Towers Family Chiropractor

Helping You to Better Health Naturally

Test For Health and Weight

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Our chiropractic/nutrition clinic now offers the BIA or Bio-electrical impedance analysis.  This test measures percent body fat, percent lean body mass,, hydration status, plus it is an excellent measure of overall health.

We use blood tests for measuring what’s in the blood, but did you know research shows we can use bio-electrical analysis to measure the components of your body weight?  This is useful information for gauging overall health or monitoring changes in weight and health as lifestyle changes are implemented.  BIA is the most accurate way to determine if the weight you lose is fat and if the weight you gain is muscle.  The best news is that this test, besides being accurate, is quick (immediate results), painless, and inexpensive.  BIA is FDA approved and has been used for decades in hospitals and in nutrition/health-related research.

How do we do the test?  The BIA test involves placing two electrodes on the right foot and two on the right hand.  An imperceptible low-level electrical current goes through these electrodes and the body.   The amount of fluid in the body affects the flow of electrical current and the BIA unit measures how this current is impeded through various tissues of the body.  The current will be impeded more in tissues that have less fluid in them such as fat and bone and it will be less impeded in tissues with more fluid such as blood.  Measurements of resistance and reactance are instantly generated by the unit and these numbers are entered into a software program to generate a report.  The report details the composition of the weight of the body and also hydration status.

Call 540-343-6636 to schedule your BIA today.

Summer Cultured Vegetables

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I hope you are enjoying the season with lots of fresh local produce available whether from your garden or the farmer’s market.  Just wanted to share a trick I’ve learned regarding culturing/fermenting vegetables.  I don’t know about your house but ours is warmer than 60-70 degrees F.  Vegetables need a temperature in that range to ferment–if it gets hotter they tend to go bad.  So if you have had this problem in the summer, use a cooler to cool down the veggies.  I just made 2 batches of Chinese cabbage sauerkraut (simple ingredients: Chinese cabbage, garlic, fresh dill weed, and salt).  See my recipes here, here, and here for other combinations.  I kept my cooler in the kitchen for easy access (remember you have to press out the gas bubbles once a day) and used 1 ice pack replaced with a cold one twice a day and it worked beautifully.  In one week I had well-fermented kraut with no mold.

Keep on having fun in your kitchen!

There was cabbage everywhere

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Our cabbage party was a great success! Pounds of my home-grown Chinese cabbage plus various veggies each attendee brought were chopped, grated, minced and pounded into a variety of interesting mixtures (can’t wait to hear how each turns out) that filled the office with the smell of garlic, ginger and dill.  All that enthusiastic chopping resulted in a cabbage-littered carpet but it cleaned up well and everyone went home with a big jar of colorful cultured vegetables (see and try our recipe for sauerkraut). Thank you to all who came!

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.

Good Nutrition

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Children’s Adjustments

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Towers Family Chiropractic

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

Our hours are:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday:
10:00am – 1:00pm and 2:00pm – 6:00pm
Tuesday, Thursday:
7:30am – 11:30am and 12:30pm – 4:00pm
Saturday:
9:00am – 12:00pm