Glycemic Index

     The Glycemic Index (GI) is a relative ranking of carbohydrate foods according to how they affect blood glucose levels. The lower the relative value, the slower the metabolism of the food, and thus the slower the food causes an increase in blood glucose.

     Any rise in blood glucose, of course, affects insulin levels, a critical consideration for people who are diabetic or pre-diabetic.

     However, attention to the GI is a good idea for everyone, because spikes in blood sugar due to what we eat can lead, over time, to ever-increasing proximity to a diabetic state.

     So---it's not just about sugar! 

     Ultimately it's about how rapidly any food raises our level of blood sugar. 

     Find out more at   https://www.gisymbol.com/about-glycemic-index/ 

     

Arthrokinematics

     Combine "arthro" meaning "of a joint," and "kinematics," meaning "properties of motion of objects" and you get a cool new word, "arthrokinematics"---which is applicable in describing the motion of any joint in the body.

     For example, the "roll and slide" movement of the lower end of the thigh bone, the femur, moving against the top of the larger bone in the lower leg, the tibia, when bending the knee.

     Whether kicking a soccer ball (the femur is stable & the tibia is rolling & gliding)  or squatting (the tibia is stable & the femur will roll & glide), the arthrokinematics are crucial to maintaining stability of the knee throughout its range of motion.   

      

"The Straw That Broke the...

     .......Camel’s Back."  As the saying goes, when a seemingly insignificant action or event results in sudden, extreme pain. 

     What’s going on here?

     Patients often tell me, "All I did was bend over to pick up the newspaper," or "I just got up out of a chair." Simple actions that should not be expected to cause the pain that followed.

     In fact, 90% of the time, dysfunction has been building, often becoming more complex, but not yet symptomatic, or maybe the little twinges you felt were easy to ignore. 

     Then a simple movement, change of position, or event, suddenly pushes things over the edge into pain. What has been lurking becomes painfully impossible to ignore.

     When you feel those little twinges, or sense that maybe something in your underlying structure isn't right, come in and get your body balanced, and you're much less likely to get into that place of severe pain.

To Sit or Not to Sit

  Widely available in different configurations, the standing desk can be an ergonomic blessing to people whose work keeps them desk-bound for long periods of time. 
     Most advantageous are the adjustable types, which can be raised for working while standing, or lowered for sitting to work. The flexibility allows for changing positions throughout the work day, a good antidote to chronic unhealthy postures.

  Whether you sit or stand, or mix it up, it is still wise to take frequent breaks---at least once an hour, walk away from your desk, move around, get some motion in your body, do some stretching, rest your eyes.  
     If you decide to use a standing desk, it’s a good idea to have a cushioned pad to stand on.  

Rotated Scapula

The shoulderblade (scapula) often rotates abnormally, or becomes stressed, in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Another way to conceptualize this is to imagine the bottom angle of the scapula moving in direction toward, or away from, the spine.

Because of how the scapula articulates at the shoulder, these rotations can affect the upper extremity all the way down to the wrist.

In my Activator Chiropractic protocol, after I find a rotated scapula and correct it, I then check the humerus (the bone in the upper arm), the radius and ulna (the two bones in the forearm), and the carpals (bones in the wrist).

This is a good example of the thoroughness of Activator Method when assessing and adjusting the  body.