Towers Family Chiropractor

Helping You to Better Health Naturally

Herbal Support for Body’s Defenses

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Michael and Monica attended a seminar last week in Pennsylvania given by world renowned Austrailian herbalist researcher /clinician Kerry Bone entitled “Defending the Human Fortress”.  In a nutshell his practical take home message was that there are some special herbs/phytochemicals that protect and strengthen cells.  Current research suggests that in this era of antibiotic-resistant infections daily use of these substances is very important, along with good nutrition, to protect not only  against infection, but also cancer, heart disease and other chronic disease processes.  Here are the key herbs/foods:

  • green tea
  • turmeric
  • resveratrol (as a nutritional supplement)
  • rosemary
  • garlic
  • ginkgo
  • the brassica family of vegetables

Make use of this information daily by including the easy things like garlic (freshly crushed is best), rosemary (best extracted in olive oil or taken as an alcohol extract pill), drinking green tea, and eating broccoli, kale, collards, radish, or cabbage.   Turmeric, ginkgo and resveratrol are easist to take as nutritional supplements.  We have Kerry Bone’s MediHerb products  offered through the company Standard Process available at our office;  they offer many of these herbs/phytochemicals in combination form.  Please call the office if you have questions!

 

Coconut oil and Alzheimer’s

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If you are concerned about Alzheimer’s, please read this article on coconut oil’s use in the diet to support brain function with ketones.   Preliminary research and case studies reviewed in this article indicate that the ketones made by the liver in response to dietary medium chain triglycerides (contained in 2-5 Tbsp coconut oil daily) can reverse some lost function and stop further development of Alzheimer’s disease.   The proper anti-inflammatory diet is mentioned also as important for best results.  The book “Stop Alzheimer’s Now” is available for purchase by following a link on the website.

HFCS ads ignore evidence

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The ads claiming high fructose corn syrup is as natural as sugar are misleading.  The US corn industry is on the defensive because the word is out–high fructose corn syrup is not handled the same way by the body as glucose, it does cause greater weight gain and it is associated with metabolic syndrome.  While it is true that Americans eat too many calories from concentrated sugars and starches, metabolically fructose is more problematic than sucrose.   It can hardly be called “natural” either because to change  corn starch to high fructose corn syrup requires chemical processing.  See greenmedinfo.com and search “high fructose corn syrup” for the latest research and for more information.

Safe Way to Test Bone Health at Home

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A relatively new clinical lab test, the bone resorption assay, is one of the  tools we use to assess osteoporosis risk in peri-menopausal and menopausal women.   The good news is that all it involves is a single urine collection at home and it is relatively inexpensive.  The tests measures compounds in the urine that accurately indicate whether bone break-down is occurring faster than bone re-building.  Also, it is an easy way to follow one’s response to nutrition therapy aimed at preventing further bone loss, because unlike bone density tests it can be repeated every few months.  If you would like to learn more, call out office.

Watch Out for Iron Deficiency

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A very common finding for women who have been experiencing heavier than usual periods is iron deficiency.  Our blood panel includes a test for ferritin, an iron storage protein, which is useful for checking the body’s iron stores.  Very often this number is low for peri-menopausal and menopausal women who come to our clinic.  Low iron can cause headaches, fatigue, restless legs, dizziness, hair loss–the list goes on.  Iron deficiency should never be missed but it is.  Call our office to schedule a nutrition consultation if you suspect you need a ferritin test and help with diet and supplements for addressing low iron.

Watch the Carbs

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We had the good fortune to hear a lecture by Dr. Mercola (of Mercola.com fame) at a recent International Chiropractic Pediatric Association seminar.  A little fact from Dr. Mercola to keep in mind regarding health is that in about a gallon of blood in the average-sized healthy person there is only 1 teaspoon of glucose (sugar).   That’s not much!  It is not hard to understand why insulin resistance and diabetes continue to be on the rise–sugar continues to provide about 25 % of calories for many Americans.  Add refined starches that readily convert to sugar in the gut to the average person’s diet and the picture of the blood being deluged with sugar comes to mind. 

If you are interested in helping yourself to better health by getting blood sugar and weight under control, call us today.  Consider doing our comprehensive nutritional assessment.

More Reasons to Test Blood & Hair

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Did you know that many people are deficient in important trace minerals that help prevent chemical sensitivities, allergies, anemias, heavy metal toxicity, joint problems, free radical damage, etc?  This is why we continue to recommend hair analyses and basic blood tests.  It is easy to supplement with the appropriate minerals once the test results indicate what is out of balance.

Muscle Cramps

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There is nothing worse than waking up with a “charlie horse”.  This may be a sign of low minerals –magnesium, potassium and/or calcium.  Many of our patients report resolution of the problem when they supplement with magnesium and/or calcium,  Vegetable juice and apple cider vinegar are good sources of potassium that we recommend.  The bottom line is that blood tests and medical histories are the most accurate way to determine individual mineral needs that will help with muscle cramps.

Beware of high fructose sweeteners

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It is very helpful for both patient and practitioner to follow the results of blood work and other tests when a patient is making changes in diet and lifestyle.  The patient will feel better but the  improvements we get in tests results over time are confirmation that we are on the right track.

We have observed that patients who consume concentrated fructose  have  high blood triglycerides and central obesity.   These problems often improve once they avoid the high fructose sweeteners.  High fructose corn syrup is the most common source of concentrated fructose that Americans consume.   It is found in non-diet sodas, many drinks and convenience foods.  Bottled juices, most often made from reconstituted fruit juice concentrates, also provide too much fructose at one time for the body to handle safely.  Other sweeteners such as honey and agave nectar also contain a lot of fructose so it is best to limit their consumption.  Except for vegetable juicing, the rule of “don’t drink your calories” stands as a first step in not only weight loss but getting healthier in general.

For more information on high fructose corn syrup consumption and its negative impact on health, visit http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/04/17/you-did-it–we-are-winning-the-war-on-fructose.aspx

Dairy Products Make Some Folks Sick

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Our experience helping adults and children with constant congestion, post nasal drip, tonsilitis, ear infections, bronchitis, and  irritable bowel leads us to believe that cow milk products are often implicated in these health problems.  Large commercial dairy farms use hormones, antibiotics, and the cows suffer from a lack of green pasture; so there is a quality issue involved with most dairy products.  Here is a dramatic case that illustrates the problem some people have with dairy.

Having “no energy, strength or desire to go on”, a lady came to our office to see what nutrition therapy could do for her. She had a chronic cough (literally every 30 seconds!) though she never smoked. She was told she had asthma.  After a few weeks of following the diet and supplement recommendations that were based on comprehensive lab testing, she was off her asthma medications. Her coughing stopped when she discontinued eating all dairy products. After four months she reported that her “energy was greatly improved” and she is back to exercising every day. An added plus is that she lost 21 pounds.

Other foods can contribute to congeston as well.  Our nutrition consult includes taking a diet history which is the first step in detecting problem foods in a patient’s diet.

Good Nutrition

Sauerkraut Time

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 … [Read More...]

Children’s Adjustments

Children with back pain

Children suffer injuries that lead to misalignments just as adults do. Children generally respond very well and quickly to gentle chiropractic adjustments. A case in point is that of a 5 year-old … [Read More...]

Towers Family Chiropractic

2302 Colonial Ave, SW, Roanoke, VA 24015
(540) 343-6636

Our hours are:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00am – 6:00pm
Tuesday, Thursday 7:30am – 11:00am

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