towers, Author at Towers Family Chiropractor

Nothing to Lose

August 5, 2021 by towers

Please explain why you came to our office.

“Severe back pain–disc, sciatic, and SI joint issues.”

Please describe your response to treatment.

“When Dr Burgoon asked if I would be interested in trying acupuncture as a treatment, I figured I had nothing to lose and said “yes”. I viewed the treatment with a mixture of hopefulness (please let something work!) and skepticism (what is the science behind this?). My husband had driven me to my initial treatment because even pressing on the gas pedal caused too much pain up and down my leg. I walked into the appointment hunched over, and came out walking upright. During the weeks that followed my mobility increased as the pain decreased. Within one week I was back in the office and within six weeks was back taking my normal brisk walks. While I believe Dr. Burgoon is an incredibly capable medical provider, his superpower is listening. A combination of both have played a huge role in my healing.”

~59 year-old female

Strawberry Kevita Slush

July 10, 2021 by towers

Want a healthy slush to cool off and refresh? The carbonation from the Kevita (a cultured coconut water beverage available in health food stores) gives this drink nice fizz. And it supplies real food–real fruit without being high glycemic. It’s a good idea to keep some frozen fruit in the freezer whether for ice cream/sorbet or smoothies/slushes. You could use any berries in this recipe.

Serves 1

3/4 cup frozen strawberries

1 cup mojita lime mint Kevita

monk fruit powder or stevia to sweeten more to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy sipping before it looses its fizz.

Extreme Headaches Gone

July 9, 2021 by towers

Please explain why you came to our office.

“I was having extreme headaches for more than a month, with no previous history of headaches. After lots of tests and doctors appointments, nothing had helped.”

Please describe your response to treatment.

“Within a month my headaches and need for pain relievers decreased until I was finally pain-free and completely off medicine. So thankful!” 34 year-old female

Kohlrabi

June 30, 2021 by towers

Kohlrabi is an interesting vegetable to grow and to eat–look at the picture and the way it grows in a bulb shape right at ground level with leaves whirling out. This variety is purple but once peeled it is almost white inside. It’s not commonly eaten in the US but it likely can be found in markets with good organic produce sections or at your local farmers markets. Even though it is in the cruciferous family with cabbage and broccoli it is mild tasting. I know some folks like to eat it raw but this family of vegetables is better for you cooked until just tender.

Serves 2-4

1 kohlrabi, about 4 inches in diameter, peeled and cut into match-stick size pieces

1 carrot, cut in 1/8-inch half-rounds

1 small zucchini, 6-8 inches long, cut in 1/4-inch quarter rounds

2 Tbsp. ghee

2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

tamari or chickpea miso to taste

salt and black pepper to taste if desired

red pepper flakes to taste if desired

Prepare/slice all vegetables but keep separate. Melt the ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, stir and add the kohlrabi right away so that the garlic does not brown or burn. Stir well and cover with a lid for a few minutes. Add the carrot, stir well and cover again. Give this mixture a stir every few minutes and cook with the lid on until just tender–maybe 5 minutes or so. Add the zucchini, tamari or miso (mix 1 Tbsp. miso with 2 Tbsp. water before adding), and the rest of the seasonings and stir well. Turn the heat off and keep covered for 5 more minutes to allow the zucchini to cook. Add more seasonings to taste if desired and serve immediately.

Terrible Back Pain

June 30, 2021 by towers

Please explain why you came to our office.

“I had terrible back pain.”

Please describe your response to treatment.

“After my first acupuncture treatment my back felt much better. After a few appointments of acupuncture and chiropractic services my back is much better.” ~55 year-old male

Sauerkraut Time

June 6, 2021 by towers

Harvest time already! This red variety of Chinese cabbage is beautifully colored so I wanted to post a picture of it and link it to the previous post for the recipe. I grow the Napa type of cabbage because it matures faster than the round varieties and is not as strong tasting. This year I grew a red variety. Here is the previous recipe for making sauerkraut with this type of cabbage–even though it was with green cabbage the recipe is the same. Check out your farmer’s markets and see what you can find if you don’t have your own garden cabbage.

Collards with Noodles

May 22, 2021 by towers

If you have problems getting your children or friends to try collard greens (picture above: kale, collards, turnip greens), this is a good recipe to introduce them into the wonderful world of cruciferous greens. We have had young, tender collard greens from our garden over the last few months. These are easy to grow especially in early Spring or Fall. If you grow them into the summer months they need to be sprayed every few weeks with a BT solution (Bacillus thurengenesis) which is a safe, organic way to kill cabbage moth worms which typically destroy cruciferous vegetables once summer temperatures kick in.

Another unusual vegetable in this recipe is fennel root–similar to celery but it is less watery and has a slightly sweet anise flavor. I slice this very thin and put it in salads or saute with other vegetables as I do here. Don’t go heavy on the noodles–the idea is to dilute them with vegetables in order to reduce carbohydrate intake. The noodles can be replaced with brown rice or quinoa (as seen in the picture).

Serves 2

3 large cloves garlic

1 Tbsp. ghee

2 cups of finely chopped collard greens

1/2 cup of finely chopped fennel root

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup cooked organic brown rice fettucine

salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, melt ghee and add garlic. Stir for a minute over medium heat until it just starts to sizzle. Add fennel root and stir again for a few minutes. Add collards and stir again. Add broth and reduce heat to low and cover with lid cracked. Heat through for about 10 minutes until greens are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Now add the cooked rice noodles. Stir well and serve in bowls.

GF Strawberry Shortcake

May 21, 2021 by towers

2021 is turning out to be a good year for strawberries–we are overloaded! Don’t forget about this shortcake recipe originally published 5/11/20.

Strawberries have come early this year so we had them for Mother’s Day. This gluten-free recipe is dairy-free also except for the ghee, but I make an exception for ghee as being very likely safe for those on a dairy-free diet. I think that the ghee could be substituted with coconut oil but I have not tried it. Instead of whipped cream, use the coconut cream recipe posted previously.

Remember to buy organic strawberries if you don’t have them in your garden. Berries are generally sprayed heavily and people have been known to react to the chemicals from eating a lot of in-season berries.

Also, be careful making substitutions for the sugar in this recipe as it could change the texture with undesirable results. The sugar prevents the arrowroot from making the shortcake gummy. You could use coconut sugar or sucanat but the cake will not be white–it will be brown. Honey or maple syrup will totally change the texture so I stick with a small amount of cane sugar on this one. I add more sweetness to the cake with the monk fruit powder. Taste your batter and decide if it is sweet enough and add more monk fruit powder in very small amounts until you achieve your desired result.

Serves 4

1/2 cup arrowroot flour

2/3 cup dry finely shredded coconut

3 Tbsp. organic sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. sea salt

2 Tbsp. melted ghee

1 egg

1/2 to 1 tsp. organic pure monk fruit powder (only ingredient should be monk fruit)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. lemon zest (optional)

2 cups sliced organic strawberries

1 cup coconut whipped cream

Mix the first 5 (dry) ingredients in a food processor. Add the egg, melted ghee, vanilla extract, lemon zest if desired, and process again until well mixed. Spread in a 8 inch x 8 inch baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until knife inserted in the middle comes out clean–do not over-bake or cake will be dry.

Let cool. Cut into 4 squares and serve each square with 1/2 cup strawberries and 1/4 cup of coconut cream .

Roasted Potatoes

April 5, 2021 by towers

Who needs another recipe for roasted vegetables? If you are using olive oil and a 450 degree oven, you may want to reconsider. I want to put it out there that you can use ghee instead of other heat-sensitive oils and use a lower temperature and still get good results. Keep in mind that oils are susceptible to damage from heat. The fats that are safer to heat are ghee and coconut oil–I prefer the flavor of ghee. This same recipe can be used for sweet potatoes and other vegetables. I’ve tried Jerusalem artichokes also–be sure to slice these thin and don’t hesitate to use a mixture of your favorite vegetables. Keep in mind that some cook faster than others–cut the starchy ones that cook slower into 1/4 inch slices.

White/red potatoes are a rare treat for us because they are so starchy and high-glycemic. For special occasions they are perfect!

Serves 2

2 medium potatoes (red or white), cut in half length-wise and then sliced in 1/4 inch pieces

1 tsp. dried onion flakes or granules (available from Frontier Co-op with no other ingredients and no salt)

1/2 to 1 tsp. sea salt (use a 1/2 tsp. before baking and then salt more to taste if desired before serving)

black pepper, optional

1 Tbsp. ghee

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt ghee in the pre-heating oven in a baking tray large enough to accommodate the potatoes in a thin layer–about 9 X 12 inches. Remove the pan from the oven and add the potato slices stirring well to coat the potatoes in the melted ghee. Add the salt, onion flakes and black pepper. Stir well and spread out so the pieces are not on top of each other. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Use a spatula and loosen them, and flip them as best you can. Place back in the oven and bake another 10-15 minutes until lightly browned and tender. They should be crispy and perfectly salty so salt to taste. Serve immediately.

Book Recommendation—“The End of Alzheimer’s”!!!

March 3, 2021 by towers

There IS a program, a functional medicine program, that has prevented and reversed cognitive decline. People at risk or those with Alzheimer’s who are in the early stages of the disease have really had little hope for a natural treatment up until now. I highly recommend the book, “The End of Alzheimer’s” by Dr. Dale Bredesen, MD. Dr. Bredesen is also interviewed by Dr. Mercola on mercola.com. As Dr. Mark Hyman says in his review on the book cover, “if you have a brain, read this book”. Couldn’t have said it better.

« Previous Page

Nothing to Lose

Strawberry Kevita Slush

Extreme Headaches Gone

Kohlrabi

Terrible Back Pain

Sauerkraut Time

Collards with Noodles

GF Strawberry Shortcake

Roasted Potatoes

Book Recommendation—“The End of Alzheimer’s”!!!

Good Nutrition

Warming Broth for a Cold

Children’s Adjustments

Children with back pain

Towers Family Chiropractic