Do you want to get the benefits of 45-60 minutes of exercise in just 10 minutes? Sounds impossible, but it’s true.  And it’s backed by sound research.  Our new whole body vibration (WBV) exerciser is named the Power Vibe and is made by  a company called Zen Pro.

The concept dates back to the 1960′s and 70′s to the Russian space program.  The Russian cosmonauts were sent into space for prolonged periods of time and when they returned they discovered some shocking things.  The cosmonauts had significant muscle weakness (atrophy) and bone loss or demineralization (osteoporosis).  The Russian space program began to use whole body vibration as a way to simulate weight bearing loads.  The cosmonauts performed the rehabilitation exercises before, during, and after trips into space.

Afterward, German Universities continued their own research on the effects of WBV.  Many studies were done on a variety of effects on the body, such as WBV and Osteoporosis, developing muscle mass, improving balance and circulation, rehabilitation for injuries, weight loss, and the like.

In the 1980′s, whole body vibration exercise has been used by Olympic athletes as a way to enhance training and rehab.  And now, whole body vibration has become affordable and accessible for most people.  It is effective, fast, and safe for people of all ages.

What is Whole Body Vibration Exercise Like?

You begin by standing on a rapidly vibrating plate.  The body undergoes the stimulating changes of rapid acceleration/deceleration, similar to running or being on a trampoline.  You can then move into different simple positions and hold them for some time while the plate continues to vibrate.  Examples of some positions are the squat, the one-legged stork stand, or the plank.

Standing for just 5-10 minutes a day, while doing a few movements to transfer the vibration of the machine into various body regions, increases the flow of freshly oxygenated blood into the tissues, enhances lymphatic drainage, and generally loosens things up.  You will feel great!

What are the Benefits of Whole Body Vibration Exercise?

On a WBV machine, the platform you stand on moves very rapidly. This controlled motion is transferred up through your body.  What happens in your body is that all of your tissues are forced to react to the stimulus of the vibrating platform.

• WBV works and tones your muscles. Here WBV works very similar to the knee jerk reflex. When muscles are activated via a “stretch reflex” your body has no choice but to react.  WBV technology exploits this fact by using an external stimulus – the vibrating platform. When you load a muscle or muscle group in line with the direction of the vibration by assuming various positions, the muscles respond to the vibration as compensation with a brief reflex contraction of virtually all muscle fibers of that particular muscle. Now remember, the platform moves anywhere from about 1000 to 3000 times a minute depending on the setting! You can imagine the type of stimulus this creates, thus causing your muscles to tone and strengthen faster than any other form of workout.
• WBV increases your blood flow. In order for a muscle to do any contraction, it needs to burn glucose and oxygen. Where does the muscle get these 2 essential components from? Your blood flow! As your muscle contractions increase, so does the need for oxygen and glucose for the muscle. Your body supplies it by increasing your heart rate to get the necessary nutrients to the muscle.  Thus, WBV naturally increases your circulation.
• WBV increases your lymphatic drainage. When standing straight up on the WBV platform, you can feel your sinuses draining, and the stiffness and tightness from standing all day going away. These are typical signs of lymphatic drainage which also helps to fight infection and bacteria. It’s almost like WBV supercharges every cell in your body with energy! Spending just 5 minutes on a PowerVibe (especially the vertical vibration units) and swelling is down, you are feeling lighter, looser, and best of all more relaxed!
• WBV increases the release of Endorphins. Researchers in Germany have also shown that the stimulation of subcutaneous tissues and ligaments around the spine in particular release significant amounts of endorphins, the same “Feel Good” hormones that are showing up in the bloodstream after a lengthy run!
• WBV lowers your Stress Hormone Cortisol. Also of particular interest to me was the fact that exercising with WBV helps your body to reduce the levels of Cortisol. This hormone starts to show up when you’re stressed out and your system is running on overload. Cortisol is terrible for the body – it causes your body’s inflammation levels to go up, it robs you of sleep, wipes out your adrenal glands and after a while leaves you constantly exhausted. WBV on a PowerVibe unit helps to break down this damaging hormone and replace it with better hormones. We all know how well exercise works in combating stress.
• WBV trains your equilibrium sense. The human brain is built to keep our bodies in a state of equilibrium, balance, and stability in the 3-dimensional world.  If someone pushes your shoulder, your brain responds by telling you to lean back against the push so you don’t fall over.  If you’re standing on a platform that is moving 20 – 50 times per second, your brain must respond quickly by triggering certain muscles to contract and others to relax so that you maintain your balance. The brain is forced to respond to the rapidly moving surface under you or you would fall over! This is great exercise for the balance sense.
• WBV can combat osteoporosis. Weight bearing load is placed on the patient’s entire skeletal structure, which maximizes lymph drainage, promotes the release of osteoblasts, and  fights osteoporosis.

The benefits of WBV training are considerable, as evidenced by its acceptance in major medical, rehabilitation and therapeutic centers across the country. The health benefits are multifold and results can be achieved easily. It can enhance your general well being and quality of life regardless of age, medical, neurological or physical condition.  WBV training is not difficult, but it can be challenging – the degree of difficulty is entirely up to you.

Feel free to call me if you have any questions regarding whole body vibration and if you want to find out if this natural therapeutic exercise would be right for you.  You can also check out some Power Vibe videos at: http://www.powervibeusa.com/community/video.

Baked Cauliflower Casserole

• 1 large head cauliflower
• 3 medium potatoes
• 1 C baby carrots
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 C nutritional yeast flakes
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• salt, to taste
• Italian seasonings, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Clean and prepare the cauliflower and potatoes.  Chop the cauliflower, potatoes, and carrots into bite-sized pieces and steam them until tender.   Mix them and place into a baking dish.

Add other ingredients to a bowl and mix well.  Coat the cauliflower, potatoes, and carrots with the “cheesy” breadcrumb  mixture and place in oven.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Delicious and nutritious!  Enjoy.

We have come across a new line of superfood supplements that are very exciting.  They are manufactured by a company called Life Force.  The product that caught my attention is called Body Balance.  This product was highlighted at a chiropractic seminar I attended last Autumn in Orlando, FL.

A couple of top doctors said that if they had one product to start every patient on, it would be Body Balance by Life Force.  The combination of pure organic Aloe Vera and nine sea vegetables makes for a powerful superfood.  Reducing body inflammation, regulating the thyroid gland, balancing the metabolism, and promoting healing is what makes Body Balance so special.

We are also very excited about two other Life Force products that work in harmony with each other.  OsteoProCare and FlexeoPlus.  Together they make up what is called the “Bone & Joint Pack”.  These supplements contain a holistic blend of Calcium, magnesium, vitamin D3, glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM.  They provide superior bone and joint care from the inside out.

So far the Life Force products that we will be carrying in the office are:

• Body Balance
• OsteoProCare
• FlexeoPlus

Please call if you have any questions or would like more information.  You can read more details about Body Balance, OsteoProCare, and FlexeoPlus on our Superfood page.  You can also learn all about the complete line of Life Force products at their web site: www.lifeforce.net.

Vanilla Banana Nut Smoothie

• 1 1/2 C spring or filtered water
• 1 C rice milk
• 4 large bananas
• 3 dried dates
• 1/4 C flax seeds
• 3 medium vanilla beans
• 1/3 C raw almonds
• 1/3 C raw walnuts
• ice cubes

1. Add all ingredients to Vitamix or other high-power blender in the order listed.
2. Blend on high for 60 seconds or until creamy.
3. Serve immediately and enjoy this delicious smoothie!

Tropical Mueslix

• 2 1/2  cups dry rolled whole oats
• 1/4 cup raw macadamia nuts
• 2 T ground raw chia seeds
• 3 T shredded coconut
• 1 cup sliced banana
• 1 cup pineapple chunks
• 1 cup mango chunks

1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl (we get our kids involved by mixing up a large batch; larger amounts can be mixed using the ratios listed in the recipe and then kept in the freezer for future use).
2. I recommend using nut milk(s), soy milk or rice milk instead of cow milk.
3. For a mushy mueslix (which may be better for younger children), use more liquid and let the mueslix soak for 10-15 minutes.

If you wonder how much your lifestyle affects your health, you have to read this article.  According to this latest research, diet appears to be the most influential factor in regards to cancer.

LONDON (Reuters) – Healthier living could prevent about a third of the most common cancers in rich countries and about a quarter in poorer ones, international researchers said on Thursday.

Better diets, more exercise and controlling weight could also prevent more than 40 percent of colon and breast cancer cases in some countries, according to the study which urged governments and individuals to do more to cut the number of global cancer deaths each year.

“At the time of publication, roughly 11 million people worldwide are diagnosed with cancer and nearly eight million people die from cancer each year,” said Michael Marmot, who led the study from the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research.

“However, cancer is mostly preventable.”

The study involved 23 experts who analyzed both the incidence of 12 common cancers across the world and data on diet, exercise and weight to see how these factors contributed to kidney, mouth, lung, gallbladder and the other cancers.

The researchers found that healthier living would prevent 43 percent of colon cancer cases and 42 percent of breast cancer cases in Britain, and 45 percent of bowel cancer and 38 percent of breast cancer cases in the United States.

The findings follow the same groups’ study in 2007 that showed how quickly people grow and what they eat are both significant causes of cancer.

They recommended — in line with what health experts, including governments and the U.N. World Health Organization, have long been advising — that people follow diets based on fruits, vegetables and whole grains and go easy on red meats, dairy products and fats.

The team also looked at China and Brazil as representatives of low- and middle-income countries, respectively.

Overall improving diet, exercise and weight would in the United States prevent more than a third of the 12 most common cancers — which also included stomach, womb (uterus), prostate, pancreas and esophagus tumors.

This amounted to 39 percent of the cancers in Britain, 30 percent in Brazil and 27 percent in China.

“This report shows that by making relatively straightforward changes, we could significantly reduce the number of cancer cases around the world,” Marmot said in a statement.

“On a global level every year, there are millions of cancer cases that could have been prevented and this is why we need to act now before the situation gets even worse.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51P2P920090226

The lesson here: if you want to have superior health, you must have a healthy lifestyle, which should include a whole-food plant-based diet.  A healthy lifestyle also should include regular moderate exercise, stress management, and getting sufficient rest among other things.

Many of our patients include regular chiropractic checkups and massage therapy as part of their healthy lifestyle because they know that it contributes to their health and well-being!

I just finished a 12-hour seminar focusing on whole-body adjusting. It was held in the heart of Philadelphia, just 2 blocks from city hall. The seminar was taught by a veteran chiropractor, Dr. Mark Charrette. He always has excellent and practical information to share, and delivers it with lots of energy and a “spicy” sense of humor. I have been a student of Dr. Mark Charrette since attending one of his seminars nearly a decade ago.

Over the weekend, we covered treatment strategies and extremity adjusting protocols for the whole body. During the lectures, I learned some amazingly simple, yet powerful strategies for patient care. I even had several opportunities during the hands-on sessions to practice and fine-tune my techniques.

Dr. Charrette detailed the ASR strategy for patient care. This stands for ADJUST – SUPPORT – REHAB. Over the years, I’ve learned that by following this simple strategy for patient care, I can help my patients achieve superior health faster and with fewer setbacks. The following example may help to illustrate this…

Sally, a 45-year old woman, comes in to see me with lower back pain and hip-area pain. I would start with a detailed case history and exam. I gather a great deal of helpful information here and can then determine if care is appropriate and safe, and what course we should take. I typically start with ADJUSTments of the spine and then the extremities. In Sally’s case we would focus on her lower extremity – the feet, ankles, knees, and hips. We may do other therapies such as ice, electrical stimulation or massage therapy. To SUPPORT Sally’s body, I may wrap the area (foot, ankle or knee) and determine the need for arch supports (orthotics). I would then design a program (for office and home) of targeted REHAB exercises for Sally, that would help provide long-lasting relief and improved body function.

I hope that example gives you a better idea of how I “give life” to the ASR strategy in my practice. By hitting all three components and focusing on whole-body balance, I provide the best care possible. You can see that if one of the components is neglected, you have a reduced likelihood of a good outcome.

As you may know, I have been doing whole-body adjustments (foot, ankle, knee, hip, wrist, elbow, shoulder and jaw) for many years now. Many chiropractors don’t address whole body balance. Perhaps due to lack of training, or different philosophies, or not wanting to spend the time with each patient. But when I first started focusing on whole body balance, I began to get great results. Now the research keeps coming in and continues to validate this “style” of chiropractic wellness care.  I’m hooked!

I can’t wait to share some of the incredible things I learned at the seminar. If you have any questions about my whole-body adjusting technique, feel free to call me or email any time.