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For some time now I’ve been dumbfounded by the illustrious White Coat. You know-- The one that most wanna be doctors, physicians, or medical staff don to pad their ego or assume some unrealistic amount of respect. I’ve thought long and hard as to why a simple wardrobe change could amount in an unmeasurable blind trust between patient and practitioner. I think I’ve got it!

First we must discuss why the white coat was first implemented into practice. It was nothing more than a smock, a cheaply made cover to protect the person’s clothes from becoming soiled. Blood, embalming fluid, caustic chemicals, and other unwanted fluids were to be caught in the coat and easily recognized so the it could either be cleaned or discarded. The same goes for scrubs-cheap clothing that could be thrown away.

Now look at these articles of clothing. Anyone can step into the light and be awarded with gawking glances and reverent respect, all you need is a white coat and/or scrubs. I don’t know about you, but I find it disgusting to see anyone out in public wearing any of the above. I would much rather see someone covered in dirt sitting next to me in a pub. At least I know where they’ve been and what they were touching.

Back to the white coat: You wanna know why white coat hypertension exists to begin with? Why you can’t help but worship the feet of these White Coaters? Why you have to stare at this badge of honor and high praise? I'm putting these examples in order of importance to me.

 

First off Don Johnson of Miami Vice.  He wore the coat with style and awesome hair.

Second, The pope.  I don't live in Europe, I'm not Catholic, and I'm not on board with God loving someone more than me.  I do like his hat, though. 

Next is Elvis.  If I were a little older or a chick he might be higher.

Then we have Bond, James Bond.  The iconic Bad Ass of any generation.  So what if he's not American and touts a healthy amount of body hair, he's Bond.

And of course, God.  The one and only.  There must be something built inside of us that the color white be synonymous with supreme, holy, and omnipotent. So next time you see someone wearing a white coat, don't worry--they're probably not better than you.  That's why they have to wear a white coat to begin with.

We are open today! Hershey and Annabelle wanted a snow day but we made them come to the office to play in the snow!

Ear infections are no fun for anyone. The child suffering from them is in pain and mommy gets no sleep taking care of them. Frustration sets in as round after round of antibiotics fail to get rid of the problem. Most think, “What is a parent left to do but have tubes put in their child’s ears?”.

To understand what is left to do we first need to understand the mechanism of ear infections in children. The reason children often “grow out of” chronic ear infections is because the problem is a structural problem. As an adult your eustachian tubes are positioned in a vertical manner that allows them to drain easily and their size allows for proper equalization of air pressure in the middle ear. A child’s head is not fully grown causing the eustachian tube to be smaller and positioned in a way that makes it harder for the ear to drain and the air to equalize in the middle ear. Therefore any upper respiratory infections or allergies that cause the eustachian tube to swell slightly can cause problems with air pressure in the ear. When the middle ear does not have the proper air supply a vacuum develops which allows fluid to be sucked into the middle ear. The fluid build up itself does not mean that the child has an ear infection, but the longer the fluid stays in the ear the more likely bacteria will grow and an infection will develop. The inflammation of the eustachian tube and fluid drainage can take several weeks to clear when left alone.

A safe alternative to deal with ear infections which has no harmful side effects is a chiropractic adjustment, which allows the ears to drain and the air pressure to equalize in the middle ear. As drainage of the ear is allowed and air pressure is normalized the ear will heal quickly. Chiropractic care also aids the immune system which naturally speeds the child’s healing. So stop the frustration of pain, sleepless nights, rounds of unsuccessful antibiotics and unneeded ear surgeries on children by calling today to schedule your child’s free ear exam.

Congratulations to those who made it through Detox with the Docs, Today is your last day!

What you may not know is what to do next? So you feel great you’ve been eating healthy and working out, but do you just go back to how you did things before the detox? No! The idea of this cleanse is to teach you to be aware of how food makes you feel! What foods give you more energy, what foods give you unhealthy symptoms. So, as you start adding foods back into your diet add them one at a time. This will help you determine what foods you have allergies or sensitivities to. Symptoms associated with food allergies and sensitivities include headaches, fatigue, nausea, rash, indigestion, cloudy head, confusion, sudden awkwardness, trouble breathing, scratchy mouth or throat, feeling hungover the next day, and the list goes on and on. Everyone reacts differently and can have different severity of reactions. If when you add a food back into your diet you find that you have these reactions, remove it again for the time being.

Another way to track if you have a food allergy or sensitivity is the Cocoa Pulse Test. This test is not as accurate as going by your symptoms but can be helpful for some. To perform this test take your pulse prior to eating and record the rate. Write down what you have to eat the date and time. Then 15 minutes after eating take your pulse again and record the rate and 30 minutes after eating record the rate. If you are allergic to something you should have an adrenal response and your pulse rate will increase. If you are suffering from adrenal fatigue you may not notice an adrenal reaction due to your bodies adrenal exhaustion.

What if you find that the foods you love are really foods that you are allergic or sensitive too and you really want to keep them in your diet. If this is the case call today and schedule your consultation with Dr. Rachel to discuss how Allergy/Sensitivity elimination and reprogramming technique (A/SERT) can be beneficial for you.

Cleanse Day 2-4
Clearavite Shake, Purified Water, Produce and moderate meat
It is suggested during this time you consume fish low in mercury such as tilapia, mahi mahi, or other white fish. Chicken and turkey can be consume in small amounts.
For breakfast, after your shake, try gluten free oatmeal, adding fruit to your shake, or a piece of chicken or turkey sausage that doesn't have nitrates.
Lunch and dinner can be whatever you think up while abiding by the rules. Salads tend to be our staple.

Salad Dressing
1/2 c Olive Oil
1/3 c raw apple cider vinegar
1 lemon's juice
1 tsp of the following: basil, garlic, oregano, rosemary, pepper, salt
Taste and flavor accordingly.

For snacks in between try rice cakes or chips with guacamole or veggies and hummus.

Cleanse
Cleravite-SF Shake, Fruit, Vegies, No meat
Exercise: Cardio or Abs

Now its time to eat, but DON'T overdo it. You haven't had any solid food in three days and you digestive tract isn't used to large quanities of anything. Start with your Cleravite Shake and wait awhile in the morning. We suggest having a piece of fruit such as an apple, banana, or grapfruit as your breakfast. You can also do fruit juice as long as there is no sugar added.
For lunch take the vegies you were craving and chop them up. Using a crockpot, place all the vegies and herbs you want (we use thyme, parsley, bay leaf, garlic, salt and pepper) into the pot. Add organic chicken stock that doesn't contain gluten or MSG until vegies are covered. Set to high and cook until lunch. If you want to add cooked rice at the end you may. This is a good starter meal as the vegies will be very soft, you're adding all the salt you didn't get back in, you can eat it again for dinner.
If you feel like it you can have a salad for dinner. Use and vegies or fruit you want but be careful on the dressing. Olive oil, lemon juice, and dried herbs will make a tasty dressing that you can whip up quick.
Expect more on and off symptoms of detox. Some days you should feel fantastic while others not so great. Understand that you are detoxing not just chemicals from environment and food but also mental and emotional stresses from past and present.
Keep drinking more water. If you don't feel well, up the water and see if it helps.
Enjoy your food!

Fasting Day 3

Lemonade, Herbal Tea, Purified Water

Exercise: Light Stretching, Walking, Light Yoga

You’re almost there. You’re on the last day of the hardest part of your cleanse. Tomorrow you’ll be able to eat but not necessarily everything you want. You have to understand that your stomach has shrunk and you want be able to pile your plate as you once did.

We suggest you go shopping today and buy the things you will need for the next couple of days. Spend most if not all of your time in the produce section. Purchase fruits and vegetables that you’re craving and stand out to you. You’re body knows better than you do most of time.

A suggested shopping list: All fruit and veggies should be bought in whole form

Apples

Grapefruit

Bananas

Oranges

Peaches

Grapes

More Lemons

Broccoli

Onions

Garlic

Carrots

Green Beans

Mushrooms

Squash

Zucchini

Cucumber

Lettuce

Beans (Black, Pinto, Garbanzo)

Rice (Brown preferably)

Quinoa

Gluten Free Oats

Fish (white, tilapia)

Chicken (Organic free range)

Turkey (Organic free range)

Raw Almonds, Pecans, Pumpkin Seeds, Pistachios, or Walnuts

Coconut Oil

Olive Oil

Chicken Stock

Vegetable Stock

Tahini (to make humus)


This should get you started. The point of this is too eliminate toxins and common food allergies. If you want to add things in like tomatoes, peppers, eggs, strawberries, or if you have a question about a particular food, come by to get tested for food allergies.


Herbal teas are extremely helpful during the cleanse. Red clover is good for systemic detox but shouldn’t be used by those who have grass allergies. Milk Thistle cleans the liver. Mint will calm a stomach cramp and aid digestion. Senna will stimulate a bowel movement but should only steep for a minute or two. There many more out there that are helpful but these are the one I use most frequently.

More tomorrow, hang in there!

Fasting Day 2
Lemonade, Herbal Tea, Purified Water
Exercise: Light Stretching, Walking, or Light Yoga
You've probably had some concerning symptoms such as low grade headaches, cramps, crankiness, mild stomach aches, and borborigami (bowel sounds). This is normal, especially at the beginning of a detox. These symptoms represent the start of detoxing your entire system. Although unpleasant you must push through this uncomfortable period to take part in the full benefit of the cleanse.
There are some things you can do to aid and speed up the process. In the office we have an ionic detox foot bath that pulls toxins out through your feet. This can be done as much as once every other day. Also at home you can add some practices to your day. If you don't have a dry brush this would be a good time to get one. They can be found at health food stores. Dry brushing before you shower will pull off the dead top layer of skin known as exfoliating. Using the brush all over the body helps pull more toxins out through your pores. Your skin is the largest organ you possess and should be utilized in the detox process.
Some things to consider during this time are your toiletries and beauty products. Most of these including soap contain toxins. If you really want to go all out look into products that don't contain toxins. Arbonne, Tom's of Maine, Young Living, Now Foods, and health food store brand names usually have the lowest amount of harmful chemicals.
Unless you have prescription medication your are required to take or you absolutely need to take medication you shouldn't during this time. The point of this cleanse is to rid your body of those exact chemicals.
If you have a gym membership this would be the time to utilize their facilities. Sitting in the wet or dry sauna should start a nice sweat to push our more and the wet sauna will help to clean the airway.
During fasts its a great idea to participate in a media fast as well. If you've watched any T.V. you have run across numerous food ads that will tempt and torture you. Just avoid the propaganda and bad news. I probably don't have to tell you to get plenty of rest because you will be tired at the end of the day anyway.
You're doing great!

Fasting Day 1

Lemonade, herbal tea, purified water, no exercise
Today you should be consuming all day a lemonade solution made of fresh squeezed lemons, clean purified water, and Organic grade B maple syrup. There isn’t much leeway on this as all are important ingredients during this phase. Don’t skimp on the syrup and don’t buy grade A. Grade B is a particular kind of syrup that comes out of the tree late in the season and has higher sugar content and is more pure. If you use grade A you might not be getting enough calories during this phase, it could be toxic, and it defeats the point. If you feel shaky, jittery, or just plain mean during these next couple days add more syrup to your lemonade you most likely have too low blood sugar.
Here is the recipe:

1 1/2 cups of lemon juice

1 ½ cups of organic maple syrup grade B

1 gallon of purified water (This is around 295ml of water)
Lemon juice – you would approximately need half a lemon to make 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
Do take note not to use canned or bottled lemon juice as the vitamins and nutrients are no longer there.
This part of the cleanse might be the hardest for everyone but it could be the most important. This phase prepares your liver and pancreas, streamlines your blood sugar level, and flushes your bowels. What seems to be the most difficult is breaking the habit of eating at certain times during the day. Dr. Rachel and I drink a large cup of hot herbal tea at meal times to feel more normal. You will notice that there is a large part of the day spent preparing and eating meals. You’re obviously not using that chunk of the day during this phase so this would be a great time to start new healthy habits: reading, meditation/prayer, stretching, home improvement, crafting and other artistic endeavors
Hang in there and good luck. Keep a good book or stack of magazines in the bathroom.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

. 1 1/2 c fresh squeezed lemon juice 1 1/2 c organic grade b maple syrup 1 gallon purified water

Chiropractic:
Chiropractic Works by Timothy Feuling
Chiropractic First by Terry Rondberg, DC
Chicken Soup for the Chiropractic Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Fabrizio Mancini, D.C.
One Minute Wellness by Ben Lerner, DC

Women’s Health:
Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? by Datis Kharrazian, DHSc, DC, MS
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler, MPH
Slim Sane and Sexy by Jay Mead, MD and Erin Lommen, ND
Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
Are You Tired and Wired by Marcelle Pick

Nutrition:
The Yeast Connection Handbook by William G. Crook, M.D.
The Candida Cure by Ann Boroch, CNC
Eat Taste Heal by Thomas Yarema, Daniel Rhoda and Johnny Brannigan

Children’s Health:
What Your Doctor May Not Tell you About Children’s Vaccinations by Stephanie Cave, MD
Vaccination is Not Immunization by Tim O’Shea, DC

Health in America:
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Selling Sickness by Ray Moynihan and Alan Cassels
Overdosed America by John Abramson, M.D.

Emotional Health:
Your Body Can Talk by Susan Levy, DC and Carol Lehr, MA
Feelings Buried Alive Never Die by Karol Kuhn Truman

Others:
Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton
Adrenal Fatigue 21st Century Stress Syndrome by James L. Wilson, ND, DC, PhD

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Monday and Tuesday, the 21st and 22nd, we will have normal business hours.

Brandy will be in the office for Acupuncture on Monday, the 21st.

 Wednesday we will be by appointment from 9am to Noon.

Please plan your appointments next week around these holiday hours!

Well, its breast cancer awareness month and that means we have to be bombarded with whats come to be called "Pink Washing".  These are pointless ploys on social and mass media alike to raise awareness.  Usually there's no obligation nor is there really any information passed.  Its just a bunch of people and organizations jumping on the wagon to make themselves look better as if they're contributing to society.

We have to sift through cryptic jokes, endless adverstisements that hope to bank off of this movement, and finally misinformation regarding the disease portrayed.

Eventually you'll read, see, or hear something that sounds acutally beneficial to know.  Such as, early detection and screening are key to preventing breast cancer, which is true.  But then they go on to say that you need a yearly mammogram after 40 yoa or 30 if someone in your family has had breast cancer. 

Its somewhat sad to say that mammograms are no good.  Still considered the gold standard for screening for breast cancer, they have been proven to spread cancer if you already have it, produce cancer if you don't have it, and provide false positives to those reading the films.  So, it causes cancer, spreads it, and tell you you have when you don't.  Doesn't sound like something I want my wife to be subjected to yearly.

The good news is that there is a safe and more accurate alternative.  Its called thermography.  Using a thermographic camera that is sensitive to body heat it can detect hot spots that could be potentially dangerous.  All without smashing your breasts and putting you at risk of getting the disease that your were screening for.

Below is a local sight that can perform this safe and more accurate procedure for you.

http://alvanzasalonandspa.com/oklahoma-city-ok-metro-breast-thermography.htm

Join us for More Business of Being Born! This is the sequel to Business of Being Born. Purchase your ticket by Oct. 1 for the Oct. 4 showing! TIME AND TICKETS ARE RUNNING OUT! At last check there were only 30 tickets left! Purchase  tickets online at http://mbobbok.eventbrite.com/

As mentioned before, there are commonly used items that disrupt the optimal use of our kinectic chains in our bodies.  We spoke about chairs and their evil plot to ruin our lumbar spines and extensor muscles.  Now its time to discuss shoes.

We can all agree that shoes were designed to protect our feet not just from the elements but also ourselves.  No more stubbing, stepping on stickers, hook worms, freezing feet, and for all you clean freaks out there, no more dirt everywhere.  But have we really stopped long enough to understand the mechanism of the foot or the importance of input we receive through them.

For lack of time and reader's attention I won't go into the intricities of the how the foot works through the gait cycle.  But I hope you can take my word for it that the foot is a true mechanic marvel.

First of all, for the foot to properly respirate (pronate, supinate) through each step the hallux (big toe) must dorsiflex (bend up).  For all the shoes I've seen, there are few that have a large enough toe box or flex in the front of the shoe to support proper range of motion in the hallux.

Secondly, some shoes have an arch, some have none, and some have too much of an arch.  Not all feet were created equal.  Different feet need different shoes.  Our arches in our feet act as an absorber as the foot strikes the floor.  The arch will slightly colapse (pronate) to elongate our feet to displace gravity out as we step.  If your shoe has too much of an arch for you foot your feet won't pronate at all, negating the mechanism that you were given to support your own gait.  On the other hand (or foot), if you have a flat arch and no arch in your shoe you're in a constant state of pronation, and you will put too much pressure on your heel and big toe joints.

Lastly, we have an abundance of proprioceptors, or cells designed to let or brains know where we are in space, in our feet.  They use movement, vibration, and touch to sense the slightest changes under our feet.  If we wear thick soled shoes its like trying to listen to music with ear plugs.  Our feet will sense changes in the enviroment and can change our gait and steps accordinly without the aid of shoes.

We should be able to walk barefoot on almost any surface for prolonged periods with no pain or discomfort.  We have a layer of highly keratinized skin on the bottom of our feet that responds to stress and grows thicker with more input and use.   If your joints in your feet, ankles, knees, hips, or low back hurt when you stand or walk for any length of time then something isn't right and you should get your feet in here to let us check it out.

A quick Q and A.

High Heels?  No.  Wedges?  No.  Shape ups (rocker bottom shoes)?  NO!.  Sandals?  Maybe, be more specific.  Barefoot?  Yes.  Barefoot shoes?  Depends.  Pizza?  Yes, but no olives.

I'm suggesting a no shoes week next week.  I know this isn't going to fly at most establishments but we will have no shoes here at work and you're welcome to join us.

Does the way you think about your pain or symptoms really affect the way you heal from them? YES! The way we hold onto emotions can in fact manifest as physical problems. Close your eyes and picture yourself in a stressful situation, sitting in traffic when you are late for an appointment with kids screaming in the backseat, now notice how your body feels when you picture yourself in this situation. Did your heart rate and breathing quicken? Did your muscles tighten? Did you clench your jaw? Did your palms get sweaty? When we simply even think of a stressful situation we get physical changes in our body. Now picture yourself in a situation that is relaxing to you, like sitting on a beautiful beach enjoying the sun with not a care in the world. How did you feel when you pictured this? Did your heart rate and breathing slow? Did you get a smile on your face? What we think about, or worry about, does change how we feel physically! It is the difference between pain and suffering. Pain is your bodies way of telling you something isn’t right, suffering is your choice to attach emotional meaning to your pain. The first step to changing your stinkin’ thinkin’ is to recognize you have it. Start to notice all the negative things you say to yourself everyday: I’m not good enough, I’m too Fat, I can’t do that, we’ll never be able to get pregnant, this pain will never go away, I’ve tried everything, etc... Once you realize what you are saying to yourself start to replace those negative phrases with positive ones and notice the changes you get in your level of suffering. When you keep your body healthy with regular chiropractic care, and your mind healthy by getting rid of your stickin’ thinkin’, you can reclaim your optimal health. Need help changing your thinking, ask about energetic and emotional techniques that can help next time you are in the office. Have a positive thinking day!

People often ask when they can come in what they can be doing on their own outside the office to help them heal quicker. While our first priority is removing interference from the nervous system, through chiropractic adjustments, to restore health, their are things you can do on your own to decrease your healing time.

Water: Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water a day. Add more water for sweating, whether that be from the heat outside or because you are exercising. Also if you drink caffeine or other acidifying beverages you need to add more water.

Movement: Exercising in ways appropriate for your body not only keep the joints moving but also keeps your brain healthy and boosts your mood.

Nutrition: Making wise food choices, such as eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and cutting out any foods that you have allergies and sensitivities to is going to give your body the nutrients it needs to function properly and reduce overall inflammation. Also following the supplementation recommendations made when you’re in for care will help you hold your adjustments and heal your body. We do not make supplementation recommendations simply to sell you a product; the things we recommend will help you hold your adjustment longer.

Emotions: This is an aspect that people often overlook but is one of the most important. What you think about and how you feel emotionally does affect your physical health. Removing limited beliefs and destructive emotional patterns will help you heal.

So, prioritize your health by making time to get your nervous system checked regularly by a chiropractor. Then make lifestyle changes to assist your body in healing, and your body will start to heal itself.

 

Exercise is good for you, we all need to exercise, and you can never have too much of a good thing, right? Wrong. You can in fact damage your body by exercising too much. When we exercise excessively we cause oxidative stress to our bodies. Oxidative stress causes toxicity in our body by producing free radicals which in turn damage our tissues, cells, and even our DNA. You can also disturb your hormone levels with too much exercise, imbalanced hormones can lead to many problems.

While moderate healthy levels of exercise help keep us young excessive exercise that causes this oxidative stress will actually contribute to us aging faster. Oxidative stress is also involved in pathological processes such as heart disease and chronic fatigue, two conditions which we look to prevent with moderate amounts of exercise.

So exercise, do your cardio and strength training, but don’t over do it. Give yourself days off, don’t exercise vigorously for 3 hours a day, you don’t need it. You can get in an effective work out in 30 minutes to one hour a day, for five days a week and be healthy!

To counter act the oxidative stress created by exercise be sure you are getting plenty of antioxidants in your diet, and if you aren’t getting enough from food then supplement with a high quality antioxidant.

Good antioxidant food sources include: Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, small red beans and kidney, pinto and black beans, avocados, cherries, green and red pears, fresh or dried plums, pineapple, kiwi, artichokes, spinach, red cabbage, red and white potatoes (with peel), sweet potatoes, broccoli, green tea, walnuts, pistachios, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds, ground cloves, cinnamon, ginger, dried oregano leaf and turmeric powder and of course dark chocolate.

Need a high quality antioxidant supplement like Nutri-West’s Co-Q10 Plus, just ask next time you are in the office!

I will envetabely upset numerous people with this post but since when do I take into consideration what people will think about the presumed truth.

Chairs and Shoes might be the worst things to happen to our bodies.

Chairs historically were designed to place someone apart from the masses.  A throne or litter (human powered transport) were nothing more than glorified chairs.  For the most part the rest of the human race was rarely in a chair.  Work was done standing, resting was done reclining on a bed or the ground, and transportation was done by walking or riding an animal (which is not just sitting).

Being bipedal beings we are designed for basically three postures: Standing, Squatting, and Laying.  But as you can see most of our day is filled with sitting.  When we sit we remove our natural defenses to gravity and normal force (the equal and opposite force that the earth applies back on us).  These include our feet and ankles which pronate or elongate to cushion force, the bowing of our largest bone in the body the femur to redirect force outward, and our pelvis which does the same (there are more but we will minimize the details).  So essentially, when we sit we're in 150% gravity on our lumbar spine as opposed to 100% while we're standing.  In addition, we are in constant hip and pelvic flexion when we sit for prolonged period which can change the natural mechanisms in our hips, knees, lumbar spine, and feet.

Think of how many hours you sit a day.  Driving, working in front of a computer, watching T.V., eating, using the restroom are the ones I can immediately think of but there are much more. 

Did you know that in Eastern culture they don't have sitting or comfort toilets.  They squat, like we were designed to.  And it has been found that squatting to defecate can decrease potential bowel diseases.  When we sit they are muscles that aren't relaxed, specifically our pelvic flour muscles which need to relax in order to let go of waste.

Now I know you're not going to stop sitting.  Frankly, I have an indescribable love for my couch and other inanimate objects that I plant myself on.  My point is that we need to limit our sitting time on a daily basis.  If you're going to sit try a ball or chair that moves.  And walk every now and then.  I know the weather is crappy but it wouldn't hurt to walk. 

I will touch on shoes in the next few days.

Want to keep up with all the latest news and education from us? Then be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter @revchiro!

Today we have Guest Blogger Traci Fuhrman, Fitness Director at Stages Health and Fitness, LLC, talking about the importance of exercise during pregnancy.  Exercising and receiving Chiropractic Care are two very important aspects of a healthy pregnancy

Working out is one of the best things a woman can do for a healthy pregnancy. Strengthening the core muscles is a great way to get your body ready to carry a child. For pregnant women, the benefits of exercise are directly linked not only to how you'll feel during pregnancy, but also to how your body will be prepared for labor and delivery. An exercise program during this time should focus on posture, abdominal strength, support of the pelvic organs, energy and endurance. While exercise may not be able to eliminate all of the discomfort associated with pregnancy (heartburn and back pain), it can definitely help to relieve pain, help with circulation, digestion, and constipation, as well as improve posture and muscle tone, which you'll need to support joints that are loosened by various hormones as your body prepares for childbirth.
The most important muscles for expectant moms to strengthen are the core muscles consisting primarily of the midsection of your body, from the groin to the shoulders. The muscle groups included in your core lie deep within the body and include the pelvic, abdominal, back and chest muscles. These muscles attach to the spine, pelvis and scapulae and provide the foundation for all other movement. They also offer balance, stability, and flexibility to the rest of your body.
The pelvic floor makes up a significant piece of your body’s core. The foundation for all movement, balance, stability and flexibility begins in the pelvis. In times of change, such as during pregnancy and childbirth, we can support our bodies by creating strength in our core. You might not know that seven out of ten women have disorders of the pelvic floor. It’s not surprising, given that the pelvic floor supports the bones in the spine; structures the abdominal cavity, muscles and organs included; controls the passage of urine and stool; contributes to a woman’s sexual pleasure; and facilitates the childbirth process.
Pelvic floor disorders often start during pregnancy due to the weight and pressure of the baby. Contributing to this is the hormonal shifting and the anatomical changes that result from birthing, which include stretching and might include tearing or cutting through the muscles of the vagina or perineum (as occurs in an episiotomy), and a woman’s pelvic floor certainly suffers. However, weak pelvic floor muscles can be avoided by living a healthier lifestyle and including a core strengthening routine to your daily life before or during pregnancy. Pilates and Yoga are a great style of exercise to strengthen the core muscles. Pilates focuses on strengthening the core or “powerhouse” and fusing the mind and body to create balance and grace in movement, and Yoga involves the drawing in and up of the pelvic floor.
Stages Health and Fitness certified fitness instructors can assist the pre and postnatal woman strengthen the core muscles through a modified sequence of Pilates and/or a pre-post pregnancy yoga class. To learn more about our services or for further information go to http://www.stageshealth.com.
By taking an active approach to strengthen the core, you will maximize your health and keep your body strong during and after pregnancy.

Remember back in Chemistry class when you took those strips of paper and dunked them in different solutions to see what color they turned. Then you compared what color the paper was to a chart and wrote down the pH of the different solutions. This is probably a subject you thought you would never need to know much about, but what pH your body is at effects your health. The more acidic your body is the more likely you are to suffer from various symptoms and diseases.

What makes your body acidic you may ask? Some things that cause you to be more acidic include highly processed foods, sugar, alcohol, coffee, soda, most bottled water, STRESS, and most meats. What are some symptoms of being too acidic? Early signs include bloating, headaches, constipation, anxiety, unexplained fatigue, acne, PMS, low sex drive, cold hands and feet, joint pain and mucous in your head and chest to name a few. As you continue to get more acidic symptoms can progress to bacterial infections, allergies and asthma, yeast infections, insomnia, depression, foggy brain, eczema, and inflammation and swelling to name a few. And if you let your acidity levels get severe problems include rheumatoid arthritis and cancers among other diseases.

So how do you keep your body from reaching these high levels of acidity you may ask? Lifestyle and diet are how you fight off high acid levels. You must want to get better! Vegetables are your number one food defense to alkalize your body. The darker and leafier the better! Beans and legumes are another source of alkaline food. You can find many charts of alkaline versus acidic foods online. (http://www.acidalkalinediet.com/Alkaline-Foods-Chart.htm) When it comes to lifestyle taking care of yourself and including stress reducing activities are a must! Many people also don’t realize how acidic the water they drink is, drinking at least half your body weight in ounces of alkaline water is another important way to keep your body alkaline rather than acidic.

If you have any questions on alkaline/acid balance in the body don’t hesitate to set up an appointment to talk to us!

Taking fish oil is becoming a standard part of most if not all nutrition protocols for good reason. With all of the health benefits it provides, from helping with depression, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, decreasing inflammation and pain, helping skin and hair health, promoting weight loss, improving brain function, improving vision, decreasing risk of post partum depression, helping in the normal development of the fetus, reducing risk of heart disease, and it has even been shown to help your dog with overall health as well. With these claims everyone has started to run down to Walmart or their corner drug store or warehouse store top buy fish oil; but before you run out the door to buy fish oil you should know that not all fish oil is created equal. Why can you get a 100 count of omege-3s at Walmart for $9.98, but you walk into our office and it is $49.10 for a 120 count? Why do the products we sell have omega 3 but not 6 and is the EPA to DHA ratio important? What if I don’t like fish or I’m vegetarian can’t I just have flax seed?

First, lets look at manufacturing of fish oil. We have all heard that mercury is bad for us and that fish can be high in mercury. So what stops fish oil supplementation from being high in mercury? If it is not manufactured properly nothing stops it from being high in mercury. Therefore when taking a fish oil it is important that it be properly distilled to remove mercury, lead and other toxins. Another factor to look at in a high quality fish oil product is freshness. If it is not fresh it oxidizes, becoming rancid and is no longer good for you, and in fact may be causing some health problems. How do you know if your fish oil is fresh? Your capsules should not smell fishy. If they smell fishy they have begun oxidizing. Both fishy smell and taste are a sign of poorly manufactured fish oil. Any company can claim they have proper manufacturing practices but only third party testing can guarantee quality, freshness and potency. High quality companies that produce fish oil will allow a third party to test their product and determine if it is what they say.

When it comes to Omega 6s as a population we eat large quantities of food that contain omega 6. Omega 6’s promote inflammation, depress the immune system and increase blood clotting, they are the unhealthy fats. It is estimated that in america we get 20 times more omega 6s than omega 3s. You do not want to be adding any more omega 6 to your diet, in fact you want to be cutting it out!

What is EPA and DHA? DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) are omega-3 essential fatty acids that reside in the membranes surrounding every cell in the body they are required for proper nervous system and brain function. EPA and DHA, like all essential fatty acids, are not produced by the body and must be obtained from diet or supplementation. The ratio of DHA to EPA will be dependent on the condition being treated for. In Pregnancy it is is recommended that 300 mg of DHA be taken a day. A supplement for general wellness will usually have a 1 to 2 DHA to EPA ratio.

One final question that often comes up is omega 3s from fish versus flax. While flax is a plant based omega-3 ALA (alpha-linoleic acid) it has been shown that the conversion from ALA to EPA and DHA is unreliable and some people cannot convert it at all. Therefore, it is better to get your Omega-3s from a fish source.
If you’ve realized you are taking a poor quality fish oil, or none at all be sure to ask for a high quality fish oil supplement next time you are in.

I got into Chiropractic to help people. I have been helped by chiropractic, I had been given my life back, and I simply wanted to pass this gift along to others.

What I didn’t know was how much people would judge me, accuse me of being downright evil and taking advantage of people. Accuse me of tricking people into coming to see me who don’t need to. Accuse me of really being out to hurt people and take their money. I didn’t know the stigma that comes with proudly saying, “I am a Doctor of Chiropractic”.

When I am helping a pregnant patient get relief from low back pain, I didn’t know her endocrinologist would tell her getting adjusted while pregnant is like taking crack.

I didn’t know that after adjusting an 8 month old girl for chronic ear infections, which she had been on multiple rounds of antibiotics for and her parents had been told the only way they would heal is having tubes put in, that when they cleared up the pediatrician would say “it is a coincidence they cleared up while she was getting treated, chiropractic doesn’t work and it is dangerous to take your child to get adjusted”.

I didn’t know that when I helped a women with balancing her hormones naturally her gynecologist would scare her and say she wouldn’t be able to have children if she tried those natural methods. That she needed to be on synthetic hormones instead.

I didn’t know that when I helped someone in pain from a car accident, that they were not at fault in, that an attorney would call and verbally abuse me accusing me of not being a licensed physician, of trying to take money from people by providing care that people didn’t need, and of overall being unethical.

These people who don’t know me and don’t understand what I do have accused me of being unethical, unqualified and dangerous, and yet I still proudly say “I am a Doctor of Chiropractic”.
Why?

Because of each pregnancy that has less pain and a safe natural labor, because of each of those moms who bring me their couple day old newborns to be checked, because of each little kid’s beaming smile after they get adjusted, because of each parent who says thank you my child didn’t have to have tubes put in their ears, thank you my child doesn’t suffer from _____ anymore. Because of each women who comes in and says “I’m finally pregnant”, Because of each person who says I have my life back, free from _______.

While I didn’t make any of these things happen, God has allowed me to work with people removing interference from their nervous system, through chiropractic care, so that their bodies can heal and do these things naturally on their own.

I see Chiropractic work safe and effectively every single day.
So thank you to each and every person who has allowed me to place my hands on them. It is because of you that despite the stigma I will continue to proudly say “I am a Doctor of Chiropractic”.

So you can keep judging me, but until you take the time to know who I am and what I do, your judgment means nothing.

It seems that medical community is behind in what they learn in school.  I can't tell you how many people I have heard, seen, or treated that have had braces on certain joints for soft tissue damage.

For your standard sprain/strain which lands on the scale between a 1 and 1 1/2 out of 3 grade scale for torn tissue the most common treatment is splinting or bracing for a series of weeks.  In other words the goal is to limit most, if not all, movement.  This is utterly ridiculous.

When you injure soft tissue (muscle, tendons, ligaments, fascial planes) the area will inflame and go through a process to heal which includes laying down scar tissue.  Scar tissue is a type of cartilage that ends up being highly innervated (lots of nerve endings) and is used as a patch.  This patch can be torn again because it isn't near as resilient as the tissue it is replacing.  Your body lays down scar tissue haphazardly in a cobwebb type fashion.

So lets get this straight.  You injure some soft tissue close to a joint, then you're required to brace it for a few weeks.  In this period scar tissue will fill all surrounding areas: decreasing range of motion; increasing pain; and making this process easily repeatable.  Not to mention the only way a joint can stay healthy is to move it so it can pump sustenance in and out itself.

As long as you haven't broken anything, have a complete tear, or plan on playing full contact sports directly after injury a brace is the wrong treatment.  It will set you up for repeat visits to the very physcian you received the brace from.

Its important to continue to move the area that has been damaged.  This will pump out inflammation as well as send in needed nutrients.  The scar tissue you start forming will be more functional as it will line up in planes of movement.  Healing time will be shorter with a more optimal outcome in the future.  Now I want people to understand that they shouldn't just start working out that area either.  Limited exertion should be observed and a release to return to certain activities should be acquired before going crazy in that area.

Lets get smart and keep moving.

Do you ever notice how often you sit a day?  You sit in a car, sit at work, sit on the couch, if you're a white collar worker there's a good chance you'll sit the majority of your life.  Its no surprise that the elderly are replacing hips and knees.

I don't know if this is common knowledge or not but gauging how people are going about preventing and treating bone loss it seems to be less than obvious.  Bone is a living tissue not an inert substance you use to function.  It is constantly building and breaking itself down.  It utelizes minerals and vitamins to build a matrix that is resilient and somewhat flexible.  Often, those that suffer from bone loss attack this chronic problem through diet but this is only have of what should be done 

Just consuming the essential vitamins and minerals that bones use to grow will not be enough to reduce bone loss.  In order to strengthen bone you must put stress on them--natural stress.  Bone will lay done more dense tissue in areas of high stress and take away from areas of low stress in order to be efficient and utilize all sustenance consumed.  If you don't use your hip or knees, guess what--you will lose them.

I suggest to my patients to start walking.  Most of the time they say that this is too high impact.  Well, that's what you need to grow bone.  Biking, swimming, and the use of an eliptical machine will not put the necessary stress on bone tissue.  These particular exercises are called "open chain" exercises and don't employ the usual kinetic mechanism that we were designed to use.  While these might be great for rehab of a joint or soft tissue injury initially they don't benefit bone and joint health long term.

So hang up your keys sometime and take a trip, or stand up at work not just to use the restroom and walk around.  There really isn't much excuse, walk.

Being a Chiropractor in a very medicine oriented Health care paradigm has proven to be challenging. Amidst these challenges are the constant use of the label ”Fake Doctor”, the animosity in response to trying to help others, or the fact that spending hours educating patients is utterly useless against the few seconds an MD rebuts our efforts. But it isn’t all horrible. There are some unforeseen advantages in being pushed to the outside of an industry. One of these is clear vision of the industry as a whole, “Seeing the forest through the trees.”

Still being a toddler in experiencing what it is like to be a healthcare professional I have been shown something unsightly and increasingly uncomfortable. When observing the big picture of healthcare I felt something I’ve felt before. I describe it as a wrenching in my abdomen, which I can only explain as a response to biting into something and being forced to swallow against my will. I felt this when I was younger, in of all places--church.

I remember unveiling ugliness or evil in what I felt should be the most unlikely of places, and as I began to peel back the layers I began see a core so wrong that it could only be linked to money, power, and greed. As uncomfortable as it might seem I ask you be open to reading some examples of how our beloved healthcare system uses that same tactics to spread misinformation, blind, and enslave us as a legalistic religion.

Any religion has common attributes that make it such. These include, but aren’t limited to doctrine, deity(s), practices, and prophets. These attributes are usually glued together with a larger idea or belief such as faith. The current health paradigm uses science as its doctrine in the form of research, text, and past experiences. Their acting deity(s) are the doctors that administer treatment and care for their followers. The prophets that spread information and evolve the religion are the pharmaceutical companies. And surprisingly what is holding this all together is faith in the system, science, and doctors.

Legalism is a theory in theology which takes the abiding of God’s law or the law developed by man in religion to be the most important aspect of religion. For this theory to hold any water you have to omit large chunks of the bible (doctrine) and focus on minor details taken out of context. This type of institution also thrives on fear using it as a tool to convert followers and receive compensation. In return they offer salvation if the followers abide by rules regarding practices such as giving money, confessing, and following with faith the leaders appointed to them.

To bring together the picture we circle back to the healthcare system. They electively omit truths out of their doctrine by: selecting certain research articles to shape their ideas; segmenting their view of the body and focusing on minor details, missing the big picture as a whole; and silencing potential prophets with the threat of exclusion. They promise cures and salvation through their prophets claims saying that drugs are the only way. They use fear that if you don’t use their medicine and try other things you will die or get sick. The reverence for doctors is nothing short of discipleship. Without looking into the doctrine themselves the followers blindly through faith follow and abide by their deity’s rules and practices. The followers continue to pay into this religion for the belief that their salvation lie in devotion.

In the past this theory has only proven to make money, confuse people, and turn others away. In a way, I’m almost proud to be called a “Fake Doctor” in comparison to being a “Real One”. And seeing this wouldn’t be possible if I weren’t on the outside. So I guess it really isn’t so bad taking some minor ridicule every now and then as long as I can continue to see the big picture.

Most people know they can see a chiropractor and have bones and joints adjusted to remove interference from their nervous system, so that their bodies can function at an optimal level of health. But something you may not know is that every chiropractor is different and some, including the doctors at Revolution Chiropractic, can also perform cranial and visceral (body organ) adjustments.

The cranial plates in your head come together in what is known as suture joints. These joints have a rhythm of movement with your breathing and craniosacral pump (which is the pump that moves spinal fluid up and down your spine). When this rhythm is not working, with respiration and the craniosacral pump, you can get various types of symptoms including headaches, vision problems, decreased mental acuity, and other symptoms. Restoring the proper motion to these joints takes knowledge, patience, and very little force. It is very important that the person performing cranial adjustments be highly trained in the anatomy and biomechanics of the cranium and proper techniques for moving these bones. While the adjustment is extremely low force, a cranial bone moved the wrong way can have very troublesome side effects.

Also, when a baby is born vaginally the cranial bones are put through the birth canal causing them to mold properly and start this rhythm of movement. If a baby is born C-section they do not have the opportunity for their cranium to go through the birth canal, and it is therefore very important that their cranial bones be checked for proper movement to allow normal development. A baby who is having trouble latching on to breast feed is often found to have an occiput (lower cranium bone) that is malpositioned.

Visceral manipulation involves using soft tissue attached to organs to move them into the proper position. “Dropped” organs can cause a wide array of symptoms. A dropped bladder can be involved with a bladder infection, a dropped kidney can contribute to back pain, a stuck diaphragm can be involved with various respiratory problems, a malpositioned stomach can be involved with digestive problems and hernias, and a stuck iliocecal valve can contribute to either diarrhea or constipation depending on if it is stuck open or closed. These are a few examples of how visceral problems can present for a need to be adjusted to allow the body to function at it’s optimal levels of health.

By Guest Blogger:  Brandy Valentine MAcOM

DISCLAIMER: I have several friends and colleagues that are chiropractors and use acupuncture to increase chiropractic treatment efficacy. I have nothing against that, because my friends and colleagues understand the limitations of chiropractic acupuncture. The problems arise when other medical professionals forget or never realize the limits.

“Dry” Needling and Kool-Aid Injections


If you had a deadly bacterial infection, would you trust an Accountant to pretend to give you a shot of antibiotics? Most of you, if not all, would answer “No”. Accountants are smart, right? They have been to many years of school, and they passed a lot of tests. Surely they have the ability to pretend to give a shot. They may even be able to give an ACTUAL injection if they can somehow find a way to obtain the supplies or maybe just some Kool-Aid. Maybe they will even choose to charge more for the fake, lightly trained procedure than your MD would charge for the actual injection. I mean, why not?

Doesn’t this sound RIDICULOUS? Yes, yes it does. So why in the world would you choose to have a medical professional who may have endless education in their field but very little education in acupuncture pretend to give you acupuncture and charge you more for it? Need I say more?

The term “dry needling” refers to inserting solid needles into the body. The only needles made that are solid are acupuncture needles, so you could say that “dry needling” is the insertion of acupuncture needles into the body. Other medical professionals call it “dry needling” to make people think that it is some kind of cool method within their scope of practice, but us acupuncturists know exactly what it means. Nationally Certified Acupuncturists with Master’s Degrees or PhDs have thousands of hours of training to “dry needle”. Other professionals may have anywhere from 0 to 300 hours of training to be legally able to perform the procedure. Whatever you call it, it’s obvious who should be performing it. Sticking needles in trigger points is NOT acupuncture, just like walking on someone’s back to make it pop isn’t chiropractic.

In the end, everyone wants to make the most of what we are taught. With economic hardship, there is even more pressure to step on toes and stretch our knowledge base. I understand the desire for other medical professionals to want to “dry needle”, but it just is not as simple as they make it sound. Yes, a Chiropractor knows where trigger points, origins, and insertions are located. Yes, they could put needles in these points and possibly make someone feel better. The issue is that the use of acupuncture needles IS acupuncture to the client. Call it what you want, but the client calls it acupuncture. It is incomplete medicine, plain and simple. Quick! Now! Pull your shirt sleeve down and run directly out the door of your Accountant’s office and go to an acupuncturist for acupuncture, please. We charge less anyway.

February is heart health month. Lifestyle plays a vital role in the health of your heart. The way you do or do not move, what you eat, your stress levels and your weight all contribute to a heart healthy lifestyle.

If you aren’t already exercising regularly it is time to get moving. Start small with things like taking the dog for a walk, taking the stairs rather than the elevator, and parking further out in the parking lot.

When it comes to die,t fat often gets a bad name, but you need healthy fat in your diet! Fish oil, avocados, walnuts, and almonds are all good sources of good fat that are essential in your diet. Eating plenty of colorful vegetables is also important, make sure to steam these rather than microwaving them. Microwaving food destroys the nutrients in it!

Reducing stress can be accomplished in many ways. Take time for yourself. Meditate, pray, take a relaxing bubble bath, and Laugh! Pick up a hobby you have always wanted to try, and of course GET SOME SLEEP!

Orthomolecular Products Triplichol is a convenient and safe way to address the three most important markers for cardiovascular health: lipid management, vascular health and oxidative protection. DHA omega-3 fish oil, plant sterols and time release niacin help maintain healthy lipid levels. Quercitin and grape seed help maintain the health and vitality of small blood vessels. Antioxidants such as resveratrol and green tea help inhibit oxidation and protect against uptake of oxidized LDL in the vascular wall, a major contributor to arterial damage.

With all of this conveniently packaged in an AM and PM pack keeping your heart healthy has never been so easy and side effect free! Stop by this month for 10% off on Triplichol!

Stay Safe if you are out and about driving. We are back in the office today but here is what the parking lot looks like!

Congratulations to those who made it through Detox with the Docs, Today is your last day!

What you may not know is what to do next? So you feel great you’ve been eating healthy and working out, but do you just go back to how you did things before the detox? No! The idea of this cleanse is to teach you to be aware of how food makes you feel! What foods give you more energy, what foods give you unhealthy symptoms. So, as you start adding foods back into your diet add them one at a time. This will help you determine what foods you have allergies or sensitivities to. Symptoms associated with food allergies and sensitivities include headaches, fatigue, nausea, rash, indigestion, cloudy head, confusion, sudden awkwardness, trouble breathing, scratchy mouth or throat, feeling hungover the next day, and the list goes on and on. Everyone reacts differently and can have different severity of reactions. If when you add a food back into your diet you find that you have these reactions, remove it again for the time being.

Another way to track if you have a food allergy or sensitivity is the Cocoa Pulse Test. This test is not as accurate as going by your symptoms but can be helpful for some. To perform this test take your pulse prior to eating and record the rate. Write down what you have to eat the date and time. Then 15 minutes after eating take your pulse again and record the rate and 30 minutes after eating record the rate. If you are allergic to something you should have an adrenal response and your pulse rate will increase. If you are suffering from adrenal fatigue you may not notice an adrenal reaction due to your bodies adrenal exhaustion.

What if you find that the foods you love are really foods that you are allergic or sensitive too and you really want to keep them in your diet. If this is the case call today and schedule your consultation with Dr. Rachel to discuss how Allergy/Sensitivity elimination and reprogramming technique (A/SERT) can be beneficial for you.

Cleanse Day 2-4

Clearavite Shake, Purified Water, Produce and moderate meat

It is suggested during this time you consume fish low in mercury such as tilapia, mahi mahi, or other white fish.  Chicken and turkey can be consume in small amounts.

For breakfast, after your shake, try gluten free oatmeal, adding fruit to your shake, or a piece of chicken or turkey sausage that doesn't have nitrates. 

Lunch and dinner can be whatever you think up while abiding by the rules.  Salads tend to be our staple.

 

Salad Dressing

1/2 c Olive Oil

1/3 c raw apple cider vinegar

1 lemon's juice

1 tsp of the following: basil, garlic, oregano, rosemary, pepper, salt

Taste and flavor accordingly.

 

For snacks in between try rice cakes or chips with guacamole or veggies and hummus.

Cleanse Day 1

Cleravite Shake, Fruit, Vegies, No meat

Exercise: Cardio or Abs

 

Now its time to eat, but DON'T overdo it.  You haven't had any solid food in three days and you digestive tract isn't used to large quanities of anything.  Start with your Cleravite Shake and wait awhile in the morning.  We suggest having a piece of fruit such as an apple, banana, or grapfruit as your breakfast.  You can also do fruit juice as long as there is no sugar added.

For lunch take the vegies you were craving and chop them up.  Using a crockpot, place all the vegies and herbs you want (we use thyme, parsley, bay leaf, garlic, salt and pepper) into the pot.  Add organic chicken stock that doesn't contain gluten or MSG until vegies are covered.  Set to high and cook until lunch.  If you want to add cooked rice at the end you may.  This is a good starter meal as the vegies will be very soft, you're adding all the salt you didn't get back in, you can eat it again for dinner.

If you feel like it you can have a salad for dinner.  Use and vegies or fruit you want but be careful on the dressing.  Olive oil, lemon juice, and dried herbs will make a tasty dressing that you can whip up quick.

Expect more on and off symptoms of detox.  Some days you should feel fantastic while others not so great.  Understand that you are detoxing not just chemicals from environment and food but also mental and emotional stresses from past and present. 

Keep drinking more water.  If you don't feel well, up the water and see if it helps.

Enjoy your food!

Fasting Day 3
Lemonade, Herbal Tea, Purified Water
Exercise: Light Stretching, Walking, Light Yoga

You’re almost there. You’re on the last day of the hardest part of your cleanse. Tomorrow you’ll be able to eat but not necessarily everything you want. You have to understand that your stomach has shrunk and you want be able to pile your plate as you once did.

We suggest you go shopping today and buy the things you will need for the next couple of days. Spend most if not all of your time in the produce section. Purchase fruits and vegetables that you’re craving and stand out to you. You’re body knows better than you do most of time.

A suggested shopping list: All fruit and veggies should be bought in whole form
Apples
Grapefruit
Bananas
Oranges
Peaches
Grapes
More Lemons

Broccoli
Onions
Garlic
Carrots
Green Beans
Mushrooms
Squash
Zucchini
Cucumber
Lettuce

Beans (Black, Pinto, Garbanzo)
Rice (Brown preferably)
Quinoa
Gluten Free Oats

Fish (white, tilapia)
Chicken (Organic free range)
Turkey (Organic free range)
Raw Almonds, Pecans, Pumpkin Seeds, Pistachios, or Walnuts

Coconut Oil
Olive Oil
Chicken Stock
Vegetable Stock
Tahini (to make humus)

This should get you started. The point of this is too eliminate toxins and common food allergies. If you want to add things in like tomatoes, peppers, eggs, strawberries, or if you have a question about a particular food, come by to get tested for food allergies.

Herbal teas are extremely helpful during the cleanse. Red clover is good for systemic detox but shouldn’t be used by those who have grass allergies. Milk Thistle cleans the liver. Mint will calm a stomach cramp and aid digestion. Senna will stimulate a bowel movement but should only steep for a minute or two. There many more out there that are helpful but these are the one I use most frequently.

More tomorrow, hang in there!

Fasting Day 2

Lemonade, Herbal Tea, Purified Water

Exercise: Light Stretching, Walking, or Light Yoga

You've probably had some concerning symptoms such as low grade headaches, cramps, crankiness, mild stomach aches, and borborigami (bowel sounds).  This is normal, especially at the beginning of a detox.  These symptoms represent the start of detoxing your entire system.  Although unpleasant you must push through this uncomfortable period to take part in the full benefit of the cleanse.

There are some things you can do to aid and speed up the process.  In the office we have an ionic detox foot bath that pulls toxins out through your feet.  This can be done as much as once every other day.  Also at home you can add some practices to your day.  If you don't have a dry brush this would be a good time to get one.  They can be found at health food stores.  Dry brushing before you shower will pull off the dead top layer of skin known as exfoliating.  Using the brush all over the body helps pull more toxins out through your pores.  Your skin is the largest organ you possess and should be utilized in the detox process.

Some things to consider during this time are your toiletries and beauty products.  Most of these including soap contain toxins.  If you really want to go all out look into products that don't contain toxins.  Arbonne, Tom's of Maine, Young Living, Now Foods, and health food store brand names usually have the lowest amount of harmful chemicals.

Unless you have prescription medication your are required to take or you absolutely need to take medication you shouldn't during this time.  The point of this cleanse is to rid your body of those exact chemicals. 

If you have a gym membership this would be the time to utilize their facilities.  Sitting in the wet or dry sauna should start a nice sweat to push our more and the wet sauna will help to clean the airway.

During fasts its a great idea to participate in a media fast as well.  If you've watched any T.V. you have run across numerous food ads that will tempt and torture you.  Just avoid the propaganda and bad news.  I probably don't have to tell you to get plenty of rest because you will be tired at the end of the day anyway.

You're doing great!

Fasting Day 1

Lemonade, herbal tea, purified water, no exercise

Today you should be consuming all day a lemonade solution made of fresh squeezed lemons, clean purified water, and Organic grade B maple syrup. There isn’t much leeway on this as all are important ingredients during this phase. Don’t skimp on the syrup and don’t buy grade A. Grade B is a particular kind of syrup that comes out of the tree late in the season and has higher sugar content and is more pure. If you use grade A you might not be getting enough calories during this phase, it could be toxic, and it defeats the point. If you feel shaky, jittery, or just plain mean during these next couple days add more syrup to your lemonade you most likely have too low blood sugar.

Here is the recipe:
1 1/2 cups of lemon juice
1 ½ cups of organic maple syrup grade B
1 gallon of purified water (This is around 295ml of water)

Lemon juice – you would approximately need half a lemon to make 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

Do take note not to use canned or bottled lemon juice as the vitamins and nutrients are no longer there.

This part of the cleanse might be the hardest for everyone but it could be the most important. This phase prepares your liver and pancreas, streamlines your blood sugar level, and flushes your bowels. What seems to be the most difficult is breaking the habit of eating at certain times during the day. Dr. Rachel and I drink a large cup of hot herbal tea at meal times to feel more normal. You will notice that there is a large part of the day spent preparing and eating meals. You’re obviously not using that chunk of the day during this phase so this would be a great time to start new healthy habits: reading, meditation/prayer, stretching, home improvement, crafting and other artistic endeavors

Hang in there and good luck. Keep a good book or stack of magazines in the bathroom.
Please contact us if you have any questions.

We have all heard about the fad detoxes and diets that go around, but what are the benefits of doing a detox or cleanse? To find out more about detoxing simply hit the ask a question button next to this blog on our website and send us your question, we will be sure to answer! Then join us in “Detox with the Docs” to kick off your news year’s health resolutions!

Starting January 3, 2011 you can detox with us! The perfect way to kick off your health goals for the new year is with chiropractic care and a cleanse! We will be doing the Apex Energetics Clearvite cleanse. This is a two week cleanse that involves a strict meal plan and protein supplement drinks. The good news is you can do it with us rather than trying to drudge through it on your own. This cleanse will help teach you how to eat properly so that you can maintain healthy eating habits long after it is over, it will give you more energy, and yes you may even lose a few pounds. WE will monitor your progress and be available for answering questions like, “what foods have gluten in them?”

The basic outline of the cleanse is 3 days of a lemon and maple syrup mixture and herbal tea fasting to cleanse the liver. This is followed by a few days of no dairy, sugar, caffeine, processed meats, preservatives, foods you are allergic to etc., then you have a few vegetarian days, followed by a few days of the same as prior to the vegetarian days and then you are done. for more information on the diet specifics you can visit www.clearvite.info .

If you are interested in joining us we need to know! We will be placing an order for the clearvite powder on December 22, 2010.(chocolate and vanilla flavors are available). We will also be running a special on the powder for this detox. A 35 scoop container is normally priced $57.90, but if you prepay by December 21 it will cost you only $45! So stop making excuses and join us in kicking off your health goals.

Taken from Nutri-West Northern California December Newsletter
by Dr. Brian Anderson

Patients often complain of stress-related fatigue. Today's tendency toward stressful lifestyles produces chronically high cortisol levels. High cortisol levels are linked to a weakened immune system, insomnia, weight gain, high blood pressure, depression and more. No matter what the source of stress, cortisol is released into the blood stream to help us cope by increasing sympathetic tone ("fight or flight" response), and to put sugar into the blood stream so our muscles and brain have the fuel they need in order to react.

Cortisol should be high in the morning, but should subside by evening when our rest and repair system (parasympathetic system) is supposed to take over. So, when cortisol is needed to help us cope with stress, cortisol gets prioritized at the expense of the other hormones. The body figures that if it is under stress, reproduction is not important, so progesterone and DHEA (which builds testosterone) are sacrificed to make cortisol, for example. This causes major PMS symptoms in females, as progesterone is needed to balance estrogen.

If a person remains under prolonged stress, adrenal fatigue eventually occurs. In Stage 1, cortisol and DHEA levels increase, but if the stressors don't go away and the body moves into Stage 2 adrenal fatigue, cortisol levels remain high, but DHEA becomes depleted. Finally in Stage 3, the adrenals give up. Since the glands simply cannot sustain the prolonged need for cortisol, both cortisol and DHEA levels drop. At this point, the body can't handle much work or activity. Here are some of the symptoms of prolonged Adrenal Fatigue:

· Fatigue, and inability to handle stress, and fibromyalgia
· Allergies/asthma/chronic bronchitis
· Recurrent infections
· Muscle weakness and back pain
· Sleep disturbances/Insomnia
· Mood swings and poor memory
· Inflammation and swelling
· Hypoglycemia
· Excessive thirst and salt cravings
· Hemorrhoids and varicose veins
· Indigestion
· Skin hyperpigmentation
· Headaches

Taking sleeping pills to aid in sleep, taking Midol to relieve PMS symptoms, taking stimulants like caffeine and sugar to get through the day, Synthroid for low thyroid, or anti-depressants to boost mood may really only be addressing the symptoms of problems with cortisol, but not the cause. By removing various stressors through improving lifestyle factors one can help the body return to hormonal balance. Using functional nutrition to balance cortisol, reduce nutritional deficiencies, and balance stress can help return the body to homeostasis.

Here are some other suggestions to "take a break from stress":

1. Listen to soothing music.
2. Incorporate Chiropractic and massage.
3. Laugh-it's "the best medicine" (by almost 40%).
4. Eat regular meals and snacks. (Skipping meals triggers stress hormone release.)
5. Avoid too much caffeine.
6. Breathe deeply and meditate.
7. Take a walk. (Daily exercise is definitely beneficial.)
8. Plant a garden (or start another relaxing hobby).
9. Drink green tea and nibble dark chocolate.
10.Read a good book (or "The Good Book" if you choose).
11.Try aromatherapy. (Lavender in the evening is a good one.)
12.Sleep it off. (8 hours at night and naps, too, can help.)

In an attempt to be healthy for the Holidays many people follow the labels. They believe the big words printed on the front that say healthy: No trans fat! No added MSG!, but little do they realize that labels lie!

When it comes to labels that say zero grams of trans fat it means: that under FDA regulations, "if the serving contains less than 0.5 gram (of trans fat), the content, when declared, shall be expressed as zero." That means a product can have .499 grams of trans fat per serving and still be listed as having none. So if you eat more the the couple potato chips that are in one serving you could be getting a lot more trans fat than you bargained for. Look for ingredients that say “shortening” or “partially hydrogenated” on these labels, if they are there then there is most likely trans fat.

Think buying a low sodium product means you are healthy? Take for example low sodium V8 Juice; it may look like a healthy snack but as you read the ingredients you get down to: natural flavoring, disodium guanylate, and disodium inosinate. What are these ingredients you may ask? Disodium guanylate and disodium inosinate are two more expensive food additives which are almost never used without the less expensive food additive mono sodium glutamate (MSG) which is often listed as natural flavorings. Below is a short list of things that MSG is labeled as:

Food label names that always contain some MSG:
monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed protein, monopotassium glutamate, textured protein, glutamate, hydrolyzed oat flour, glutamic acid, yeast nutrient, gelatin, autolyzed yeast, calcium caseinate, yeast extract, sodium caseinate, yeast food, Accent, Glutavene, and Ajinomoto (in Oriental foods)

Food label names that often contain MSG, or create MSG during processing:
malt extract, carrageenan, malt flavoring, bouillon, barley malt, broth, maltodextrin, stock, whey protein, natural beef flavoring, protein isolate, natural chicken flavoring, protein concentrate, natural pork flavoring, protein, fortified flavoring, pectin, natural flavoring, protease enzymes, seasoning, enzymes, soy sauce, protease, sauce extract, enzyme modified, fermented, and ultrapasteurized.


It is important to remember that as your reading labels the advertising on the front of the product is just that, advertising! To discover if something is really healthy you need to read the ingredients! The more ingredients the more likely there is something lurking in your food that you don’t want. Have everything in moderation this Thanksgiving and remember to be Thankful for the people in your life you get to share a healthy meal with!

It can get you to stop doing things in an instant, it can get you to do something you have been putting off for months, It can change your outlook, it can change your plans, and for how motivating it can be, it only has four letters: PAIN.

You pop some pills, put a pain patch on, try to work it out and last resort you go to see the Chiropractor, because you just can’t take it anymore. Then once your pain is gone you vanish with it and your chiropractor doesn’t see you again until the great motivator rears its ugly head once more.

While pain is often thought of as simply a reaction to physical injury, it goes much deeper than this. Pain perception is tied to areas in our brain that function for learning, attention, behavior, decision making, and expectation. Because of this each persons perception of pain is very different. This is why you could hit one person and they would not even flinch, but hit someone else with the same force and velocity and they could experience severe pain. Pain has a large psychological tie.

When injury does occur it is often true that pain is the last thing to come and the first thing to leave. A lack of pain does not equal a state of health. Pain does serve a purpose, it keeps us from injuring ourselves any further, but it should not be what we base our level of health on.

Therefore, if we can be functioning at a suboptimal level and not have pain; shouldn’t we think about changing our motivation. Our goal should be an optimal level of health, not merely a pain free existence. The only way to know if your nervous system is functioning at its peak level is to have it checked regularly. So don’t just stop by your chiropractor’s office when you are in pain, try stopping in before you get to that point and discover the quality of life you could be enjoying!

It is that time again, time to get the yearly sport's physicals, but who wants to wait hours in a doctor's office? Call or stop by today for a short wait, comprehensive physical, and low cost of only $15

"Are you nauseous?  Do you feel sick after you eat a meal?  Let's take a look at your gall bladder.  Welp, you've got polyps.  We're going to take your gall bladder out.  How's next week?"

More frequently I have been hearing about middle aged patients that have had their gall bladder removed.  It never ceases to amaze me that medical doctors, the people that are supposed to be really smart, lack the physiologic common sense that would warrant an exceptional physician.

Let's learn a little science.  The gall bladder is located just tucked under the liver, the organ that does it all.  The gall bladder's main purpose is to store and secrete bile.  Bile is made from broken down blood cells and is an emulsifier, or soap.  You know when you have a greasy pan that you need to clean and you grab the dish soap, you start making suds, and the grease starts to break up.  This is what bile does to fat.  It breaks it up into smaller amounts so that it may be digested and absorbed.  If you get rid of the gall bladder your digestive system will have to work extra hard in order to process fat.  This means that your lovely steak, hamburger, cheese fries, ice cream, and even guacamole won't be processed correctly, and could even cause you harm.  Most of the time the patient's that leave the hospital without their gall bladder don't even know this information.

The idea is that if you remove the gall bladder that has polyps it helps you not feel as sick after meals.  First of all, if you're an American, middle aged, and aren't in the best condition, your gall bladder will have polyps.  There are plenty of other ways to get rid of polyps  and gall stones without cutting out your little fat fighting friend, so why aren't these doctors telling you about them.  Frankly, they don't know any better.  This is what they're taught.  You get strep throat alot, lets take out your tonsils.  Your hormones are off, lets perform a hysterectomy and take out your appendix while we're at it because it has no use (actually, its lymph tissue and aids your immune system).

I have an idea.  Let's get rid of everything you that you can still function without to prevent any possibility of disease.  Let's take out a lung: you've got two and you wouldn't want to catch a cough.  Next we'll remove your spleen: you wouldn't want it to rupture in a car accident.  After that we'll snip off your four smaller toes: you won't have to worry about stubbing them at night on your dresser.  We could keep going until you're a shell.

Next time you go to your doctor, remember that everything in and on your body has a purpose.  Ask questions, if you don't get a satisfying answer--don't do it.

Part writers block/ part challenge to everyone else, we're extending an opportunity to ask us anything.  Try to stump us with your questions (health or bioscience related, no history or math questions).  Winners will receive a choice of the following: free examination, detox footbath, or nutritional consultation.  Yes, there can be more than one winner.

You may post to this blog or email us at revchiro@gmail.com.  Winners will be contacted however they choose, so please leave us an email or number that we can reach you.

 Bring it on!

 

Drs. Adam and Rachel

Lately everywhere you turn you hear about Vitamin D and How important it is. What you may not know is why it is so important. Vitamin D plays many roles, it does not just act like a vitamin, but also plays the role of hormone in your body. When masquerading as a hormone vitamin D affects gene transcription. (Transcription is the first step in the process of gene expression.) One of the genes that vitamin D plays a role in is the gene responsible for calcium balance, therefore helps prevent osteoporosis. Another role of Vitamin D is that of cancer fighter, helping in cell differentiation and programmed cell death. Vitamin D helps boost your immune system, and has been shown to be especially beneficial for fighting autoimmune diseases. It has also been shown to regulate blood pressure, preventing hypertension. Having the ability to aid many systems and prevent many ailments this supplement should be at the heart of everyone’s wellness program. So if vitamin D is so beneficial why doesn’t everyone just go take as much as they want? Vitamin D does have a toxic level. Because vitamin D is fat soluble rather than Water soluble it is eliminated more slowly by the body. Having too much vitamin D can cause problems such as hypercalcemia (too much calcium in the blood), hypercalciuria (too much calcium in the urine), hypertension, constipation, and fatigue, to name a few. Therefore it is important to have enough vitamin D, but not too much.                     

 

They only way to know where your vitamin D levels are is to get tested, but who really wants to schedule an appointment with their MD to have another vial drawn. Thankfully, there is an easier way. We are now offering blood drop vitamin D testing at Revolution Chiropractic. Blood drop testing works very similar to how a diabetic would check their sugar levels with a finger prick. You take your test kit home, prick your finger and let the blood drop onto the test card. Once you have completed your sample you mail it to the lab and we receive your results in our office. Following testing we are able to know if you get enough Vitamin D from the sun, or if you need added supplementation. Call today to set up a time to pick up your test kit!

Our culture has long turned a head to everyday things like pooping.  Considered to be inappropriated to discuss and investigate, this act happens to be extremely important to everyone's health.

First we must absorb a few facts regarding the digestive tract before we make any recommendations.

1. From mouth to anus our gut tube is 3 stories tall.  With the ability to smash, disintegrate, liquefy, absorb, and solidify, this power house is always working whether you eat or not.

2. Our body's immune system is largely centered around our digestive system.  It is integrated with our lymphatic system, liver, kidneys, and spleen, which all aid in processing, recycling, clearing, targeting, and remembering foreign bodies.

3. The feces that we excrete is mainly made up of water, bacteria, and the inner wall of digestive tract.  We slough off the inner wall and are constantly making new tissue to maintain an optimal functioning system.

A healthy frequency for excreting should be 30 minutes to an hour after eating every meal.  The rate (which is how long it takes for something to travel from the mouth to the anus) should be 12 to 24 hours.  You can test this by eating something that won't break down, such as corn, peanuts, and carrots.  Although consistency, color, size, and amount will be different with the person, their diet, and their environment, a healthy fecal matter should be around a foot long, solid and smooth, brown, and round.

Any consistent differnecs in from these "normal" specifics could constitute a digestive issue.  There are many noninvasive actions one can take to improve their digestive tract.

A few tips include:

Eat seated in a relaxed enviroment and rest for 30 minutes to an hour afterward.

Don't consume large amounts of liquid with food, try to keep half you body weight in ounces of water down throughout the day.

Eat a variety of foods with an emphasis on fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens.  Try to consume foods that have live cultures of probiotics (organic yogurts, not the major brands) or supplement with a reputable brand (not Walmart brands).

Avoid excessive grains, red meat, and dairy as these will reek havoc in your colon but are good in small amounts.  

Keep your body functioning properly with visits to your chiropractor.

We want your poohing experience to be a healthy and happy one.  If you have any questions or concerns about your digestive tract please contact us.  We can help with lifestyle recommendations, supplementation, an noninvasive natural treatment.

Your Local BM Advocates, 

 Drs. Duncan and Aceves.

Many people are surprised when they find out that our office is a family practice. What could a kid possibly need a chiropractor for? They don’t have back pain or headaches. When people ask this it is clear to us that what we do is misunderstood. Chiropractic care is not for treating pain! This may come as a surprise to many, some may have even gone to a chiropractor and had their pain relieved! While pain relief is a common side effect of chiropractic care, it is not the goal. When you see are chiropractor you are having your nervous system checked. Your nervous system is made up of you brain and spinal cord and is your bodies master control system. When there is interference in your nervous system your body does not function at 100%. You may not even notice this decreased function, but it is there. This decreased functioning nervous system can cause many problems that people often don’t think they should see a chiropractor for. These can include back pain and headaches, but can also be a wide range of other conditions such as autoimmune disease, fibromyalgia, digestive problems, menstrual problems, infertility, and many more. If you have any kind of imbalance in your body you should have your nervous system checked. This brings us back to why we would see children, we seem them for things such as ear infections, colic, bed wetting, ADD/ADHD, autism, allergies, poor behavior, and much more. With these conditions and the many more we see patients for the goal is never to treat the condition, but to care for the whole person. By clearing out any interferences in the nervous system the body is able to then heal itself, with no outside drugs or surgery. Our bodies are much more intelligent than we give them credit. So keep your whole families nervous systems functioning optimally by getting them checked regularly.

A magazine cover caught my eye while waiting in a mechanic's office.  Reader's Digest depicted a handful of vitamins with the title "Vitamin Scam"  I had to read it.  They go through 4 myths and 1 truth about vitamins according to them.

First, there are no referrences to confirm the information in the story.  All you will find are obscure dates and the names of organizations without the mention of any publications.

Second, they contridict themselves numerous times.  They say that vitamins have no warrant against cancer, heart disease, cold and flu, and overall health but later you read that you should get vitamins through food.  If vitamins are useless why should we seek them out in food?

Vitamin D gets a standing ovation for its positive effects on numerous diseases and it so happens that this vitamin is now being precribed and is mass produced by Big Pharma.  Which brings us to what else was found in the magazine: 8 seperate drug ads.  So I understand this, we shouldn't take vitamins because they are unsafe, have no healing benefit, and can be found in food, but we should take pharmaceuticals which combate only symptoms, are expensive, and have pages of side effects.

To conclude the author was not listed nor were their qualifcations.

For truthful information about the positive effects of a healthy lifestyle and taking vitamins call us or come by, we will be happy to point you in the right direction.

I read an article in a magazine last night on Integrative Medicine. It was discussing how there is this new kind of doctor out there called an integrative medicine doctor. So I wondered what is so special about this new kind of doctor. As I read on I found that what the author claimed made this doctor so special is that rather than just prescribing a drug they are probably going to talk to you about lifestyle choices like diet and exercise, and they may refer you to an acupuncturist. I kept reading expecting there to be more, but that was it. So I am still left perplexed, how is this a new kind of doctor? Chiropractors have been offering a natural alternative to drugs, talking to their patient’s about lifestyle choices like diet and exercise and recommending other complementary alternative medicine treatments, such as acupuncture for years. So if you would like your health care provider to take an integrative approach, look no further than your local chiropractor.

One of the most overlooked forms of exercise is doing yard work.  Its that time of year that our office starts to get busier with weekend warriors that have injured themselves working outside.  Gardening is actually quite dangerous and physically taxing on the body. 

It is important to warm up just as you would before a jog or workout.  A warm up should consist of a minute or two of calisthenics and 5 minutes of stretching.  This will decrease the chance of injury and soreness.  Also, as it gets warmer outside remember to consume at least half your body weight in ounces of water.

Just driving around and watching television I've noticed the neverending push for the flu and H1N1 vaccines.  This makes me question who is behind the persistant ploy to have everyone receive the syringe.  A few obvious facts that should be evident to all health care professionals prove that this continued practice is unneeded thus unethical.

1.  Flu season is over.  It ended two months ago and sooner in some locations.  Why are we still vaccinating outside the window which makes it useful?  Probably because all that sell it have stockpiles and want to get rid of them.

2.  All strains of flu have most definitely mutated making the almost year old vaccines utterly ineffective.  Vaccines are produced for specific strains of flu and most years its a guess as to what kind they will be.  The same strain in one season can mutate an unlimited number of times making it completely different at the end of the season.

3.  The H1N1 vaccine bypassed the standard testing that the FDA required for all drugs and vaccines for speedy release.  An untested product is still being injected into citizens.

4.  All flu cases have become nonexistent in this country at this time.  And what happened to the final tally of suspected H1N1?  The CDC and WHO declared that states no longer had to test for the specific strains of flu and that all cases resembling the flu should be considered H1N1.  There sure hasn't been any news coverage on the final numbers.  Probably because the numbers can't be definitively calculated.

There still is a religious following to the continued use of these vaccines.  You would have to have some sort of faith base in order to take an untested product for something that most likely doesn't exist, outside the window that makes it effective.

I sat down to read the newspaper last wednesday and came across a magazine called Healthy Lifestyles. I thought, hmm let’s see what the newspaper tells people is healthy. Well, first they decided to tell people that high fructose corn syrup is not bad for you, as a matter of fact it is better for you than real sugar, strike one. Next I read an article on how supplements are not beneficial in any way and you should not take them, strike two. Then I searched the entire production looking for something that was a healthy lifestyle choice, seeing as that was the name of the production. Strike three I was unsuccessful at finding healthy lifestyles in Healthy Lifestyle. Lesson: Be careful where you get your health information from, just because something says it is written by an expert, looks fancy or says health or wellness all over it, doesn’t mean it is quality information.

Easter is right around the corner and a tradition that many of us enjoy is coloring eggs. So here is a natural egg dying recipe that was shared with me.

Coloring foods:

Pink: Cranberries, Rasperries, radishes
Purple/red: Blackberries, beets
Blue: Blueberries, red cabbage
Yellow: tumeric, cumin, celery seed, onion skins, carrots
Orange/brown: cayenne, paprika, chili powder
Pale green: parsley or spinach leaves
Light brown: Walnuts, strong coffee or tea

For natural egg dye:

1-3 tablespoons of herb or up to 4 cups of chopped fruit or vegetable, the more you add the  deeper the color will be
4 cups of water
2 Tablespoons of vinegar (for every 4 cups of water)

mix your coloring food, the water, and vinegar together and bring to a boil. Add eggs and let simmer 15-20 minutes. This method colors and cooks the eggs at the same time. When done remove eggs with a spoon. pat dry with paper towels and let dry on wire rack. If you want more color you can place the eggs back in the dye water and refrigerate them in dye overnight. (Adjust recipe for number of eggs you are dying)

Enjoy spending time with your family!

Fever, high blood pressure, runny nose, coughing, sneezing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, gas, bloating, swelling, redness, anxiety, itchiness, loss of appetite, increase in appetite, dizziness, sleeplessness, fatigue, headaches, the list could go on.  The human body has numerous signs and symptoms that could be displayed in any combination leading to a cause.  But instead of looking to the cause and treating it we have settled for covering its symptoms.  We fight these well needed symptoms off with a vengeance.  It seems as though today even in an intervention style medical model (if its broke, fix it) we have strayed from scientifically sound practice.
There is a drug for every symptom out there now.  We reduce our fevers, suppress our coughs, and stop our runny noses.  We eliminate our anxiety by numbing ourselves and stimulate our fatigue away.  We take for granted the power of the body and its immune system.  These symptoms are reactions to larger processes in the body.  Our fevers reduce the amount of viruses and bacteria that can replicate and speeds up our metabolism.  We sneeze, cough, and vomit to rid our bodies of something that shouldn’t be there.  When we’re fatigued its our bodies way of saying slow down and rest.  We ignore our best signals and cover them for our own convenience.  When did healing ever become convenient?  We should be helping our bodies by assisting these processes.
It reminds me of someone driving a car that makes a noise and instead of taking it to a mechanic to fix what’s causing the noise they wear earplugs.  Although I usually disagree with the intervention style of medicine (which treats the body as a machine) I would be more behind it if they actually looked toward the cause of the disease instead of the symptoms.  I’m sure some will argue that the symptoms themselves are dangerous.  And I can assure you that isn’t always the case.  I think a little less intervention and a little more living would help in this sick season.  Take some time to heal and allow your body to do its work.  It will make your immune system stronger the next time.

The germ theory has long been the standard of thinking for the reason why we get sick.  It plainly states that germs cause sickness and in order to eliminate sickness we need to eliminate germs.  The word germ represents a large classification of bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other foreign invaders that are unseen to the naked eye.  It seems oh so easy to blame all of our sickness on something you can’t see.  This theory has largely taken the route of faith in the way we look at our health.
First, I do believe that people can get infections due to germs but I don’t blame the germs.  To do this we would have to deny the fact that our bodies house trillions of microorganisms at all times.  If these germs were the main player in the equation then we all would be dead.  We’d be dead and dying of massive infections from Stapholoccus, Streptoccus, and Esceherichia Coli.  These bacteria are all over us and inside.  They are largely opportunistic in that they only thrive when our bodies don’t keep them in check.  Our intestines are full of bacteria to aid in digestion and the absorption of vitamins and minerals also know as our natural flora.  Not to mention, I’m pretty sure I ate dirt many times when I was a kid.  Who knows what kinds of germs were in there, and look—you’re reading my words.
Some would rely on viruses to be evil and the cause of most sickness every year.  If viruses were that bad then every time you come in contact with someone infected you would get sick.  This doesn’t happen.  There have been numerous times when I’ve been around those with the flu, cold, and other nasties and I’ve been fine afterward.  This is because our immune system is packed with thousands of years of knowledge.  Memorizing everything you come into contact with, it marks all foreign invaders for elimination including cancerous cells.  That’s right, cancer.
We get cancer everyday, mathematically speaking.  Our body is made of a couple trillion cells all of which are multiplying constantly.  To deny that a few of these are mutating into cancer would be beyond false.  We fight off cancer everyday.  Yes, we are winning the War on Cancer as we speak, silently, without the help of medications.
Saying that germs cause disease is like implying gasoline causes fire.  Something has to start the fire.  In our case it’s us, not germs who are to blame.  Our immune systems are the limiting factor whether we get sick or not.  Have you noticed during stressful times or stages in life when you are highly emotional you get ill?  Or when you lose sleep for a prolonged period of time you don’t feel so well?  This is because our immune system is affected by how we treat ourselves.
Granted, some of you will claim that antibiotics were the messiah in this belief, making it true to you and deep routing your faith.  Antibiotics came around at the same time as sanitation became mainstream.  So it can be argued that sanitation was just as important in changing our view on health.
I’m not saying medicine or antibiotics are bad for us just that I think we could use less of them.  They actually decrease our natural immunity, ridding our bodies of most of the bacteria in our system.   Bacteria is there for a reason; why eliminate all of it with one swoop?  Can’t we find a more suitable way to improve our immune systems without degrading them?

More exciting things are happening here at Revolution Chiropractic if you haven’t been in for awhile we encourage you to stop by and view the artwork from the PC north art students! We also would like to introduce you to the newest member of our team, as we add massage therapy to the list of modalities to aid you on your path to health and wellness.

Shiana is an Oklahoma native with a license in Massage therapy from both Hawaii and Oklahoma. She attended Hawaii Healing Arts College in Kailua, Hawaii, one of the nation's top schools in massage. There she became specialized in Swedish massage with additional touches such as deep tissue, reflexology, pre-natal, gerontology, and much more. This profession has presented her with great opportunities and satisfied her personal desire to serve others through a healing touch. 1 Peter 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

For a limited time get $10 off your first massage! Call today to schedule your next chiropractic, acupuncture or massage appointment.

To Better Health,

Dr. Duncan, Dr. Rachel, Brandy, and Shiana


In most countries or regions food is a large part of culture.  Culture can even be governed by food.  Even in our own country sixty years ago the majority of our time, money, and energy were spent on food.  Planting, cultivation, gathering, preparing, and cooking took up a lot of our days.
Now the US stands apart from the rest once again.  Value menus, five dollar foot longs, happy hour, drive thrus, combo meals, take out, buffets, microwaves, and enough preservatives to go around are at the foundation of our consuming.  Everything about our culture screams cheap, fast, and excessive.  So what shape should we expect our food to take?
It starts in the grocery store where we buy pre packaged processed items to save time and money.  It continues when we either buy fast food or heat our food in our microwaves to save time and money.  And it ends when we gobble it up before we can realize what just happened.
Italians grow and buy most of their food locally.  The French spend hours consuming their food over wine and conversation.  Indians treat their food as medicine.  The Spanish see their food as a social glue.  And Americans see their food as a hassle and waste of time, to be consumed quickly as much as possible.  We are one of the few countries to have a buffet in every town.
It doesn’t have to be this way.  We can change.  We can start by purchasing real food, not anything in a bag, box, or container, preferably local.  We continue by cooking and preparing the food the long way, which can be more enjoyable and better for you.  Finally, we can start eating together as a group, whether it be with family, extended family, or friends.
Lets improve our culture, let’s change for the better.

The art students dropped by to pick up the art that was hanging in our office and dropped off new pieces. They are just as good as the first ones so stop by and take a look around!

What do you know about Chiropractic care? Leave a comment and let us know!

A fun way for all shapes, sizes and ages to get fit!

Taught by Brandy Valentine
 @ Revolution Chiropractic
12211 N. MacArthur Blvd., OKC, OK 73162

Mondays 2:15-3:00PM; Wednesdays 4:00-4:45PM; and Fridays 10:00-10:45AM
Starting February 8, 2010

$7 / class

or

when you receive any treatment at our office your belly dancing classes are free that week!

For more information or to sign up call (405) 721-4800
(You do not have to pre-register to come)

Today marks one year since we first opened the doors here at Revolution Chiropractic. While the weather hasn't changed much since that icy day, there have been many changes throughout the year. One of the big changes being adding acupuncture services from one of the top acupuncturist in Oklahoma City. We have enjoyed working with each and every person that has come through our door, and look forward to working with many more. We are encouraged as we look back over the last year of helping people maintain there level of wellness or overcome pain, headaches, ear infections, allergies and fatigue, just to name a few things, and we are excited about the upcoming opportunities that will come our way in the next year. Thank you for letting us help you achieve your health goals!

                

Jan. 28, 2009

     

our parking lot that first day

With the exception of a few tissues, your body is almost entirely brand new every year.  That means all the cells and tissues are constantly replacing themselves.  If we were doing everything we could do to be healthy all year it would be difficult to accrue any long term issues.

If you have a recurrent problem lasting more than one year whether it be pain, disease, or dysfunction it might be time to look into treatments that address the problem itself.  Conservative treatments including introduction of a proper diet and exercise with behavioral modification can improve any outcome concerning chronic issues.

In addition, physical, mental, and emotional stresses can effect your body as a whole.  It is important to have a healthy checkup with a chiropractor or other wellness physician in order to stay on track over the course of the year.

If you haven't been in awhile this month would be a good time to start off healthy.

For the New Year we thought adding more incentive to be healthy would benefit everyone.  This year if you can show proof that you exercise on a regular basis (no, we don't want your sweat), we will discount care in our office.  If you're trying to lose weight or get in shape this will be easier for us to monitor.  We have tests that we can perform that indicate improvements in physical aptitude.  If you're trying to sustain your already healthy lifestyle we can monitor your maintenence.

If this can be proved weekly we will take 30% off any care in our office excluding products.

In addition, our office is equipped with the highest quality nutriceuticals to supplement weight loss, improve ailments, and aid healthy lifestyles.  We would also like to help you in achieving your health and weight loss goals through proper and safe techniques.

If your goals this year include elimating an addiction we have experience in cessation plans and Brandy, our acupuncturist, excells in aiding many quit their addictions through natural means.

If you're a T.V. junky no matter what you watch you're exposed to piles of negativity.  Between the news, reality shows, sports, and commercials there's something for everyone to be unhappy about.  With the holidays here and family sure to come lets embrace the true spirit of the season.

So lets put all the politics, misinformation, violence, hate, ignorance, and petty matters behind us by breaking free of the magical window that never stops to influence us.  Turn off the T.V. and spend time with those you love.  You will feel better, I promise.

What: Make this your one stop for holiday shopping.

Vendors include:  Revolution Chiropractic, Jewelry, Candles, Gourmet food, Decorations, Perfume, Scrap booking, Makeup and Skin care, Coffee shops, Children’s apparel, handbags, Pampered Chef, Women’s apparel and much more. Plan on stopping by our Elevate Cafe for a Chili lunch and plenty of baked goods.

When: Saturday, Dec. 5th

Time: 8 AM - 3 PM

Where: Northview Community Church, 

8921 NW Expressway, Oklahoma City, OK 73162

Admission is free.

While the holidays are meant to be a time of relaxation, enjoying the company of those you love, and remembering what the meaning of your celebration is, for many it instead means STRESS! Here are some tips to help relieve some of that stress this season.

Get 6-8 hours of sleep each night.
Exercise regularly.
Eat healthily. (Don't over or under eat.)
Practice relaxation techniques (meditation, yoga, massage, etc...)
Take regular breaks from work.
Decrease the use of alcohol and caffeine.

Some helpful supplementation for stress includes: B-complex Zinc, and Vitamin C aid the nervous system and immune system. Coenzyme Q10 helps with energy levels. Potassium aids the adrenal system, and Omega 3 Fatty Acids support normal body functions.

Don’t Forget that regular Chiropractic Adjustments and Acupuncture treatments also help with stress management. Have a happy stress free holiday season.

 

We will be closing early on Wednesday the 25th for the Thanksgiving holiday.  We hope that everyone has a relaxing weekend and can be thankful for those around them.

We want all of our patients to know how thankful we are for them.  We wouldn't be able to serve anyone without their patronage.

Thank you!

Drs. Duncan and Aceves

 

 

 

We are priveledged to announce that from now on we will be showcasing art from P.C. North's art department.  Every two months they will come to place new art pieces in our office.  Come support our local students and view their art.  There are many spectacular pieces.

When we think about digesting our food well most of us think about what we eat rather than how we eat it. However, the conditions under which you eat can be just as important as what you eat. Eating in stressful situations as you run from one thing to another can cause digestive problems. Some tips for how to eat for good digestions include:

• Eat sitting down

• Eat in a quiet atmosphere (turn off the TV)

• Don’t rush your meal

• Eat at approximately the same time every day

• Stop eating before you are full

• Sit quietly for a few minutes after you finish your meal

• Eat with people you love

These are just a few ways you can improve your digestion and enjoy your mealtimes.

With the fall and winter seasons well underway most people have come to expect that they will get sick. Whether with an annoying cold, the flu, bronchitis, the list goes on. What is the best way to fight these and other illnesses...prevention. Not getting them in the first place is the best way to treat. The first step in prevention is ensuring that your immune system is functioning optimally. Two of the best ways to keep your immune system functioning properly are chiropractic and acupuncture. A properly functioning immune system is the best prevention. Changing your mindset is also another important step in prevention. You cannot expect to avoid these winter illnesses if you have come to expect and accept that you will be getting them. How you eat also affects the ability of your body to fight off illness. So be sure to eat a well balanced healthy diet, filled with vegetables and warm food, to give your body the fuel it needs to fight. It is also important that you drink plenty of water, half of your body weight in ounces is what you need to keep your body functioning optimally. Hot herbal tea can also be beneficial during this time of year. When supplementing to prevent flu and colds vitamin A, vitamin C, Zinc and Vitamin D are very helpful. Also, specially formulated supplement such as NutriWest’s Total Multimune and Total VIRX or homeopathic Oscilloccoccinum, help prevent or fight off colds and flu without harmful side effects. Call today to get schedule your appointment and prevent the winter blues.

 

We are hosting a patient appreciation day on Friday the 30th.  We will have food and will be wearing our halloween costumes all day.  Existing patient's will receive 50% off that day's visit if they come wearing a costume.  A costume contest will be held and the winner will receive a detox footbath package worth $150.  If anyone brings someone interested in care we will be conducting free consultations.

 

Come celebrate with us!

 

If you have any questions please call us at the office.

You can receive discounts on care in our office when you buy healthy groceries.  Here at Revolution Chiropractic we strive in making our patient’s more health conscious.  Sometimes we feel like most of the work is done to improve your health and wellness just in the office.  We want to increase incentive for everyone to eat better at home.

We will discount new and existing patient’s care on a week by week basis depending on the contents of their grocery bill (If you shop bimonthly or monthly this will be taken into consideration).  We will take off 30% of whatever the patient is responsible for paying.

The rules are as follows:
•    The grocery bill must exceed $50
•    No processed foods (boxes, frozen foods, or jars)
•    No Soda, cookies, chips, or ice cream
•    Merchandise does not count
•    No white bread, egg substitute, or margarine
•    No corn or soy products
•    Minimum dairy
•    No GMO “Genetically Modified” produce (Sticker has a 5 digit number starting with an “8”).

If you need clarification on any item please feel free to ask us.

Tired of Being Tired?

September 29, 2009

6:30pm

Bring your family and friends and come learn how to overcome Adrenal Fatigue naturally!

Ingredients:

1lb. Ground Turkey

1/2 yellow onion

1 jalapeno

6 cloves of garlic

1 can red beans or chili beans

1/2 can tomato sauce

2+ Tbsp cumin (the plus means I never measure and think it might be more or less)

1+ Tbsp chili powder

1+ Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 bottle ale (real beer not light beer)

Couple dashes Worcestershire Sauce

Dash crush red pepper

Dash cayenne pepper

Salt and Pepper

Brown meat with chopped onions and jalepeno.  Place in slow cooker or large pot on low.  Combine all ingredients and cook until the house smells amazing.  Test for salt and pepper. 

 Serves 4

This will be spicy.  For everyone who eats chili mild they really haven't had chili.

The phrase “I’m feeling under the weather” is used often, but does the weather really have any affect upon how we feel? To varying degrees the answer to this question is yes! Some people are more weather sensitive than others, but whether we realize it or not we are all affected by the weather.  A lack of sun can create seasonal depression, the electrical activity of thunderstorms combined with the low pressure fronts can cause everything from headaches to brain fog. According to Pat Thomas, author of  Under the Weather: how the weather and climate affect your health, Some common symptoms of weather sensitivity include: “bad moods, depression, dislike for work, disturbed sleep, fatigue, forgetfulness, general malaise (the blahs), headache (including migraines), nervousness, poor concentration, rapid or irregular heartbeat, respiratory difficulties, rheumatic/arthritic pain, scar pain (e.g. itching, tingling), Vertigo and visual disturbances (flickering)”.  Next time you are feeling “under the weather” maybe you should check the forecast.

We are a couple of weeks into our fitness challenge and making changes to become healthier can be difficult, but don’t get discouraged. If you need help and encouragement that is what we are here for! Here is some information to help you on your way.

Why do we eat? The obvious answer to this question is we eat because we need food to survive. But if we step back and really think about why we eat when we do, there maybe a lot more to it. We have many emotional reasons for why we eat, what we eat, when we eat, and how much we eat. This emotional eating can lead to being overweight and unhealthy. So what can we do to change this? The first step is to become aware of when you are eating for emotional reasons. Then you can determine what emotions that are coming up when you are being driven by emotions to eat. Some common emotional reasons that we eat for are: anxiety, anger, boredom, loneliness, feeling deprived, discouragement, sadness, and grief to name a few. Eating out of boredom can also encompass habit or trigger eating, such as I always eat popcorn when I watch a movie. Deprivation can include feelings of being scared or afraid. Many people have a hard time giving up comfort foods because they are scared they can never eat them again; getting to a point where you can overcome cravings for comfort food by telling yourself you can pass on it for right now can very helpful. Discouragement can cause emotional eating when you have tried dieting before only to gain the weight back. You therefore eat because you tried and failed before so why try again. When we eat out of loneliness food becomes our friend, comforter and companion. We use food in an attempt to create love, joy and connectedness. Food will not change these emotions and becoming aware of the emotions behind eating will help you to start eating for the reason we do need to eat, to fuel our bodies. When you eat only for hunger and fuel  you will find yourself eating the proper amounts of food and able to say no to cravings, so that you can eat healthy food. A good reminder phrase to use when trying to overcome emotional eating is “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels”. 

There is a new deadly virus that starting to cross the globe.  It knows no boundries.  It attacks all races, classes, and geographical locations.  Its called Ignorenza.  Its airborne and is spread from mouth to mouth.  Its incubation period is instantaneous and leaps from person to person and group to group.

It usually starts from one individual of higher status but it is not limited to this area.  This bug can mutate into different forms and is extremely resistant.  It is said that this virus can be spread through mass communication as well.

There is only one way to combat this epidemic: education.  Combined with an open mind and willingness to question and learn this brain virus can be stopped.  Amazingly the cure can be spread through the same fashion as the virus.

If you feel as though you're coming down with this illness immediate action needs to be taken before its too late.  For some its already too late.  These people who have problems accepting new ideas, lack the willingness to learn on their own, and attack those who challenge them should be avoided. 

Remember the cure is inside you and it can be activated whenver you want.

Our fitness challenge is under way, however it is not to late to join us. Just call if you would still like to participate! Throughout the challenge watch our blog for recipes and tips to help you on your journey to health. Today’s recipes are Turkey Burgers and Hummus.

Servings 3

Ingredients
3/4 pound lean ground turkey
2-1/4 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
3/4 fresh green chile peppers, diced
3/8 medium red onion, diced
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon and 1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/8 dash Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Preheat the grill for high heat.  In a bowl, mix the ground turkey, garlic, ginger, chile peppers, red onion, cilantro, salt  soy sauce, black pepper, paprika, mustard, cumin, and Worcestershire sauce. Form the mixture into 3 burger patties. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place turkey burgers on the grill, and cook 5 to 10 minutes per side, until well done. Double or triple the recipe for more burgers.

Ingredients
2 15 oz. Cans of Garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
4 garlic cloves (minced then mashed)
2/3 cup of tahini (roasted)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
pine nuts (toasted) and parsley (chopped) for garnish
juice of 1 large lemon

Directions
In a food processor, combine the garbanzo beans, mashed garlic, tahini, 1/2 cup water, lemon juice and olive oil. Blend until smooth. Add salt, starting at half a teaspoon (to taste). Place this mixture into a serving dish and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley. Serve with carrots, celery, cucumbers, peppers or your choice of vegetables used for dipping.
( we don’t use the pine nuts or parsley)

The Challenge

 Achieve the highest body fat percentage lost and total weight lost among all participants over a 3-month period

The Prize

5 EB-Pro Detox Foot Baths ($150 value)

The Rules 

1) The only weight loss supplements permitted are Nutri-West's Total L-Carnitine, Total Niacin and Total Trim. Please do not use any other over the counter or prescription weight loss supplements or drugs; 2) Surgical procedures to remove fat and the use of other fat-eliminating equipment are not allowed for this challenge; 3) Each participant will receive 10% off the following supplements if he or she wishes to use them for this challenge-Total Green, Total L-Carnitine, Total Niacin and Total Trim.

The challenge officially begins on August 27th, and will conclude on November 11th. Everyone will submit "stats" on the last day of each month, and we will announce the winner on November 12th.

To enter send us your name, weight, percentage of body fat and a fully clothed before photo. If you need help with your body fat percentage, would like to use any of the supplements to aid in your weight loss, or for any other questions about the Slim Down Challenge, please contact us at 405-721-4800.

Good luck, Everyone!

Sincerely,
 
Dr. Duncan and Dr. Rachel
Revolution Chiropractic

Please help us name our fish.  If you've already given us a name its not that "we" don't like it, the fish is a little moody and extremely hard to please.

(Cart left 30 feet away from the cart return)

 

Can anyone spot what's wrong with this picture?

(Located next to the toys)

well·ness [wel-nis]
–noun
1.the quality or state of being healthy in body and mind, esp. as the result of deliberate effort.
2.an approach to healthcare that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life, as opposed to emphasizing treating diseases.

Can anyone spot the problem with this picture?

Today, society has largely become technical, mechanical, and lacks real variation and feeling.  We see this in the advances in technology, and how it has affected our everyday life, communication, and medicine. 

Along with other aspects of society medicine has become driven by technology.   With all the advances we've made in visualizing disease, classifying it, and treating it we've attempted to simplify disease.  But as anyone can figure out the more we find out about anything the more complex it becomes.  But as we can see we have developed several pills, potions, lotions, materials, and explanations to combat every symptom and disease out there.  There is no simple answer, cure, or treatment protocol for this endless list of disease processes.

Medicine has largely used deductive reasoning to build its knowledge,  where only sound arguments can be heard and acted on.    The problem with this is: not everything is known about the body and its processes.  In the never ending quest to cure everything in everyone the same problem arises.  The person, their disease, and the proper treatment don't always fit in the same box.  Everyone is different, extremely so.  Sometimes the body just doesn't make sense in our understanding of it.

The body is an ever changing organism not a machine that can be fixed by taking things out, adding others, or fixing only one aspect of it.  It is a whole and must be treated as a whole.  Our advances in technology shouldn't drive our understanding of the body to be technical in nature.  There is more to us than only what we perceive.  We often forget how important our emotions, thoughts, and environment can be in driving the expression of our bodies.

To effectively treat a person you must do just that: Treat the person, not the disease.  Be leery of any physician who doesn't take the time to get to know more about you than just your complaints.  It would be easy to treat each other impersonally, that means we don't need anything other than whats called for.

We sometimes need more than whats called for or less for that matter.  Your body is the best physician.  So, take the time to listen to your body, soul, and mind.  Be open to different types of treatments in conjunction to the so called "traditional medicine."

 I'm not saying we shouldn't use technology to discover new corners of understanding especially when it comes to our health.  I just hope we can stop treating ourselves like the machines we use.

Today, society has largely become technical, mechanical, and lacks real variation and feeling.  We see this in the advances in technology and how it has affected our everyday life, communication, and medicine. 

We're literally connected to everyone in the world instantly through cellular devices, the internet, and satellites.  The news comes to us at all angles with advertisements for anything you may want or need.  Kids and adults alike spend countless hours texting on phones and chatting on the internet.  If one wanted to they could find a chat room on the internet that was full of people exactly like them-ridding themselves of natural variation and communication challenges.  This type of communcation is largely in just text format, an abreviated one at best.

It is known that true verbal communication is only 10% the use of text.  The other 90 is stature, facial expression, inflection, tone, gestures, and overall energy.  True emotions, thoughts, indviduality, and personality are lost somewhere in cyperspace along with our ability to express ourselves fully.

Using face to face commuication does increase brain power.   When a person primarily uses texting, emails, phone calls, and other forms of electronic communication the body uses the same areas of the brain over and over.  But when communication is done face to face many areas of the brain light up, meaning that more areas are stimulated thus developed. 

With the steady increase in electronic based connections, I'm not surprised at increased depression rates or the fact that the number one phobia in the United States is public speaking.  It can also be argued that this the reason for the fall of the extended family and soon the nuclear family.

We're hoping that everyone will try to make an effort to really talk to someone and listen today.  And to be an example for our children.  If we all do this more, I think we'll all feel a little better.

Also, I understand that we're using electronic means to pass this information on.  We understand its ironic and somewhat hypocritical but its the only way we can get most peoples attention.
 

 

Today, society has largely become technical, mechanical, and lacks real variation and feeling.  We see this in the advances in technology and how it has affected our everyday life, communication, and medicine.

Everyday there are new gadgets or machines that help you do this and that, claiming to make your life easier by saving time and energy.  Tethered to the technology we trust and become so reliant on we tend to lose touch of our creativity.  We don't fully express ourselves in our everyday lives because there is always something to help us make it bigger, better, faster.  We give up cooking, gardening, writing, conversation, playing games, walking, arithmetic, physical touch, reading, arts and crafts, hobbies, etc.  These activities actually help develop the mind, body, and spirit in a positive way.

I personally have seen these changes get worse in the past 20 years.  When I was a kid, my mother could not keep me in the house even if it was raining outside.  My brother, friends, and I wanted to be outside running, riding bikes, or just getting dirty.  Now, as anyone can see, kids are on the phone, computer, or pleasantly plotted in front of the T.V. to play video games or watch it.  I've seen electronic devices turn into babysitters so that parents can watch their own T.V. shows or surf the internet.  We're only making things worse by passing bad habits on to the next generation.

Pick up a game or a book.  Strike up conversation with a stranger or even your own family.  Put down your cell phone and look around you.  Go for walks or discover your own hobby.  Start stimulating your mind, body, and spirit.

The next blog will go into communication and how its has been altered in our technocracy.

Also, I understand that we're using electronic means to pass this information on.  We understand its ironic and somewhat hypocritical but its the only way we can get most peoples attention.

 

We are excited to announce that Traditional Chinese Acupuncture is now available by appointment at Revolution Chiropractic. We would like to introduce you all to Brandy Valentine. Brandy has a masters degree in acupuncture and Oriental medicine and is also nationally certified. Brandy works with a wide range of health concerns including infertility, addictions, pain and many others. The combination of Chiropractic care and acupuncture is a great way to achieve your health goals. Acupuncture is available by appointment; so call today to schedule an acupuncture session with your chiropractic care.

In the book EAT, PRAY LOVE the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, and her friend have a discussion about how every city has a “word”. An excerpt from the conversation goes as follows:

“Giulio asked, "What's the word in New York City?" I thought about this for a moment, then decided. "It's a verb, of course, I think it's ACHIEVE." (Which is subtly but significantly different from the word in Los Angeles, I believe, which is also a verb: SUCCEED. Later I will share this whole theory with my Swedish friend Sofie, and she will offer her opinion that the word on the streets of Stockholm is CONFORM, which depresses both of us.) I asked Giulio, "What's the word in Naples?" He knows the south of Italy well. "FIGHT," he decides.”

They go on to discuss how feeling at home or fitting in in a new city relate to if your personal “word” and the city’s “word” fit together. This week we have decided to take a poll on what people think Oklahoma City’s “word” is. So leave your comments on what you think it is!

Diet soda, our savior from naturally sweetened soda! Or so we thought.

"Diet" was once clearly a word denoting what a person consumes in regards to food or activities.  Now this word has clearly changed largely to the consumer's need to lose weight.  Classically, it was understood that in order to lose weight someone would have to "go on a diet".  This would consist of decreasing high calorie foods or restricting the intake of food deemed "bad".  Most dieters still crave the sweetness they once had so after much debate the government released products to appease the consumer.

These products now are in almost everything.  You've heard of them Aspartame (nutrisweet) and Sucralose (splenda).  Indeed these low calorie sweeteners have little or no effect on blood sugar levels or insulin but little research has been done to assess long term effects of these on other systems. 

From purely a functional perspective if you look at what is contained one of these alternative sugars you might have more than raised brows.  Aspartame and sucralose are engineered in a lab artificially.  Bombarded with heat, chemicals, and unnatural environments these substances are clearly not for natural human consumption.  No one would electively eat chlorine or methanol.  These substances are both poison to the body but are at the heart of these molecules.  Upon consumption, your body will cleave the important parts and leave the others to reek havoc on your tissues.

Soda, pop, coke, whatever you want to call it, has invariably changed.  A little over a decade ago soda was made with real cane sugar.  This sweetener is natural, tastes delicious, and is readily available in its natural form with little tampering.  Now the beverages that we grew so accustomed to and can't readily let go are sweetened with the devil himself.  No, not the devil but what I consider a subsidiary of him. 

High fructose corn syrup is now used to sweeten everything including soda.  This highly processed sweetener is unnaturally transformed in the body when converting it to energy.  It is made from corn which is unnatural in itself.  Corn has been tampered with in order to increase production and profit while decreasing cost.  Real corn is likely nonexistent.

Even if soda had real sugar its effects are catastrophic to the body once consumed.  Contained in one Coke is 100% of the suggested daily value off sugar, and that's for a grown adult.  The reason why the body allows this to happen is because the incredibly sweet flavor is usually cut by some acid (phosphoric acid) otherwise you would immediately eliminate it from your system (throw up).  This tidal wave of sugar drowns your body with serious chemical changes.  First your liver dumps massive amounts of insulin (a power hormone that helps introduce sugar into cells for energy) to deal with the sugar.  Once your tissues have all they can take your liver will transform left over sugars into fat for storage.  Your blood sugar level sky dives back down to fatiguing levels making it near impossible to get through the day without more Coke or something to eat (repeat process).

This process only takes into consideration the sugar side of soda.  Other items not mentioned are caffeine, phosphoric acid, carbonation, artificial sweeteners, and dyes.  In the next few weeks we will tackle one new aspect of how soda is poisoning us everyday.  We feel it is imperative to properly inform consumers especially since soda intake has increased just in the past six months.

Headaches.  This is such a common ailment that it got to be combined into one word from "head" and "ache".  The problem with this terminology is that the head, which basically includes everything from the neck up, is an extensive piece to a larger whole.  There is limitless possibilities of what can occur in, on, and around one's head.  So as anyone can see the term "headache" is incredibly ambiguous and doesn't reach a proper classification.

Besides the foods that help your body detox here are a few other detoxification tools:

Water: Water intake is extremely important to flush all the toxins that are released from your tissues and organs out of your body.

Dry Brushing: Dry skin brushing helps to shed dead skin cells, increases circulation to skin, helps your body dump metabolic wastes, and aids the lymphatic drainage of the entire body. Dry brushing also stimulates the nervous system by stimulating nerve endings in the skin. It also helps break yo cellulite which is stores of toxic materials in your skin.

EB PRO Ionic Footbath detoxification: The EB PRO unit is not like the vinegar pads you stick on the bottoms of your feet. Unlike these pads, which do nothing to detoxify your body, the EB PRO foot bath up-regulates your cell’s metabolism. It does this by creating an energy field that causes the cells to detoxify themselves naturally, but at a much faster rate. The foot bath allows you to dump toxins and normalize your pH levels, leaving you with more energy. 

Supplementation: Different supplements can target specific systems in your body that need help detoxifying. Should you need help with this ask about nutritional counseling the next time you are in the office.

Keep those bugs away this memorial day weekend without toxic chemicals!

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A great place to start cleaning your body is through your "gut".  Our digestive track is our main opening to the outside world and its designed to filter the substances into which we come in contact.  Our gut is at center of our immune system and should be taken care of daily with wholesome foods and beverages.

This is a list of foods that aid in the detoxification of your body.

*Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, 100% berry juice, bananas, and apples.
*Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, radishes, beans and lentils, garlic, and onions.
* Whole grain rice, buckwheat, millet, and quinoa.
* Almonds, cashews, walnuts, and sesame seeds.
* Extra virgin olive oil, grape seed oil, flax seed oil, and nut oils other than peanut.
* Rosemary, parsley, cilantro, and thyme.

 

Things that are considered toxic to your body.

* Canned fruit, oranges*, and artificial juices.
* Corn, canned veggies in sauces,  and soy products.
* Refined flours, wheat, rye, and barley.
* Peanuts and soynuts.
* All dairy excluding goats dairy.
* Margarine, butter, hydrogenated oils, cooking sprays, and mayonaise.
* Coffee, sweetened beverages, alcohol, and black tea.
*Eggs*, fried foods, fish and shellfish*, non-organic meats, artificial flavors, dyes, and preservatives.

*Some of these foods are actually good for you but the type of processing and farming has made them unsuitable for consumption.

We understand that it has become literally impossible to find what is best for you at your regular supermarket and its too expensive to buy at Oklahoma health food stores.  A good alternative is to buy local at farmer's markets or grow it yourself.

Our bodies are designed to detoxify themselves, but when our body is not functioning optimally these toxins can build up in our system causing different symptoms.

Ron Paul offers some fresh views on the swine flu scare.

It is becoming a widespread fact that organic foods are better for you and the environment.  What people don't know is that the organic or natural foods they have bought and trusted for a long time in supermarkets are deceiving.  Most well know organic products such as: Kashi, Odwalla, Brown Cow, Horizon Organic Milk, Green and Black's Chocolate, Back To Nature, and Burt's Bees have been bought out by the larger corporations in order to increase profit.  Any largely profit driven food companies process and use additives to preserve shelf life and eventually skimp on quality.

 This means that organic or natural plastered on labels doesn't mean good for you or the environment anymore.  As long as there is demand for these types of products the large food corporations will make them out to be that way.

"Now what am I to buy for healthy food?"  "Where can I go?"  "Who can I trust?"

Local farmer's markets will be the best bet for fresh, organic, healthy food.  Not only are you getting products that are great for you and the environment but you are supporting your neighbors and taking care of the people that care about quality.

Check out this link for listings of farmer's markets in your area. 

http://okc.about.com/od/groceryfoodstores/a/okcfarmersmark.htm

Laughter is the best medicine.  Being able to smile and laugh even in our stressful times can improve our health.  It can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, condition the lungs and diaphragm, boost the immune system, improve brain function, and affect everyone around you.  April is national humor month and I though a good joke will help bring smiles to anyone who needs it.