The One Stop Shop for Holistic Living

Immune Response To Spinal Adjustments

2012-01-04T11:36:00.000-08:00

Flu season is here, and nothing takes you out of the holiday spirit more than a fever and body aches. At Chiropractic and Wellness we offer four solutions that defeat the viruses going around. Improving your immunity starts with spinal adjustments. A spinal adjustment is a highly specialized procedure the chiropractor uses to free your body from a serious form of health destroying stress called a subluxation. Chiropractors are not really putting the bone back in place. The adjustment is unlocking the jammed vertebra and nearby tissues from their fixated positions which frees them to move where the body wants them to go.
Subluxations causing nerve pressure equivalent to the weight of a nickel on your hand reduce the nerve impulses by 60%. This all correlates to the immune system because it is controlled by the nervous system.
Another important part of our immune system is our lymphatic system, which is responsible for the regulation, fluid, and waste removal. When we become sick they become blocked and the fluid and wastes build up. Lymphatic massage can help to release the blockage of wastes and fluids to get the proper regulation to the immune system helping it to function properly.

TBM (Total Body Modification) enables the practitioner to turn back on and fine tune the various parts of the immune system to a specific pathogen so that it will come to recognize that there is an infection going on, identify which pathogen is responsible for it and go attack it .
Chiropractic and Wellness also offers a supplement, Echinacea Synergy:
*uses perilla seed extract to provide support for the immune system
*uses special blends of herbs to relieve congestion, support healthy mucus secretion, and promotes healthy breathing
*provides healthy antioxidant protection

Natural remedies for the 15 most common aches, pains, and health complaints

2011-02-15T12:55:00.001-08:00

Is the economy beating you up? It’s time to get creative. Next time you have an ache or pain, forget about a costly trip to the drugstore and test-drive some of your grandmother’s remedies instead. It’ll save money and be gentler on your body and the environment. Recessionistas (and gents), welcome to the DIY medicine cabinet.

1. Stop Bleeding

You’d think it would burn, but a sprinkle of cayenne pepper on a cut will quickly stop the bleeding and actually relieve the pain.

2. Toothache

There’s nothing so bad as the shooting pain of a toothache. You don’t want to ignore a tooth problem, because an infection that close to your brain can be extremely dangerous if it spreads. But in order to reduce swelling and pain while you wait for a dentist appointment, try putting a few drops of clove oil on your tooth and gums, and bite down on a smashed piece of garlic (which has excellent antibacterial properties). This has always worked for me.

3. Rashes and Allergies

Prescription and OTC antihistamines can cause some serious side effects. Before you head for the strong stuff, try green tea, which contains compounds with antihistamine properties. You’ll need to drink 2-3 cups a day to get the full effect.

4. Athlete’s Foot

It’s a foot fungus, and it stinks. Air those piggies, then soak them in salty water, wash them with garlic juice, or soak them with diluted white or apple cider vinegar. All of these things will help kill the fungus.

But you have to be persistent, consistent, and diligent: No matter what treatment you use, do it a few times a day and stick with it until at least a week after you think the symptoms are gone! Fungus excels at hiding out and coming back when you least expect it.

5. Acne and Sensitive Skin

First, you really have to look at your lifestyle, because imbalances in your health can show up in your skin. But in the meantime, wash your face with oatmeal. It’s a gentle exfoliant and draws out oil and impurities.

6. Ear Infections

Ear infections can become quite serious and cause permanent damage, so please see a doctor if your ear ache has become severe.

But if you feel like your infection is mild and at the beginning stages, put a few drops of garlic oil or white vinegar into your ear canal and lay down on the opposite side to let those drops do their work. Garlic and vinegar create an environment that won’t support the bacteria causing the infection. Repeat a few times a day until the symptoms disappear. (If your symptoms last longer than a few days, you should definitely see a doctor!)

7. Sore Muscles and Bruises

After a hard afternoon of rowing with a friend, I resigned myself to a few days of burning muscles and soreness. But my friend saved the day with a tube of arnica cream. He rubbed it on my shoulders and voila, instant relief and absolutely no aches the next day. The humble arnica flower makes an incredible cream that no medicine cabinet should be without. Use it immediately to speed up the healing of bruises, sprains, sore muscles, and other general aches.

8. Flatulence

Some foods, like beans and raw veggies, are more likely to cause gas, but if you find flatulence to be too common of an occurrence, try taking a digestive enzyme with your meals. You can find these at any health food store.

In the meantime, make use of digestive spices such as ginger, anise, peppermint, coriander, and dill. You can make tea with these ingredients or incorporate them into your food.

9. Dandruff

Have you looked at the ingredients in dandruff shampoo? It seems like they contain almost everything in the Toxic Ingredients You Must Avoid list. Better to try something natural first before resorting to chemicals. Many people swear by rubbing aloe vera gel onto the scalp (leave it on for 20 minutes than rinse it out). This will certainly help with dry, itchy scalp.

Another remedy is a rinse with apple cider vinegar. Try these remedies a few times before deciding if they work for you. Even dandruff shampoo requires regular use to see results, so give the natural stuff a chance!

10. Headache and Migraine

Try rubbing peppermint or lavender oil on your temples and the base of your neck; sniffing these oils may also help.

Rub a fresh cut lemon or lime on your forehead. Feverfew is a good herbal remedy for headaches.

Have a little caffeine by way of green tea, and don’t forget to use an ice pack for 20 minutes to dull the throbbing.

11. Indigestion and Heartburn

It almost goes without saying – but consider why you’re getting heartburn in the first place. Did you overeat? Too much grease or spicy food? Eating late at night? Scout out the cause and try to stop this before it happens. Then, put down the antacids.

The belching, bloat, and heartburn caused by indigestion come about because you don’t have enough stomach acid to do the job right. A spoonful or two of apple cider vinegar will help break down the excess food that is causing you trouble and bring your stomach back to balance.

12. Constipation

First, drink more water and eat more fruit and salads. You’re backed up for a reason and taking lots of laxatives is not the answer. Meanwhile, drinking a few teaspoons of olive oil mixed with a bit of orange or (diluted) lemon juice can help things get moving.

Another surefire remedy is 1/4 teaspoon of epsom salts drunk in 1/2 a glass of water. Sometimes calorie restriction or avoidance of healthy fats (such as the good fats found in fish, nuts, and avocados) can worsen constipation.

And though it’s counterintuitive, some people relieve their constipation by actually cutting back on grain consumption! True, grains contain fiber, but some people don’t digest grains very well. Other causes of constipation include stress, depression, inactivity, and nutritional deficiencies. If your constipation is chronic, it may be a sign of a more serious problem, so please seek medical advice and adjust your lifestyle.

13. Sore Throat

Sore, scratchy throats are usually a sign of a cold or flu coming on, so you don’t want to ignore this symptom, but you can relieve the pain by gargling with warm salt water a few times a day and then drinking a soothing honey-lemon tea.

14. Burns

So you bumped up against the stove again? Ouch. Rinse first with cold water, but then immediately apply aloe vera gel to the burn.

For those of us who don’t have aloe in the house, slice a potato and rub its cool, soothing juices all over the burn.

And honey, with its antibacterial properties, is also good topical ointment. If you can catch the burn immediately, mustard is also reportedly a great salve.

15. Nausea

The classic cure for nausea or carsickness is ginger tea or candied ginger. You can chew on the stuff raw, if you like, but it’s so spicy and strong it might just make you feel worse.

Sniffing real peppermint or lavender oil can also help.

Give some of these remedies a try – and share your own tried-and-true treatments, too.

Chiropractic boosts brain-body coordination

2011-01-28T15:50:00.000-08:00

The brain is the master control system for the entire body. It sends and receives a complicated frequency of signals with the body that dictate the function of the body. When there is interference in this neurological feedback loop, it alters the environment the brain perceives itself to be in; this consequently changes the adaptation process the brain orchestrates throughout the body. Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to enhance the sensorimotor integration of the brain with the body.

Many experts have hypothesized that increased stress cycles in the body produce the environment for dis-ease and eventually disease within the body. Stress can come from a variety of sources in the mental/emotional form, chemical form, and physical realm. When the body is under increased stress it responds by increasing its sympathetic tone. This means the body shunts itself into "fight or flight" survival based mode by altering cardiovascular & endocrine function to get itself ready for dynamic activity.

Increased sympathetic tone causes a release of stress hormones such as adrenalin, epinephrine, and cortisol. This is the same response we get when we are anxious or exercising. This is okay if it is for a short period of time; however, when the stress lasts longer than expected it exhausts the body and causes a state of dis-ease to manifest.

When the brain sends information to the organs, muscles, and tissues of the body, this is called efferent neurological flow. In return, the afferent flow of information includes all the messages sent to the brain from skin, muscle, joint, and organ receptors. This afferent/efferent neurological loop is how the body is able to respond and adapt appropriately to its environment.

The ramifications of increased stress hormones in the body include overworked adrenal glands, lowered immunity, decreased digestive functions, fatigue, & blood pressure disturbances. Increased cortisol levels also cause ligament laxity by stripping critical proteins from the tendon and ligament structures. This causes joint weakness throughout the body, including the spine and extremities, making them much more susceptible to injury.

Subluxation is a term used to describe mechanical compression and irritation to spinal joints and nerves. Subluxation scrambles the neurological feedback loop by causing altered rhythms of neurological flow. Subluxations are caused by trauma, poor posture, or increased chemical and emotional stresses.

Subluxations are a physical stress on the body and therefore increase the sympathetic tone, so the body shunts its energy toward the fight or flight system. If the subluxation(s) are not corrected they continue to produce this increased stress response. This increases cortisol and causes greater joint & ligament laxity in the spine and extremities making them more susceptible to injury. Additionally, increased long-term stress on the body greatly accelerates the degenerative processes of the spine and joints leading to osteoarthritis.

Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to normalize spinal afferent/efferent processes to their proper resting tone. This is like hitting the reset button on the computer when it is malfunctioning. The computer is allowed to pause and reprocess itself. Chiropractic adjustments stop the stress response and restore normal hormonal and cardiovascular function to the body. This allows the body to reset itself and begin healing the damage that was done in the body due to chronic stress cycles.

Research performed by Taylor and Murphy demonstrated that chiropractic adjustments enhanced sensorimotor integration, the body's ability to sense where it is in space and effectively coordinate complex movement patterns. This improves function in both the brain and the body. Improved spatial intelligence translates into better physical and mental balance, coordination, and mobility. Chiropractic adjustments make you think and move with better speed, skill, and finesse.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031134_chiropractic_brain_health.html#ixzz1CNRQkiS0

‎60% of surgical candidates AVOID surgery with Chiropractic!

2011-01-11T09:58:00.001-08:00

According to a group at MayoClinic.com (2010), "Sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve and its branches — from your back down your buttock and leg. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body. It runs from your spinal cord to your buttock and hip area and down the back of each leg. Sciatica is a symptom, not a disorder. The radiating pain of sciatica signals another problem involving the nerve, such as a herniated disk" (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sciatica/DS00516).

Sciatica symptoms include: Pain "…likely to occur along a path from your low back to your buttock and the back of your thigh and calf. Numbness or muscle weakness along the nerve pathway in your leg or foot. In some cases, you may have pain in one part of your leg and numbness in another. Tingling or a pins-and-needles feeling, often in your toes or part of your foot. A loss of bladder or bowel control. This is a sign of cauda equina syndrome, a serious condition that requires emergency care" (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2010, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sciatica/DS00516/DSECTION=symptoms).

A prime symptom of sciatica is leg pain in conjunction with herniated discs. As reported by the US Chiropractic Directory in 2010, "Pain radiating down your leg secondary to a herniated disc is a common and often disabling occurrence. A disc in your spine is comprised of 2 basic components, the inner nucleus pulposis that is gelatinous in composition and the outer annulus fibrosis that is fibro-cartilaginous and very strong. When a person experiences trauma and the forces are directed at the spine and disc. The pressure on the inside of the disc is increased (like stepping on a balloon) and the internal nucleus pulposis creates pressure from the inside out. It tears the outer annulus fibrosis causing the internal material to go beyond the outer boundaries of the disc. This has often been misnamed a ‘slipped disc’ because the disc doesn’t slip or slide, it is torn from the trauma allowing the internal material to escape.
　
Conversely, a bulging disc, which gets confused with a herniated disc, is a degenerative "wear and tear scenario" that occurs over time with the annulus fibrosis degenerating. This can also be a "risk factor" allowing the disc to herniate with less trauma due to the degeneration or thinning of the disc walls. This, however, is a conversation for another article.
　
Lifetime prevalence of a herniated disc has been estimated to be 35% in men and 45% in woman and it has been estimated that 90% of all leg pain secondary to herniated discs occurs at either the L4-5 or L5-S1 levels. It has also been reported that average duration of symptoms is 55.9 weeks, underscoring the critical necessity for finding a viable solution for these patients" (http://www.uschirodirectory.com/index.php/patient-information/item/235-herniated-discs-radiating-pain-and-chiropractic).

It was reported by McMorland, Suter, Casha, du Plessis, and Hurlbert in 2010 that over 250,000 patients a year undergo elective lumbar discectomy (spinal surgery) for the treatment of low back disc issues in the United States. The researchers did a comparative randomized clinical study comparing spinal microdiscectomy (surgery) performed by neurosurgeons to non-operative manipulative treatments (chiropractic adjustments) performed by chiropractors. They compared quality of life and disabilities of the patients in the study.

This study was limited to patients with distinct one-sided lumbar disc herniations as diagnosed via MRI and had associated radicular (nerve root) symptoms. Based upon the authors’ review of available MRI studies, the patients participating in the study were all initially considered surgical candidates.

Both the surgical and chiropractic groups reported no new neurological problems surfaced and had only minor post-treatment soreness. 60% of the patients who underwent chiropractic care reported a successful outcome while 40% required surgery and of those 40%, all reported successful outcomes. Of those patients choosing surgery as the primary means of treatment, 15% reported a failed surgical outcome and then chose chiropractic as a secondary choice. Of those 15% with failed surgeries, all were reported to have performed worse in clinical outcomes.

While it is clear that an accurate diagnosis could dictate that many patients require immediate surgery, many also do not. The above study indicates that a conservative non-operative approach of chiropractic care prevented 60% from needless surgery. While a larger study would give us more information, based upon the outcomes, cost factors and potential increased risks of surgery, it was concluded that chiropractic is a viable, first line treatment option.

These studies along with many others conclude that a drug-free approach of chiropractic care is one of the best solutions for patients with surgical lumbar discs and sciatic pain. To find a qualified doctor of chiropractic near you go to the US Chiropractic Directory at www.USChiroDirectory.com and search your state.

References:

1. Mayo Clinic Staff. (2010, April 22). Sciatica, Definition. MayoClinic.com, Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sciatica/DS00516

2. Mayo Clinic Staff. (2010, April 22). Sciatica, Symptoms. MayoClinic.com, Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sciatica/DS00516/DSECTION=symptoms

3. Studin, M. (2010). Herniated discs, radiating pain and chiropractic. US Chiropractic Directory. Retrieved from http://www.uschirodirectory.com/index.php/patient-information/item/235-herniated-discs-radiating-pain-and-chiropractic

4. McMorland, G., Suter, E., Casha, S., du Plessis, S. J., & Hurlbert, R. J. (2010). Manipulation or microdiskectomy for sciatica? A prospective randomized clinical study. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 33(8), 576-584

Mercola's New Start Internal Cleansing System

2010-12-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

New Start contains wholesome, all-natural dietary fibers that are gentle on your system, along with botanicals, for a natural cleanse without synthetic stimulants or designer chemicals.
You'll find special select ingredients like these:
• Step 1: Refine -
o Chlorella. Widely studied for its ability to bind with environmental toxins.
o Dandelion. Cleanses your bloodstream and liver. Increases production of bile.
• Step 2: Reduce --
o Flax Seed -- tiny but mighty. Source of omega-3s. Readily absorbs water in your stomach and intestines to increase bulk and movement of stool.
o Pea Fiber. A fermentation-resistant fiber with the ability to trap impurities for removal from your body.
o Alfalfa. Alkalizes and detoxifies your body.
• Step 3: Release --
o Aloe, fennel, ginger, peppermint and basil have been studied for their ability to facilitate healthy digestion.
o Fenugreek. Lubricates your intestines and acts as a laxative.
o Licorice. Supports colon cleansing.
New Start combines these ingredients and more for a powerful, yet gentle cleansing effect on your digestive tract.

Here's how it works...

New Start uses a revolutionary, simple 3-step system to gently remove toxins from your body -- Refine -- Reduce -- Remove.
While cleansing is an important part of self-care to promote normal intestinal tract function and provide digestive support*, it must be done with intention. But, much of the work has already been done for you!
New Start provides advanced natural solutions for all three phases of cleansing:
Step 1: New Start Refine --
• Supports your liver's purifying function*
• Natural botanicals support detoxification*
New Start Refine supports your body's cleansing function, particularly your liver, to help with normal detoxification.
Your body is constantly working to eliminate toxins through your lungs, kidneys, digestive system and especially your liver.
Every minute of every day, your properly functioning liver eliminates small amounts of toxins, heavy metals, bacteria and other impurities from your blood before returning it into circulation. A healthy liver utilizes complex enzymatic processes to metabolize toxins so they can be easily excreted from your body.
Normally, your liver secretes about a quart of bile a day. The function of bile is to carry processed non-functional, non-nutrient environmental compounds and their metabolites, as well as compounds your body normally makes such as cholesterol, to your intestine -- where they're carried out of your body.
Step 2: New Start™ Reduce --
• Traps and binds toxins eliminated by your liver*
• Specialty blend of all-natural fibers bind toxins for transport
The New Start™ Reduce step involves trapping and binding toxins secreted by your liver.
Trapping and binding toxins secreted through the bile for transport from the body is crucial for effective support of your body's internal detoxification and cleansing functions.
If the impurities are not bound by fiber, they become subject to re-absorption and recirculation by your body, ending up where they started, leaving you no better off.
Fibers trap toxins in the gastrointestinal tract, binding them and their metabolites for transport from your body. Dietary fibers are capable of absorbing non-functional metals, environmental pollutants and even impurities your own body creates in your GI tract.
The dietary fibers in New Start Reduce are an excellent source of fiber and have been:
• Specially selected for their exceptional absorbing capacity that simplifies the effective elimination of entrapped toxins.
• Combined in a specific proprietary ratio to maximize their ability to resist the breakdown and fermentation by your intestinal flora.
As I noted previously, the reason we chose all-natural fibers for New Start is that they do not re-introduce additional toxins into your body, giving you a cleaner cleanse.
Step 3: New Start™ Release --
• Supports excretion of toxins through bile and intestinal bulk by removing it gently and thoroughly from your body
• Natural botanicals gently support toxin elimination
In the third step -- Release -- toxins are gently removed from your body.
Step 3 is gentle, comfortable and completes your cleanse.
Assisting the trapped toxins to move smoothly through the digestive tract, gently sweeping your colon of accumulated waste is the final step in New Start.
Powerful stimulant laxatives such as Cascara sagrada, psyllium, and senna are not used in New Start. Why?
Because they can irritate the delicate layer of the intestine so that it sheds -- stimulating bowel movements. This harsh action can cause cramping, bloating and worse. Maybe even leaving you feeling trapped in the bathroom half the day...
New Start Release is a gentle formula with a digestive botanical blend that works while you sleep to promote a healthy, comfortable bowel movement soon after waking in the morning.

Rena's Review on Daily Liquid Nutrition

2010-12-06T11:06:00.000-08:00

Recently I started taking a new multi-vitamin that we carry, Daily Liquid Nutrition. I absolutely love it, not only because I feel absolutely great after taking it but because my kids can also take it. So rather than me having to get out a bunch of different bottles of supplements every morning all I have to get out is one bottle. If you have picky kids like my son you can just mix it in some juice!
Here are a few facts about this amazing product:
• Packed with over 200 Nutrients
• 150 Naturally Occurring phytochemicals
• 29 Fruits - 13 Vegetables - 20 Proprietary Herbs
• 69 Minerals from whole foods
• 6 Essential fatty acids
• 17 Amino Acids
• 7 Organic plant digestive enzymes
• 9 Specialized patented nutrients
• A complete nutrient complex in an easy to take liquid formula.

Contains: 150 Natural Phytochemicals, 29 Fruits, 13 Vegetables, 20 Proprietary Herbs, 3 Types of Beneficial Fiber, 13 Vitamins, 69 Minerals, 6 Essential Fatty Acids, 17 Amino Acids, 7 Organic Plant Digestive Enzymes, ...
Daily Liquid Nutrition provides not only essential vitamins and minerals, but also amino acids, enzymes and plant extracts that provide nutritional support for six critical areas that are vital to optimal health.

Digestive Support
Daily Liquid Nutrition contains three different types of beneficial fiber including NutraFlora fructo-oligosaccharides, Fibersol 2 and apple pectin. The patented digestive support complex helps support regularity and a healthy digestive tract. Daily Liquid Nutrition contains organic plant digestive enzymes that will help you get the most nutritional benefit from your food and supplements.

Vision Support & Anti-Aging
Daily Liquid Nutrition contains lutein and other carotenoids that have been shown to help support vision health, and delay the onset of age-related eye disease.

Detoxification and Endocrine Support
Daily Liquid Nutrition contains lyceum, milk thistle, alpha lipoic acid and alfalfa to help support liver detoxification. The botanicals, Suma, burdock root, bladdderwack and VitaBerry Plus help support thyroid, kidney, liver and pancreatic function. Daily Liquid Nutrition also contains patented forms of lycopene for healthy prostate and cardiovascular function.

Muscle, Bone and Joint Support
Daily Liquid Nutrition contains MSM, glucosamine HCL and Hyaluronic acid to help improve joint health. The patented glucosamine in Daily Liquid Nutrition is 100% vegetarian and contains no shellfish.

Heart & Circulatory Support
Daily liquid Nutrition contains a comprehensive cardiovascular support complex that contains specialized herbs and nutrients for total cardiac support. Included in this complex is CoEnzyme Q10, Acai berry, horse chestnut and deodorized garlic.

How to Look Younger Now Without Wrinkle Creams or Surgery

2010-10-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

How to Look Younger Now Without Wrinkle Creams or Surgery

Yes, you read that correctly -- finally, there is a vitamin D producing system that I can recommend...
In case you didn't know, taking a vitamin D supplement is not the optimal way to regulate your body’s vitamin D levels.
On the other hand, many experts (including me) believe that there are no health concerns with regard to vitamin D concentration associated with sun exposure.
That's why I feel that the best way to make sure you don't end up with too much or too little vitamin D is to produce it in your own body, by getting some exposure to beneficial ultraviolet A and B rays, like those produced by the sun.
And, as an added benefit, you'll also help give your skin a more healthful glow.
Tanning beds produce ultraviolet A and B rays as well...
And yes, I've been asked many times if there is such a thing as a tanning bed that won't put you at risk.
My answer was always: A tanning bed can be useful, but in my opinion most commercial tanning beds can be a cause for concern.
You see, there are potential problems associated with them that may have a negative impact on your health:
• X-Rays -- These rays, emitted by the ends of the bulbs, are a form of radiation, and can be potentially hazardous.
So although they produce the same beneficial ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays as the sun and add a pleasant tone to your skin, I've always believed that the best source of those beneficial rays is the sun itself, in moderation.
You see, the UVB rays from the sun help your skin to produce up to 80% of the vitamin D in your body. Your body simply can't make vitamin D without exposure to UVB energy.
And the UVA rays produce a tan that not only makes your skin more pleasing in appearance, but is also your body's natural defense against sunburn.
That's right. Your skin is designed to tan as a natural bodily function!
But for many of you, getting ample sunlight just isn't an option. You have busy lives that don't allow for getting outdoors a lot, much less sunbathing.
And depending upon where you live, it could be cold out, raining out, or cloudy for weeks on end... you get the idea.
I knew that if they could find a way to shield those harmful emissions and make a convenient and affordable tanning system, there'd be a huge demand for it.
Guess what?
They finally did it. And that's great news for you because now you can get this beneficial energy in the most convenient place of all -- your own home!
Put a little sunlight into your life, anytime you want to!

Wait A Minute! I'm Supposed To Avoid the Sun's Rays These Days, Right?

Despite the health benefits you can derive from the sun's ultraviolet rays, they've still gotten a lot of undeserved bad press lately.
Everyone from health officials to your well-meaning friends seems to have the same advice: The sun is your enemy. They tell you that it will wrinkle your skin and cause you to look older prematurely -- even increase your risk of cancer.
It is true that anything, no matter how healthy it might be for you, can be harmful in excessive amounts. Remember:
Always avoid overexposing yourself to the sun's rays! This applies to tanning beds or systems as well.
You should definitely avoid sunburn at all costs.
With that being said, in moderation, ultraviolet rays from the sun or a tanning system can have many benefits for you.
On the other hand, in my opinion, avoiding the sun's ultraviolet rays can have detrimental effects on your health simply because you are depriving yourself of the solar nourishment you were meant to have.
Of course, the amount of exposure depends on you, so if you're not sure, start out by getting just a few minutes a day and gradually build your way up.
Just don't expose yourself long enough to get sunburned. Make your exposure to vitamin D-stimulating rays a positive one.

Avoid the Winter Blues with "The Sunshine Vitamin"

Why does it seem that more people are "under the weather" during the months November through March?
Or why many people feel fatigued and run-down during that time?
Coincidence? I don't think so.
During that period, in most of the United States the sun won't stimulate vitamin D in your body, due to its increased distance. Your vitamin D levels can drop as much as 50% in the winter.
Depleted of vitamin D, your immune system may not be up to its full potential, leaving you more susceptible to certain health concerns. In fact, I strongly believe that vitamin D deficiency is a growing epidemic!
Vitamin D has demonstrated support for:
• Your healthy immune system
• Your cardiovascular system
• Your prostate
• Helping increase your level of white blood cells
• Your healthy skin
Your body doesn't produce vitamin D on its own. You need exposure to ultraviolet rays to stimulate the production of vitamin D in your body.
Yes, there are vitamin D supplements on the market, but I feel that the best place for you to get your vitamin D is from ultraviolet B rays.
Many of these supplements are synthetic, which you should avoid. Also, vitamin D in excessive doses can lead to other health concerns (visit my website to learn more about that).
So get some exposure -- the good kind!
Guess what? The Vitality Tanning Bed is an excellent sources of UVA and/or UVB rays...

Want to Reverse Your Wrinkles? Then Go To the Light... For Younger Looking Skin

There's another way that light benefits you, specifically light produced in 633 nanometer (nm) waves.
When you are exposed to light in this 633 nm range, your skin cells are naturally stimulated, leading to the production of collagen, elastin and certain enzymes that support your skin.
As you age, collagen and elastin break down and you begin to see wrinkles, creases and folds in skin that was once taut.
This process may accelerate if you smoke or have poor eating habits.
Light in the 633 nm range pulls collagen back to the surface of your skin to fill in lines and wrinkles, and help reverse the appearance of aging.
Also, light in this range helps strengthen the walls of the small blood vessels in your skin, which results in improved oxygenation and detoxification. Hydration is increased, and the ability of your skin to retain moisture improves.
Improved natural healing and the creation of healthy conditions for your skin will follow.
Another important effect of 633 nm light is that it affects the permeability of the membrane of your skin cells. What this means is that it becomes easier for the important active ingredients of topical skincare products to pass through the walls of your skin cells, increasing their effectiveness.
In a nutshell, light in the 633 nm range can improve the clarity, tone and texture of your skin, basically giving you a more youthful appearance.

Foot Levelers Custom Orthodics

2010-10-20T08:20:00.000-07:00

Foot Leveler Orthodics

An 'orthotic' is a device designed to restore your natural foot function. Many 'biomechanical' (walking) complaints such as heel pain, knee pain and lower back pain are caused by poor foot function. Orthotics re-align the foot and ankle bones to their neutral position, thereby restoring natural foot function. In turn this helps alleviate problems in other parts of the body.
In addition, orthotics give a more even weight distribution, taking pressure of sore spots (e.g. the ball of the foot, corns in between toes, bunions etc) and they provide some shock absorption.

Why We’re Different
Foot Levelers orthotics are not ordinary orthotics. In fact, they are named something different because they are something different.

What are Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers?
Our Stabilizers are shoe inserts that support all three arches in your feet thereby creating a stable foundation upon which to build proper body posture. Each is custom-made to stabilize your spine and pelvis by correcting the specific imbalances in your feet.

It’s Not Just About Foot Pain
You don’t have to experience foot pain to be prescribed Stabilizers. In fact, imbalances may occur even if your feet feel fine. Before you know it, you’re suffering from pain and fatigue in other areas of the body, often due to postural misalignment that results from imbalances in your feet.

The Process
At Foot Levelers, we custom design our Stabilizers through an impression or imaging process, depending on the preference of your healthcare professional.

1. Your doctor will get an exact impression of your feet using a digital foot scanner.
2. We will then determine which Stabilizers are right for you, based on the results of the scan or cast. A variety of styles are available for all activity levels and shoe styles.
3. The casting kit or digital scan is sent to the Foot Levelers laboratory.
4. Skilled technicians build your custom-made Stabilizers using 16 precise measurements based on their analysis of your feet. Your lifestyle, age, weight and activity level are all considered when we create your custom-made Stabilizers.
5. The Stabilizers are sent back to your healthcare provider, who will show you how to wear and care for them.

Foot Levelers’ custom-made Stabilizers help promote a healthy, natural, skeletal alignment for total body health.

Patients with certain types of spinal problems benefit from custom made orthotic support (SPS Stabilizers, Shoethotics®, or Sandalthotics®). These devices stabilize the foundation of the pelvis and spine by first addressing structural problems with the feet, thereby reducing abnormal forces and stresses, while enhancing structural and functional relationships.

Understanding Human Biomechanics:

* The joints and muscles of the body function most efficiently when they are in physical balance. Principles of engineering have shown that with any physical entity, whether it is a bridge, a building, or the human body— Structure dictates function.
* The body is a biomechanical kinetic chain where abnormal movements at one line, or joint, can interfere with proper movements at other joints.
* During standing and walking, our bodies are subjected to natural forces and postures that can inflict mechanical stress and strain throughout the interrelated chain of joints and muscles.
* When foot imbalance is present, there is a negative impact on the knees, hips, pelvis, and spine. Some patients must have these abnormal forces reduced before they can achieve improved spinal function.

Understanding Pronation:

* Pronation describes the rotation of a body part downward or inward. It is actually a normal motion that occurs when walking; however, if it happens excessively, pronation can cause global postural problems. The major cause of over-pronation is a decrease in the arch height.

Postural Effects from Imbalances in the Feet:

* A loss of arch height will cause a flattening and rolling in of the foot— this is termed pronation. Because everything is connected, the bones of the leg also inwardly rotate.
* Excessive rotation of the bones of the leg (tibia and femur) will cause unnecessary stresses on the knee as well as twisting of the pelvis and spine. If the pronation is more prevalent on one side, there can be a resultant unleveling of the pelvis and a functional scoliosis.
* Tilting of the pelvis places tension on muscles and connective tissues, which can eventually lead to chronic back problems.
* High levels of heel-strike shock can result from breakdown of the body’s natural “shock absorbers.” The shock wave then transmits up the kinetic chain causing painful symptoms all the way up to the head, slowed recovery of leg and spine injuries, and aggravation of other conditions.

Benefits of Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers:

* Properly fitted Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers support the foot to control excessive and unwanted pronation and supination. This helps to reduce unwanted stress on the body.
* Improved shock absorption reduces repetitive stress on joints and muscles, permitting smoother function and decreasing arthritic symptoms.
* Use of Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers represents a long-term, yet cost-effective intervention for many types of functional and structural problems.

How Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers Work:

* Wearing Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers inside your shoes is similar to placing a shim beneath the leg of a wobbly table: it adds support to eliminate unwanted motion in the entire structure.
* The foot is formed of three distinct arches, which create an architectural vault. The result of supporting these three arches is improved stability and postural integrity.
* Flexible Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers encourage optimal muscle and nerve function by guiding the feet through a more normal pattern with each step taken.

About Foot Levelers’ Spinal Pelvic Stabilizer (SPS) Orthotics:

* Foot Levelers, Inc., a leading supplier for 50 years, creates custom-made, flexible Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers to match each patient’s unique needs.
* Using weightbearing impression images of the feet in the position of function (either from a foam casting kit or a digital scanning system), along with instructions from the healthcare professional,
* Skilled laboratory technicians create unique Spinal Pelvic Stabilizers designed to correct and support areas of weakness.
* The combination of flexible, yet supportive and durable construction materials ensure that the stabilizers will both guide the feet when walking and provide support during long periods of standing.
* Unlike other stabilizing technologies, which use rigid materials to force the feet into a theoretical “ideal” position and may result in muscle atrophy and abnormal nerve proprioception, Foot Levelers’ allow controlled, supported movement for the dynamic human body.

Vitamin D better than vaccines at preventing flu, report claims

2010-10-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

The risk of children suffering from flu can be halved if they take vitamin D, doctors in Japan have found. The finding has implications for flu epidemics since vitamin D, which is naturally produced by the human body when exposed to direct sunlight, has no significant side effects, costs little and can be several times more effective than anti-viral drugs or vaccine.

Only one in ten children, aged six to 15 years, taking the sunshine vitamin in a clinical trial came down with flu compared with one in five given a dummy tablet. Mitsuyoshi Urashima, the Japanese doctor who led the trial, told The Times that vitamin D was more effective than vaccines in preventing flu.

Vitamin D was found to be even more effective when the comparison left out children who were already given extra vitamin D by their parents, outside the trial. Taking the sunshine vitamin was then shown to reduce the risk of flu to a third of what it would otherwise be.

Altogether 354 children took part in the trial, which took place during the winter of 2008-09, before the swine flu epidemic. Vitamin D was found to protect against influenza A, which caused last year’s epidemic, but not against the less common influenza B.

The trial, which was double blind, randomised, and fully controlled scientifically, was conducted by doctors and scientists from Jikei University School of Medicine in Tokyo, Japan.

The children were given a daily dose of 1200 IUs (international units) of vitamin D over a period of three months. In the first month children in the group taking the vitamin became ill just as often as those taking the dummy tablet. But by the second month, when the vitamin level in the children’s blood was higher, the advantage of the vitamin was clear.

The Japanese scientists, writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, say that the anti-viral drugs zanamivir and oseltamivir reduce risk of flu infection by 8 per cent in children who have been exposed to infection, compared with a 50 per cent or greater reduction with vitamin D.

Anti-virals are also too expensive, and possibly too toxic, to be given to the population as a whole whereas vitamin D has additional benefits. The sunshine vitamin not only prevents bone fractures but is also believed to reduce risks of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other illness, including various bacterial as well as viral infections.

The Japanese finding supports a theory that low blood levels of the sunshine vitamin occurring in winter explain why flu epidemics generally peak between December and March.

Vitamin D activates the innate immune system, enabling the body to produce several proteins such as defensin and cathelicidin which trigger cell activity and disable viruses.

Dr Urashima said: “Vitamin D and vaccine work by quite different mechanisms. Vitamin D enhances innate immunity while vaccine enhances acquired immunity. So we do not have to select only one way of prevention, rather we should do both ways, I think.”

Dr John Oxford, professor of virology at Queen Mary School of Medicine, London, said: “This is a timely study. It will be noticed by scientists. It fits in with the seasonal pattern of flu. There is an increasing background of solid science that makes the vitamin D story credible. But this study needs to be replicated. If it is confirmed we might think of giving vitamin D at the same time as we vaccinate.”

Pregnancy and Chiropractic

2010-04-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

**According to the American Pregnancy Association, Chiropractic is important for pregnant monthers during and post pregnancy!**

CLICK HERE! to read about it!

Spring Cleaning this year? Try Spring Cleansing!

2010-03-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our Blog! Chiropractic and Wellness on Pewaukee Lake is excited to add this to our giant repertiore of content devoted entirely to overall holistic health. To get right to the point, I am excited to start here with an Spring Cleansing Announcement!!

Spring is such an important time for many of us, because it a new beginning. Plants and flowers begin to show their colors, the sun is shining, and the weather is warming up. For many people this change gives them the motivation to clean, restore and rejuvenate their minds, and homes. The term "Spring Cleaning" is used regularly in regards to the removing of the old and bringing in the new. Many of us still tend to forget about the most important thing. The cleaning of our bodies.

Fortunately, I am not speaking of crash dieting, and concoctions that leave you running to the bathroom every five minutes. Nutritionally sound cleansing programs are a safe way to manage your weight, and jump start your body for the transition into a healthy lifestyle. And fortunately these types of cleanses allow you to do all of the above without starving yourself for weeks or months.

Speaking of nutritionally sound cleansing, Chiropractic and Wellness on Pewaukee Lake offers a group class every spring that gets people together with a common goal. Elise Trasser, our natural health practitioner will provide 3 weeks worth of personalized coaching to support you through this cleanse. The class will meet Mondays, April 19th, April 26th, and May 3rd. At each of these classes you will receive professional education and coaching, A variety of lifestyle tips, recipes, and dempostrations, yoga and meditation practices, and ways to continue the progress with HCG-Hormone weight-loss therapy.

Expressing your goals to a professional or a group of peers is the best way to stay true to your goals because it gives you accountability. Whether you have cleansed before and failed, cleansed and succeeded, or never cleansed before this is a great program for you. Call (262) 695.0022 and ask for Casey to learn more.

Yours in Health,

Casey