Let's Hear It For Purple Foods!

     Did you know that color of most vegetables is a clue to the kind(s) & how many nutrients they contain?

     Purple vegetables often carry more nutritional “punch.” For example, purple carrots have more powerful antioxidants than the beta carotene in orange carrots. Deep purple beets are more nutritious than yellow or multicolored beets, such as Chiaogia. 

     Purple sweet potatoes, though sometimes hard to find, are richer in antioxidants than other sweet potatoes.

     Intensely purple cauliflower, which existed before the white kind we most often see today, has 2 & 1/2 more times antioxidants than the white. Purple cabbage is very nutritious, and packs 6 times more antioxidants than green cabbage! 

What Causes Scoliosis?

     Abnormal spinal curves develop for reasons that are largely unknown. Although there are several theories, about 80% of scoliosis is considered idiopathic (of unknown cause). 

     Statistically, about 4 adolescent girls in 1000 may develop it, and about 1 in 2500 boys. Roughly 2% of the adult population has some degree of it. 

     In my practice, I have found, in working with several adolescent girls, that a combination of stabilizing the pelvis & focused exercises can reverse or halt the progress of scoliotic curvatures. 

Conservation Comes Home

We can all help monarch butterflies, bees, and other endangered pollinators by planting food gardens, even tiny ones, in our yards. If you live in an apartment, put them in pots, or in community garden plots. Street medians can be planted with pollinator gardens, with support of city councils and volunteers. Support chemical-free pest control, at home and in your town. Go here for some helpful advice from The Xerces Society:  http://www.xerces.org/local-action/intro/  

Essential Function of the Pelvis

     Our pelvis, commonly called the “pelvic girdle,” is the bio-mechanical foundation for our whole body. Everything above and below depends on the stability of the pelvis.

     If your pelvis becomes distorted, due to a fall, a sudden twist or jolt, or just due to accumulated stresses, then it becomes unlevel. An unlevel foundation is an unstable foundation. This can reverberate downward and affect your lower extremities, or upward and affect your chest and neck. 

     As an Activator Chiropractor, I specialize in full-body balancing, including careful attention to the pelvis. This helps my patients’ adjustments to be more effective and more long-lasting.

Golfer's Elbow

     Pain and tenderness near the inside of the elbow may be inflammation of the tendon that attaches the wrist flexor muscles in the forearm (the muscles that bend your hand downward). 

     Called "golfer’s elbow" because it's common in golf players, it is due to overuse / repetitive motion. The muscles should be massaged, cooled with ice, and rested, and the tendon has to be protected so it can heal. 

     As an ACTIVATOR Chiropractor, I find golfer’s elbow is associated with particular misalignments of the bones in the forearm. Correcting these misalignments is an essential part of my treatment plan.