Chiropractic for Cancer Patients

Note from Dr. Manning: I believe strongly that cancer patients benefit from chiropractic care. Chiropractic can help to alleviate pain and discomfort; assist with the absorption of medication; and allow your body to function more efficiently,  therefore strengthening your body’s ability to fight disease.  Chiropractic can not cure cancer, but it can help in a patient’s battle with the effects of this insidious illness. If you or a family member are fighting cancer, please schedule a time to speak to me personally.  https://manningwellness.com/schedule-a-free-consultation/

Cancer Treatment Centers of America Highlighted in ACA News Cover Story

Groundbreaking, Integrated Approach to Treatment Demonstrates Commitment to Patient-centered Care

Arlington, Va.—The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) today announced that Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA)—a pioneer in integrative care, incorporating chiropractic services and other supportive therapies into its advanced, evidenced-based cancer treatments—is the focus of the cover story in the August 2013 issue of ACA News.

At CTCA’s five regional hospitals, chiropractic physicians work on teams alongside surgeons and oncologists to support cancer patients during their treatment. Its patient-centered approach came from a simple question, “If your mother had cancer, how would you want her to be treated?” CTCA’s founder, Richard J. Stephenson, lost his mother to cancer and wished that her treatment had been more focused on providing comprehensive care in addition to the advanced treatment options she needed.

Chiropractic physicians joined CTCA’s staff 10 years ago (due to patient demand), allowing its hospitals to offer truly comprehensive, integrated treatment under one roof. If a patient complains about a headache due to a new chemotherapy drug, his or her treatment team might first suggest the patient try a chiropractic adjustment as opposed to going on yet another medication.

According to Jeffrey Sklar, DC, eastern regional director in the department of chiropractic at CTCA, “We are not treating cancer, we are treating patients with cancer; it is whole-person care. And that is what got me turned on about chiropractic to begin with.”

CTCA’s model has influenced the way oncologists, surgeons and other clinicians around the country think about treating cancer patients. Whole-person cancer treatment combined with a compassionate, nurturing environment—known as the Mother Standard of Care—provides patients with much needed support during treatment.

“I applaud CTCA as an institution for its dedication to treating the whole patient by offering therapy aimed at combating the difficult side-effects of grueling cancer treatments, as well as the cancer itself,” said ACA President Keith Overland, DC. “I am truly inspired by my colleagues at CTCA, who are making a real difference in the quality of life for people undergoing cancer treatment.”

The August 2013 issue of ACA News, featuring more on chiropractic’s role in supporting patients at CTCA, and CTCA’s important support for the chiropractic profession and partnership with ACA, is available on ACA’s website. ACA News is the association’s flagship publication.

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA), celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013, is the largest professional association in the United States representing doctors of chiropractic. ACA promotes the highest standards of patient care and professional ethics, and supports research that contributes to the health and well-being of millions of chiropractic patients. Visitwww.acatoday.org.  

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A Popular Myth about Running Injuries

By Gretchen Reynolds:

Almost everyone who runs (or has shopped for running shoes) has heard that how your foot pronates, or rolls inward, as you land affects your injury risk. Pronate too much or too little, conventional wisdom tells us, and you’ll wind up hurt. But a provocative new study shows that this deeply entrenched belief is probably wrong and that there is still a great deal we don’t understand about pronation and why the foot rolls as it does.

13120162-runner-woman-running-on-mountain-road-in-beautiful-nature-asian-female-sport-fitness-model-jogging-tFor the new study, published online this month in The British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark and other institutions began by advertising in Danish newspapers and at gyms to find men and women who didn’t run but were game to try.

Recruiting novice runners for studies of injury risk is somewhat unusual. More typically, researchers rely on surveys of experienced runners, since those are, after all, the people who develop running injuries. By asking them about themselves, their training, their bodies and how they became injured, researchers have gained valuable insights into why runners get hurt.

But such studies have limitations. They rely on people’s notoriously leaky memories, instead of controlled experiments. And because experienced longtime runners often have a history of injuries, and one injury frequently contributes to the next, it can be difficult to tease out the original primary risk factor.

So the Danish researchers turned to running newcomers, who would provide, in effect, a blank injury slate. They eventually settled on 927 healthy adults, an impressively large group by exercise-science standards. The volunteers, men and women, ranged in age from 18 to 65.

Then, using elaborate measurements and visual evaluations, the researchers profiled each volunteer’s foot, to determine how he or she pronated.

Pronation, of course, is natural and desirable during running. When your foot flattens and rolls inward as you strike the ground — that is, when it pronates — it absorbs some of the forces generated by the impact of landing.

But it has long been thought that pronating too much or too little leads to a heightened risk of injuries to the leg or hip.

Determining exactly how much any given person pronates while in motion, however, is not easy. In very broad terms, flatter feet are associated with more pronation and higher-arched feet with less. But in this study, the researchers went beyond those simple guidelines and created what is known as a foot posture profile for each runner.

Using a widely accepted foot classification system, they divided the volunteers into those with neutral pronation, overpronation, severe overpronation, underpronation or severe underpronation.

Then they gave all of the volunteers the same model of lightweight, neutral running shoes (rather than motion-control shoes, which are designed to correct pronation problems), along with a GPS watch to track their mileage and instructions to report any injury, which would then be assessed by medical personnel.

The volunteers subsequently ran as much as they wished at a self-chosen pace for a full year. As a whole, the group covered more than 203,000 miles and developed about 300 medically confirmed injuries.

Contrary to received running wisdom, however, those who overpronated or underpronated were not significantly more likely to get hurt than runners with neutral foot motion.

Among those who covered at least 600 miles during the year, injury rates in fact were slightly higher among the runners with neutral feet than among those who overpronated.

This result confirms those of several earlier experiments showing that when runners choose their shoes based on their foot type — when overpronators wear motion-control shoes, for instance, to reduce how much they pronate — they sustain injuries at the same rate or at higher rates than when they choose shoes at random.

In essence, what these findings suggest, says Rasmus Ostergaard Nielsen, a doctoral researcher at Aarhus University who led the new study, is that supposedly deviant degrees of pronation may not in practice be abnormal and do not contribute to injuries.

And if that is the case, he continues, runners, especially those new to the activity, probably do not need to obsess about their foot type. Instead, he says, they could more profitably “pay attention to things like body mass, training, behavior, age and previous injury in order to prevent running-related injuries.”

Other researchers agree. “This is an excellent study,” says Bryan Heiderscheit, an associate professor of biomechanics and director of the running clinic at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. The research reinforces a widespread belief among scientists studying running “that pronation doesn’t play much of a role” in injury risk, he says.

It also suggests, he says, that trying to alter pronation with a specific type of shoe is probably misguided. At the university’s running clinic, “we see so many injured runners who’ve been told that they overpronate” and need sturdy motion-control shoes to fix the problem. “They wind up injured anyway.”

Instead, he says, this new study and common sense suggest that comfort is likely to be a better guide to shoe choice than foot posture. “We don’t know” whether anyone’s given degree of pronation needs to be altered, he says. “We do know that comfort helps” to make running tolerable. But when he asks injured runners at the clinic whether their current shoes are comfortable, “it’s amazing,” he says, “how many say no.”

 (Reprinted from the New York Times)
Top rated Dallas chiropractor Dr. Jeff Manning can help diagnose and alleviate pain and discomfort you may experience after exercising, especially after running. An expert in the use of kinesiotaping, Dr. Manning has helped many patients–from novice athletes to marathoners–with non-invasive procedure designed to help the body help itself.

JAMA suggests Chiropractic before Surgery for Back Pain

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Chiropractic Physicians Provide Natural Alternatives for Pain Treatment, Injury Prevention

May 8, 2013, Arlington, Va.—An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggests patients try chiropractic services for the treatment of low back pain. According to the article, surgery is not usually needed and should only be considered if more conservative therapies fail. The information in JAMA reinforces the American Chiropractic Association’s (ACA) position that conservative care options should serve as a first line of defense against pain.

The article, part of JAMA’s Patient Page public education series, explains that the back is made up of bones, nerves, muscles and other soft tissues such as ligaments and tendons that support posture and give the body flexibility. Back pain can be caused by problems with any of the structures in the back.

As neuromusculoskeletal experts, chiropractic physicians are particularly well suited to manage and help prevent low back pain.

“We are encouraged to see JAMA suggest patients try chiropractic and other more conservative types of treatment for their back pain. In many cases pain can be alleviated without the use of unnecessary drugs or surgery, so it makes sense to exhaust conservative options first,” said ACA President Keith Overland, DC.

“Research confirms that the services provided by chiropractic physicians are not only clinically effective but also cost-effective, so taking a more conservative approach at the onset of low back pain can also potentially save both patients and the health care system money down the line,” he added.

For those who are currently pain-free, the exercise tips, posture recommendations and guidance on injury prevention routinely provided by chiropractic physicians can help people maintain a healthy back throughout their lives. To learn more, contact Dr. Jeff Manning for a FREE PHONE CONSULTATION at Manning Wellness Clinic

Manning Wellness Clinic

2702 McKinney Avenue, suite 202

Dallas, TX 75204

214-720-2225

www.manningwellness.com

A Better Mac and Cheese recipe

To post information about the questionable additives in Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, and suggest that you try to cut down or eliminate eating it, leaves a void for many mac-n-cheese loving folks…our children included. The following recipe, though not flavored or colored like the well-known blue box, definitely fits the bill when you’re craving some comfort food. And it is EASY!! Our kids love it, as do their friends.

A Better Mac and Cheese

mac and cheese

1  1/2 cups cottage cheese

1 1/2 cups skim milk (1 or 2% is ok too)

1 tsp dried mustard or 1 Tbl prepared mustard

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt (cottage cheese has a high sodium content so you can omit this)

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/4 cup grated onions (you can sub with 2 T chopped dried onion)

1 cup plus extra grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 lb uncooked whole wheat macaroni

2 Tbl grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 9 or 10″ square baking pan with a light  coating of cooking spray. In a blender, combine the cottage cheese, milk, mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper and purée until smooth. In a large bowl combine the puréed mixture with the onions, cheddar cheese, and uncooked macaroni. Stir well. Pour the macaroni and cheese mixture into the baking pan. Combine the grated Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs and sprinkle evenly over the top. Bake for about 45 minutes until the topping is browned and the center is firm.

 

Is It Better to Walk or Run?

Walking and running are the most popular physical activities for American adults. But whether one is preferable to the other in terms of improving health has long been debated. Now a variety of new studies that pitted running directly against walking are providing some answers. Their conclusion? It depends almost completely on what you are hoping to accomplish.

If, for instance, you are looking to control your weight — and shallowly or not, I am — running wins, going away. In a study published last month in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, and unambiguously titled “Greater Weight Loss From Running than Walking,” researchers combed survey data from 15,237 walkers and 32,215 runners enrolled in the National Runners and Walkers Health Study — a large survey being conducted at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif.

Participants were asked about their weight, waist circumference, diets and typical weekly walking or running mileage both when they joined the study, and then again up to six years later.

The runners almost uniformly were thinner than the walkers when each joined the study. And they stayed that way throughout. Over the years, the runners maintained their body mass and waistlines far better than the walkers.

The difference was particularly notable among participants over 55. Runners in this age group were not running a lot and generally were barely expending more calories per week during exercise than older walkers. But their body mass indexes and waist circumferences remained significantly lower than those of age-matched walkers.

Why running should better aid weight management than walking is not altogether clear. It might seem obvious that running, being more strenuous then walking, burns more calories per hour. And that’s true. But in the Berkeley study and others, when energy expenditure was approximately matched — when walkers head out for hours of rambling and burn the same number of calories over the course of a week as runners — the runners seem able to control their weight better over the long term.

One reason may be running’s effect on appetite, as another intriguing, if small, study suggests. In the study, published last year in the Journal of Obesity, nine experienced female runners and 10 committed female walkers reported to the exercise physiology lab at the University of Wyoming on two separate occasions. On one day, the groups ran or walked on a treadmill for an hour. On the second day, they all rested for an hour. Throughout each session, researchers monitored their total energy expenditure. They also drew blood from their volunteers to check for levels of certain hormones related to appetite.

After both sessions, the volunteers were set free in a room with a laden buffet and told to eat at will.

The walkers turned out to be hungry, consuming about 50 calories more than they had burned during their hourlong treadmill stroll.

The runners, on the other hand, picked at their food, taking in almost 200 calories less than they had burned while running.

The runners also proved after exercise to have significantly higher blood levels of a hormone called peptide YY, which has been shown to suppress appetite. The walkers did not have increased peptide YY levels; their appetites remained hearty.

So to eat less, run first.

But on other measures of health, new science shows that walking can be at least as valuable as running — and in some instances, more so. A study published this month that again plumbed data from the Runners and Walkers Health Study found that both runners and walkers had equally diminished risks of developing age-related cataracts compared to sedentary people, an unexpected but excellent benefit of exercise.

And in perhaps the most comforting of the new studies, published last month in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology and again using numbers from the versatile Runners and Walkers Health Study, runners had far less risk of high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol profiles, diabetes and heart disease than their sedentary peers. But the walkers were doing even better. Runners, for instance, reduced their risk of heart disease by about 4.5 percent if they ran an hour a day. Walkers who expended the same amount of energy per day reduced their risk of heart disease by more than 9 percent.

Of course, few walkers match the energy expenditure of runners. “It’s fair to say that, if you plan to expend the same energy walking as running, you have to walk about one and a half times as far and that it takes about twice as long,” said Paul T. Williams, a staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories and the lead author of all of the studies involving the surveys of runners and walkers.

On the other hand, people who begin walking are often more unhealthy than those who start running, and so their health benefits from the exercise can be commensurately greater.

“It bears repeating that either walking or running is healthier than not doing either,” Dr. Williams said, whatever your health goals.

For confirmation, consider one additional aspect of the appetite study. The volunteers in that experiment had sat quietly for an hour during one session, not exercising in any fashion, neither running nor walking. And afterward they were famished, consuming about 300 calories more than the meager few they had just burned.  

Addicted to Sugar?

Sugar. Honey. Maple syrup. Molasses. High fructose corn syrup. All of these are “added sugars,” and you are probably eating — and drinking – too much of them.

So says the latest report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics examined survey data from thousands of American adults to figure out whether we’re following the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines advise us to limit our total intake of added sugars, fats and other “discretionary calories” to between 5% and 15% of total calories consumed every day.images-2

It should come as no surprise that Americans as a whole are blowing past the 15% limit. In fact, the new report finds that from 2005 to 2010 we got 13% of our total calories from added sugar alone, according to the CDC report. This is a problem not just because sugar is full of calories that cause us to gain weight, but because sugary items often displace fruits, vegetables and other foods that contain essential nutrients.

Overall, men consumed more sugar per day (an average of 335 calories) than women (239), the researchers found. But as a percentage of total calories consumed per day, men and women were pretty even — 12.7% vs. 13.2%.

Adults tended to eat the most sugar in their 20s and 30s, with consumption falling steadily over time. For instance, men between 20 and 39 ate and drank 397 calories of added sugar per day, on average, while men in their 40s and 50s consumed an average of 338 such calories per day and men in the 60+ crowd consumed 224 calories of added sugar daily. For women, the daily consumption peaked at 275 calories in the 20-39 age group before falling to 236 calories for those 40 to 59 and a mere 182 calories for those 60 and older. For both men and women, added sugar’s contribution to total calories fell steadily from the 14% range to the 11% range.

African Americans got more of their calories from added sugars — 14.5% for men and 15.2% for women —  than whites (12.8% for men, 13.2% for women) or Mexican Americans (12.9% for men, 12.6% for women). The differences between whites and Mexican Americans were not statistically significant.

The researchers also discovered that the poorer people were, the bigger the role that added sugars played in their diets. Women in the lowest income category got 15.7% of their calories from sugar, compared with 13.4% for women in the middle income category and 11.6% for women with the highest incomes. For men, the corresponding figures were 14.1%, 13.6% and 11.5%.

Although sugar-sweetened soda is the single biggest source of added sugars in the American diet, beverages overall accounted for only one-third of added sugars consumed by adults, compared with two-thirds from food. In addition, about 67% of added sugars from food were eaten at home, along with 58% of added sugars from drinks.

The researchers noted some differences between their findings for adults and what other studies have reported about children and teens. For example, the contribution of added sugars to total daily calories was comparable for black and white children and lower for Mexican-American children. And, children and teens of all income levels get the same proportion of daily calories from added sugars.

Added sugars do not include the sugars that occur naturally in fruit and milk. As the name implies, added sugars are used as ingredients in prepared and processed foods and drinks. For the sake of the analysis, other forms of added sugar included brown sugar, raw sugar, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, malt syrup, pancake syrup, fructose sweetener, liquid fructose, anhydrous dextrose, crystal dextrose and dextrin.

By Karen Kaplan, Science Now blog.

 

 

Surprising advice that’ll transform how you enjoy favorite foods

Eat bananas when they’re green and potatoes when they’re cold

By JULIETTE KELLOW
UPDATED: 18:28 EST, 13 February 2012

The type of food you heap on to your plate is not the only thing you need to think about. How you cook, prepare or eat it can dramatically affect its health benefits. Here, dietitian Juliette Kellow reveals the best ways to serve popular kitchen staples…

SWEETCORN IS BEST FROM A CAN

Canned sweetcorn still counts as one of your five a day. And, now, scientists from New York’s Cornell University have even found the heat treatment used to process canned sweetcorn increases the amount of antioxidants in it by a huge 44 per cent.

Antioxidants help to mop up the free radicals in the body, which can damage cells and raise the risk of health problems such as heart disease and cancer. This increase in antioxidants more than makes up for the loss of vitamin C from canning.

Unripe is right: A greener banana means you’ll absorb fewer calories

CHILL YOUR POTATOES

When potatoes are cooked, their starch cells swell and start to break down — a process known as gelatinisation. This allows them to be digested more easily.

But when potatoes are chilled after cooking, some of the gelatinised starch is converted into a more solid, crystalline form of starch that can’t be digested, called resistant starch.

This resistant starch, like fibre, ends up in the large intestine, where it’s thought to help improve bowel regularity. In a UK study, cooked potatoes were found to have 7 per cent resistant starch, increasing to 13 per cent when cooled.

But if you’re making potato salad, don’t undo all the good work by mixing them with mayonnaise. Instead, combine with fat-free Greek yoghurt, spring onions and chives.

DON’T COOK WITH VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

Extra virgin olive oil is rich in omega-6 fats, which block the body’s response to inflammation in chronic conditions such as heart disease and arthritis. Many people use it to cook with in favour of other oils.

But as this type of olive oil is less processed than other oils, it has a low smoke point — the temperature at which the nutritional benefits are affected.

Once oils have reached this point, their chemical composition alters and they start to contain more free radicals — harmful molecules that can damage cells. So it is not a good choice for high temperature cooking and is best left for dressings and marinades.

BOIL CARROTS, DON’T STEAM THEM

Italian researchers have found that compared to raw and steamed carrots, boiled ones had the highest levels of carotenoids — anti-oxidants the body uses to make vitamin A, which is important for growth, reproduction, immunity, healthy skin, eyes and hair.

Per 100g, boiled carrots also contained 28mg vitamin C — only a little less than the 31mg in raw carrots and a lot more than the 19mg in steamed carrots.

BREW TEA FOR AT LEAST ONE MINUTE

Brew benefits: Tea contains polyphenols – antioxidants that protect cells in the heart

Tea contains polyphenols — antioxidants that protect cells in the heart. Polyphenols are released only when tea is heated, and it takes one to four minutes sitting in hot water to do this, says nutritionist Carrie Ruxton.

According to a British Nutrition Foundation report, some studies have found that adding milk reduces the body’s absorption of polyphenols, but others say it doesn’t have an effect.

UNDERCOOK YOUR PASTA

Pasta tends to have a low glycaemic index (GI), meaning it keeps you fuller for longer so you’re less at risk of hunger pangs. But to keep it that way it needs to be cooked al dente (firm).

When pasta is firm, the digestive enzymes in the gut take longer to break down the starch into sugars, so they’re released more slowly into the bloodstream, filling us up for longer and making it easier to control our weight. If it’s overcooked, the GI increases, so the starch is more readily broken down into sugars.

So start testing your pasta at least two to three minutes before the suggested cooking time to ensure you keep an al dente texture.

USE HIGH-FAT SALAD DRESSING

To get the best from your salad, use full-fat dressing made with oil. That’s because we need fat for our bodies to absorb important antioxidants linked to healthier hearts and a lower rate of cancer. 

Research from Ohio State University found that eating fresh salad with fat helped the body to absorb antioxidants such as lycopene from tomatoes, beta-carotene from carrots and lutein and zeaxanthin from salad leaves. The more fat there is, the more antioxidants are absorbed.

As an alternative, top salads with avocado, which is rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.

CASSEROLE OR STEW MEAT

Grilling and barbecuing are often championed as low-fat methods for cooking meat. But the National Cancer Institute has found that cooking meat at high temperatures can create two harmful chemicals — heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) — which have been linked to causing cancer in animals.

It’s healthier to cook dishes at lower temperatures and use methods that are unlikely to result in meat being charred, such as stews and casseroles. Meanwhile, add plenty of herbs and spices. Naturally occurring compounds found in rosemary, for example, have been shown to block the formation of HCAs by up to 92 per cent in meat that’s cooked at high temperatures and well-done.

And spices such as turmeric, coriander and cumin have been found to prevent HCAs from  forming by up to 39 per cent, according to research from Kansas State University.

OPT FOR ORGANIC MILK

Healthy start: Organic milk contains more omega-3 fats which are good for the heart

While most people know milk, including skimmed milk, is a rich source of calcium, what many people won’t realise is that it also contains omega-3 fats.

These are important for heart health: they reduce the stickiness of blood so it’s less likely to clot; keep the heart beating regularly; and protect small arteries.

A three-year study by the Universities of Liverpool and Glasgow suggest organic milk contains more omega-3 fats than standard milk. This is thought to be because of the cows’ diet of grass, while non-organically farmed cows rely on grains and proteins.

A recent study from Newcastle University has also found organic milk had 24 per cent more heart-healthy polyunsaturated fats, including conjugated linoleic acid (which has been found to lower ‘bad’ cholesterol) and eicosapentaenoic acid (an omega-3 fat), than conventional milk. But remember, it’s important to cut down on saturated fat for a healthy heart, so opt for semi-skimmed organic.

EAT GREEN BANANAS

It’s a common misconception that ripe bananas contain more calories than unripe ones, but it’s true they taste sweeter. That’s because some of the starches are turned into sugars as banana ripens, but this doesn’t affect their calorie content.

But the degree of ripeness does affect how many calories you may get from the fruit. The less ripe a banana is, the more resistant starch it contains, and so the slower it is absorbed by the body and the lower its GI. This means more undigested starch passes into the large intestine, so a greener banana means you’ll absorb fewer calories.

SWAP LATTES FOR AMERICANOS

Research confirms that drinking four to five cups of coffee a day is safe and may even benefit health — for example, helping to protect against heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Better still, coffee counts towards the recommended daily fluid intake of 1½ to two litres. That’s why it’s better to have a long coffee rather than an espresso.

Additionally, a large latte made with full-fat milk contains 225 calories — 11 per cent of a woman’s recommended daily amount. A large Americano with a splash of semi-skimmed milk has just 50 calories.

(reprinted from the UK daily Mail) 

Are Apples Bad for your Health?

Apples Top EWG’s Dirty Dozen

images-1Washington, D.C. – Apples top the Environmental Working Group’s annual Dirty Dozen™ list of most pesticide-contaminated produce, followed by strawberries, grapes and celery. Other fresh fruits and vegetables on the new Dirty Dozen list, a part of EWG’s 2013 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ are peaches, spinach, sweet bell peppers, imported nectarines, cucumbers, potatoes, cherry tomatoes and hot peppers.

EWG’s Clean Fifteen™ list, those fruits and vegetables with the least pesticide load, consists of corn, onions, pineapples, avocados, cabbage, frozen sweet peas, papayas, mangoes, asparagus, eggplant, kiwi, grapefruit, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes and mushrooms.

“When given a choice, more consumers are choosing organic fruits and vegetables or using EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to find an easy affordable way to avoid toxic chemicals,” said Sonya Lunder, an EWG senior analyst. “They want to eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables without eating too many pesticides. And they want to support local farms and agriculture that is better for the environment.”

EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, now in its 9th year, ranks pesticide contamination on 48 popular fruits and vegetables, based on an analysis of more than 28,000 samples tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and federal Food and Drug Administration.

 

Dr. Jeffrey Manning, DC

Manning Wellness Clinic

2702 McKinney Avenue, suite 202

Dallas, TX 75204

214-720-2225

www.manningwellness.com

Request an Appointment

Chia seeds–The ‘It’ Food of 2013

(From ABC News)

chia-seeds-photo-1024x768An ancient seed is finally having its day in the sun.

Actually, its second day in the sun. The first time around was as the key ingredient in the gag gift known as “the pottery that grows.” Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!

2013 is undoubtedly the year of the chia seed among the health conscious. For a while it was flax seed. And 2012 could easily have been named “the year of kale.” But this year, experts agree, belongs to chia.

“Chia seeds have been in Whole Foods for a long time, but they’re just now starting to grow in popularity,” said Drew Rosen, nutrition and cooking teacher at New York City’s Whole Foods Market Tribeca. “It’s an ancient crop, but because the seeds are so flexible and high in omega threes, they are just blossoming all over the markets in all different types of products.”

Indeed. There are chia seeds, ground chia seeds, chia bars, chia snacks, chia drinks. The drink aisle alone housed four different brands of chia-seed drinks.

All these products are in response to high demand. People are looking for chia in all its forms, Rosen said. “It runs the gamut, some people look for the seeds, some for the products. People want to make it easy for themselves.”

“Easy” could be precisely what makes chia such a hit in health food circles. While it can be made into pudding, or used as an egg substitute for the vegan crowd, the same benefits can be found simply by sprinkling a teaspoon into your yogurt, oatmeal or smoothie. Some people simply add it to their water.

Unlike flax seed, chia seeds don’t have to be ground and they don’t go rancid the way flax does. “Chia seeds are going to absolutely replace flax seeds,” said Rosen. “They’re the absolute best source of omega three fats on the market, hands down, when you consider the ratio of omega three to omega six.”

But he cautioned, “You should only eat a small amount, maximum one ounce a day.”

That’s because chia is very high in fiber, which in large quantities can cause stomach upset.

Licensed nutritionist Lisa Goldberg, who runs a company called Health Coach, which delivers healthy lunches, agrees that a little chia goes a long way. Including, she said, benefits for those trying to lose a few pounds.

“It’s a high source of fiber,” she said. “Chia will keep you fuller longer and prevent you from overeating. You have that feeling of fullness in your stomach because when you wet chia seeds, they form a gelatinous substance that takes longer to digest.

“You’ll overeat less and tend to snack less. If you eat chia before a meal, you’ll eat less at the next meal. It packs a nutritional punch without adding a lot of food to your diet.”

And while the drinks in particular are convenient and filling, Goldberg does not recommend them as a meal replacement. “There’s not enough nutrients and calories. What I would say is, it’s a great addition.”

 

Dr. Jeffrey Manning, DC

Manning Wellness Clinic

2702 McKinney Avenue, suite 202

Dallas, TX 75204

214-720-2225

www.manningwellness.com

Request an Appointment

TOP 10 USES FOR VINEGAR

TOP 10 USES FOR VINEGAR

TS-87589654_Bottle-of-white-vinegar_s3x4_al

Vinegar is an inexpensive, healthy way to clean and disinfect your home.

Cleaning drains: Pour 1/2 cup baking soda in the drain, followed by 1/2 cup vinegar; the mixture will foam as it cleans and deodorizes. Use every few weeks to keep drains clean.

Mildew on plastic shower curtains: Put the shower curtain in the washing machine with light-colored towels; add 1 cup white vinegar to the detergent and wash.

Soap scum on shower: Spray on vinegar, scrub and rinse.

Toilet hard-water rings: Shut off water at the tank and flush to remove as much water as possible. Spray vinegar on the ring, sprinkle in borax and scrub with drywall sandpaper.

Shower head deposits: Pour white vinegar into a plastic bag, tape to the shower head and leave overnight. Brush the shower head to remove remaining deposits.

Softening laundry: Fill dispenser with 1/4 cup white vinegar to soften laundry without leaving odors.

Cleaning vinyl floors: Add 1/4 cup vinegar to 1 gallon hot water for spotless floors.

Cleaning windows: Mix 50 percent white vinegar with 50 percent water in a spray bottle. Spray glass surfaces and wipe dry.

Neutralize pet odors: Mix 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts water. Pour on stained areas and blot; never rub to remove stains and odors.

Greasy dishes: Mix 2 tablespoons white vinegar to liquid dish soap to boost its cleaning power.

If you have any other ways you use vinegar, please let us know in the comments section! The more the better!

 

Dr. Jeffrey Manning, DC

Manning Wellness Clinic

2702 McKinney Avenue, suite 202

Dallas, TX 75204

214-720-2225

www.manningwellness.com

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