My Blog

Eat Local

Fri, 4 Jun 2010 12:10:47 -0500

I am often asked which is more important: eating organic or eating locally grown. Although organic foods tend to be the best choice in the winter months, locally grown produce is certainly your best bet in the summer months. Take advantage of eating locally grown fruits, vegetables and even meats. I personally eat locally grown organic produce as often as possible!

Although organic foods tend to be a bit more expensive, the nutritional benefits of avoiding nitrogen-based fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides can off-set the cost. The government has set up guidelines to inform us which produce should be purchased organic. To make it simple, if you eat the skin of your produce, look for an organically grown option. Also, if the produce holds a lot of water (potatoes, apples, and pears) choose an organic variety if possible.

More and more organic farms are showing up despite the very difficult certification process required by the USDA. Unfortunately, some businesses have realized that going organic may be a way to make a quick dollar. Some mega companies have started building huge organic farms that, like conventional produce, cut corners on the bottom line to increase profit margins. A recent study found that some organic produce could have up to ten times the antibiotic concentration as that of conventionally grown produce. Replacing fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides with a higher antibiotic concentration will inevitably push more virulent antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Upon further research it was determined that the farms that tested high in antibiotics were buying fertilizer from feed lots that use high doses of antibiotics on their livestock. The farms that tested high were huge “organic” farms that send produce throughout the world. Conversely, the smaller “family” farms that chose to use organic practices passed all of the tests including antibiotics, pesticides and herbicides.

The best bet is to choose a local organic farm from which to purchase produce. There are a number of CSA’s (community supported agriculture) in the area that produce the best fresh fruits and vegetables that you can find. Try visiting the farmers market for your weekly shopping. A market is open every day of the week within the metro area. If those options are difficult, try shopping at local co-ops that will have the origins of each item listed on the item’s label. Lastly, if all else fails, buy products grown in the USA where there are more strict guidelines on the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.

Eating local has many benefits other than the quality of the produce: less petroleum products are used during transportation and supporting local business and helping your neighbors will stimulate the local economy. When people stop shopping at “super markets” and get to know their farmers the connection between food and life becomes more apparent. Remember that who we are is a summation of our habits of the past (good and bad) and who we are in the future is determined by what we do today.

The Importance of Water

Sat, 8 May 2010 12:07:46 -0500

Whether you are reaching for it during your meal to help digestion or after a hard work out, water is what our bodies crave. Most would agree that water is the liquid that keeps us going. It is essential for vital chemical reactions necessary to sustain life. When we travel to distant places like the moon or mars we are looking for water as sign of life. In fact every cell, tissue and organ in you body are mostly made of water. Water is arguably the most abundant molecule on earth. It truly is the liquid of life.

But what makes water so important?

As much as 70% of our body weight is made of water. Water is used in our bodies for many things from absorption of vital nutrients to diluting toxins that build up in our body and even skin elasticity (Yes it helps keep those wrinkles away). Without water dehydration can set in leading to headaches, muscle weakness and lightheadedness as toxins build up in our bodies. Many of the aches and pains that we feel are often symptoms of dehydration so we must replace water daily.

Which brings up the question, “how much water should I drink?”. Commonly the best response is “it depends”. High sugar, fatty diets and caffeine use increases the need for water. These substance pull water from your cells and tissues to aid in digestion or excretion. A useful GUIDELINE is to drink nearly half your body weight in ounces of water daily (example: someone that weighs 120 pounds should try to drink as much as 60 ounces of water a day). Some may need more and some may need less depending on activity level and other health considerations. It is ideal to consume that much water daily to ensure that we have removed potentially dangerous toxins.

The other side of the coin is that right now our water is filled with numerous toxins. Years of improper disposal of hazardous materials, petroleum products and pharmaceuticals have left our drinking water quality suspect. Community drinking water is tested for virulence and some heavy metals. However, did you know the highest levels of toxins in our water system are often due to improperly disposed pharmaceuticals. While we are trying to hydrate our bodies we are often getting high levels of estrogen, antidepressants and statin drugs. This is why it is important to filter your water, and there are a number of ways you can work to reduce the toxins in your water. Activated carbon filters and reverse osmosis are the most popular.

Proper hydration plays an important role in a healthy lifestyle. Make drinking adequate amounts of clean water a priority on your path towards a healthy lifestyle.

Office Ergonomics and Increasing Productivity

Thu, 8 Apr 2010 13:01:25 -0500

How many hours did you spend sitting at your desk or in front of your computer today? The average American works at a computer for 8 hours a day. The way you sit for those long hours at the desk or computer can have a profound affect on your health and productivity. So, did you sit with proper posture at work today? Did you start to notice those aches, pains or headaches? As you read through the rest of this article think about your typical work day and try to implement a few changes that will help you work smarter and feel better thus, making you more productive.

Just because you do not work in construction or lift heavy objects all day does not mean you can’t get hurt at work. The Bureau of Labor Statistics conducted a study in 2007 and found “Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), often referred to as ergonomic injuries, are injuries or illnesses affecting the connective tissues of the body such as muscles, nerves, tendons, joints, cartilage, or spinal disks. MSDs accounted for 29 percent of all workplace injuries requiring time away from work in 2007.” Furthermore “Among major disabling injuries and illnesses, median days away from work were highest for carpal tunnel syndrome (24 days).” The most time spent away from work was not from lifting heavy objects or falling on the job, they came from the repetitive stress of keyboarding, writing and mousing. Another study, conducted by The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, found that the average cost to employers of one workplace injury is $27,000. Of theses injuries many are preventable by changes with workstation setup, posture and rest.

Whether you are dealing with headaches, back/neck pain or or carpal tunnel these are clues from your body to tell you something is not right. Now you know the clues, the next step is knowing what to do to correct the problem. Chiropractors are the leading experts in posture and spinal health and the following recommendations are based on Chiropractic principals to improve spinal health. The first recommendation is to have chair that allows proper back support and to use it! As easy as it sounds this is a common mistake. There is a tendency when you get busy to slouch, hunch forward or sit forward on the chair negating the back rest all together. The ideal posture has your back (mid and lower) in contact with the chair at all times with feet flat on the floor. This allows the natural curves of your spine to be supported by the chair and bear gravity effectively. The next common mistake is improper monitor placement. The top of your monitor should be in line with you eyebrows and straight out in front of your chair. This positioning prevents prolonged tipping/turning of the head/neck that cause strain on the muscles, often leading to headaches or neck pain. The third recommendation deals with keyboard positioning. Ideally your keyboard should be close enough to you so that your arms are comfortably bent with elbows resting on an arm rest. Your wrists should be straight or bent down but never extended or arched back towards you. The final recommendation is to take a break at least every hour to get up and move around. Whether you are surfing the internet, watching TV or finishing that big project allowing 5-10 minutes every hour to get up stretch and move can prevent muscle tension build-up.

With these few changes you can help to prevent many of the common ergonomic related issues that cost time and money. If you find yourself struggling with headaches, back/neck pain, carpal tunnel or have a business that could use ergonomic advice, call Dr. Casey Moore at Moore Chiropractic & Wellness Center for a NO CHARGE consultation to see how Chiropractic can fix or prevent those aches and pains (952) 926-7515.

Headaches: The Spinal Connection

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:36:07 -0600

Headaches (and all other aches or pains) are the bodies way of signaling you that there is a deeper health concern. Pain is not an isolated problem requiring a drug solution. Your body is not missing aspirin at the time of a headache but rather something in your body needs to be fixed. Like a car’s dashboard warning light, pain alerts you to issues needing attention.

Treating pain with a medication is like putting tape over your car’s warning light, the warning may be gone but the problem is still present and may in fact get worse. In many cases these headaches/migraines are chronic issues that lead them sufferers to medications and pain killers believing that they will solve the problem. When in fact prolonged medication use can lead to many other side effects from ulcers to kidney disease.

The key to solving your aches and pains is finding the cause rather than covering it up. The root of the problem for headaches often lies not in the head but in the spine. Headaches are often an indication of a hidden condition called subluxation. A subluxation is a misalignment of spinal vertebrae that has begun to irritate a nerve resulting in symptoms (i.e. headaches). Everyone can be susceptible to subluxations depending on the stress (chemical, emotional and physical) that they are under in their day to day lives.

The Journal of Physiologic Therapeutics conducted a study on 47 headache sufferers and found that 97 percent of them showed significant abnormal mobility on X-Rays of the cervical spine. Further more they found that 77 percent had a reduction in the normal “C-Shaped” cervical curve disrupting their posture, mobility and normal muscle tone. The conclusion of the study states “These findings support the premise that the neck plays an important, but largely ignored role in the manifestation of adult benign headaches.” (J Manipulative Physiologic Therapeutics 1993; 16: 428-31)

The importance of the spine, as noted in the study, can not be understated but why do these subluxations cause headaches?

When the spine is out of normal alignment and there is a decrease in the cervical curve you are not able to support the weight of your head properly. This results in two conditions, first is strain in the muscles leading to muscle spasm and tension. This is where the term tension headache arises from, the muscles become tense and pull or twist on the spine and head leading to headaches. The second, is tension or pressure on the nerves which arise from the spine via the spinal cord. Nerves control every cell, muscle, organ and tissue in your body. When nerves are irritated they create those warning signs noted earlier. Headaches happen to be one of those warning signs that a nerve is being irritated by a vertebrae out of it’s normal position.

Fortunately, there is a solution to headaches and many of the other warning signs your body gives you. Doctors of Chiropractic are highly trained at finding and correcting subluxations, with safe, gentle and precise chiropractic adjustments. These adjustments help restore normal vertebral motion and alignment.

Whether you are struggling with headaches, low back pain or numbness and tingling, do yourself a favor and listen to the warning signs instead of covering them up. After all, it’s your future, wouldn’t you rather be there healthy?

Feel free to call anytime with questions or to set up a free consultation with Dr. Moore at Moore Chiropractic & Wellness Center.
(952) 926-7515

Happy ValenSpines

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 11:57:46 -0600

There is no greater gift you can give this valentines than giving the gift of health to someone you love or care about.
In lieu of a blog, this time, I want to encourage you all to think about someone in your life who has become downtrodden with health issues.
The best gift you can give them is a way to get back to enjoying life. As a way of promoting happy and healthier families, we would like to offer a NO CHARGE consultation and exam to someone you love or care about. This is a great opportunity to help someone you know who has been struggling with aches and pains or poor health.
Let us help them get their life back and enjoy those things they have missed out on because of aches and pains. Whether this for yourself or someone you care about, give us a call 952-926-7515, mention this blog and we will help you take the next step to health and wellness.
Thanks, as always, for reading and we look forward to serving your future healthcare needs.