Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed my last newsletter on Graston Technique™. You can sign up for the quarterly newsletter on my website or on the initial intake forms during your visit.
Please let me know if you have any specific Chiropractic, health & wellness related topics that you’d like to be covered on my up and coming October 2012 newsletter. Don’t forget to like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.
Newsletter Headlines:
- It’s your health—be wary! Something to consider before supplementing with calcium.
- Orthotics: See for yourself!
- Hip roll demo & June’s featured orthotics
- Healthy lifestyle, one step at a time
IT’S YOUR HEALTH—BE WARY
Here’s the skinny on sugar: too much of it robs your bones of calcium.
Here’s how:
When sugar is digested, it has an acidic effect on our body. There is an acid-alkaline balance of the body when in a healthy state. We all know that overconsumption of foods high in fat and sugars have detrimental effects on our bodies, however sugars effect on bone health are as such. An acidic body is prone to various diseases, aging, and cancer. As such, our bodies do everything they can to make sure the blood, via which sugar is carried, does not get too acidic, going out of its slightly alkaline range. To do this, the body needs an alkaline substance to neutralize the effects of the acidic sugar. Calcium, which is highly abundant in our bones, is an alkaline mineral. In order to neutralize the acidic effects of sugar, calcium is utilized resulting in bones becoming porous, weak and eventually osteoporotic due to the withdrawn calcium. This folks is a much bigger reason of why North Americans have osteoporosis instead of it being a lack of dairy or calcium. So before taking more calcium, whether through dairy or supplements, which can lead to so many other health problems, we need to first reduce our sugar intake. You need ~45% of your daily calories from carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates (i.e.: bananas, oats etc.) should be the bulk of that with an allowance of ~10% for simple sugars (i.e.: cookies, soda etc). The North American diet far exceeds in simple sugars, increasing the risk of osteoporosis, diabetes, cancer and other diseases.
See for yourself!
See if your body is correctly aligned in 2 easy steps:
Part 1:
Stand in front of a full-length mirror, barefoot and in shorts so that you can see from your knees down to your feet. Stand in a relaxed, normal position, facing the mirror. Close your eyes. March in place about 10 steps to position your feet naturally.
- Do either or both feet flare outward?
- Do either or both feet point inward?
- Are either or both kneecaps off-center?
Part 2:
Now, stand sideways (first left, then right):
- Do either or both feet appear “flat” with no arch support?
- Do either or both feet appear extra high in the arch area?
If you answered “yes” to any of the above, your feet are probably pronated or supinated and are not providing proper support for your body. The joints in your body that bear weight such as your ankles, knees, hips, pelvis, low back and neck, are like links in a chain. If your feet aren’t balanced, every joint and the connecting muscles, tendons, and ligaments above may become injured over time due to unnatural twists and strains on your body. Pain may occur because of these postural imbalances.
References: http://www.footlevelers.com
Hip Roll Demo
This demo shows how even a minor movement in your feet can affect your pelvis. If there is imbalance in the feet, it’s likely that hip motion will become unequal (more motion on one side than the other). Over time, this imbalance can potentially cause postural stresses and strains.
- Step 1: Place your fingertips lightly on your hip bones about three inches below your belt where your pocket is.
- Step 2: Roll your feet inward and outward several times.
Feel the movement of your hips joints - Step 3: Touch only your right hip and slightly roll your right foot in and out.
- Step 4: Touch only your left hip and slightly roll your left foot in and out.
Feel how much your hip socket is moving.
June’s featured orthotics:
Foot Levelers 5th Avenue™ line was designed for women and the shoes they wear. The line offers a variety of Stabilizing Orthotics that can accommodate women’s dress flats and footwear with heels between 1″ and 2″ high.
ParFlex Plus®: Ideal for golfers; comes with two magnetic strips* that can increase club-head speed and drive distance.
InMotion™: The InMotion™ Stabilizing Orthotic is infused with silver and Celliant® to give you the most in odor and moisture control. Celliant is clinically proven to help increase blood oxygen levels in active patients, which can help to boost energy, amplify stamina and strength, and balance body temperature.
References: http://www.footlevelers.com
Healthy lifestyle, one step at a time
Because your diet fuels your nervous system and body, I want you to be in tip top condition to prevent injuries and to speed up recovery when injured. Here’s an easy tip to pave your path toward a healthy lifestyle:
Remove 1-2 optional food or beverage items from your daily diet that amounts to 500 calories (I.E.: Medium Café mocha 240 calories, 1 apple fritter 300 calories, chocolate chip muffin 340 calories etc.)
Reducing your caloric intake by 500 calories per day, per week equals to 1 pound being shed! That’s 4 pounds per month and 48 pounds per year!
No need to do a yo-yo diet. It’s all about making healthier choices, one step at a time!
Bye for now, I don’t need you!: ________________________Calories: __________(enter item here)
Bye for now, I don’t need you!: ________________________Calories: __________(enter item here)
For the inactive busy peeps: Set aside 30 minutes for physical activity each day—this can be cumulative too! I.E.: this can include a 10 minute walk on a lunch break, 10 minute walk from the subway, 10 minutes of walking your pet or jogging on a treadmill or outdoors. Easy-peasy!
If you can only do 10 minutes to start, that’s better than doing nothing at all, I say.
Download the PDF version of the newsletter, cut this out and pin it on your fridge or at your office as a daily reminder to achieve your goal!