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.

 

Colds, Flu and Chiropractic

Chiropractic for the flu and common cold? Absolutely!colds

“But isn’t chiropractic just for backs?” we hear you ask.

Chiropractic is for the entire body. Many people seeing chiropractors for pain find a general improvement in their health that includes fewer and less severe colds, flu and other respiratory problems.

What Causes the Common Cold?

It’s not just germs. For germs to grow in you, you must first be fertile soil. For example, cold viruses were placed on the mucous lining of the nose in test subjects, yet only 12% got a cold. (1)

Obviously, there is more to the cold than germs. For that reason, chiropractic doesn’t “treat” the common cold. It does, however, help awaken your inner healer, your natural resistance – the only “cure.” Natural resistance is the only reason why your cold goes away rather than lasts for weeks, months, years or your entire lifetime!

Chiropractic helps raise your natural resistance to disease by removing a serious interference to your proper body function: subluxations, permitting your body’s natural resistance to disease (immunity) to function at greater efficiency.

There are numerous case histories of chronic cold and flu sufferers having less or no colds after chiropractic care. (2-4) If you want protection from colds and flu, see your chiropractor for natural healing and prevention!

here Are Benefits to Getting Colds and Flu

It’s been said that there can be no cure for the common cold because the common cold is the cure. This is nothing new or really unusual. This approach has been known for thousands of years. Hippocrates, the “father” of medicine wrote: “Diseases are crises of purification, of toxic elimination. Symptoms are the natural defenses of the body. We call them diseases, but in fact they are the cure of diseases.” 

Symptoms are defense mechanisms, helping us detoxify and destroy infection. An infectious disease leaves a healthier person in its wake. In one study, a history of common colds or influenza was associated with less stomach, colon, rectum, breast and ovarian cancer. (5)

Other researchers found that having two childhood viral infections reduces the coronary risk by 40%, four infections reduced it by 60% and six viral infections lowered the risk by 90%. (6)

If you have a cold come in for chiropractic care. A chiropractic adjustment could make the difference between a quick recovery and a lingering illness. Especially do not interfere with your body’s natural healing ability with drugs; permit the symptoms of colds and flu to take their natural course. Do everything to give comfort and build up your natural immunity (chiropractic, hydration, essential oils, homeopathy, rest). The result will be a healthier and stronger body.

  1. Chopra D. Quantum Healing. New York: Bantam Books. 1989:142. 
  2. Absence of T-cells, immune dysfunction, has colds all the time. International Chiropractic Pediatric Association newsletter. November 1996. 
  3. Aguilar AL, Grostic JD, Pfleger B. Chiropractic care and behavior in autistic children. Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics. 2000;5(1):293-304. 
  4. Bofshever, H. Case history. International Chiropractic Pediatric Association newsletter. Nov/Dec 1999. 
  5. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/9454821/ns/health-heart_health/t/childhood-infections-may-prevent-heart-disease/#.W-mP0hNKgcU
  6. Abel U, Becker N, Angerer R et al. Common infections in the history of cancer patients and controls. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 1991;117(4):339-344.  Erkki Pesonen, MD, University Hospital in Lund, Sweden. Presented at IV World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery in Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 23, 2005.

MUSHROOM SWEET POTATO POT PIE

A NEW TWIST ON AN OLD FAVE  mushrooms-3765555_1280

SERVES 2-3

Ingredients:

  • 1 sweet potato, thinly sliced
  • 5 cups mushrooms of choice (e.g. cremini, Portobello, shiitake), fresh, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup stout or dark beer
  • 1/4 cup leeks, white part only
  • 1/4 cup shallot, diced
  • 2 tablespoons Kalamata olives, chopped
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon flour, whole wheat or gluten-free
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon tamari, low sodium
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, fresh, minced
  • 1 teaspoon parsley, fresh, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon thyme, fresh
  • Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

Directions: 

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. In a large pot, sauté shallots over medium heat until translucent, about 3 minutes, adding a drop or two of water as needed if sticking occurs.
  3. Add leeks and 3/4 teaspoon thyme and cook 2 minutes.
  4. Stir in minced garlic and tomato paste and sauté another minute.
  5. Add mushrooms and cook about 10 minutes, stirring regularly and adding water if needed.
  6. Sprinkle flour in the pot. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.
  7. Add stout, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes.
  8. Remove from heat and stir in olives, parsley, and black pepper.
  9. Spoon mushroom mixture into ramekins then layer sliced sweet potatoes on top, overlapping so the mushrooms are covered with two layers of sweet potato. Season with 1/4 teaspoon thyme and black pepper.
  10. Bake 30-35 minutes or until sweet potatoes are browned and crispy and mushroom gravy is bubbling. Serve.

How many nerves come out of your spine?

Questions and Answers About Chiropractic

Question: How many nerves come out of your spine?drawing of spinal column and nerves

Answer: A lot. About 100 billion nerve cells (neurons) are in your spinal cord. Neurons are specialized cells that transmit and receive electrical impulses. They are like wires and can be as much as a few feet long or a fraction of an inch long. All 100 billion are packed into your spinal cord that is a little thicker than a pencil. Your spinal cord goes down your spine or backbone. 

Your nerves inside the backbone branch off from your spinal cord and travel through little holes between your spinal bones (vertebra). These nerves connect your brain to your heart, lungs, kidneys, muscles, intestines, glands and all your other body parts. 

Your brain and nerves coordinate the function of all the organs in your body so you function as a whole – so your organs all communicate with each other and all your systems work together. 

But if your nerves are stressed by your spine being out of proper alignment then you will have nerve interference; messages won’t travel properly through your body. Chiropractors refer to this as a subluxation.

As a result of subluxations, your body won’t be able to function at 100% efficiency and you’ll suffer from dis-ease: your resistance may be lowered; your muscles may not work properly; your balance, brain, vision, hearing, digestion and hundreds of other things may be adversely affected.

Chiropractors are specially trained to locate and correct (adjust) subluxations. Come in for a checkup, and bring your family to make sure they are subluxation-free. Call today! 517.627.4547

The Latest from Charmaine: December 2018

April 2018Greetings all,

As I write what will be the last newsletter of the year. Our year draws to and end and with that we start making plans for the various festivities that a year end brings. On a practical note, I want to be sure to remind ALL of you that if your insurance is changing/has changed….please give me a heads up.

I will be asking EVERYBODY to fill in a new patient information sheet from January one to ensure that I have your latest up to datest details.

ALSO, ALL MEDICARE practice members….PLEASE get your new card to me ASAP as pretty soon the deadline for that will be implemented.

I finished this year strong with 3 new State records at the State meet (Records I set in June that broke records that had stood for 14 years)

 

HAVE A PEACEFUL HOLIDAY SEASON

SEE YOU IN THE OFFICE, ON THE TABLE/MAT, UNDER THE BARBELLS OR IN 2019

Please be aware of our holiday hours this December:

Friday 12/21 am hours ONLY  (last appt at 12)

Monday 12/24 no office hours

Tuesday 12/25 no office hours

Wednesday 12/26 am hours ONLY( last appt at 12)

Thursday 12/27 pm hours only

Friday 12/28 am hours ONLY (last appt at 12)

Monday 12/31 8-12 and 3-5

Tuesday 1/1/2019 no office hours

Wednesday 1/2/2019  back to normal!!!!! (define normal??)

The Perfect Vegetarian Holiday Meal

This menu us perfect for any

Ok so this is a questions we get often as to what we, as vegetarians/vegans eat on this two major feast days. The quick answer might be everything but the meat…but that leaves some people confused. So here is a rundown on some of the choices we have made over the past 30 years or so.

vegetarian holiday meals

Stuffed pumpkin/butternut/squash…stuffed with a mix of mushrooms, rice, nuts, tomatoes and garlic.

 

Mushroom/spinach strudel with filo dough which is not hard to work with at all!

 

A 16 layer lasagna…..many layers of different  roasted veggies.

 

Mushroom Wellington in flaky pastry.

 

Sides include :

  • Family faves such as Hasselback potatoes
  • Maple syrup roasted Brussel sprouts
  • Garlic mashed potatoes
  • A fresh salad including homegrown microgreens and fruit.

We are not really big on desserts (who needs that after a big meal) but we have one traditional South African dessert we “must” always make which is Melktert…(Milk custard made with English custard powder).

And possibly some chocolate dessert.

What are some of your favorite traditional vegetarian/vegan dishes?