Naturally reducing inflammation after injury - May 12, 2011

Sometimes it seems that after a winter of not being as active as we'd like, as soon as the weather shifts we rush outside and pick up our "summer" activities as though 6 or 7 months hadn't passed.  This can result in some strains, soreness or pain in your body.  The body's natural response to injury like this is inflammation. When a muscle, tendon or ligament is damaged the area tends to lose function and become inflamed and painful. Though painful, this is a really important part of the body's healing process. It limits further damage by restricting movement in the injured area and starts tissue repair and reconstruction.

The first 72 hours following an injury, it's recommended to rest and elevate the damaged area, applying ice intermittently for 10-15 minutes at a time. This helps to reduce the pain of inflammation and keeps the recovery time to a minimum. Chiropractic treatments also aid in faster injury recovery. There are three main parts in repairing and rehabilitating injured tissue.

1. Consuming appropriate nutrients to help support the body's response to the inflammation

2. Rebuilding damaged connective tissue, such as ligaments, tendons and joint cartilage.

3. Relaxing the soft tissue area where the injury occurred.

Two very important nutrients to help deal with inflammation are the fatty acids omega-6 and omega-3. These are not produced by your body so you must get them from your diet - this is why they're called essential fats. Some foods rich in these fatty acids include:

-fish and shellfish

-flaxseed (linseed) oil and canola oil

-hemp oil and soya oil

-pumpkin and sunflower seeds

-leafy veggies

-walnuts

Also there are some enzymes in citrus fruits called bioflavinoids that can help to minimize the effects of pain and swelling. 

If you are interested in knowing more about how to reduce inflammation and help your body's healing process by nutrition and rest, ask me for the handout I have here at the office.

Iron: it may be minor but it's still important - May 5, 2011

I think everyone has heard about iron deficiency or anemia. I didn't really know what role iron plays in our bodies and why a deficiency is a negative thing. So I'll just share a little information with you about it. Iron is considered a minor trace mineral, which means that we require less than 100 milligrams a day. The recommended allowance for iron in an adult male (19-50) is 8mg, for women in the same age group it's 18mg.  Even though our bodies don't require a large amount of iron daily here is why it's important to have it: iron participates in functions like metabolism, DNA synthesis, growth, healing, immune function and reproduction. Iron is also found in the blood in two proteins that transport oxygen. So if you lack the proper amounts of iron, your blood will not be moving oxygen properly. Iron is shown to be an important contributor to athletic performance, as it's difficult to run a marathon when your muscles are getting inadequate oxygen.

Because iron helps transport oxygen in blood a major sign of iron deficiency is fatigue. If your muscles aren't getting enough oxygen you will be very tired. People most likely to watch for iron deficiency are long distance runners, women with heavy menstruation or who have just had a baby and people who frequently donate blood.  Some other symptoms that are attributed to iron deficiency are pallor (pale skin), brittle or grooved nails, hair loss, irritability and weakness. The good news is that iron is easily found in most foods so it's not difficult to make sure you are getting your daily intake of iron. Most people will not need an iron supplement because it is also important not to have too high an iron intake. Just make a burger or some tuna salad, have some eggs with the yolk or eat some dried fruit. All of these things contain iron and will easily get you to your suggested iron allowance each day. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

I hope everyone is having a great week! Take care and don't forget to call and RSVP for the talk on May 17th at 6:30!

Ciao!

Karla H.

Roscoe Chiropractic Centre

Posture and Your Health - April 28, 2011

I'm going to share a simple idea that has a great affect on your health. Good posture. That's right. Why is it so important, you ask? When the spine is properly aligned with it's natural curvature and the entire body from the ears down to your feet are in balance, we maximize spinal health and avoid poor posture related pain and dysfunction. What is the ultimate goal of chiropractic? To eliminate interference! What does poor posture cause? Misalignments in the natural curvature of the spine and interference in nerve impulse. Ideal posture creates ideal balance, it optimizes breathing and circulation, both of which our bodies need to function properly! 

What is the typical posture for someone sitting at a computer (and I'll just be honest right now, this is me at this very moment) slumped, bent back and round shouldered (and now I moved...ha ha). It's time to sit tall, stand tall and walk tall. This is an easy way to improve your spinal health at home all by yourself...and the best part...it's FREE! Just take two or three minutes a day to do a couple exercises to help keep you focused on keeping straight and your spine will thank you. 

Four exercises to improve your spinal health.

1. The Butterfly - Standing and with head held high, belly  button in, place your arms behind your head and gently pull your elbows backward. Slowly and gently press your head against your hands while counting to two. Relax, breathe and repeat three times.

2. Tilting Star - With head held high and belly button in, spread your arms and legs into a star. Breathe in and slowly stretch one arm over your head and slide your opposite arm down your leg. Slowly tilt your star to the opposite side. Relax and repeat two times.

3. Twirling Star - In the star position, turn your head to look at one hand. Slowly twist your entire spine to watch your hand as it goes behind you. Relax and repeat two times for each side.

4. The Hummingbird - With head held high and belly button in, put your arms out to the sides and your hands up and pull your shoulders together in the back. Now make small, backward circles with your hands and arms. Bend at the waist from side to side, keeping the circles going as you count to ten.

As with any exercise, make sure not to push your body beyond what is comfortable or your balance or strength level! Take care and sit up straight!

Have a great week!

Pediatric Prescription Overload - April 21, 2011

Dear Friends of Roscoe Chiropractic,

I want to share some statistics with you regarding the number of prescription drugs dispensed to children and teens in 2009.
ADHD - 24.4 Million
Asthma - 45.4 Million
Antidepressants - 9.6 Million
Sleep Aids - 307,000
Antipsychotics - 6.6 Million
Statins (High Cholesterol meds) - 94,000
Antihypertensives (High Blood Pressure) - 5.2 Million
Non-Insulin-dependent (type2) Diabetes - 424,000

Just looking through that list makes me wonder why so much of the US is so drug happy.  Have you ever really listened to a TV ad for ANY prescription drug? Pay attention, right at the very end of the commercial when they get the person who can speed read the list of "side-affects" - do you know how many times death is included in that list of possible side-affects? That's just the extreme, much of the other things are not really worth the hoped effect the drug will even have on your issue. Diarrhea, nausea, thoughts of suicide, fatigue, depression. I mean it's a laundry list of horrible things that you'll end up taking another drug for to boot!

Anyway, I'm off my soap box, but the point is that in prescribing these drugs to children they have not actually been properly tested to administer to anyone, save adults. So the dosages and side affects are uncertain in prescriptions for children. In effect these children have become the guinea pig to test out the effectiveness of the drugs. There is a wonderful article in the May issue of To Your Health that I encourage everyone to read. It goes into detail about the concern of increased pediatric prescriptions. Check it out!

Algae - it's not just for your fish tank - April 14, 2011

Dear Friends of Roscoe Chiropractic,

If you're like me eating green foods is difficult.  I don't know if I need to eat blindfolded or what, but even with the understanding that green foods are far more healthy than the many chocolate covered or carbohydrate filled foods I generally eat, I still struggle with it. I have good news there are options for us green food challenged people! When you think of algae does your mind go immediately to a dirty swimming pool or fish tank? Yea, mine too. It seems that as there are healthy forms of bacteria there are healthy forms of algae as well.

So I'll tell you about our friend Chlorella. Back in the 1950's it was touted as a miracle food that could "save humanity", there was concern with the world's exploding population that it would lead to massive food shortages. It was at this time that researchers became aware of  this nutrient-filled green algae. They saw the potential in this fast-reproducing, waterborne algae to be a quick and cheap way to feed a planet. In the end it turned out that it wasn't as cheaply produced on a mass level as they'd thought and with improved agricultural methods, it diminished the fear of world starvation. Exit Chlorella...or maybe not....

Fast forward to the present. Just several years ago Chlorella was made available as a supplement, because of it's rich array of nutrients, such as amino acids, beta carotene, B vitamins, protein, fiber and several essential minerals.  It can be used to treat a number of potentially serious health conditions. Chlorella has a powerful effect in the area of boosting your body's immune response. It does this by stimulating a protein called interferon that helps drive the production of white blood cells. When boosted by chlorella these cells do a better job of attacking invaders and sweeping the body clean.

Research on Chlorella also shows that it helps remove contaminants that we come into contact with and absorb daily. It binds to heavy metals, PCB's, and other toxins and then carries them to the body's waste systems.

So this potent little algae isn't your run of the mill dirty pool green stuff! This is something worth looking into!

Power Protein - April 7, 2011

Dear Friends of Roscoe Chiropractic,

 Soon we will all be discussing how it's too hot outside, I can almost hear it already. Happy April, by the way.  I'm going to share today about a protein antioxidant that your body produces called Glutathione. It seems this protein in sufficient levels in your body may play a role in preventing a number of health disorders: Alzheimers, Arthritis, Asthma, Autism, Cancer, Diabetes, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, Strokes and other Psychiatric Disorders.  That pretty much sums up all the things you don't want to take place in your body. So lets learn a little more about this powerful little protein antioxidant.

This protein has been called the "master antioxidant" because our own bodies produce it and other antioxidants cannot function properly without sufficient levels of it available in your body. It helps your body clean out toxins, slows aging, boosts energy and protects from viruses and bacteria. White blood cells, which are key to fighting disease and infections can only be created with the right levels of glutathione present in the body.

So if this protein is so powerful why do ever get sick? Well just like other nutrients  and biochemical substances the levels can drop due to poor diet, smoking, lack of exercise, not enough sleep and exposure to toxins. So where can you find glutathione?  It can be found in raw vegetables, meat, milk and eggs. The key word is raw, so heating destroys it which is main drawback to getting adequate amounts through cooked food. You can purchase glutathione supplements  but taking it orally may not provide much benefit, as it is poorly absorbed through the digestive tract and most of it goes out as waste. As a result of these problems scientists have changed their focus from supplements to developing nutritional products that provide the building blocks for your body to create it's own glutathione.