The Bottom Line
Spinal Column
Health comes from within, not from a bottle of pills, a
needle under the skin or the latest idea from the pages of
a glossy magazine. The unconscious intelligence which
pumps your blood, produces adrenaline when you run for
the bus, or converts alcohol on a Friday night to stop you
getting sick, regulates your level of health.
Wearing a mask in an airport doesn’t make you healthier.
Regular exercise, eating fresh fruit and vegetables,
avoiding toxins and getting your spine and nervous system
adjusted by your chiropractor makes you healthier.
The body needs no help to be healthy, it just needs no
interference to the nerves.
46 Kapiti Rd,
Paraparaumu
Phone:(04) 298-4339
Fax: (04) 298-4267
November 2009
The fastest elite distance runners
have a style quite similar to that
of a person running without
shoes. They absorb shock by
landing lightly on their forefeet
rather than on their heels, and
their landing leg is beneath the
Gratitude Column
The greatest compliment our clients can give is the referral of their friends and family. The team at
Thrive Chiropractic would like to thank the following clients for their trust:
Rosalyn Dix
Jenny Clifton
Christina Hood
Annette Benge
Kerry Andrews
Chris Wotton
Mark White
Wendy Van Belle
Doug Van Belle
Jo Galway
Steve Scott
Liz Morgan
Tracey Neal
Sally Brochocki
Pete Ludlum
Jan Williams
Spinal Column
November 2009
torso, with the leg slightly bent to
absorb impact.
Shoes treat your feet like planks
that move only at the ball of the
foot. In other words, they often
protect the feet so much that
certain muscles get lazy because
they are not being correctly used.
A researcher in
Queensland,
Australia, found
that running
barefoot decreased
the
occurrence of
ankle sprains
and
chronic
injuries of the foot joints. It encourages the body to coordinate
the muscles of the feet better and
stretches the Achilles tendon and
hamstrings better. The study
reported that in barefoot runners
the incidence of low back weakness and biomechanical dysfunc-
tion was significantly reduced.
They deduced that this was due
to the interconnectivity of normal
gait and core control in the spine.
Barefoot runners use 4% less
oxygen than those using a tailor
made running shoe. The muscles
of the body fatigue less easily
and the gait is more efficient
when running barefoot.
The research suggests that we
should walk barefoot more often.
We should
even try
running
s h o r t
distances
barefoot
to
help
strengthen
up
our
legs and lower spines. Years of
using shoes has been making us
lazy and may be responsible for
weakness in the supporting
structures of the spine.
Did You Know?
• 80% of the human brain is made of water.
• The acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve razorblades.
• Scientists have discovered over 500 different functions for the human liver .
• Small noises makes your pupils dilate and eyes refocus.
• The tooth is the only part of the human body which is incapable of repairing itself.
INSIDE
•
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Issue 9
Weak Spine? Go Barefoot!
Since Nike first introduced a
spongy cushion to lift the heels of
running shoes in the 1970’s, our
feet and gait have changed.
There are 26 bones, 33 joints and
over 100 muscles, tendons and
ligaments in the human foot. The
interaction of all these parts have
changed dramatically since we
started wearing shoes.
A study conducted on the gait of
barefoot tribesman in the
Philippines in 1905 showed how
when walking naturally without
shoes our toes become more
splayed, our arches become
stronger and the ball of the foot
becomes more prominent.
Emergency Call Out
(021) 483-780
Jan Brown
Steve Scott
Lorraine Milne
Libby Campion
Aimee Watson
Graeme Scott
Donna Heathcote
Kerry McIntyre
A Better View of Health
Great Spicy Cookies
• Metabolism in a Nutshell
• Chiropractic for High Blood Pressure
A Metabolic Maze.
Ever heard the phrase, “Oh,
she’s got a fast metabolism,
she can eat whatever she
likes and won’t put on an
ounce of weight!”? But what is
really meant by metabolism?
When we eat, food is converted into energy. The term
"metabolism" refers to the way
(not the speed) that your body
processes and uses the food
you eat. Rather than "faster"
or "slower" metabolism, it's
most accurate to describe
metabolism as efficient or
functional versus inefficient or
dysfunctional.
Metabolism is made up of
several components:
• Basal metabolism – 60 to
65 percent of the calories you
eat daily are spent keeping
you alive and providing basic
energy for life support. If you
were to lay in bed all day, you
would still need these calories
to support basic body functions.
• Physical activity – 25-35
percent of your calories are
required for movement and
physical activity.
Kel’s Recipe Corner— Anne’s Spicy Tea Biscuits
Input calories = Calories
expended for basal metabolism + digesting needs + activity levels.
Therefore to lose weight we
need to reduce the calories
taken in, increase the calories
expended or do both.
We can also help shortcut the
process by increasing our
metabolic efficiency. This can
be achieved by exercising
more regularly, exercising in
the mornings (our metabolic
activity rate is higher in the
morning and exercise then
has a more sustained effect),
or even consuming certain
foods. Some research has
indicated that foods types can
speed up or even slow down
metabolic efficiency. So here
are a few places to start.
Grapefruit
Lowers the insulin levels in
your body that trigger fat
storage. But eat grapefruit
whole rather then drinking the
juice. We get greater benefit
from the fiber contained which
requires extra calories to
break it down.
• Thermic effect of food –
About 10 percent of calories
are spent processing the food
you eat. For example, if you
eat 2000 calories a day, you
should be burning 200 calories a day simply eating and
digesting your food.
and most importantly nerve
function.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a brain and nerve
stimulant. As such it also has
a stimulating effect on your
metabolic function. But don’t
overdo it. Three cups of
espresso or five cups of
instant coffee or tea are the
maximum daily intakes or you
risk the jitters, irritability or
other side effects.
At Thrive staff meetings every
Wednesday we take turns to provide
morning tea.
Last week Anne produced these
fantastic biscuits. They were so good
we decided to share them.
Ingredients
225g butter
1Cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg - separated
3 TBS cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
Blanched almond halves
Healthy weight maintenance
is about consuming equal
calories (energy) to what you
expend.
Page 2
place on a well greased oven tray.
Place almond 1/2 on each biscuit
brush with lightly beaten egg yolk.
Bake until darkened (~10 min) at
180ºC.
Place on cooling rack to harden.
Turkey
This lean, white, protein rich
meat has many health advantages, one of which is raising
your basal metabolism.
Jalapenos
A compound called capaisin
which is found in hot peppers
causes you to burn extra
calories for hours after eating.
But don’t make too much of a
habit of it as very high consumption has been linked to
an increase in throat cancers.
Cinnamon
Helps to break down complex
sugars more effectively and
steady your blood glucose.
Try adding a pinch to your cup
of tea.
These foods will assist in
metabolic regulation but are
not a substitute for healthy
food choices and regular
exercise.
Chiropractic to Reduce High Blood Pressure.
Researchers at Rush University in
Chicago have just published a study
which assessed the use of a specific
chiropractic adjustment on blood
pressure. In a group of 50 patients
with an average age of 52, the
researchers experimented with a
specific adjustment or a sham
procedure.
None of the patients received any
blood pressure medication during
the study.
The group which received the chiropractic adjustment had a marked
and sustained reduction in blood
pressure. This reduction was the
equivalent expected with the use of
drug therapy.
Ref: Bakris Et.Al. Atlas realignment and achievement of arterial
pressure goal in hypertensive
patients. Journal of Human Hypertension, (2007). 1-6.
High Blood pressure is a contributing factor in heart disease,
stroke, kidney disease and complications during pregnancy.
In an aging population with an
increasing prevalence of high
blood pressure this study has
significant implications for effective, drug free management without side effects.
The office will be closed over
the Christmas break.
We will be closing on
24 December at 12 noon
and reopening on
Monday 11 January 2010.
In an emergency during the holiday’s call
Although they raise your metabolism they are packed with
calories so don’t overdo it.
Also a great source of magnesium which is vital for normal
bone growth, muscle function
Spinal Column
The researchers also noted that
patients did not develop any side
effects from the adjustment. This
finding is significant as traditional
drug therapy for high blood pressure is notorious for adverse
reactions.
CHRISTMAS HOURS:
Almonds
The Metabolic Balance
Method
Cream butter and sugar.
Add egg yolk and 1/4 of white to
creamed mixture.
Sift dry ingredients and mix well into
wet mixture.
Chill dough in fridge (about 1 hour)
until firm.
Cut dough into 4 equal sizes and roll
out each separately. Do not use a
floured pin as this will spoil the recipe.
Roll until 3mm thick
Cut dough with cookie cutter and
(021) 483 780.
November 2009
Page 3
Spinal Column
November 2009