WellnessTip: Understanding Osteoarthritis

For decades, osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease, has been considered a part of aging. Recent research points out, however, that older people don’t have to suffer from osteoarthritic pain. And, surprisingly, people much younger than 65 can develop osteoarthritis.

What Is Osteoarthritis?

• Osteoarthritis affects the cartilage—slippery tissue on the ends of bones that meet in a joint. Normally, cartilage helps bones glide over one another. In a patient with osteoarthritis, however, the cartilage is broken down and eventually wears away. As a result, instead of gliding, bones rub against each other, causing pain, swelling and loss of motion.

• Although the majority of patients with osteoarthritis are 65 and older, recent research shows that osteoarthritis is not a by-product of aging. Family history of osteoarthritis, being overweight, lack of exercise and prior joint injuries are suggested risk factors.
• Osteoarthritis is diagnosed through a combination of clinical history, patient examination and X-rays. Other tests, such as drawing fluid from the joint, are sometimes used.

What Are Signs of Osteoarthritis?

• Steady or intermittent joint pain
• Joint stiffness after sitting, sleeping or otherwise not moving for a long time
• Swelling or tenderness in the joints
• A crunching feeling or the sound of bones rubbing against each other

Should Osteoarthritis Patients Exercise?

• Exercise is one of the best forms of osteoarthritis treatment and prevention. It strengthens the muscular support around the joints and improves and maintains joint mobility and function.
• Exercise helps control weight and improve the patient’s mood and outlook.
• Low-impact or non-weight-bearing activities, such as walking, stationary training, and light weight training, work best for patients with osteoarthritis.
• Strengthening exercises help tone the key muscle groups that relate to the function of the joints that may be weakened by the degeneration.
• If you are overweight, start exercising carefully, so as not to put too much stress on the knee and ankle joints.
• Stair climbing, water aerobics, Theraband workouts and similar exercises will help to keep the joints mobile without straining them.
• When exercising, learn to read the body’s signals and know when to stop, slow down or rest.

How Can Your Doctor of Chiropractic Help?

• Doctors of chiropractic, by the nature of their work, can detect the earliest degenerative changes in the joints. They see the impact of degenerative changes in the spine, as well as in the hips, knees and other weight-bearing joints.
• Doctors of chiropractic are also trained to relieve the pain and improve joint function through natural therapies, such as chiropractic manipulation, trigger-point therapy or some massage techniques.
• Doctors of chiropractic can provide exercise counseling, helping you choose exercises that are best for you. If a sore or swollen joint prevents you from exercising, talk to your doctor of chiropractic about other drug-free pain-relief options, such as applying heat or cold to the affected area.
• Your doctor of chiropractic can help you choose proper supplements that play important roles in osteoarthritis prevention and treatment.

 
 From the ChiroVoice Newsletter

WellnessTip: Understanding Osteoarthritis

Link Lovin': Spread the Love with a Click (or a few)

Here is the second Link Lovin' source list for June:

Food Renegade is one of my favorite blogs. In this article dated May 13 this wonderful blogger discusses research should you wear sunscreen? Already has 15K viewers!
For more on this topic let me refer back to the Environmental Working Groups Shopper's Guide to Safer Sunscreens.

Now, as school is out for many students right now, what a better time than the present to start your kids eating better. For helpful tips on a truly nourishing diet check out the Nourishing Our Children Foundation .

For a tasty bite try Karina's Kitchen Pomegranate Smoothie...it promises to be drool-worthy and full of antioxidants!

Link Lovin': Spread the Love with a Click (or a few)

Link Lovin': Spread the Love with a Click (or a few)

Today as I was reading one of my favorite blogs out there (Food Renegade) I realized that this savvy blogger has a great initiative called "Link Love" where she links directly to current and interesting bloggers and web sources from the month.

What a Great Idea! I decided I had to jump on this band wagon and not turn back...so here is my link lovin' for June:

FIrst of all, let me start with a reference to Food Renegade herself. In this article dated April 21st she discusses research debunking the myth that saturate fat causes heart disease...

Next lets look at ChiroOrg as they discuss the top 6 Alternative Medicine Modalities to treat back pain and their effectiveness. Chiropractic takes the top spot, Massage and Acupuncture also seem to help. As we offer all three here at CCW it's no wonder that our patients leave feeling amazingly whole!

Acupuncture Today's current issue has a wonderfully descriptive article about the low fat phenomenon's relation to obesity titled the "Snackwell Effect" that I highly recommend.

For a tasty bite try Karina's Kitchen Quinoa taco salad...it promises to be drool-worthy

And Finally for some summer sun safety check out the Environmental Working Groups Shopper's Guide to Safer Sunscreens.


I hope you enjoy my first bit of "link lovin'" and continue to read on!

Link Lovin': Spread the Love with a Click (or a few)

Center for Chiropractic & Wellness Recommends "Real Food on a Real Budget"

Real Food on a Real Budget is written as a primer for families who want to learn how to save an average of 20-30% on their food budget while  serving better quality and more nutritionally dense foods.
Based on 6 years of hands-on experience and hundreds of hours of research, Real Food on a Real Budget is packed with practical tips and suggestions to help you become a better a steward of both your finances and your health.

What You Can Expect to Learn:

• How to shave literally hundreds and potentially even thousands off of your grocery expenses every year, without compromising on what you buy!
• How to establish a realistic food budget for your unique family, and actually stick to it.
• How to provide better nutrition and cost effectiveness through a meal planning method that suits you best.
• How to find places to buy whole and traditional foods wherever you live and compare prices so that you know you're getting the absolute best deals.
• Why, what and how to buy in bulk and what to do with all that food!
• Which foods are both nutrient-dense, cost-effective, and how to work your diet around them.
• Why cooking from scratch is key to eating real foods, how to find the time to do it, and how to use that time as effectively as possible.
• Why you should purchase your foods seasonally and locally, preserve them for cheaper year-round eats, and even grow them yourself.
• How to evaluate whether couponing can work for you and help to stretch your budget just a little bit further.
• Countless tips for practicing frugality in your kitchen.
• And more...

Download this PDF file to read a preview copy from the Introduction chapter.

Real Food on a Real Budget (Preview)

(Click on it once, it will take you to a new page with a link- when you click that link the file will open/download)

Center for Chiropractic & Wellness Recommends "Real Food on a Real Budget"

Does Chiropractic Reduce Health Care Costs?

"Findings from the Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield 2008 Physical Medicine Pilot on Quality, a one-year pilot program designed to measure patient quality of care, suggest significant clinical outcomes and health care cost reductions attributable to the use of chiropractic and other physical medicine services...." Read more by clicking here

Does Chiropractic Reduce Health Care Costs?

Reinventing the School Lunch- Ann Cooper

Back to School means school lunches for many people. Whether choosing government subsidized or privately funded school lunches for cost, convenience, or sheer habits sake many children are often left with low quality and low nutrient dense food as their sole source of sustanance throughout the day. Studies have shown that a diet of this low caliber can result in food allergies, learning disabilites, behavioral problems and much more.

So other, than meticulously pack your child's lunch with the hope that they aren't tossing their organic carrot sticks for the cafeterias cheese pizza what is a mom or dad to do?

Cafeteria reform is not an urban myth. Parents can do something about what schools feed their children. Proof is in the "pudding" so to speak...Just ask this Chef...

"Chef Ann Cooper is a renegade lunch lady. She works to transform cafeterias into culinary classrooms for students — one school lunch at a time.

At The Ross School in East Hampton, NY, Chef Ann served as the executive chef and director of wellness and nutrition, developing an integrated school lunch curriculum centered on regional, organic, seasonal and sustainable meals. The implementation of her pilot wellness program proved successful, and Chef Ann was invited to work with schools across the country. She has transformed public school cafeterias in New York City, Harlem and Bridgehampton, NY, and now in Berkeley, CA, to teach more students why good food choices matter by putting innovative strategies to work and providing fresh, organic lunches to all students.

Chef Ann offers consulting services for school administrators, revamping their school lunch programs and offering nutrition and food choice education to students. She works with schools to incorporate integrated school lunch curriculums that not only promote nutrition and food education, but serve healthful foods and increase the availability of healthy food and nutrition choices for kids and teens. Through collaborative work with organizations including the Center for Ecoliteracy, Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Food and Society Policy Fellowship, Chef Ann has made tremendous strides in a variety of school wellness programs." http://www.lunchlessons.org/html_v2/about.html

Chef Ann is the author of

• "In Mother's Kitchen: Celebrated Women Chefs Share Beloved Family Recipes" (2005);
  
• "Bitter Harvest: A Chef's Perspective on the Hidden Dangers in the Foods We Eat and What You Can do About It" (2000), a glimpse into food safety and the dangers of every day meals; and
• "A Woman's Place is in the Kitchen: The Evolution of Women Chefs" (1998).

Check out these sample menus so you can show YOUR school system that eating healthy is NOT a lost cause!

Sample Elementary School Menu to show your principle/PTA
Sample Middle School Menu to show your principle/PTA

Reinventing the School Lunch- Ann Cooper

ChiroVoice: Protect your Chiropractic Rights!

To help promote chiropractic's position in the debate on national healthcare reform, the NCCA is launching a contest to see which doctors can get the most patients to join ChiroVoice.org.

ChiroVoice.org is the brand-new grassroots advocacy network of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA). ChiroVoice helps arm and direct patients' communication to elected officials. Since chiropractic patients form the largest advocacy network for the profession, their participation in ChiroVoice is crucial to helping advance legislative priorities.

ChiroVoice collects patients' contact information and adds it to a secure database. That database may then be utilized when the time arises for a major grassroots effort to help advance and promote chiropractic legislative agendas.

Signing up is free and easy. Visit www.ChiroVoice.org to fill out the short information form. Make sure to designate your CCW Chiropractor as your doctor of choice. (Dr. Darcy Ward, Dr. Jennifer Greenfield, Dr. Thomas Young)

Once enrolled as a member, you will receive special email alerts about advocacy issues and important legislation. Members also receive a monthly eNewsletter.

ChiroVoice: Protect your Chiropractic Rights!

Swine Flu Scare: Natural Healing and Prevention

With the recent Swine Flu Scare and titles such as the following sweeping the news:

Toddler's death is first U.S. swine flu fatality

Swine Flu Death Reinforces CDC's Prior Warnings

Obama Administration: Out With the 'Swine,' In With the 'H1N1 Virus'

Obama on Swine Flu: Urges 'Utmost Precautions' And Advises Schools with Cases to Close

Swine Flu Outbreak Escalates As California Declares State of Emergency

...I found it to be a great lead in to the reason epidemics such as this are so detrimental and wide spread to our seemingly "health progressive" country in the first place. With all our technological and pharmaceutical advancements why do we still remain so fearful of disease and epidemics?

I don't mean to simplify this problem by insenuating that there is only one solution or one aspect to solve, but I do want to address a major cause of our decreasing health in the face of such rapid pharmaceutical advancement...Declining Health Standards.

The CDC is recommending general steps to be taken for preventing the spread of swine flu:

• Cover your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing.


• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water and use hand sanitizers when you don't have access to soap and water.


• Avoid spreading germs from your hands to orfices by touching the eyes, nose and mouth.
  

What about using this as a greenlight to REALLY make a difference in our health...from the CORE of the problem? Shouldn't we be trying to increase our natural immunity to disease through proper nutrition, healthy activity, detoxification, and dedication to mental health and well being? OF COURSE! Below i've begun the discussion on some tools we can use to really increase our NATURAL and INNATE defenses. Afterall, while pharmaceuticals have their place, they obviously are being relied on too much these days, and the state of our national health is a direct reflection of that...

Natural and Holistic prevention tools

MIND-BODY CONNECTION: to releasing any fears you may have about the swine flu, or disease in general. Fear and stress can be a direct detriment to your emotional and physical status, so don't let yourself get swept up in the panic. Some good tools to overcome stress and anxiety include:

• Yoga and Stretching


• Deep Breathing


• Neuro-Emotional Technique


• Light Exercise (brisk walk is great, especially with the great Spring Weather!)

Herbal and Whole Food Support: There are many great resources to bolster the immune system and serve as preventative sources for your health. Immune support herbs such as echinacea and goldenseal are popular to ward of the common flu and support the immune system naturally. Just be cautious that echinacea is not recommended for people suffering from seasonal allergies as it can act as an allergen. It is important to work directly with your holistic health care provider directly to make sure that the supplements and herbs you are taking are right for your body. Everyone is deficient in different things and taking 10000's of mg's of Vitamin C is not going to make you immune to everything. You are an individual, both in personality and in physical makeup so treat yourself with respect and get a consultation to decide what supplements will benefit YOU specifically. Make sure that your supplements are whole food or herbal and NOT synthetic, as your body will not process them correctly if they are not natural.

Nutrition: continue working on the basics of organic and seasonal nutrition and detoxification to reduce the toxin load of the body so it can be prepared to fight off any illness, including the swine flu.
You can find some excellent recipes both on my healthy recipes blog and on the detoxification blog under "detoxification recipes." Email me for questions on the Standard Process Purification Program.

Other medical modalities used to encourage the body's natural healing mechanisms include:
Acupuncture
Massage
Chiropractic

Please leave your comments on how you are keeping the swine flu and other diseases at bay below with natural remedies and nutrition. As always, I love to hear your feedback.

Swine Flu Scare: Natural Healing and Prevention

Update on Legislation from Senate Bill 287

Thank you to all the patrons who let their voices be heard. Below is a response we received from the NCCA on the ruling on Senate Bill 287:

Dear NCCA Members & Non-Members:

A special conference committee comprised of a select group of Senators and House Representatives met Tuesday evening for a final discussion of Senate Bill 287.

As originally proposed, the bill would have increased chiropractic co-pays under the State Health Plan to upwards of $70, virtually eliminating the chiropractic benefit for all state employees and teachers. In the bill's final version that will now go into effect July 1, chiropractic co-pays were reduced to $45 (Standard Plan) and $55 (Basic Plan) -- ultimately saving state employees as much as $25 per chiropractic visit.

This reduction in co-pays is a direct result of your grassroots efforts and the tireless work of the NCCA legislative team. Led by Legislative Chairman Dr. Michael Estramonte, NCCA leaders spent countless hours lobbying for chiropractic patients, developing communication materials, breaking down research studies, walking the halls of the legislature and organizing a statewide grassroots campaign. We want to assure you that this effort was not taken lightly.

The NCCA is hesitant to claim the bill's final verdict as a true victory. Going into Tuesday's meeting, NCCA efforts had resulted in an amendment to the bill that would have set chiropractic co-pays to the same rate as primary care provider co-pays ($25/$35). That amendment, which had already passed through the entire House of Representatives, was a HUGE victory for chiropractic patients. However, due solely to the directive of the special conference committee, the amendment was replaced with the new $45 and $55 co-pays.

So what does all that mean? There are still hurdles present in our fight, but it is hardly time to give up or weaken our resolve.

The odds were most certainly against us. We are, after all, in the largest budgetary crisis in the state's history and, unfortunately, committee members were forced to view this bill in black and white and without the quality care typical of what we provide our patients. Not to mention the savings we provide to both these individuals and the state.

Several legislators have informed us that there is still an opportunity to rethink our $45/$55 co-pay provision. A study commission bill will be set up to examine the entire State Health Plan. It will be integral that chiropractic's history of cost-effectiveness be evaluated so we can re-visit our patients' excessively high co-pays in the next legislative session.

We can assure you that your NCCA will not give up working for you and your patients.

If you are not a member of the NCCA, please join today.

If you did not actively participate in the NCCA's grassroots campaign, please step up to the plate next time.

The NCCA is only as effective as its members make it.

House Bill 14, which will make chiropractic co-pays (except under the State Health Plan) equal to those of primary care co-pays, could come up for discussion any day.

Please familiarize yourself with the message that we have to convey to our legislators -- the message that explains how chiropractic care SAVES the healthcare system money. Please visit www.affordablehealthnc.com or click here for more information.

If you have questions about the final results of Senate Bill 287 or if you'd like to join the NCCA, please contact Headquarters at 919.832.0611.


NOTE: Although we feel the $45/$55 co-pay is too high, the following House Representatives should be recognized for going above and beyond in their support for our patients' rights to have a reasonable co-pay: Rep. Nelson Cole (Placed the original amendment), Rep. Cullie Tarleton, Rep. Marian McLawhorn, Rep. Bruce Goforth, Rep. Van Braxton, Rep. Pryor Gibson, Rep. William Wainwright, Rep. Beverly Earle

Update on Legislation from Senate Bill 287

Sustainable Food Movement Encroaching on Washington!

For the past few years we have all seen the rise of the movement towards organic foodstuffs in the United States. However, despite this movement there are still legal discrepancies surrounding labeling and processing that make it hard for American's to get a healthy diet even with the mission of staying true to organic foods. Some of these problems include the following:

• A product can be labeled as Organic whether it is or IS NOT actually organic as long as it does not contain the USDA Certified Organic label. Many newcomers to organic foods make the mistake of buying so called "organic" products that in all actuality have been grown and processed with conventional means.


• Products can be labeled trans fat free or have a label stating that the contain "0 grams transfat" and STILL contain up to 0.5 grams per serving.


• Genetically modified foods are not required to be labeled so Americans are consuming mass quantities of GM foods without the knowing the actual repercussions of such practices. When you mess with the DNA of our food, no one knows for sure what that does to our health...but then again Washington hasn't pushed for research on the subject either.

It has become more and more obvious, to those that are aware of the situation, that eating organic foods is not enough. In order to truly have the maximum amount of control over our diet and our health we need to go back to sustainable living practices. This means eating whole, non-processed foods...vegetables, fruits, non GM grains (sprouted if possible), meats, healthy fats and non-processed oils such as coconut oil, butter, flax seeds, and more. This means going back on the practices of the 20th-21st centuries and returning to the nutritive practices of our forebearers.

And hallelujah, Washington is slowly but surely starting to catch the drift as is shown in this NY Times Business Article...

The most vocal booster so far has been the first lady, Michelle
Obama, who has emphasized the need for fresh, unprocessed, locally grown
food and, last week, started work on a White House vegetable garden. More
surprising, perhaps, are the pronouncements out of the Department of
Agriculture, an agency with long and close ties to agribusiness.
In mid-February, Tom Vilsack, the new secretary of agriculture, took a jackhammer to a patch of pavement outside his headquarters to create his own organic “people’s garden.” Two weeks later, the Obama administration named Kathleen Merrigan, an assistant professor at Tufts University and a longtime champion of sustainable agriculture and healthy food, as Mr. Vilsack’s top deputy.

For more information on how to live sustainably visit http://www.slowfoodusa.org/

Sustainable Food Movement Encroaching on Washington!

Close the Monsanto GMO/GE Loophole NOW!

I received the below email concerning the legislative loophole for genetically engineered crops today. I urge any and all readers to please take action. This is a very important national health issue. After all Europeans don't allow GE/GMO crops in there food supply, why should Americans? Don't let our intelligence be undermined by Monsanto and similar companies. We deserve to KNOW what we are feeding our bodies!

Friends,

If you care about the environment, human health and sustainable and organic farms:

It’s time to act!

Write to the USDA in these final 24 hours for the comment period to close the loopholes regulating genetically-engineered (GE) crops, also referred to as genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Tell the USDA that the loopholes regarding GE crops must be closed and to suspend approval of additional GE crops until truly independent, peer-reviewed testing can be performed.

While supporters claim this technology is safe, thorough testing was never completed before GE crops/GMOs were introduced into our food chain. Already more than 60 percent of packaged foods sold in U.S. supermarkets contain genetically-engineered food that American consumers unknowingly eat everyday.

Not only is this a great concern for consumer health, but also for family farmers who must pay exorbitant technology fees for the GE seed, and for the environment and sustainable and organic farmers whose crops can become contaminated due to GE drift.

If you care about food safety, it’s time to make your concern about GE food known! The USDA is accepting public comments on a proposed rule about GE until the close of business March 17th.

Tell the USDA that it must ensure the safety of GE technology for eaters, farmers and the environment!

If you want to learn more about concerns regarding genetically engineered food, watch The Future of Food tonight and this week on DIRECTV Channel 375 and DISH Network Channel 9410. Visit LinkTV for schedule. http://www.linktv.org/programs/future

Please send in your comments now!

Best,
Dave

If you’d like to see Food Democracy Now! grassroots work continue, please consider donating as little as $10 or $25. We need all your support to be able to create the change that is needed at the USDA.

How to Submit Comments to the USDA:

Include “Docket Number APHIS-2008-0023” at the top of your correspondence or in the subject line of your email.

Online Instructions:

1. Click here to send your comments to the USDA electronically or go to:

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocumentDetail&o=0900006480903a8e

The result with Document ID number "APHIS-2008-0023" is the Interim Final Rule for comments on Importation, Interstate Movement, and Release into the Environment of Certain Genetically Engineered Organisms

2. Click on the “Add Comment” icon and follow the instructions on the next screen.

Tell USDA to: 1. Withdraw the proposed rule; 2. Release the EIS for public review and comment and to be used as a basis for further rule-making; and 3. Suspend all new GE crop approvals until the above has been satisfactorily completed and unless and until GE crops are proven safe.

SAMPLE LETTER (Please cut and paste)

To whom it may concern,
Docket No. APHIS-2008-0023
Regulatory Analysis and Development
PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8
4700 River Road Unit 118
Riverdale, MD 20737-1238.

Re: Docket No. APHIS-2008-0023, Importation, Interstate Movement, and Release into the Environment of Certain Genetically Engineered Organisms.

I am very concerned about the risks posed by genetically engineered crops. They threaten human health, family farmers, and the environment. I urge USDA to withdraw the proposed rule, publish the Environmental Impact Statement for public review and comment, and suspend all new GE crop approvals in the interim.

After USDA releases the EIS, a comment period of at least 90 days is needed so the public has the opportunity to fully participate in a transparent process on this important issue. This will not only aid in the development of the final EIS but also in the drafting of a new proposed rule. The current proposed rule does little to close the loopholes in the regulations the rule is designed to replace and it creates more gaps than it fills.

Sincerely,

JANE/JOE DOE

Close the Monsanto GMO/GE Loophole NOW!