Latest News from Charmaine – July 2021

This is a combo of “latest news” from June and July since July is almost here.

Summer seems to have just leapfrogged over Spring…I am not such a fan of hellish hot days…I worry what the heck we might experience in August?

Our local Farmer’s Market is open and we will continue to enjoy a bounty of yumminess. Check out our article on the importance of eating the rainbow and what better time to explore with all the wonderful veggies available right now.

Check out our recipes section on our blog for new recipes, including two salads that are a variation on the classics and will keep well in the fridge too. So, when it’s too hot to cook, a nice salad goes a long way. (And, as I read recently, salads, provided they are not dripping in oily dressings, are great brain food! Double bonus for the win!)

Summertime is a chance to perhaps sneak in some R&R and we love to throw the bikes in the back of my van, pack a picnic full of farmer’s market goodness, and head for a nearby trail… a triple win- fresh air, good food, and exercise.

We had great pleasure in celebrating the 41st anniversary since we graduated and by some strange coincidence, we arrived in Grand Ledge 32 years to the same day 6/14! (Cosmic message? Also, we joke that we were meant to be here…Ray’s family is from Sparta, Greece…we went to Chiropractic College in Spartanburg SC, and arrived here in the land of the Spartans!)

My powerlifting meet has been postponed till November..out of the extremes of heat in a sweaty gym like we had to endure last time!

STAY HYDRATED, SEE YOU IN THE OFFICE, ON THE MAT, OR UNDER THE BARBELLS!

Why Is Eating The Rainbow So Important?

Each color comes with a set of its own nutritional profiles; these attribute to an all-around healthier lifestyle. Just like with processed foods – everything should be eating in moderation, and even the healthiest of foods is no exception. We need variety in our life to be reaping the benefits in the entire spectrum. Here Amanda lays down the nutritional benefits for each color and some fun and delicious ways you can enjoy them with a few special Rebel Recipe recipes to really fuel your appetite.

Red Food – Heart Healthy

Our heart is so important, for emotional and mental health, but also for our physical health. Foods like tomatoes, apples and red onions are well known for their heart health properties. So, ‘an apple a day’ really can keep the doctor away! Braeburn apples are top of the list; are not only a healthier sweet treat but they can pack a dose of energy when that 3 pm slump hits.

A heart-healthy Bolognese packed with tomatoes and red onions is also a fantastic way to up your reds; a fun way to get kids even more excited is to use that Bolognese on top of a pizza base! Delicious and family-friendly.

Orange & Yellow Foods – Eye See You

If you look right in the center of your retina you will see that there is a yellow spot filled with orange pigments. These pigments are called carotenes, which help to protect our vision. And what does carotene sound like? Yep, you got it – CARROTS. Carrots, sweet potatoes and mango are extremely rich sources of carotenoids.

In fact, the carotenes in mangos are twenty times more absorbable in the body than those of carrots, so don’t just limit your choice of orange foods to just carrots. Get a little more tropical and experiment with new flavors and textures. Think papaya and Sweet Melons and of course mangos

Fun fact: peeling carrots can reduce their health properties by more than half. Simply wash and eat..

Want to really boost the rainbow and your carotene? Try roasting your carrots for a healthy boost of carotene

Green Foods – Brilliant Bones

When we think of foods to build strong bones and teeth, it’s usually dairy products that pop to mind. But guess what – green foods are actually better for your bones than milk!

Cabbage, kale, and broccoli are some of the top products that help boost your bones. Look for lots of different ways to add these veggies into your diet by roasting them and serving with a bright chimichurri sauce for example, or check out a recipe for bubble and squeak.

Did you know: It takes up to ten times trying a new food for your taste buds to become acquainted with the flavor? So, set yourself a goal and choose a portion of food to try 10x and see what happens. Remember, the overboiled Brussel sprouts (ughhhhh) of childhood can be replaced by an awesome great shredded, oven-roasted sheet pan dish that could include but not limited to at least one veggie from each of the colors of the rainbow.

I love a dish that includes carrots, baby tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, diced sweet potatoes, mushrooms, corn, and even purple baby potatoes all roasted in the oven at a fair heat and served with a sauce of choice!.

Blue and Purple Foods – Brain Fuel

Not only are blue and purple-colored foods great for our mental health, but foods like blueberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, and grapes can also give you a brain boost.

One of the quirky things about these berries is that they are actually able to find their way into the areas of our brain that are essential for intelligence; they are also good for slowing the rate of mental decline.

With Summer here, platters of chopped raw veggies with a dip or two/ hummus is a great way of covering the whole range of veggies colors.

Reprinted from Rebel Recipes blog.

Tips to incorporate more veggies. From Dr.C.

Buy a rainbow selection of veggies ( a lot of veggies like carrots and celery can be precut and stored in baggies/containers….once a week prep time saves lots of frustration) Make platters with a variety of veg and cheese chunks and a dip in place of a salad….

I like to place a variety of bowls with things like veggies, spring onions, olives, shredded lettuce, and microgreens out on a counter, along with diced feta and cheddar cheese of choice and perhaps 2 or 3 dressings (my new fave is Panera’s Fuji apple…OOOH) and let everybody make their own selection. Toasted nuts such as pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and croutons (homemade is best) finish off the presentation.

Everything can basically be pre-prepped and stored in containers for easy grabbing and in summer supper is on the table double-quick time

With mac and cheese dishes, I have been known to roast/steam broccoli, mushrooms, onions, and shredded spinach and stir that into the mix. If you have fussy eaters make side dishes of the veggies and offer them as add-ons to suit.

One-pot casserole dishes are also a great place to hide veggies….grated zucchini, shredded spinach, steamed and mashed cauliflower are just some ingredients that can hide in a dish

GOLDEN RULE: NEVER TELL ANYONE WHAT YOU ARE DOING IF YOU HAVE PICKY EATERS!!!

CHIROPRACTORS HELP THE WHOLE BODY FUNCTION BETTER

A common misconception is that since chiropractors work on the spine and structural system they are thought of as doctors who “treat” musculoskeletal problems. (Musculoskeletal or neuromusculoskeletal refers to nerves, muscles, and bones). Well, yes, we chiropractors do work on your bones or structural system but that’s our “portal of entry” – the starting point from which our care affects the entire body.

Think of it this way. MDs prescribe drugs you take by mouth or give injections into the skin. But does that mean MDs are mouth and skin doctors? We never hear medical patients asking, “How can taking something in my mouth that goes to my stomach affect my asthma? Aren’t they different parts of my body?”

Of course, we know that drugs, even if taken by mouth, are the “portal of entry” to affect the entire body. Drugs enter your blood after you (usually) swallow them to change your entire body chemistry.

So in the same way the spine and structural system is your chiropractor’s “portal of entry” or starting point. Why?

Your Spine Connects to Everything

Because it’s a very powerful area – it connects you to your everything. All your body organs – lungs, bronchi, digestive system, heart, immune system organs, brain, eyes, ears, nose, throat; all your muscles, bones, discs, joints, ligaments – your entire you – are affected by the nerves coming out of your spine and structural system. For you to be healthy all of your body parts must work together in a coordinated manner. Your nerves carry messages from your brain to all your body parts so you function at 100%. Your nervous system helps organize your body so can live at your fullest potential.

Whether you’re regulating your blood pressure, catching a baseball, fighting a cold or the flu (experiencing a cleansing), patrolling your every nook and cranny for germs and cancer cells, keeping your blood chemistry in balance, thinking, reading a wonderful patient newsletter, or doing so many other things you need your nerves to be healthy.

Energy flows over your nerves. You need an uninterrupted nerve flow to function at 100%. And if you aren’t at 100% anything less is less than optimum is lack of health or dis-ease.

Chiropractors have discovered a serious distortion in your spine and structural system that partially blocks or alters the nerve flow through your body. This distortion is called a subluxation. No matter where they are we’ll seek them out and fix them. And no matter what condition you are suffering from you will function better without nerve pressure.

If you have subluxations in your body problems can arise anywhere. Why? Because your nerves interconnect in many complex ways. Therefore a pain or problem here may be related to a subluxation there.

Life is complicated

Life is complicated and things aren’t always what they seem. The goal of healing is to get to the cause of a person’s problems and correct it, rather than just treat symptoms. That is our goal in this office. No matter what health problems you or your children are suffering from our goal is to locate and correct their subluxations – no matter where they are.

Call us to make an appointment today! (517) 627-4547

Being Healthy Is a Revolutionary Act

By Pilar Gerasimo / Experience Life Magazine (this is an extract)

You Want to Be Healthy?

Well, hey, that’s wonderful!

This article is designed to help you succeed. It will equip you with a clarifying sense of what you are up against and prepare you for the journey ahead.

And if you’re feeling a little ambivalent about getting started, it will also give you a friendly kick in the pants. That’s important because getting and staying healthy in the current culture isn’t easy. In fact, it’s a big challenge.

But who, you ask, has the time and energy for another big challenge?

Exactly. Most of us are running around on fumes.

We complain that we don’t have time to eat right or exercise or get enough sleep. We don’t have time to cook or relax or goof around. We don’t have time to get outdoors or connect with the people we love. Most of all, we don’t have time to learn how our bodies work and what it takes to keep them healthy.

And that’s a big part of why so many of us are getting sick. And fat. And depressed. And why we see so many friends and loved ones being diagnosed with diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Understandably, faced with the daunting prospect of changing our lives, most of us would just as soon put it off until tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next.

And that’s precisely what about 80 percent of the U.S. population is doing right now. You can join them, watching as the pounds pile on, worrying as the blood pressure climbs, struggling as the energy flags, and fretting as the prescriptions and side effects and medical bills add up. And when things get bad enough, then you can think about changing.

Or, you can spare yourself years of downward spiraling misery and do something about it now.

If you’ve already set out on the path to health, or if you’re already as vital and fit as you want to be, rock on! You deserve a lot of credit — probably far more than you’ve been giving yourself.

And if you’ve been struggling in your attempts to get healthier, don’t beat yourself up about it. Let go of the self-recrimination for a minute. Prepare, instead, to take a clear-eyed look at the uphill battle you’ve been waging, and at why your successes may seem so hard-won.

French Potato Salad

serves 6-8

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh potatoes, sliced ¼-inch thick (little, thin-skinned potatoes work best here)…use as many colors of potato as you can get it adds to the visual appeal
1 tablespoon of sea salt
2 large garlic cloves

Dijon Vinaigrette:

1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
¼ cup champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Fresh Herbs

¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, roughly chopped (or sub 1/4 cup dill or basil ribbons) (you can find tarragon at Horrocks Dr. C)
2 tablespoons fresh chives (or sub green onions), minced

Directions

Boil the Potatoes: Place the sliced potatoes in a large saucepan cover completely with cold water. Sprinkle in salt and bring to a boil. Add the 2 cloves of garlic, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until potatoes are just tender.

Make the Vinaigrette: While potatoes are simmering, make the vinaigrette by whisking together dijon, oil, vinegar, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

Assemble: Drain potatoes and garlic. Place potatoes mostly a single layer on a baking sheet to cool. Mince the cooked garlic and add to the vinaigrette. Drizzle the vinaigrette evenly over the warm potatoes. Let sit at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes.

Serve: Add to a serving bowl gently tossing with the chopped fresh herbs. Serve at room temp or refrigerate and chill

Researching Chiropractic: Depression, anxiety and chiropractic

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.

Chiropractors release serious stress (subluxations) from your body. This releases energy for healing, regeneration, and growth.

All people (especially children) need a body free of blockages and stress so they’ll have strong, happy, and healthy lives.

How many people suffering, on drugs, facing a life of limitation could be helped by chiropractic care?

Probably most of them.

Below are some clinical cases illustrating the potential of chiropractic adjustment to correct subluxations.

Depression, anxiety, and chiropractic

Two groups of men in a residential addiction treatment center were studied for 90 days. One group received chiropractic adjustments three times per week. The non-care (placebo) group received a sham adjustment three times per week.

Both groups were assessed with the Beck’s Depression Inventory and the Speilberger State-Trait Anxiety Questionnaire at intake and every 30 days.

Depression scores improved by 97%; anxiety scores improved by 36.5% with a 100% retention rate in the chiropractic group. The placebo group showed no improvement with a 0% retention rate (no one continued care). (1)

Amenorrhea and infertility

A 29-year-old woman received a medical diagnosis of secondary amenorrhea. She and her husband were trying unsuccessfully to conceive for several months.

She was analyzed for vertebral subluxations. Subluxations were found and adjusted. She was under chiropractic care for 14.5 weeks (33 visits). Her menstrual cycles began again, and she ultimately had a successful conception. (2)

TMJ pain following an accident

A 36-year-old woman was suffering from chronic temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain. The pain began several years prior to the trauma.

She complained that her TMJ pain increased with movement, sleeping, and straining. A chiropractic examination revealed spinal subluxations and postural distortions. Using chiropractic adjustment procedures, the patient’s subluxations were reduced, her posture was restored and her TMJ pain completely resolved. Months later she remains pain-free. (3)

Night terrors and headaches

A female adolescent with recurring headaches and night terrors (parasomnia) began chiropractic care. The headaches and sleep disturbances were interfering with her school performance and academics, sports, and her social life.

Upon examination, the chiropractor discovered that she had cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back), and lumbar (lower back) subluxations.

With one month of care, her postural abnormalities and associated vertebral (spinal) subluxations were corrected during which time there was a reduction in headaches and complete resolution of night terrors.

Sleep disturbances in children are common and often develop without explanation. To date, there are few interventions that can help alleviate these problems. Vertebral subluxation should always be considered when a child is suffering from health issues.

Brachioradial pruritis (BRP)

Brachioradial pruritis (BRP) is a condition characterized by non-stop itching on the top of the forearms (overlying the brachioradialis muscle). Scratching seems to make the itching worse.

In this case, a thirty-seven-year-old female with a history of Brachioradial pruritis began chiropractic care. In addition to the itching, she also had complaints of neck stiffness and vertigo (dizziness). Vertebral subluxations were identified using chiropractic analysis which included palpation, heat scanning, and X-ray.

After 2 ½ months of chiropractic care, the symptoms associated with BRP as well as her neck and dizziness had completely resolved.

Do you know anyone suffering from these things?

Please share this article with them and gently suggest they make an appointment to see us. 517.627.4547

Vaden CD, Holder JM, McCoy M et al. P300 wave outcomes in subluxation-based chiropractic in residential addiction treatment: a randomized controlled clinical trial. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. December 28, 2020:178-192.
Teets B, Jodon J. Resolution of secondary amenorrhea & infertility with successful conception following chiropractic care to correct vertebral subluxation: a case study & review of mechanisms. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. March 17, 2021:24-28.
Paxton SW, Oppelt M. Resolution of chronic temporomandibular disorder in a 36-year-old female following chiropractic care: a case study. Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research. October 27, 2020:63-67.

Whiplash and Chiropractic

You’re sitting in your car minding your own business, stopped at a light, and WHAM! some idiot slams into you from behind-you are rear-ended. Your head snaps or “whips” backward and forwards. You got a whiplash.

Hopefully, you don’t have any broken bones or cuts, but something is still not right. Your head isn’t on straight, your body is misaligned, your nerves are “pinched,” your neck is not right, your muscles and joints are crying in pain.

By the way, it doesn’t have to be a car accident-whiplash injuries can occur from sports collisions and other forms of trauma. Some really bad whiplash accidents are sideways-when a car passenger had turned to look at the driver so they received a sideways or lateral whiplash.

Because all of our body parts are connected in many complicated ways, a whiplash injury may cause or intensify lower back pain, leg, hip, and pelvic pain.

To make things a little more interesting, whiplash symptoms may not occur immediately after the accident but may take a day or so to show up. When they show up, you’ll know it.

Symptoms of whiplash commonly include:

neck pain
headaches
muscle pain
stiffness
loss of range of motion
fatigue
blurred vision

If the nerves in your lower neck are “pinched” you may have numbness and tingling in your shoulders, wrists, arms, and hands. Whiplash is not fun.

What to do?

Chiropractic has been a blessing to whiplash sufferers for over 125 years. Many whiplash sufferers have turned to chiropractic after having exhausted muscle relaxers, painkillers, and injections and are looking for an alternative to surgery.

Chiropractors locate subluxations that cause stress, interference, nerve pressure, and other problems in your spine and body structure. Doctors of Chiropractic are able to realign spinal vertebrae that have been “locked or jammed” as a result of trauma using the art and science of chiropractic adjustments.

Anyone who has experienced a whiplash, or any kind of injury, needs the safe, yet powerful, chiropractic approach.

Call us to make an appointment today! (517) 627-4547

A NOTE FROM DR. RAY AND DR. C—–just because there is no “blood and guts” associated with an accident— the mere trauma to the body CAN and DOES lead to an effect on the body. When a body is exposed to forces greater than the body can handle, something has to give and, most of the time, the underlying structure of the body (spine) takes the brunt of the force. Falls down steps, off a curb, off your bike, walked into a door you didn’t see? These are just some of the things that can “knock your body out of whack” and lead to issues late on in life.

Cholesterol Not Guilty – New Research Shows Cholesterol is Natural and Beneficial

Our ancestors had it right all along – good quality saturated fats such as butter, cream, tallow, lard, chicken fat (schmaltz), goose fat, duck fat, and fatty organ meats will lead to a long, healthy life.

Cholesterol is needed for the proper function of your brain, your heart, and your cell membranes. That means you need cholesterol in pretty much every cell in your body.

Many studies show that people with high cholesterol live the longest. “What?” I hear you say. This statement seems incredible because it flies in the face of what so many of us have been told which was based on theory, not reality. In fact, cholesterol is an antioxidant, it fights inflammation. If a person has chronically high cholesterol, it is the inflammation (the cause) that should be addressed.

That people with high cholesterol live the longest emerges clearly from many scientific papers. After the world was told about how horrible saturated animal fats and cholesterol were, and that millions needed to be spent on expensive cholesterol-lowering drugs, many scientists questioned that approach. In 1994 a major study from Yale University researcher Harlan Krumholz reported that elderly people with low cholesterol died twice as often from a heart attack as did the elderly with high cholesterol. (3) Other researchers have since noticed the same finding. (1-2)

Cholesterol is not your enemy

Unhealthy fats and oils (i.e., corn oil, canola, safflower, cottonseed oil, margarine, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils), as well as hidden infections and subluxations, are the real enemies that cause inflammation.

Ravnskov U. High cholesterol is not a risk factor. Well-Being Journal. November/December 2012;21(6).
Ravnskov U. High cholesterol may protect against infections and atherosclerosis. Quarterly J of Medicine. 2003;96:927-934.

VEGAN ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

THE ULTIMATE SPRING DISH

Serves 4

Ready for some magic? This vegan asparagus risotto is incredibly rich and creamy. So many people believe that the creaminess of risotto comes from tons of butter, cream, and cheese. But all the deliciousness comes from the starch contained in the rice. This risotto is the perfect dinner for springtime.

1 bunch asparagus (20 to 30 spears)
1 onion chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup white wine
5 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cup Arborio rice (or Cairnaroli rice)
salt and pepper to taste
2 spring onions
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons pine nuts toasted

Divide the asparagus tips from the stems. Cut the stems into small chunks and chop the onion.
Heat the broth in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Gently cook the asparagus tips for 3-4 minutes, and set them aside.
In the same pot, add the onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until golden. Add the rice to the pot, and let it toast for 1 minute, constantly stirring to prevent the rice from sticking to the pot and burning. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the wine. Keep stirring until the wine has evaporated.
Now it’s time to cook the rice. Set a timer to 20 minutes. Add the chopped asparagus stems, then start adding the vegetable broth one or two ladle-full at a time. Keep stirring and wait for the rice to absorb most of the broth before adding more. Continue doing this until the rice is cooked.
Adjust with a bit of salt and pepper, add some chopped parsley and fresh thyme, and stir well
Cover with a lid and let the asparagus risotto rest for 3 minutes. Then give it a good final stir.
Serve in individual plates, topped with the asparagus tips, some fresh thyme, spring onions, and toasted pine nuts. Vegan parmesan is optional!

Lanjopoulos Chiropractic

Chiropractics, Yoga, Tai Chi, Healthy Living

Latest News from Charmaine – July 2021

Why Is Eating The Rainbow So Important?

CHIROPRACTORS HELP THE WHOLE BODY FUNCTION BETTER

Your Spine Connects to Everything

Life is complicated

Call us to make an appointment today! (517) 627-4547

Being Healthy Is a Revolutionary Act

You Want to Be Healthy?

French Potato Salad

Ingredients

Researching Chiropractic: Depression, anxiety and chiropractic

Amenorrhea and infertility

TMJ pain following an accident

Night terrors and headaches

Brachioradial pruritis (BRP)

Do you know anyone suffering from these things?

Whiplash and Chiropractic

What to do?

Cholesterol Not Guilty – New Research Shows Cholesterol is Natural and Beneficial

Cholesterol is not your enemy

VEGAN ASPARAGUS RISOTTO

Contact us today!

Body Breath Connections

Categories

Archives

Latest Newsletter