.  
• Use one of those special “S”-shaped shovels.  They reduce the distance you have to bend with each lift.

If you need clarification on any of these tips, give us a call or shoot us an email.  If you hurt yourself this winter, make an appointment to see us.  We’ll do our best to get your body back in balance and feeling great again!

Have fun in the snow!