Summer Recipe: Strawberry & Feta Salad
July 28, 2011
Summer is a great time to get outside and soak up the sun. Because of the heat it’s also a great time for salads! In addition to the great produce you can include (like strawberries), a homemade salad can be a tasty meal that doesn’t heat up the whole kitchen. Here’s a fun recipe for a Strawberry & Feta Salad I found on AllRecipes.com:
Photo Credit: j00lius
Prep Time: 15 Min, Ready In: 15 Min
Ingredients
1 cup slivered almonds
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 head romaine lettuce, torn
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Directions
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the almonds, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and set aside.
- In a bowl, prepare the dressing by whisking together the garlic, honey, Dijon mustard, raspberry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil.
- In a large bowl, toss together the toasted almonds, romaine lettuce, strawberries, and feta cheese. Cover with the dressing mixture, and toss to serve.
Nutritional Supplements: Which Ones Should You Use?
July 21, 2011
An important aspect to keeping your body healthy and independent is providing it with the nutrients it needs to work correctly. In addition to drinking plenty of water, eating a lot of green, leafy vegetables and avoiding unnecessary processed foods, there are two specific nutritional supplements we generally recommend for every human since we are sorely lacking fruits, vegetables and Omega-3 fats in our diet:
Greens First is excellent is comprised of just fruits and veggies, plus it includes 10 servings of fruits and veggies in every scoop. We find this supplement especially excellent because it is a whole food supplement, not an extraction of any vitamins or minerals from a food. Find out more about them at www.greensfirst.com.
Omega-3 supplements are very important for ongoing brain support, immune system support and eye health. There are three factors to look for when selecting an Omega-3 supplement:
- Is it pharmaceutical grade? It’s important to make sure it is a highly condensed form of Omega so you only need to take 2 capsules – not 6 or more for the same amount of Omega-3.
- Is it molecularly distilled? Many fish in our oceans are contaminated with PCB’s and other toxins. You want to make sure your supplement is free of those.
- Is it flavored? Many people have a challenge with ingesting fish oils as it can sometimes produce fishy tasting burps during the day. Yes, I agree this can be unpleasant.
The best supplement on the market that satisfies all of the above criteria is the brand on our office: Nordic Naturals. Check them out at www.nordicnaturals.com.
Freedom from Surgery
July 14, 2011
Keeping with our theme of independence during the month of July, we want to help you stay free from surgery. But can it really be avoided?
Before deciding on surgery, consider all your options. Remember to ask what the chances are that it will fix the problem you’re hoping it cures. Successful surgeries are categorized as surgeries where the doctor goes in, does what is intended to be done and the patient lives – NOT whether or not the PATIENT receives the desired result.
There are ALWAYS risks with surgery, including (but not limited to) death. ALL surgeries need to be taken seriously because our bodies are never the same after you cut into them. We always recommend avoiding surgery if possible.
What if you decide you really need the surgery? Are there ways to ease the pain and heal naturally?
In addition to the actual procedure, the drugs that are used during surgery can be very taxing on the body before, during and after it is completed. The good news is there are alternative options in the homeopathic arnica that can greatly increase your body’s ability to heal. One brand of drugs has even been used in plastic surgery offices for more than 5 years, and the doctors that recommend it for their patients notice a greater decrease in bruising and inflammation when compared to the standard drug approach.
Being under chiropractic care also greatly speeds up the healing process. When our practice members have had surgery for one thing or another, they almost always report back that their surgeon is amazed that they have healed so quickly. Because chiropractic care helps ALL the body’s functions work optimally, healing can occur the way it is supposed to!
If you’re considering surgery, or have been through one recently, please let us know! We’d be happy to provide additional information about alternative options that might be available.
The 100 Year Old Woman That Died at 82
July 14, 2011
Photo Credit: Horia Varlan
This is an interesting story of a 100 year old woman who died at 82. When she was conceived, just like you, 23 chromosomes from her mother and 23 chromosomes from her father united to make her a unique human being with the innate potential to live an active, healthy, quality life to 100 years of age and beyond.
Unfortunately, she was injured during the birth process. Pulling and twisting on her neck and spine caused a vertebral subluxation, placing pressure on her spinal cord and nerves. Since there was no bruising that was visible on the outside of her body, the injury went unnoticed and the newborn went home from the hospital on time.
Underneath her skin, this injury caused a disruption of the nerve supply between the brain and the body and her internal communication signals became distorted. Her stomach became sensitive to foods, and her first year of life was filled with numerous colds and ear infections that her parents and the pediatrician considered “normal”. She was given multiple doses of antibiotics and her symptoms came and went. Over the course of this first year, her underlying spinal injury caused her bones to develop unevenly, her nerve supply to be compromised, and her Innate healing capacity to be altered.
During her toddler years, she fell a lot through playing and exploring her environment. This repetitive trauma caused additional areas in her spine to become imbalanced, causing more pressure on her nerves. While they were not enough to cause her a “backache”, the pressure was enough to cause her body to function abnormally. After all, research shows that nerve root compression can exist without pain and mild pressure can reduce nerve transmission. Deterioration can begin within two weeks.
As a teenager, she began to experience hormonal changes in her body which for unexplainable reasons were causing difficult menstrual cycles and severe acne.
Her caregivers labeled her as anemic since she was prone to overall weakness and dizziness. Her parents didn’t even think about removing the pressure from the spine and restoring the normal nerve supply to her body. Instead, they were scared into giving their child monthly treatments used for birth control. This symptomatic treatment approach seemed to work for a while, but each time she went off the hormones, their daughter’s symptoms became worse. Eventually, in her early 30’s, she suffered several miscarriages, was diagnosed with clinical depression and began taking an anti-depressant. As her symptoms and conditions multiplied, so did her medications. Even more significant, the pressure on the nerves had been there for decades of two weeks.
To make a long story short, what could have been a long healthy life, ended as a shorter, sicker one. This pattern of treating symptoms rather than eliminating the cause continued throughout her lifetime. Her body could never get centered. Her spine and nervous system were never balanced. Rather than thriving and enjoying good health, her body deteriorated over time.
The last decade of her life, she was unable to appreciate her family or travel far from home. Her savings dwindled while the cost of her medications and treatments rose. She spent the last 5 years dying a painful, deteriorating death in a nursing home instead of experiencing the quality of life that her body’s Innate Potential could have provided.
This woman’s story should not have started or ended like this. An immediate spinal examination after her birth and throughout her lifetime may have contributed to a much different life. How may two weeks will you wait? Whether your destiny is to live to 82 or 100 years and beyond, make them quality years and enjoy good health every day along the way with Chiropractic Lifestyle Care. Regardless of your age, Chiropractic Care will help you keep your spine and nerve system healthy and your body expressing its full potential.
Reprinted with permission from The Family Practice.
How Much Pain Can You Tolerate?
July 13, 2011
Photo Credit: stevendepolo
“How much pain can you tolerate?” is a very interesting question. Some people have a high pain threshold and are very “macho” in their approach as they act like they can handle anything. On the other hand, many others have a mild to moderate threshold and search for a “cover up” to eliminate their unpleasant feelings. Based on the astronomical statistics of pain medication use, our level of tolerance has gone way down.
In the United States the total cost of health care related to pain is approximately $600 billion and the cost to employers dealing with employees who have reduced work productivity due to pain is in the neighborhood of $100 billion per year. An Auburn University study showed that 67% of children suffered muscle soreness, 51% back pain, 24% numbness and 15% shoulder pain. Studies from John Hopkins Children Center and many other places have shown that backpacks cause back and shoulder pain and poor posture in children. Between 1997 and 2005, the medical expenses for individuals with spine problems grew from $4,695.00 to $6,096.00 per person.
According to CBC News, 54% of Canadian seniors report that chronic pain is interfering with most of their activities. The National Population Health Survey found that seniors who saw their pain increase over a two-year period were more likely to be unhappy or have a negative impression of their personal health at the end of that period. In younger Canadians between the ages of 12 and 44, 10% are already experiencing pain that is affecting their life and limiting their activities.
Too many people look to manage their pain by numbing their feelings with non-prescription or prescription drugs. Certainly in extreme cases this may be helpful as any compassionate person would agree; however, managing pain with medication as part of a lifestyle rather than getting to the cause can lessen your body’s natural pain tolerance and cause horrible side effects including nausea, sleep disruption, lack of mental clarity, lack of energy, depression and potential damage to key organs such as the liver, kidney and heart.
Overuse can create unintended addictions to pain medication that can lead to even more challenges and difficulties in your life.
Chiropractic care is a much better option for both acute and chronic pain sufferers. First of all, a chiropractic examination can locate areas in the spine that are out of balance and are putting pressure on nerves which can contribute to nearly every type of pain condition.
Crisis Care, the type of care that is delivered when someone is in pain or suffering from a health problem, is delivered with frequent visits close together to begin realigning the spine, reducing inflammation and pressure from the nervous system, which usually provides relief and stability within a few weeks or months.
The next phase of care, called the Critical Transition, is critical because it provides consistent care with less frequent visits stretched out over a longer period of time regardless of how people feel so the spine, nervous system and body can begin to regenerate. It is this phase of the care that is necessary to support an active, healthy, long life that is either free from chronic pain or certainly makes pain much more manageable.
Unfortunately too many people ignore this critical transition because they feel better and they go back to the destructive habits that caused their deterioration in the first place. This behavior, including numbing their pain with drugs, can only lead to more deterioration and pain even though you experience relief from the pills. Continuing your chiropractic care through the Critical Transition breaks this cycle and gives your body the chance to adapt and truly heal for the long haul.
Isn’t it time that you decide to not tolerate a pain and medication based lifestyle and the deteriorating future that it promotes? Take care of your spine and nervous system so that your body can heal itself and enjoy the quality of life you deserve.
Reprinted with permission from The Family Practice.
Independence: Arranging Your Schedule
July 7, 2011
Photo Credit: Generationbass.com
Our whole focus this month is independence; you need to go at everything alone, though! A big part of being independent is taking care of yourself, giving yourself more freedom. All of us are busy. How can you arrange your schedule to give yourself the most freedom?
Borrowed from the 100 Year Lifestyle Book is the concept of splitting your time into three categories:
- Play Time: What we live for! Time to spend with family and friends. Note: Schedule this FIRST every week, month, year, etc.
- Prep Time: What you need to do to prepare for your Prime Time.
- Prime Time: Your moneymaking hours that fun your Play Time.
Sticking to the time you allocate for each activity is a must for this to work, so be strict with yourself!
Have you signed your personal Declaration of Independence yet? If not, be sure to ask about it next time you come in for an adjustment!
Thank You Silicon Valley
