Researching Chiropractic: Chronic headaches, constipation, and autism

Chiropractic clinical case histories have been a regular feature of our patient newsletter since its inception and have included papers published in various bio-medical and chiropractic journals.

There seems to be no end to the conditions that respond to chiropractic care – physical as well as psychological.

That is because chiropractic does not “treat” a particular condition. Chiropractic care “treats” or, more accurately, “corrects” a serious interference to brain, nervous system and energy function known as the subluxation.

No matter what condition you or a loved one may have, you will always function better when free from subluxations. Chiropractors are uniquely trained to locate and correct subluxations.

Chronic headache in an eight-year-oldheadache young girl

An 8-year old boy who suffered from chronic headaches for two years was brought in for chiropractic care. The headaches were described as sharp and throbbing, worse with noise, better when lying down, and located in the frontal skull area and occasionally lasted an entire day. He also suffered from sore throat, fatigue, queasiness, aches, pains and dizziness.

His parents brought him to a neurologist, psychologist and nutritionist with limited health improvements.

 The child was adjusted over a  20 monthperiod. Initially his cervical x-ray showed a flat spine – there was no curve. After 6 months of care his cervical lordosis (curve) was near normal for his age. His headaches and other symptoms resolved.

Chronic constipation in a childconstipation 2

A 7-year-old-boy presented for care with complaints of chronic constipation, headaches and neck pain. The boy had suffered from constipation since the age of three. At age 5, MDs prescribed enemas (three times per week) but this gave only temporary relief. By age 6, stool softeners and the laxative MiraLAX® were prescribed. Three to four weeks prior to chiropractic care, the boy had bowel movements of once per week.    The child was adjusted over a 10 week period. The mother reported that her son had bowel movements of 5-6 times per week without the need for laxatives.

Two autism cases

Case one involves a 20-year-old autistic male who displayed aggressive behavior towards others. Case two involves a 17-year-old autistic female who abused herself.

Both patients received a trial of chiropractic care for 5 and 4 months respectively with visit frequency of once per week. Both patients responded favorably to chiropractic care with the male patient decreasing in aggressive behavior and the female patient decreasing in self-abuse and improving in socialization.

 Please share with someone you know who might be encourages to help with any of these issues through gentle chiropractic care. 

 

London Curried Shepherd’s Pie

London Curried Shepherd’s Pie  4-6 servingsshepards pie

  • 3 pounds russet potatoes (about 6 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast                         
  • 1 cup vegetable stock (or water)
  • 1 small yellow onion, cut into 1⁄4-inch dice (about 1 cup)
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch dice (about 1 cup)
  • 6 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 1⁄2-inch segments (about 1 cup)
  • 6 medium garlic gloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder                            
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained (about 11⁄2 cups)
  • 1/2 head cauliflower (about 12 ounces), cut into 1⁄2-inch florets
  • 1 cup vegetable stock (or water)                 
  • 2 tablespoons oat flour (or whole-wheat flour)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice                     
  • salt and pepper as needed

Preheat the oven to 400°F.      

To make the mashed potatoes, place a steamer basket in a medium saucepan and add 1 to 2 inches of water to the pan. Bring the water to a simmer over medium- high heat. Place the potatoes in the steamer, cover, and steam until they are tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Transfer them to a large bowl. Add the nutritional yeast and stock. Mash with a potato masher until creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

To make the filling, combine the onion, carrots, green beans, garlic, curry powder, and cayenne pepper in a large sauté pan. Add 1⁄4 cup water and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the kidney beans and cauliflower and cook for 5 minutes, or until the cauliflower begins to soften.

Combine the stock and flour in a small bowl and whisk until no lumps remain. (This mixture is called a slurry.) Pour the slurry into the pan with the vegetables and mix well. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Add the lemon juice and salt to taste and stir to combine.Transfer the vegetables to a 7-by-11-inch (or similar size) baking dish. Spread the mashed potatoes in an even layer over the vegetables.Put the baking dish on a baking sheet to capture any drippings and bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and set the pie aside to cool slightly before serving

This recipe is from darshanaskitchen.com

WINTER SPINACH SALAD

This cheery spinach salad is perfect for chasing the winter blues away…with leafy green spinach!

Makes enough for 1-2

Ingredients for Winter Spinach Saladspinach salad

  • 1 ripe, but firm pear, peeled, cored, and sliced into wedges
  •  2 cups fresh spinach
  •  Salt and freshly ground black pepper                                          
  •  1/4 cup blue cheese                                                                    
  •  1 small handful almonds
  •  Dijon Vinaigrette
  • 2 slices sourdough bread
  •  olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a small bowl toss the pears with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast until pears are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Meanwhile, spread the blue cheese evenly on the bread. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted about 8 minutes.

In a large bowl, toss the spinach with the cooled pears, almonds, and vinaigrette. Serve the salad immediately along side the blue cheese toasts.

Enjoy!

SWEET POTATO and LENTIL STEW

Serves 6=8

I have also made this with butternut squash and I am sure that you can do this with Kabocha squash too!

Ingredients for Lentil Stew lentil stew

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 medium celery ribs, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 2 cups dried brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cut in 1/2-inch dice
  • 1 package (9 ounces) frozen cut green beans
  • 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • Coarse salt and black pepper
  • Plain low-fat yogurt, for serving (optional)

Directions for Lentil Stew

  1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, carrots, celery, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
  2. Add 7 cups of water and lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 10 minutes. Add potatoes and continue to cook, covered, until lentils and potato are just tender, about 15 minutes.
  3. Add green beans and tomatoes with juice. Cook until warmed through, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Add cilantro; season with salt and pepper. Serve with yogurt.

 

How well do you know your body? What part of your body does this?

Do you know which part of your body does the following?

They are your natural shock absorbers.

They take the pounding of walking, running and even standing.

They are flexible and elastic and give you strength.

They are like a golf ball or a jelly donuts – lots of wrappings that surround a gel-like center.

They thicken during the nighttime and thin out as you walk and sit. That’s why you’re a little taller in the morning than you are at night. 

If they are stressed they might become brittle and tear.

What are they?body

If you said, “intervertebral discs,” go to the head of the class.

Discs are like pads that fit between your vertebrae. They help give your spine its curves. Except for the top vertebrae under your skull (your atlas), every spinal bone has a disc underneath it connecting it to and separating it from its vertebra neighbor.

The tough wrappings on the outside are called the annulus fibrosis and the inner gel-like center is called the nucleus pulposus.

If your intervertebral discs are damaged your entire spine can be thrown off-center, your nerves can become inflamed and you won’t have flexibility, strength and comfort. You may experience back pain, leg pain, sciatica and weakness.

Bone spurs and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine can develop and this is called degenerative disc disease (DDD). It doesn’t have to be part of growing older. To prevent DDD you need to keep yourself hydrated, stay physically active, and see your chiropractor to keep your discs free from stress!

Take care of your body

Don’t assume you need disc surgery merely because an MRI shows your discs are not well. Many people who have “normal” backs have MRIs that show disc herniations, degenerative changes and narrowed spinal canals. Just because you have symptoms doesn’t mean your disc is causing the problem.

Don’t just jump into surgery – always get other opinions – especially from a chiropractor or two.

In conclusion – get regular chiropractic adjustments to help keep your discs healthy.

 

Cholesterol doesn’t cause heart disease: A Quiz

A Cholesterol Quizcholesterol 3

Did you know that there has never been a direct, proven link between high cholesterol and heart disease, heart attack or stroke? All of the hype was, at best, based on conjecture (the fancy term for guessing) and, at worst, a conspiracy to get people to take expensive prescription drugs!

If you’re one of the millions of people who believe these “facts” about cholesterol, get ready for an education. Take this True or False quiz to see if you can separate fact from myth about cholesterol.

  1. Cholesterol is a vital substance necessary for good health. T / F
  2. The lower your cholesterol, the healthier you will be. T / F
  3. Having cholesterol levels of less than 150 significantly reduces your risk of dying from heart disease. T / F
  4. The lower your cholesterol levels are the greater your risk of dying from cancer. T / F
  5. Cholesterol plays a role in helping to protect the body against environmental toxins. T / F
  6. Cholesterol is important in maintaining fertility and sex drive. T / F
  7. Eating foods high in fat will raise cholesterol levels. T / F
  8. The use of statin drugs has lowered the incidence of heart disease. T / F
  9. Oxidative stress and inflammation are the root cause of cardiovascular disease. T / F
  10. High insulin levels are a greater risk factor for cardiovascular disease than high cholesterol. T / F

 Don’t Peak below until you’ve answered the questions. 

Answers to Cholesterol Questions

Answers:

  1. True
  2. False
  3. False
  4. True
  5. True
  6. True
  7. False
  8. False
  9. True
  10. True

 Please share this with someone who needs to know!!!! 

 

 

EXERCISING THE RIGHT TO HEALTH

winter exerciseOk, so we all know that we need to exercise to keep our body healthy on all levels, physical, chemical and emotional.  Yet somehow we don’t.  And what I have found over the years is that we generally don’t place enough importance on our own personal health.  We do not prioritize our own health.

If you are ill, sore, out of sorts/whack… you are probably not a ray of sunshine and probably not too much fun to be around.

We actually take better care of our cars than we do our bodies and the time has come to make some changes.

Ideally, we need to do some sort of exercise for 30 minutes each day…and before you say.. where will I find the time?… I challenge you to look at how much time you actually waste in any given day watching mindless TV, for example.  Set your DVR to record the programs you “cannot live without” and do one of several things.

Firstly, walk on your treadmill or ride your stationary bike that has been  gathering dust while you watch those same shows ( you can speed thru’ the dumb ads too!.. BONUS!)

Secondly, you can do simple workouts at home with little, if any, fancy equipment.  If you don’t have a treadmill/bike/elliptical…check out this website for some really simple exercises.

I must admit I have been known to:

  • walk up and down the stairs at home carrying weights
  • do push-ups on the landing
  • kettle bells squats in the lounge
  • step ups /stepping on the steps from the family room to the kitchen
  • crunches on the ball in the family area 
  • more mountain climbers on the ball/steps than I care to think of

All of this to the befuddlement of  Sally cat..who wants to play along

Thirdly, join a gym to work out at…it does mean you can have “you” time which is wonderful and should not be considered a chore.  (Yeah, I know there will be groans, but these days you can have access to all the equipment you need for as little as $10.00 a month (2 less lattes’ & 1000 calories saved!)

Remember too, that walking is a wonderful exercise and make every effort to enjoy the winter weather at the same time!

Ray does Tai Chi daily and I do yoga and teach yoga 4 times a week and power lift 3x week  AND in this day and age there are countless wonderful videos on line or for sale that will give you a good workout on those days when staying home is preferable…but vegging is not!

What I am saying is that if you care at all about yourself,…you can and must make the effort and if you need the moral support, share your decision with a friend/ us to help keep you honest

There a plenty of ways to include mini workouts into your day…take time to share your faves with us.

The Latest from Charmaine: January 2019

April 2018Well.. we made it to 2019 and we are flirting with a winter which cannot seem to make up its mind whether we are actually going to a have a REAL winter.  Oh well, the weather will do its own thing and we are just going have to live with whatever Mother Nature deals us.

As we move into this New Year, let’s decide that this is the year that we will actually make those changes we want to make…but we are going take it one month at a time and one project at a time.

In my last newsletter I suggested that we make small changes and work on one change per month.  This month the topic is exercise.  Check this out for more info on that.

Just picked up the mail and of course it is that time when all the gardening catalogs are coming in. We can sit comfortably in a warm snug house with a cup of tea/coffee and drool/fantasize about what we would like to do in the garden. Time to seriously think about having a veggie patch, just for the pure “groundedness” that tending a garden offers and the benefits of you own homegrown wonderments that will be sooooo much better that anything store-bought.

Meanwhile, get out and enjoy the snow(?) as much as possible (the Norwegians say there is no bad weather.. just bad clothes!).  Dress appropriately and think about all the health benefits of getting out and exercising and being in nature…(makes winter go quicker if you are not a fan of winter).

SEE YOU IN THE OFFICE, ON THE TABLE,  ON THE MAT OR UNDER THE BARBELLS

Researching Chiropractic: Food allergies, Sleep apnea & Plagiocephaly

Chiropractic clinical case histories have been a regular feature of our patient newsletter since its inception. There seems to be no limit to the health problems that respond to chiropractic care. How many people suffering, on drugs, facing a life of limitation could be helped by chiropractic care? 

Probably most of them.

Food allergies and other complaints. nut allergy

An 8-year-old girl who suffered from hip pain for six months and internal foot rotation for three years was brought in for care. She also suffered from peanut, pecan and walnut allergies. After thirty-eight weeks of chiropractic care, her hip pain cleared up, her internal foot rotation was improved and her allergies had dramatically decreased. (1)

Sleep apnea and chiropractic care. sleep apnea

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is described as loud snoring, choking and awakening due to gasping that occurs especially during dreaming and may repeat all night. It is believed to be due to a loss of tone in the upper throat muscles. People with OSA have a greater chance of getting into car accidents (because of lack of sleep) and a greater risk of heart attack and stroke. CPAP therapy, placing a mask over the face, is a popular treatment (not a cure). Even throat surgery has been used. 

In this case, a 51-year-old man suffering from OSA for eight years began chiropractic care. He began to see improvement after three visits and after 33 visits his OSA completely resolved. (2)

Resolution of plagiocephaly in a 4-month-old male. 

Plagiocephaly (Greek for oblique head) is a common skull deformity seen at birth in as many as 61% of deliveries. They are often the product of stress applied on the skull during difficult delivery associated with forceps or vacuum-assisted delivery. baby headConventional treatment methods for plagiocephaly include and are not limited to skull-molding helmets, osteopathy, physical and positional therapy, botox injections into the muscles and surgery.

In this case, a 4-month old baby boy had plagiocephaly and in addition could barely move his neck. Chiropractic examination revealed subluxations at the upper neck (C1) and the sacrum. They were corrected. Improved neck motion was observed immediately and the plagiocephaly completely resolved. (3)

  1. Korthuis MA. Improved allergen-specific IgE levels in an 8-year-old female following chiropractic care to reduce vertebral subluxation: a case study & selective review of the literature. Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic. 2017;2:82-92.
  2. Mankal K, Jenks M. Resolution of obstructive sleep apnea following chiropractic care to reduce vertebral subluxation. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. June 12 2017:113-118.
  3. Walker S, Russell D. Resolution of deformational plagiocephaly in a four-month-old male following chiropractic care to reduce subluxations: a case report. Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic. 2017;2:78-81.

MUSHROOM WELLINGTON

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp of avocado oil
  • 1 large leek – chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery – chopped
  • 1 and 1/2 cups of sliced carrots – sliced like coins
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh tarragon – minced
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried sage
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • Pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup of toasted chopped walnuts
  • 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
  • 12 sheets of phyllo dough
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add the leeks, celery, and carrots and cook for 4 minutes. Add the herbs, garlic, salt and pepper and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the broth to deglaze the pan. Add the walnuts and spinach and cook until the spinach wilts. Remove from heat.
  3. Take your dough out and lay it flat. Cover it with a damp towel to keep the dough moist. If it dries out it will get crumbly.
  4. Stack two pieces of phyllo dough on top of a piece of parchment paper and gently brush the top layer with a thin layer of olive oil. Add a thin line of filling on the side of the dough lengthwise, leaving a two inch border. Roll the filling and set aside.
  5. Stack two pieces of dough, brush a thin layer of oil on the top piece and add a thin line of filling on the side of the dough lengthwise, leave a two inch border. Roll the dough once over the filling and set the already rolled filling next to it and continue rolling. Continue the process until you have two sheets of dough left.
  6. Layer the two sheets of dough to make an extra-long sheet. Brush with olive oil and add the large finished rolled dough on the edge and roll it up. Slice three to six vents on the top with a sharp knife. Place on the cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and puffy.
  7. Let it cool for 5 minutes before cutting.