Please explain why you came to our office.
“I have long-term back pain from an injury.”
Please describe your response to treatment.
“I feel less pain and more strength after every treatment.”
~40 year-old male
Do you have a Fatty Liver?
Thirty percent of Americans have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and don’t know it. It is asymptomatic until it has progressed to hepatitis (NASH) and mostly doctors are not looking for it. Before 1990, liver disease was rare and confined primarily to alcoholics or drug abusers. The recent upsurge coincides with the increase in obesity and metabolic syndrome (high blood pressure, high fasting blood sugar, low LDL, high triglycerides, and belly fat). Even children are being diagnosed with NAFLD. The good news is that it is reversible because the liver can regenerate.
If you are overweight, tired, have low HDL and high triglycerides and high VLDL, with elevated liver enzymes you may have NAFLD. The cause for concern is that it can lead to NASH with the eventual need for a liver transplant. The sad part is that most people would make the necessary diet and lifestyle changes to reverse the NAFLD if they knew they had it–and there is the added benefit of dropping weight!
Simple, routine blood work (metabolic panel and a cholesterol panel) are very useful for assessing the risk of NAFLD. Bring your blood results to us for a nutrition consult and we will help you with dietary and lifestyle recommendations for getting your liver back into good working condition.
Willow Bark Tea and Homemade Lemonade
If you are on blood thinners or pregnant or nursing this recipe is not for you because of the possible blood-thinning result. The reason I post it is to give an alternative to pills (with their colors and fillers) while getting the metabolic benefits of aspirin. White willow bark contains salicylic acid, similar to the active ingredient in aspirin, and can be taken as a tea. In fact, willow bark has a long history since Hippocrates’ time when people chewed the bark to treat fever and inflammation. We all know about aspirin’s pain relieving/anti-inflammatory effect which is valuable in itself, but I am also interested in its metabolic effect–increasing oxidation (clean burning) of carbs that avoids increasing triglycerides. I have been following the reports on the scientific literature that Georgi Dinkov posts concerning metabolic dysregulation and they are very interesting!
The effect of the tea is said to be longer lasting but not as strong as aspirin. I like to make a quart of the tea as described below and then add 1/2 cup of this concentrate to the lemonade drink that we sip at work over the course of the day. This quart of tea will last a few days in the refrigerator.
4 Tbsp. dried, cut willow bark (I order a pound from Frontier Co-op)
1 quart water
In a sauce pan bring the water to a boil. Add the willow bark, cover with a lid, and remove from heat. Let steep for 30 minutes. You will notice the bark pieces drop down to the bottom of the pan and the tea will have a reddish color. Strain the tea through a strainer into a glass quart jar. Cap and store in the refrigerator. To make the lemonade follow the directions below.
In a glass quart jar, add :
1/2 cup of willow bark tea
3 cups of water
juice of 1 organic lemon or lime
40 drops of Concentrace trace minerals (optional)
1 Tbsp. honey or more to taste
Cap and shake well. Do not heat honey–it will dissolve in the water after some minutes but shaking will expedite this. Sip over the course of the day to stay hydrated and avoid low blood sugar.
Good for the Golf Game
Please explain why you came to our office.
“My back has been tight for a while. My Mom’s best friend recommended this place so I came and it made a huge difference.”
Please describe your response to treatment.
“It helped a lot, but my back still gets tight. I think that’s just my lifestyle. I will continue coming here though because it 100% helps.”
~18 year-old male golfer
September Salad
The heat of August usually leaves my garden by September with lots of tomatoes and no lettuce or leafy greens. But a good salad can be had with a few items in the refrigerator to go with the tomatoes. It’s a good idea to keep some fermented veggies around for just such an occasion. Also, the dressing is quick to make–follow the link for the recipe but I used balsamic vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar for this batch. If your fermented veggies have a good mix you may not need the crispness of the cucumber slices that I list as optional. I made a batch of sauerkraut back in June with Chinese cabbage, carrot, and daikon radish so that is the mix I had and the radish provides a crisp texture.
Serves two:
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup fermented veggies (any home-made or store bought mix)
2 Tbsp. roasted sunflower seeds (I used soaked and dried “crispy” sunflower seeds)
cucumber slices optional
Mix the tomatoes with the fermented vegetables and divide into two salad bowls. Top with sunflower seeds and 1-2 Tbsp. dressing per bowl. Garnish with cucumber slices if desired. Serve immediately.
Blueberry Sorbet
You will need a food processor or vitamix to make this sorbet. Very quick with few ingredients, this one makes a simple dairy-free dessert whose chief ingredient is real fruit.
2 cups frozen blueberries
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
2-4 Tbsp coconut milk
Process the frozen blueberries in the food processor until all blended into an homogeneous mixture. Add the maple syrup and process again until well blended. Now add the coconut milk 1 tablespoon at a time (processing after each addition) until you get the right consistency. Serve immediately.
Low Back Pain Helped Significantly
Please explain why you came to our office.
“I came in due to mild lower back pain. I had been referred by a friend based on her positive experience.”
Please describe your response to treatment.
“The treatment has been very successful. I had immediate relief after treatment and long-term have had a significant reduction on my back pain. I appreciate the attentiveness of all the staff. Dr. Burgoon explains what he is doing and why and has helped my pain significantly.”
~27 year-old female
Foot Flopping Fixed
Please explain why you came to our office.
“I wasn’t able to walk properly; my right foot kind of just flopped down when I was walking. I also had some lower back pain which turns out was the cause of my problem.”
Please describe your response to treatment.
“Dr. Burgoon prescribed an insert for my right shoe and has been adjusting me. After three weeks of treatment I am back to normal again. I only have to see him one time a week for now. Great Success!”
60 year-old female
Don’t Let Pain Keep You Up All Night
Please explain why you came to our office.
“Severe pain and discomfort in my left shoulder and neck that was not allowing me to sleep or rest at night. Decided to try this route instead of asking my doctor for more medicine.”
Please describe your response to treatment.
“After only three treatments I was able to sleep through the night for the first time in almost three weeks. With continuing treatment I am still improving. The constant pain is gone allowing me to rest and I now have a range of motion in my neck that I have not had in probably 25 years!”
I Knew I Was Going to Improve
Please explain why you came to our office.
“I had gone to the same chiro for 10 years. I wasn’t unhappy but he did the exact same thing every visit. Never asked about problem areas and spent 5 minutes or less every session.”
Please describe your response to treatment.
“My response was a little hard at first because Dr. Mike is more aggressive than what I was used to . But by what he was doing I knew I was going to improve and within a few weeks I got a lot better. He explains stuff so well. And gives you exercises for targeted areas which helped SO much. I appreciated that so much. Also, Monica has ordered my supplements and saved me money. I am very happy and satisfied with my care here and will recommend them every chance I get.”
64 year-old female
