Upcoming Events (visit the events page for details):
Reiki Workshop- Thursday, August 1, 7:00 – 8:00 P.M. at Vital Health and Wellness
Stay cool with this highly nutritious and delicious salad! Great for picnics, grilled dinners, or mid day snack!
Fennel Kale Orange Hemp Salad
Makes 2-3 servings
1 small-medium bunch curly kale
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Manitoba Harvest Hemp Oil
3/4 teaspoon fresh orange zest *
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan crystal salt
pinch nutmeg
1 cup fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 cup orange, peeled, seeded & chopped *
8 kalamata olives, pitted & chopped
1 tablespoon Manitoba Harvest Shelled Hemp Seeds
1 tablespoon fennel leaves, chopped
Destem the kale. You can leave the more tender parts of the stem (toward the top of each leaf) in the salad, but the harder stems toward the bottom of each leaf should be torn out. Tear apart the kale leaves into bite-size pieces or use a knife and chop.
* Zest one orange and reserve ¾ teaspoon. Remaining zest can be placed in baggie and frozen for another use. Peel orange, seed it, and chop into nice bite sized pieces.
Place the torn kale into a large bowl. Add the lemon juice, hemp oil, orange zest, salt, and nutmeg. Take a minute and massage all of these ingredients together with your hands. Add the fennel, orange, olives, hemp seeds, and fennel leaves, and gently toss to mix. Enjoy!
Source: Manitoba Harvest
Vitamin D: Sunshine, Sunscreen and Supplementation
Kathy Sweeney, N.D.
By now many of you have heard about the importance of vitamin D in disease prevention. Vitamin D is known to be protective against cancer; it supports natural immunity helping to fight infection and also appears to play a role in rebalancing the immune system in the case of autoimmune diseases; it is certainly as important as calcium in prevention of osteoporosis. The more we learn about vitamin D, the more we realize its overall protection against disease and importance to optimal health.
Now that the importance of vitamin D is clearly established, the question as to how best to get enough vitamin D on a daily basis arises. Do we take an oral supplement? Do we take advantage of our body’s ability to synthesize vitamin D from ultraviolet B rays present in sunshine? But to do this means we have to go outside in the sun. So what about skin cancer? In Portland we are blessed with close to 4 months out of the year during which we can count on regular sunshine. So for this part of the year, I usually recommend to people to put away their vitamin D supplements, save a little cash, and get out into the sunshine. It is true that sun exposure leads to sunburn which may lead to skin cancer. However, sun exposure itself does not cause cancer. In fact, some recent studies indicate sun exposure may actually protect against cancer. The trick is not to get sunburned! Sunburn definitely is associated with higher rates of skin cancer. When your skin begins to become slightly pink, it’s time to cover up or slather on the sunscreen. As you develop tolerance to the sun, you will usually be able to stay out a little longer as your body naturally increases melanin (the pigment responsible for a tan and also for naturally darker skin color) production.
Because we have been continually warned against sun exposure for fear of cancer, some dermatologists going so far as to recommend complete abstinence from unprotected (absence of sunscreen) sun exposure, many people now apply sunscreen prior to even stepping out into the sun. However, sunscreen blocks UV-B radiation which is required for vitamin D synthesis in the skin. There are cases of elite athletes who have developed osteoporosis and bone fractures at a very young age despite weight-bearing activity, adequate calcium intake, and plenty of sun exposure due to their outdoor sport. However, they regularly applied sunscreen before going outside and their vitamin D levels were found to be extremely low. Sunscreen is necessary to protect from sunburn if you are going to be outside in the sun for longer than your skin tolerance. However, I recommend applying the sunscreen after you have been out for 20 to 40 minutes, depending on your skin tolerance for sunshine. The length of time required to synthesize adequate levels of vitamin D, varies with the time of day (intensity of UVB rays varies), geographic location, your skin tone, and the amount of skin actually exposed. The lighter the skin, the shorter time required to synthesize sufficient vitamin D. A general recommendation is to get at least 20 minutes of sun exposure every day.
The benefit of allowing your body to naturally synthesize vitamin D from sun exposure is that you will never get too much vitamin D from the sun. Your body just won’t allow it. Vitamin D is fat soluble which means the body can store it up to the point of toxicity. And once you reach toxic levels of vitamin D, it is difficult to reverse. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you have your vitamin D levels tested before beginning to supplement with it. Talk to your doctor about vitamin D testing, the optimal level of vitamin D and the best way for you to reach and maintain those levels.
Obtaining Vitamin D Nutritionally
Lee Ann Petrie, NTP
Vitamin D is actually not very often consumed naturally, but rather produced in the body. Sunlight is the best source. The ultraviolet-B radiation (UVB; wavelengths of 290 to 315 nanometers) stimulates the production of vitamin D3 in the epidermis of the skin. Sunlight exposure can provide most people with their entire vitamin D requirement. However, if there is inadequate sunlight (e.g. living in the northwest) or one wears sunblock on a daily basis, other sources of vitamin D intake is necessary.
Vitamin D is found naturally in very few foods. Foods containing vitamin D include some fatty fish (mackerel, salmon, sardines), fish liver oils, and eggs from hens that have been fed vitamin D. It is equally important to make sure that these foods come from an exceptional source, as poor quality can lead to other concerning issues. Be aware also of foods fortified with Vitamin D as they have usually been fortified with D2, which is much less well utilized by the body than D3.
I personally raised my daily vitamin D recommendation from 400 IU to 1,000-2000 IU because of the accumulating body of evidence showing that vitamin D is more important than we once thought, not only for our bones (it promotes calcium absorption) but for the protection it provides against many serious diseases. Most experts now agree that 1,000 IU is the amount of vitamin D we all should be getting daily.
Remember, it is important to look for supplements that provide D3 (choleciferol) rather than D2 (ergocalciferol). Additionally, if you desire to take higher doses of Vitamin D, I highly recommend that you take it in an emulsified form to avoid toxicity issues. I am aware of two supplement companies that put Vitamin D in this format and I carry both. They are very reasonably priced. IF you’d like to learn more about Vitamin D and bringing it into your daily diet, please feel free to give me a call! 503.235-5967.
Feel the Heat? How are Your Feet?
Kirstin Schumaker, LMT
The hot days of summer are here, and like me, you may be spending a lot more time ambling around in flip-flops or pounding the pavement in sandals. Have you noticed any clues that this footwear is not supporting your structure well? Perhaps your bunion has been more sore lately, your arches have started to bother you again, or your plantar fasciitis acting up? Or maybe you have been feeling a bit of knee pain that is new to you in recent weeks? You might attribute these discomforts to wearing less supportive shoes, and yet it seems worth the discomfort to keep your feet cool. But wait—let’s not miss this opportunity to attend to your body’s messages of discomfort!
Beyond supportive footwear, there may be something you can do that will prevent progressive damage to your joints. Yoga practitioners know that with much practice and time we can retrain our legs and feet to more comfortably support us. Yoga poses can lengthen shortened tissues and help to realign the joints. Did you know that manual work from a Structural Integrator can also help to lengthen shortened tissues and realign joints?
I love to help people by sorting out the puzzle of their body’s structural issues. Sometimes we can make significant improvements in just one session, although we generally get longer lasting results with a series of sessions. The best time to address little pains related to posture and structure is when you first begin to notice them, before misalignment leads to wear and tear that progresses to real joint damage. But shifting a postural pattern that has been with you for 20 or more years is quite possible, and would be a rewarding experience for both of us!
If you are already doing yoga, or are actively involved in some sort of training and stretching, that’s all the better, and good going. Your body will have an easier time making a shift and integrating the work we do in the office. Curious about what it is that I can do to help you? Call to schedule an introductory session or a free consultation with me in our cool air-conditioned office.
We Can’t Live Without WATER!
Augusta Swift, N.D.
60 to 75% of your physical body is water. Humans can live for a month or longer without food; yet we can only live for 3 or 4 days without water. Every function in your body takes place in water. It is the solvent that delivers nutrients, hormones, antibodies and oxygen to your cells and carries waste material away. If you are not drinking enough water, every metabolic function in your body is compromised.
Your brain is approximately 90% water. Proper hydration is important for concentration, memory, clarity and overall mental performance. Headaches, depression, fatigue, poor memory and other mental deficits can be related to dehydration.
Your digestive system requires adequate water in order to properly digest food. Increasing the amount of water you drink can alleviate common digestive symptoms such as heartburn (gastroesophageal reflux disease), gastritis and constipation. Additionally, water is an essential component of any weight loss program.
Your kidneys are constantly filtering your blood, concentrating the wastes, and eliminating them in the urine. Without sufficient water intake, the kidneys have to work much harder in order to reabsorb water from the urine. Over time, dehydration compromises the efficiency of the kidneys and the liver has to compensate for the inefficiency of the kidneys. The extra burden on the liver decreases its ability to process and eliminate waste material efficiently, leading to weight gain and inflammation as waste material is dumped into your tissues (fat, joints, muscles) instead of being eliminated.
Your heart is 75% water and your blood is 85% water. Proper hydration increases the efficiency of the cardiovascular system and is an important factor in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol and maintaining healthy blood vessels. Your lungs are moistened by water as they take in oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide and other wastes. Adequate hydration may decrease allergy and asthma symptoms.
Your bones are 22% water and your muscles are 75% water. The connective tissue surrounding joints requires adequate water in order to maintain its elasticity and allow ease of movement. The discs in your back are composed of water, which serves to support 75% of your upper body weight. Adequate water intake can significantly reduce or alleviate the pain associated with arthritis and back pain.
Adults lose 2 to 3 quarts of water per day! It is recommended that you drink ½ ounce of water for every pound of body weight – i.e. a 140 lb person should drink 70 oz of water per day. There is no substitute for drinking just plain water. Other beverages contain water but they have to be metabolized before the body can use the water. Additionally, other beverages add calories and can cause you to lose your taste for water.
Motor Vehicle Accident Safety Tips
Kevin Colling, D.C.
I normally talk about functional biomechanics in my articles, but since the summer months entice us into road trips, I wanted to take this opportunity to briefly speak about motor vehicle accidents, how to keep you and your child as safe as you can and how to prevent chronic injury.
Motor vehicle collisions are a major cause of injuries in the United States. They are the leading cause of preventable death in children and they are a leading cause of chronic pain, decreased range of motion and degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis). What can we do to be safe? Well, there are a number of things we can do to prevent accidents and to minimize an accident’s effect on our body. I’ll mention some of the important ones here:
Hopefully some of these tidbits have been helpful to improve your safety on the road. However, if you are in an accident, it is extremely important to seek care as soon as possible. When a problem is caught early it is much easier to resolve than a problem that has been left untreated for a long period of time. Even low impact, seemingly minor accidents can cause injuries. Research shows that 9% of Americans have chronic neck pain because of an automobile accident. Chronically tight muscles and restricted joints lead to decreased range of motion, painful movement and osteoarthritis. Our joints are designed to move. They have limited vascularity so they depend on motion to bring in nutrients and take away waste products. If a joint doesn’t move properly, it will begin to break down. This leads to arthritis and bone spurs. Seeking high quality care that addresses these issues is critical to full recovery.
I have much more valuable information about auto accident recovery, so if you would like a consultation please feel free to contact me. 503-808-9145.