Dr. Nate's Blog

It's not a tumor!

2010-07-27T21:12:00.008-05:00

Whenever I have a new patient come to my office with any complaint from neck pain, shoulder pain, low back pain, digestive problems, stress, all of the above, etc., I always go over a full medical history. We cover everything from past accidents to medications/supplements to diet (usually consisting of a pot of coffee and fast food). No matter what the main complaint is, I always ask if he/she gets headaches. 90% of the time I get a "duh" look followed by "well, yeah, but that is normal. I get 2-3 per month/week/day, but I have always had them. I just take an aspirin and it goes away." It really makes me laugh everytime.

HEADACHES ARE NOT NORMAL! And taking an aspirin to help your headache is not fixing anything. I like to use this analogy. Let's say you get a pebble in the bottom of your shoe and it is digging into the bottom of your foot. Probably doesn't feel good, right? Do you grab an aspirin to help with the pain? No, you reach down, take off your shoe and empty the pebble out of your shoe. It was the pebble that was causing the pain, not a lack of aspirin. Well, a lack of aspirin is not causing your headaches.

Although there are many different types of headaches (tension, cluster, migraine, etc.) and many, many more types of medications and treatments for those headaches, the posture of your neck can play a huge role with headaches. I especially like to see patients whose headaches have not responded to any of those medications/treatments. There are 7 vertebrae in your neck and the top three vertebrae have nerves that supply your head, face, sinuses. Many times I will find a subluxation (rotation of a vertebrae) in the neck which can cause a pinched nerve leading to headaches. By correcting the subluxation with a gentle manipulation, pressure is taken off of the nerves and usually the headache improves.

If you get headaches on a regular basis, don't suffer through them. You could be a chiropractic visit away from being headache and aspirin free.

Live Well.

Ear pain/infection

2010-04-26T21:33:00.001-05:00

With ear infections in children being one of the most common reasons for a doctor's visit, I thought I would pass along a great article about ear pain/infections...

http://www.drpalevsky.com/mediacenter/Alt_to_Ear_Pain.pdf

If your child suffers from repetitive ear infections or is bothered by ear pain, you can call our office at 847.888.3131 to schedule an appointment.

Live Well

What a mess!

2010-03-14T20:19:00.005-05:00

With our son, Zack, just getting over a bout of a stomach virus, what better time to talk about diarrhea and vomiting. Unfortunately, he did plenty of both over the last 4 days. Poor guy. Anytime your child is not feeling well, the number one thing to do is to keep him/her as comfortable as possible. Lots of rest and lots of love! All he wanted to do was cuddle and sleep. So that's what he did and we just made sure he got fluids throughout the day.

Diarrhea and vomiting can be treated in similar ways. There are many causes, but the most common cause is due to a stomach virus (viral gastroenteritis) which many people call the stomach flu. With a stomach virus, vomiting usually occurs first with or without a fever followed by diarrhea. This was the case for Zack. Because of the loss of fluids, you really want to keep your child hydrated. Also, because it is due to a virus, medicine does not help, so here are some helpful hints to help with the diarrhea and vomiting:

1) Stop foods especially solid (they'll just come back up or out)
2) Avoid dairy as it is irritating on the gut
3) Give frequent sips of fluids (water, breast milk, broths, soups, teas), but don't force it
4) Probiotics (I have a great infant powdered probiotic at my office)
5) Lots of rest

You should always monitor your child for severe dehydration (no tears when crying, altered or depressed mental status, dry diaper for more than 5 hours, skin that doesn't return to its position after being pinched) and you should seek medical care if you notice any of these signs.

Live Well.

I've Got a Fever

2010-02-08T20:26:00.009-06:00

When I think of a fever, a picture of Ferris Bueller holding his thermometer next to his bedside light comes into my head. How many of you did that as a kid knowing that a fever meant a day of no school?! Most of us are taught at an early age that a fever is a bad thing. We need to "break" the fever with Tylenol or Ibuprofen. We have become fever phobic as a society. What if I told you that a fever is a good thing. Gasp! Yep, you read that right.

A fever is part of your body's natural defense system. It shows that your immune system is working properly and especially in children it helps to strengthen the immune system. A fever helps to fight off and kill bacteria and viruses. When you suppress the fever, you are suppressing your body's defense and leaving it more susceptible to the intruders.

Instead of trying to "break" the fever, help to make your child as comfortable as possible while allowing the fever to do it's job. Here are some helpful suggestions:
- Stay with your child for support
- Lots of rest and clear fluids
- Less eating and activities
- A warm bath
- Chamomile in the bath or as a tea is very soothing

However, there are some times when you should seek medical care:
- Any fever in an infant under 3 months of age
- A fever over 106 degrees
- A fever that remains elevated for more than 48 hours
- If your child seems lethargic or has a change in mental state during the fever
- Any signs of difficulty breathing and/or swallowing, stiff neck, dehydration

So next time your child has a warm forehead, no need to run out to your local drugstore. Remember that a fever is the body's friend. Be thankful that the immune system is fighting off the enemy.

Live Well

Conventional and Holistic Pediatric Medicine

2010-01-12T21:34:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year! I hope 2010 brings you all great health and happiness!

I went to a great seminar this past weekend about conventional and holistic pediatric treatment approaches and options. It was taught by a renowned pediatrician, Dr. Lawrence Palevsky, MD, who focuses on the holistic approach to children's wellness. Instead of treating the symptoms with antibiotics and other medications, he treats the cause of the symptoms with diet and lifestyle changes, Chinese medicine, chiropractic referrals, essential oils, and many other holistic approaches. You can learn more about him at www.drpalevsky.com.

The thing that he stressed most the entire weekend was the importance of diet in our health. Where have you heard that before? ;) Whether it is asthma, allergies, bed wetting, ADD/ADHD, eczema, ear infections, etc., many can be prevented and even treated without the use of antibiotics and other medications. In fact, he hasn't prescribed an antibiotic in over a decade. How many of you have had a child that has had an ear infection that was treated by an antibiotic only to return after the antibiotic is finished? Could it be that something else is playing a role in the inflammation in the ear? Well, over my next few posts, I will be going over various childhood illnesses and giving you some helpful preventative tips to use at home!

Live Well.

Food, Inc.

2009-12-16T20:44:00.003-06:00

I watched a very interesting movie the other night called Food, Inc. It was a documentary that allowed a look into the food industry and our nation's food supply. It showed how our food production has become controlled by a few corporations. It might not have taught me anything new about how unhealthy our food is, but it really opened my eyes to why our food has become so unhealthy. Unfortunately, as with most things in our country, it all comes back to big business. A company can't patent an organic apple that you can buy at any farmer's market, but they can patent and mass produce a crop that has been genetically modified to resist chemicals and pesticides that will otherwise kill everything else around. All while we get sicker and sicker as a nation.

An insert with the movie gave a list of 10 things you can do to change our food system. Here is a few of them...

1. Action: Stop drinking sodas and other sweetened beverages.
Fact: If you replace one 20 oz soda a day with a no calorie beverage (preferably water), you could lose 25 lbs in a year.

2. Action: Eat at home instead of eating out.
Fact: Children consume almost twice (1.8 times) as many calories when eating food made outside the home.

3. Action: Buy organic or sustainable food with little to no pesticide or antibiotic use.
Fact: Over a billion lbs of pesticides are used every year in the U.S. and an estimated 70% of all antibiotics used in the United States are given to farm animals.

If want to get a behind the scenes look at our food system and the food you and your family are eating every day, watch this movie. It may just make you question how your food is made. If nothing else, you will see how bad the chickens you are eating are being treated!

Merry Christmas! Give yourself and your family the gift of good health this year!

Live Well.

Toy Drive 2009!

2009-11-18T14:21:00.004-06:00

The Doctors and Staff of AcuCare Total Health are hosting our

6th Annual Toy Drive!

Drop of your new, unwrapped toys from Monday, November 9th through Friday, December 5th.

You can view our hours at http://www.acucaretotalhealth.com/.

For every new toy that you donate valued over $10, you will be entered in a raffle for a chance to win a prize from the list below!!

Some of the raffle prizes include:

$200 Visa Gift Card

Standard Process 21-Day Purification/Detox Kit ($250 Value)

One Hour Massage with Dawn Maychszak

One Hour Massage with Danielle Roberto

Half Hour Detox with Michele Foster

Barlow Girl CD Gift Basket

Mary Kay Gift Basket

$25 Cocoon Gift Card

$25 Jimmy's Charhouse Gift Card

Four Movie Passes to Marcus Theatres

And Much More!!

All toy donations will be given to the Walter and Connie Payton Foundation 2009 Holiday Giving Program to help provide gifts during the holidays for underprivileged children in the Chicago-land area who have been neglected and/or abused.

With your generous donations, we can help provide some happiness to these less fortunate children.

For more information and/or to schedule an appointment, please feel free to call us at 847.888.3131.

Thank you and have a safe and wonderful holiday season!

Are you toxic?

2009-10-15T13:34:00.002-05:00

I have had a few people ask me more about the detox, so here are a couple links that will help.

Click here to find out how toxic you are and to see if you can benefit from the detox. 99% of the population can benefit from it!

To find out more about the detox, you can view the purification guide by clicking here.

Live Well

Detox Diary: Week 1 Recap

2009-10-06T17:41:00.003-05:00

Well, the first week of the detox is in the books. The first week is definitely the hardest and the rest gets much easier. The cravings are very minimal and my energy has been fantastic, but I am a little tired of chopping vegetables. ;) Although weight loss is not the primary goal of the detox, I did lose 8 pounds in the first week. I tend to lose the most weight in the beginning and then I level out. Weight loss is different for each person. Some lose it right away, while other people don't lose it until the end.

The rest of the detox:

For the most part, everything stays the same for the next 2 weeks except that chicken and fish can be added after Day 10 of the detox. Yea!! Also, on Day 8 you stop taking the SP Cleanse pills and start taking SP Green Food for the rest of the detox. The shakes and the fruits and veggies all stay the same.

Here is what is in the SP Green Food:

Buckwheat Juice Powder
Barley Grass Juice Powder
Brussels Sprout Powder
Kale Powder
Alfalfa Sprout Powder

These are all great to help promote healing in the lining of your gut.

Here is what you may feel after the 21 days:

More energy
Better sleep
Softer skin
Better digestion
Less headaches, join pain, and allergies
Weight loss
Better overall health!!!

And I know it sounds crazy, but you really won't want to go back to how you were eating before the detox. Sure, you might add a couple things back to your diet. In general, people tend to continue to eat a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables and lean meats.

If you are interested in trying the detox yourself or have any other questions, feel free to call me at the office. 847.888.3131.

Live Well.

Detox Diary: Day 5

2009-09-29T21:00:00.002-05:00

Yesterday and today have been going much better. I have more energy, my digestion has been great (I know you wanted to know that!), and the cravings have been much less. I actually didn't feel hungry at all today and the 21 SP Cleanse pills per day really help. Speaking of the SP Cleanse pills, if you were wondering what is in them, here you go...

SP Cleanse

Juniper Berry Powder
Red Clover Flower
Collinsonia Root
Apple pectin
Burdock Root Powder
Barley Grass Powder
Globe Artichoke Leaf
Spanish Black Radish Root
Oregon Grape Root Powder
Cayenne Pepper Powder
Fenugreek Seed Powder
Choline
Inositol
Dandelion Leaf
Fennel Seed
Oat Flour
Beet Leaf Juice Powder
Beet Root Powder
Milk Thistle
Tillandsia Powder
Carrot Powder
Broccoli Powder
Kale Powder

Yes, there is a lot of stuff in the pills! These all play a role in detoxifying the liver, supporting the gut, aiding with digestion, and stimulating the immune system.

My menu for today:

Breakfast: Fruit shake. Green Tea.

7 SP Cleanse pills.

Mid-morning snack: Cantaloupe and sweet potato chips.

Lunch: Big salad with lots of veggies and apple cider vinegar and olive oil dressing.

7 SP Cleanse pills.

Mid-Afternoon: Apple and carrots.

Dinner: Home-made soup with lots of veggies and a steamed red beet.

7 SP Cleanse pills.

After-Dinner: Fruit shake.

Well, 5 days down and feeling good! Bring on Day 6!!

Live Well.

Detox Diary: Day 3

2009-09-28T10:19:00.005-05:00

Today was a little easier for me. I still had some carb cravings, especially while watching the Bears game, but it wasn't too bad. I didn't feel as grumpy or tired. We even had family over for a birthday and I didn't really miss the cake.

Breakfast: Fruit Shake. Green Tea.

7 SP Cleanse pills

Mid-Morning: Carrots and grapes.

Lunch: Big salad with olive oil and apple cider vinegar dressing and some collard greens.

7 SP Cleanse pills

Mid-Afternoon: Sweet potato chips and an apple.

Dinner: The same soup as yesterday.

7 SP Cleanse pills

After-Dinner: Fruit Shake.

I drink tons of water throughout the day also.

This detox program definitely needs some determination and focus, but it is well worth it!!

Live Well.

Detox Diary: Day 2

2009-09-26T20:43:00.003-05:00

The second day of the detox was definitely a little tougher for me. Not only did I feel more tired and a little grumpy, but it always makes it harder on the weekend. It also didn't help that we did some shopping at Whole Foods with all the free samples just teasing me. But I am drinking my last shake of the day and feeling good about the healthy eating today.

I wrote about drinking the fruit shakes yesterday and mentioned that there are 2 scoops of the SP Complete powder in them. Well, here is what is in the SP Complete...

Flax Meal Powder
Brown Rice Protein Powder
Buckwheat Juice Powder
Brussel Sprouts Powder
Kale Powder
Choline
Inositol
Barley Grass Juice Powder
Alfalfa Powder
Soybean Lecithin
Calcium
Carrot Powder
Grape Seed Extract
Red Wine Extract
Whey Protein

These natural, whole food ingredients help to support healthy cardiovascular, digestive, and nervous system function and deliver powerful antioxidant protection to promote cellular health.

Here was my menu for today:

Breakfast: Fruit shake with blueberries and mango.

7 SP Cleanse Pills

Mid-Morning snack: A pear and some home-made sweet potato chips (sliced sweet potato brushed with olive oil and baked). Green tea.

Lunch: Boiled collard greens with sea salt and butter and a big salad with lots of veggies and the olive oil and apple cider vinegar dressing.

7 SP Cleanse pills

Mid-Afternoon snack: Some grapes and some more sweet potato chips.

Dinner: Home-made soup with organic vegetable broth, beets, carrots, kale, broccoli, onion, brussel sprouts, garlic, and sea salt.

7 SP Cleanse pills

After Dinner: Fruit shake with blueberries and mango.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the detox.

See you tomorrow!

Live Well.

Detox Diary: Day 1

2009-09-25T21:27:00.004-05:00

In general, I would consider myself a good eater. I am definitely not perfect, but my wife and I focus on eating a lot of organic foods and getting a good variety of fruits and vegetables every day. I tend to eat good during the week and then splurge a little on the weekend with a pizza or a burger or some ice cream and maybe some wine or beer. So the detox is definitely a little challenging for me, but it really does help to refocus my brain and body.

In previous posts, I have talked about the 21-day purification/detox program that I offer to my patients. You can read some more about it here. I like to do the program 1-2 times per year to help detox my liver, clean up my gut, increase my energy, and just get me back on track with eating better. And it is always nice to lose a few pounds in the process. Well, I started the detox today and I plan to describe my first week to give you an idea of what I am eating and how I am feeling. I just got over a pretty good 2-day cold, so it is good timing for the detox.

I did all my shopping yesterday and bought all organic fruits and vegetables. (The first 10 days of the detox is only fruits and vegetables.) I also spent about an hour chopping and preparing all the veggies, so that can just put together a meal quickly each day.

Breakfast: Fruit shake. (I actually have this for my breakfast when I am not doing the detox)

Fruit Shake:

1/2 cup filtered water
1/2 cup organic unfiltered apple juice
1/2 cup frozen organic blueberries
1/2 cup frozen organic spinach
1/2 organic banana
2 rounded scoops of SP Complete Powder (included in the detox kit)
1 Tablespoon of Whole Food Fiber (included in detox kit)
1 teaspoon fish oil

Mixed in a blender

With the shake, I took 7 of the SP Cleanse pills (included in the detox kit).

Before lunch: Pear and some carrots. Green tea and filtered water.

Lunch: Big salad with romaine lettuce, kale, broccoli, carrots, radishes, tomatoes, and alfalfa sprouts. Dressing of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, tumeric, and sea salt.

7 SP Cleanse pills

Afternoon: More carrots and an apple. Filtered water.

Dinner: Spaghetti squash topped with tomato paste, broccoli, zucchini, onions, sea salt and organic butter.

7 SP Cleanse pills

After dinner: Fruit Shake with blueberries and mango.

How I am feeling:

Usually the first 3 days I tend to feel a little tired. Today, I had a lot of energy, but this could be do to me just getting over my cold and getting a lot of sleep the last 2 nights. I did not feel too hungry. Believe it or not the 7 SP Cleanse pills three times in a day help to fill you up. I will get into what is in the pills and the shakes over the next couple days. Just know that it is made up of real, whole foods such as juniper berry, buckwheat juice, barley grass, and others.

Continued tomorrow...

Live Well.

Fight Inflammation

2009-08-06T08:39:00.006-05:00

Now that you know how inflammation can effect the body, let's go over what causes this inflammation and what we can do about it. Like so many other things, it all comes back to diet and exercise. Our society is surrounded by inflammatory foods. Processed foods, sugars, soda, white flour (bread, pasta), hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, vegetable oils, etc. These can all have a direct effect on increasing our blood sugar and insulin levels as well as creating free radicals in the system which can damage healthy tissue. If we looked back at our ancestors, we would see the women out gathering fruits and vegetables, while the men were hunting and fishing for the meat. Their diets consisted of fresh fruits and vegetables and meat and fish. Is it a coincidence that the incidence of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other diseases has drastically increased over the years with poorer nutrition?

I'm sure you have heard it a hundred times before, but so many health issues can be helped through a better diet and some regular exercise. Well, the same holds true for helping to avoid inflammation in your body. The closer you can eat to how our ancestors once ate, the better off you will be. One of the best ways to combat the inflammatory and free radical damage in your body is through phytonutrients and anti-oxidants which are found primarily in fruits and vegetables. Eat as much fruits and vegetables as you would like throughout the day. Just remember that fruit contains a lot of sugar and vegetables tend to have more beneficial phytonutrients, so try to eat more veggies than fruit. As far as meat, lean meats such as chicken and fish are much better than the pro-inflammatory red meats. The omega-3 fats found in fish are also very anti-inflammatory in nature.

Here are some more anti-inflammatory tips:

Use herbs such as tumeric (found in curry), ginger, and cayenne pepper
Use olive oil instead of vegetable or canola oil
Avoid processed and commercially processed foods which usually contain hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup
Eat other omega-3 rich foods such as walnuts, flax seeds, almonds, green leafy vegetables
Get 4-5 days of 30 minutes of cardio exercise each week (easy as taking your dog on a walk)
Eat fresh food

Live Well.

Are you inflamed?!

2009-07-28T09:02:00.007-05:00

What comes to mind when you think about inflammation? Hot and red swelling? Maybe a sprained ankle, or a hurt knee, or possibly even the swollen ankles you pregnant ladies might have had? What you might not realize is that inflammation is involved with most if not all of the disease processes. Some inflammation related to local injury can be good for the general healing process. However, most of the inflammation in the body is problematic.

The suffix "-itis" denotes inflammation, so any condition or disease ending in "-itis" is specifically related to inflammation. i.e. bronchitis (inflammation of the air passages in the lungs), sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses), arthritis (inflammation of the joints), diverticulitis (inflammation within the digestive tract), prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate). However, if a condition does not end with this suffix it does not mean that inflammation is not involved. Here is a list of just a few diseases and conditions that are or can be caused or promoted by inflammation...

acne
allergies
asthma
cancer
chronic pain
diabetes
endometriosis
fibromyalgia
headaches
heart disease
high blood pressure
injury

...and this is just a small sample of the conditions related to inflammation.

After seeing this list, don't you think it would be a good idea to try to avoid things that promote inflammation in the body? The good news is that there are some simple changes you can make with your diet and lifestyle that can help decrease overall inflammation. Whether or not you already suffer from one of the conditions above, your current and future health will benefit from less inflammation.

Next time, we will review some things that you can do to help decrease inflammation.

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer!

http://www.acucaretotalhealth.com/

Live Well.

Shopper's Guide to Pesticides

2009-04-27T21:25:00.004-05:00

In a perfect world, we would all be eating only organic foods. Foods with no hormones, pesticides, anti-biotics, or any other chemicals. Hopefully, someday it will be the only option. But for now, we still have to choose. Unfortunately, the healthier option is still more expensive, but I still highly recommend shopping at Trader Joe's. The organic foods are very reasonable in price compared to any other grocery store I have visited. (I should ask for a stipend from Trader Joe's for the amount I promote them!)

I have a lot of people who tell me they want to start buying some organic foods, but can't afford to do too much. Last year, I gave a top ten list of foods that you should try to buy organic. Recently, I found a good list from the Environmental Working Group that shows different types of produce with the highest and lowest amounts of pesticides. If you can try to buy organic produce from the list that contains the highest pesticides, you will help to cut down your exposure to these chemicals. Here is the list.

Just remember, a little change in your diet, household items/products, or daily environment can go a long way in the health of you, your family, and future generations.

Live Well.

Vitamin D...Part 2

2009-04-07T16:44:00.006-05:00

After quite a long break from blogging, I am back. At least I have a good excuse for not posting...After issues with infertility and waiting on the adoption list, Dawn and I are finally parents!!! Zachary William was born on St Patrick's Day and weighed 5 lbs 1 oz and was 17.5 in. We now know why we had to wait for so long. Zack is truly a blessing and we couldn't imagine our lives without him! He is now 3 weeks old and we are having so much fun spending each and every day watching our son grow!!

Now back to the business at hand. Considering I started giving you information about Vitamin D about 2 months ago, I'm guessing you are more than ready for me to finally finish the topic. In the first post about Vitamin D, I talked about the importance of Vitamin D and health issues that have been associated with Vitamin D deficiency. All that information is great, but you are probably wondering how you know if you are Vitamin D deficient and what you should do about it.

Finding out your Vitamin D level is as easy as a simple blood test. You can have your blood drawn at your doctor or at our office or there is even at-home Vitamin D test kits that you can order on the web. However, you need to make sure you get the right type of Vitamin D levels checked. 25-hydroxyvitamin D or 25(OH)D is the proper form of Vitamin D that is best used to check for Vitamin D deficiency. If you go to your doctor, make sure you ask for this form of Vitamin D to be tested and not 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D. Normal, healthy levels of 25(OH)D is between 50 and 80 ng/mL. Any levels below 50 ng/mL may be considered deficient.

Fortunately, if you find out you are deficient or if you live in areas of little sun, you can supplement your diet with Vitamin D to improve your level. Vitamin D3 is the most useable form of Vitamin D in humans, so make sure you supplement with Vitamin D3. The FDA suggests supplementing with 400-600 IU of Vitamin D daily, but studies have shown that higher doses are needed to achieve optimal levels. Here is what Dr. John Jacob Cannell MD, the director of the Vitamin D Council, suggests...

"If you have little UVB exposure, my advice is as follows: healthy children under the age of 2 years should take 1,000 IU per day—over the age of 2, 2,000 IU per day. Well adults and adolescents between 80–130 pounds should start with 3,000 IU per day while those over 130 pounds but less than 170 pounds should take 4,000 IU per day. Those over 170 pounds should receive 5,000 IU per day. Two months later have a 25-hydroxy-vitamin D blood test, either through ZRT or your doctor."

With springtime hopefully around the corner, do your best to try and get 15-20 minutes of sun exposure per day. If not, you should consider supplementing your diet with Vitamin D3.

Live Well.

Disconnect in order to Reconnect

2009-03-04T21:42:00.005-06:00

I know I told you that this post would be more about Vitamin D, but I thought first I would write about something I learned in Mexico. I had a great time spending time with my family in Huatulco for the week. This is the second time we have been to Hualtulco. The reason we love it so much is that besides the weather being 90 and sunny everyday, it is very uncommercialized. You won't find any high rise hotels or McDonalds. But the best part is that we did not have internet, television, phones, or newspapers. We were completely disconnected from the "real" world. And it was great! It is amazing how much time there is in a day to do other things when you don't have the use of all those things. We found ourselves reading a lot, playing games, telling stories, and just spending quality time with each other.

Being there was literally like going back in time 20 years. Yes, things definitely did take longer without all the updated technology. Just going out to dinner took an extra hour, but we just called it being on Mexico time. There were always very few tables full at the restaurants, so I am guessing most families were home having meals together. And as we walked around town, we noticed the schoolyards and the playgrounds were constantly full with kids of all ages playing even until after dark. How many of you can remember playing capture the flag or at the neighborhood park until you ran home for dinner or it was too dark too see? I'm guessing most of you. Or how many times have you wondered how we got by without our cell phones or the internet? But we did.

Believe me, I am as big of a fan as anyone of the internet, cell phones, and all the other technological advances that we all are able to enjoy everyday. I mean, I am writing a blog that can only be read on the internet. However, being in Mexico made me realize how much of our lives are spent on the computer or e-mail or on the phone or watching television. And when we got back from vacation, it was the same news in the newspapers and the internet and the same "reality" shows on tv. Oh, the outrage of The Bachelor! The lesson here is that we need to take a day from time to time to just slow down. Our society is so fast paced and we are all so "connected" that we tend to forget that life can actually exist without all of this.

Challenge yourself and/or your family to "disconnect" for one day. Turn off the tv, turn off the computer, turn off your cell phone. Don't worry, I promise that all the same e-mails, texts, voicemails, and news will still be there the next day. I think you will find how much time you will have to do other activities like taking your dog for a walk, playing games with your family, visiting a neighbor, writing an actual letter to a loved one, enjoying a family meal together, etc. All those things that we used to do everyday that we just don't have "time" to do anymore. Who knows, you might actually find that you like it and start to do it for longer periods or more often. Just make sure you check the internet occasionally for the newest post on my blog ;)

Live Well.

Importance of Vitamin D

2009-02-18T22:47:00.005-06:00

What better time to talk about the importance of Vitamin D than in the middle of winter? So, my next couple posts are going to be about Vitamin D (deficiency, benefits, dosage, sources, etc.).

A large source of Vitamin D in humans comes from the UV rays especially UVB from the sun. In fact, you can meet the daily requirement of Vitamin D by giving your skin 15 minutes of sun exposure every day. Easy enough for those of you who are living in Florida or Arizona. But for all the rest of us who are stuck in the typical winter climate, we only have a 6-8 month window where we actually have a chance to get 15 minutes of sun per day. I don't think the sun even came out the entire month of January this year in Chicago! With this lack of sun, comes a Vitamin D deficiency.

We all know about the importance of Vitamin D and calcium with keeping our bones healthy and strong. However, more and more studies and research are coming out showing the importance of Vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency has been thought to be linked to depression, anxiety, mental disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, autoimmune disorders such as MS, chronic pain, many cancers, fibromyalgia, asthma, and many other health related issues. In fact, there is a much greater prevalence of many of these in the northern states compared to the southern states. Just look at this eye-opening map of MS prevalence in the US (the darker the shade, the greater the prevalence of MS)...

Figure 1: Prevalence map of MS (cases/100,000) in the USA

References:
PM Rothwell, D Charlton. High incidence and prevalence of multiple sclerosis in south east Scotland: evidence of a genetic predisposition. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1998 64: 730-735.
IAF van der Mei et al. Regional variation in multiple sclerosis prevalence in Australia and its association with ambient ultraviolet radiation. Neuroepidemiology 2001 20: 168-174.

Pretty crazy, huh?

So, how many of you just feel blah during the winter months? Well, it is more common than you think and could definitely be due to a simple vitamin D deficiency. There is even something called SAD, seasonal affective disorder, which is a general depressed feeling which is more common during the winter. The good news is that even if you can't get enough sun light during the winter months, there is a way to get enough Vitamin D. Here is a good article that was published in the Chicago Sun-Times about some ways to help beat SAD.

Next time, I will review the recommended daily doses of Vitamin D compared to what you actually should be getting as well as giving you the proper test to know if you are Vitamin D deficient.

I am off to Mexico in 3 days...strictly for the benefits of Vitamin D research, of course!

Live Well.

Our New Office!

2009-02-04T21:15:00.003-06:00

I am super excited to announce that we have moved into our new office! It is our 3rd and hopefully final move in just over a year. For those of you who don't know, we had a fire that destroyed our original building in November of 2007. We scrambled over night and were seeing patients in a different office the morning after the fire. It was a make shift office that we had to use for over a month while we renovated another office. In January of 2008, we moved again into the renovated office. The office was temporary, so another doctor in our practice took the opportunity to build out new office space in a nearby medical building. It was a very long process, but she did an amazing job and as of this past Monday, February 2, we are officially in our brand new office. Thanks Dr. Renee!

Our new website is not complete yet, but you can see some pictures and information at http://www.acucaretotalhealth.com/. I think you will really like the new office and will find it very welcoming and representative of the type of care and treatment you have come to expect. It will not only be a place where you enjoy coming, but it is a facility where you feel comfortable referring friends and family. I hope to see you there soon!

If you have never been to a chiropractor and want to know what to expect with your first visit, view this previous post. If you want to schedule an appointment, you can call our office at 847.888.3131.

Live Well.

Low Back Pain? Don't Stress It.

2009-01-21T10:14:00.009-06:00

Happy Wednesday!!

If you are like the majority of people, you will get low back pain at some point in your life. It may be due to a fall, or a car accident, or lifting something wrong. But what about those of you who have had sudden low back pain when bending over to pick up a pencil or showering or just doing your normal daily activities? What most people don't realize is how much stress plays a role in our physical health. You may realize that stress can cause anxiety, high blood pressure, or fatigue, but did you know that it can also cause pain in the body?!

Stress from work and/or personal life as well as stress from your diet can not only weaken your immune system leaving you with less defense against colds and/or infections, but it can also make you more susceptible to pain or injury. Most of us can figure out where the stress is coming from at work or in our daily lives, but what about with our diet? Well, the 4 biggest stresses of our gut through our diet are 1) coffee, 2) pop, 3) chocolate, and 4) alcohol. When our gut gets stressed, then the rest of our body gets run down and fatigued which creates an environment where we are more prone to pain.

When a patient comes to my office complaining of low back pain that just started out of the blue with no trauma or injury ("My back just went out"), I usually address their stress level and diet. Most of the time, the person admits drinking a pot of coffee per day or a 6 pack of coke a day or just got back from a weekend of drinking a lot of alcohol or all of the above. Hey, it's the American diet, right?! If I ask further about their digestion, they usually complain of constipation or diarrhea or both. In these cases, acupuncture and chiropractic manipulation is a very effective treatment at our office, but I also try to have the patient modify their diet by drinking less pop, coffee, and/or alcohol to increase their natural healing ability. The patients that do change their diet usually notice an almost immediate improvement in their symptoms.

Next time you have sudden low back pain, or any sudden pain for that matter, think about the stress in your life and diet. If you have too much of any, try to modify things so that you give your body the best chance to heal!

Live Well.

Resolution Time

2009-01-08T07:43:00.007-06:00

Happy New Year!

It is that time of the year again when you go to workout at your gym and you can't use your favorite cardio machine because there are so many people working out. Yep, it's resolution time! As you probably know, some of the more popular resolutions for the New Year are: losing weight, start exercising, spending more time with friends and family, quit smoking, get out of debt, etc. A common theme to all of these is living a better, healthier life.

I think having a New Year's resolution is great...if you can keep it. Everybody can make a change for a month and then go back to the old habits, but making a lifestyle change and staying committed to your resolution, your health, and yourself is the ultimate challenge. The biggest problem that most people have with keeping their resolutions is that they get burnt out. Determined to get in shape, they go from being a couch potato to working out 7 days a week and go right back to the couch within a month because they can't handle the load.

As with most things in life, moderation is key. Don't just hit the ground running. Take baby steps. Instead of going on a crash diet and cutting out all junk food, maybe just start by avoiding foods with high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils or add an extra fruit and vegetable to your daily diet. Then as you get used to this change, go a step further and try to avoid sugar and white and enriched flour while adding another fruit and vegetable and some fish to your diet.

As far as exercising goes, if you haven't been to the gym for a year, don't go every day. The best way would be to get a personal trainer to start you on a good program. If a trainer is not an option for you, here are some tips. Maybe start by going 2-3 times per week and walking on the treadmill for 15 to 20 minutes and increase the time as you get comfortable with the cardio. After a couple weeks, add some weight training by doing 10 to 15 minutes with weights. Then as you get comfortable with this, add another day or some more time or a fitness class. The biggest thing to continue to exercise and stay in shape is to keep it fun. Change up the workouts and try different machines and/or classes. But most of all, HAVE FUN!

For those of you who already have a good diet and workout regularly, but may have gained the "holiday" weight, a really good way to get the push in the right direction is with a detox. I recommend a detox at my office that I really like. It is a 21 day purification program that really focuses on eating the right things, not on losing weight. (Although everyone that does it, loses weight.) The first 10 days you only eat fruits and vegetables along with drinking a whole food nutritional shake and taking whole food supplements. Then on Day 11 you can add chicken and fish for the next 11 days. It may sound very difficult, but honestly after the first 3 days you really start to realize that you don't need or crave the pasta or the sugar. Plus, you start to realize how good you feel with more energy and better digestion. Personally, I do this twice per year to "detox" myself. If you are interested in this, the cost of the detox is $250 (supplements, shakes, recipes, education). If not, I would recommend to just focus on eating fruits, vegetables, and lean meats (chicken and fish) as much as possible.

Click HERE for a small study that shows imporvement of cholesterol levels with the purification program.

Whether you have a resolution or not, try to make small changes over the course of this year that will help create a healthier lifestyle. I will do my best to continue to give you useful and practical ideas on how you can make these changes. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me here or at drmcgowan@acucarechiropractic.com. I don't use outlook, so please e-mail me through your own e-mail.

By the way, for those of you who are annoyed by crowded gym...Don't worry, you will have your favorite machine available within a month!!

Live Well.

Thank You!!!!

2008-12-29T20:30:00.003-06:00

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a nice holiday! Now that 2008 is coming to an end, it is a good time for us all to look back and reflect on the last year. Personally, I had an eventful year.

I spent the beginning part of the year organizing a walk in Geneva to help support Cystic Fibrosis after finding out last year that my sister, Kate, has Cystic Fibrosis. The turn out and support for the walk was incredible as friends, family, and many, many others came together to celebrate life and raise over $55,000 for Cystic Fibrosis. However, a week before the walk, I lost my mentor and close friend, Dr. Gary Boyd, to prostate cancer. His funeral was the same day as the walk, so it was a very humbling day for me. Not only was I humbled by the amazing support of so many for the walk, but I was also humbled by the loss of life by such a great man at the early age of 54. It was truly a day to appreciate life!

In June, I lost another role model when my 95 year old grandfather passed away. The best lessons I learned from him was to always be myself and to enjoy life! Dawn and I have also spent the last year continuing to wait to start our family through adoption. Although we didn't think it would take this long, we are so grateful to have the support of our family and friends throughout the entire process.

The reason I am telling you all of this is because we all have our ups and downs during the course of a year. Looking back on the year, some of us may say it was a good year while others may say it was a bad year. I'm sure many of you would say it has been a stressful year with the economy, loss of a job, etc. But good or bad, it is how we choose to deal with those experiences and the life lessons we take away that matter. The healthier approach is to be thankful, grateful and appreciative of the different people, experiences, and opportunities we are fortunate enough to have in our lives.

I am so thankful, grateful, and appreciative for my wonderful wife, my family, my friends, my patients, the people who supported the walk for Cystic Fibrosis, the daily people I encounter, the countless lessons of Dr. Gary Boyd and my grandpa, my health, all of you reading this blog, future children, God, and life!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Have a happy, healthy, and safe New Year!!

Live Well. Laugh Often. Love Much.

Healthy Home Tips for Parents...or anyone!

2008-12-15T22:26:00.005-06:00

I found a list that was put together by the Environmental Working Group (a non-profit organization that focuses on protecting public health and environment) that I wanted to share with you. Although it says it is for parents, it really is a useful guide for anyone! I have already talked about many of the things on the list in previous posts, but it is a good guide to print out and hang on your fridge. If you have questions about any of the tips, refer back to my previous posts for more information on the topic or just post a response with your question.

Click HERE for the guide!

Have a great week!

Live Well.

Prevent It!!

2008-12-07T19:16:00.006-06:00

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are enjoying this holiday season! Sorry it has been so long since I have done a post, but I'll try to make it up to you with this one! As you know, I use this blog to try to give you practical tips and general information you can use to be as healthy as you and your loved ones can be.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Dawn and I flew out to Denver to spend time with my sisters and their families. While we were at the airport waiting for our flight, a title of a magazine at a stand caught my eye entitled, "The Sorry State of American Health." I read a lot about health and alternative health, so at my office I probably would have just put this in my "to be read" stack. However, when I realized it was a TIME magazine, I was caught off guard and immediately purchased it.

The reason I was surprised is because rarely do we see a main stream publication talking about the problems of our health care system. We read, hear, and see so much about the pharmaceutical industry with the newest drug on the market or the latest drug study and are lead to believe that we, as a nation, are healthy. We are inundated with drug ads on tv and in magazines. However, according to an article in this Time magazine, although the U.S. spends the most on health care out of any other nation in the world and has superior medical resources, we rank only 34th in the world in life expectancy and 29th in infant mortality rate. A couple more alarming statistics is 40% of Americans NEVER exercise, two-thirds of adults are over-weight with one-third being obese, and 17% of children are overweight! With all the money we spend and resources we have, I know I would expect these numbers to be much better.

I think what this shows is that we focus too much on sick care and not enough on preventative care. People tend to take their health for granted and rely on the latest medical advances once they do get sick instead of relying on themselves to keep from getting sick. They would rather continue to eat McDonald's and avoid exercise and just take medications for their worsening blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar while probably becoming overweight than to eat a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, and lean meats and getting the right exercise to live a longer and healthier life. I am not talking about those of you who are on medications for high cholesterol, etc. because of hereditary reasons. My whole point is that we try to prevent problems with our cars by getting oil changes and we try to prevent cavities by getting dental cleanings and we try to prevent weeds on our lawn by using fertilizers, so why shouldn't we do everything we can to try to prevent disease, illness, and injury with ourselves?!!!

As you can probably tell, I am very passionate about the subject of preventative health care. I just hope that I can continue to effectively give you a few things that you can easily do to improve your health and to best PREVENT problems from happening in the future.

In my next post, I will be giving a list of healthy home tips for parents!

Live Well.

They're Alive!!!

2008-11-24T21:33:00.005-06:00

What better time to finish the discussion about probiotics and digestion than a couple days before the biggest eating day of the year?! In the last post, I told you about the good and bad bacteria in the normal flora of your gut and the causes and symptoms of an imbalance in these bacteria. Well, you probably would like to know the best way to help fix this imbalance. The good news is that there are probiotics to help you replenish the normal flora!

What to look for in a probiotic

1. Type: There are hundreds of different strains of bacteria in your gut, so supplementing with the right "good" bacteria is very important. The Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium families of bacteria have been shown to be very beneficial especially Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Be sure that the probiotic contains these types of bacteria.

2. Amount: The normal flora in our gut contains trillions of bacteria, so you need to use a probiotic that has an adequate amount of bacteria (at least 3-4 billion). Using something with only millions of bacteria is ineffective.

3. Form: Yes, there are probiotics in yogurt. Unfortunately, the probiotics in yogurt don't usually meet the first 2 requirements in this list. Look for a probiotic in a capsule, tablet, or powder form. Because it is live bacteria, you will often find a good probiotic in the refrigerator of the health food store. If not, be sure to store it in the refrigerator after opening to help maintain the potency. Both heat and freezing temperatures will kill the bacteria. Bacteria that is no longer living will not hurt you, but will also do nothing good for you!

If you find a probiotic that meets all 3 guidelines listed above, it is probably very good. Supplement a probiotic into your diet everyday, especially if you experience any of the symptoms I listed in the last post. If you do this consistently with a good probiotic, you will probably start to notice a change in your symptoms in 2-4 weeks. If you have tried using a probiotic in the past and you don't feel that it helped, be sure to try again with a high quality probiotic.

I wish you all a safe, happy, and healthy Thanksgiving! Don't forget your probiotics!!

Live Well.

Jump Start Your Battery!

2008-11-18T08:14:00.007-06:00

We all know about the bad bacteria that cause different infections in our body that are often treated by prescription antibiotics. However, did you know that each of us has trillions of bacteria in our body and the majority of the bacteria are harmless or good. This is known as your normal flora. Most of this flora finds a home in the optimal environment of your intestinal system or "gut." Having a healthy gut flora is very important to maintaining good overall health.

I often tell my patients that your gut is like your car battery. If your car battery starts to lose some power, the rest of the car starts to malfunction. So, if you have an imbalance in your normal gut flora (too much bad bacteria or too little good bacteria) then your immune system and the rest of your systems start to get run down. You might start to notice bloating, diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel, upset stomach, fatigue, headaches, and others. Unfortunately, more and more people are having imbalances in the gut flora. I believe this is due to 2 main reasons. Bad diets and the over-prescribing of antibiotics.

1. Bad bacteria love sugar and white flour! So the more sugar and white flour we have in our diets, the more bad bacteria we will have in our gut and the weaker our immune system will be.

2. Antibiotics are no doubt beneficial for BACTERIAL infections. However, too many antibiotics are being prescribed for viral and fungal infections that are not caused by bacteria. So, not only does this not help fight the infection, it creates an imbalance in your body's normal, healthy gut flora. Antibiotics not only attack the bad bacteria, but they also attack the good, healthy bacteria, so again decreases our healthy immune system.

So, if you think you have a sinus, ear, or other infection, be sure to find out first from your doctor if it is caused by bacteria before automatically going on an antibiotic. If it is bacterial, then be sure to stay away from sugar and white flour especially until the infection is gone. If you have chronic bacterial infections, you should consider completely taking sugar and white flour out of your diet.

Finally, along with a good diet, a great way to help impove the healthy gut flora is with probiotics, especially if you have been on a lot of antibiotics. Probiotics are made up of the good bacteria that are in your normal flora. I will talk next time about how you can get these probiotics into your diet!

Many of you have asked that I send an e-mail out when I update the blog. So, if you send your e-mail to me at drmcgowan@acucarechiropractic.com, I will include you in the update e-mail. Don't worry, I'll only sell your e-mail to a couple mass marketers! Just kidding, your e-mail will only be used for the update purposes!!

One final note to my patients... We have started our 5th annual toy drive for the Walter Payton Foundation for abused and neglected kids. Last year with your help we were able to collect over 100 toys! We will be collecting toys until Friday, December 5th. Please see our website at www.acucarechiropractic.com for more information about this year's toy drive. Thanks!!

Live Well.

That's a little fishy...

2008-11-11T10:06:00.009-06:00

Now that I got all that science stuff out of the way on the last post, let's get to the actual fish oil. So, as I said in the last post, fish oil is a great way to get Omega-3 fats in your diet. Because of the anti-inflammatory benefits of the Omega-3 in fish oils, studies have shown to help with many health related issues such as: heart disease, high blood pressure, some cancers, Crohn's disease, high cholesterol, depression, and others.

How much should you take daily?

There are two main types of Omega-3 fats in fish oil, EPA and DHA. Most fish oils contain both EPA and DHA and the label should show how much of each and the total of all Omega-3s. I see a lot of recommendations of 400-800 mg daily. However, I believe that would be the minimum dose, but ultimately you should try to get between 1000 and 2000 mg of total Omega-3s each day with slightly more EPA than DHA. On days that you eat fish, you don't have to supplement with fish oil. If you are nursing or pregnant, you should take a fish oil that contains more DHA than EPA. DHA is good for the healthy development of infant brain, eyes, and nervous system. If you suffer from any of the health problems above, you should increase the total Omega-3s to 2000-4000 mg daily. Try to split the dose so that you are taking 2 to 3 smaller doses throughout the day.

How to find a good fish oil

There are a few main things to take into consideration when looking for a good fish oil. It usually comes in a soft gel or liquid form.

1. As stated above, look at the total amounts of EPA, DHA, and total Omega-3s. Total Omega-3s should be between 1000-2000 mg.

2. The label should state something about being molecularly distilled and third party tested. This process helps to purify the fish oil to remove contaminants and mercury.

3. The ingredients should state what type of fish were used for the Omega-3s. Look for sardines, anchovies, salmon, and/or cod. These are deep water fish which contain good Omega-3 fats. * Note: Cod liver oil can contain high levels of Vitamin A and D.

4. Smell Test: After purchasing the fish oil, open and smell the oil. If it smells fishy, it probably is rancid or not good quality and may not be as effective.

5. Taste Test: I'm sure you have heard of the "fish burp" with fish oils. Well, this is exactly what it sounds like. If you get a fish burp taste after taking the fish oil, it is probably rancid or not good quality and may not be as effective.

The brand I use at my office is Nordic Naturals, but there are many good brands that meet all the guidelines above. Most health food stores carry quality fish oils.

* Note: Because omega-3s inhibit blood clotting, avoid taking fish oil supplements two weeks before and one week after surgery. Consult a doctor before taking the supplements if you have a chronic blood disorder or are taking blood thinner or other medications.

I really think fish oil is one of the best things you can supplement to your diet for overall health!

If you have any other questions or concerns about fish oil, post a comment and I'll get back to you!

In my next post, I will talk about probiotics!

Thank you veterans!!

Live Well.

Go Fish!

2008-11-04T08:34:00.006-06:00

Happy Election Day! Be sure to Vote!!!

With so many vitamins and supplements available, I get a lot of questions about what they are good for and which ones are most important. First, having a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, and lean meats (chicken and fish) while avoiding white sugar and white flour is the absolute best thing you can do for yourself (see previous posts). However, because not everyone has the perfect diet, there are some things that you can benefit from by supplementing to your diet.

One of the best things I tell people they can supplement to their diet is Essential Fatty Acids better known as Omega Fats especially Omega-3. The reason they are called Essential Fatty Acids is because our body can not make these on its own. Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fats are the Essential Fatty Acids. Omega-9 Fats (found in olive oil) are also important, but not considered an essential fatty acid since our body can produce them on its own.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids are probably the most important of the three because of the ability to decrease inflammation. Inflammation can lead to degeneration and disease. Omega 6 tends to increase inflammation. Unfortunately, most of us get too much Omega-6 in our diet through cooking oils like soybean, sunflower, canola, and corn oils (found in most packaged foods). Yet, we don't get enough of the anti-inflammatory Omega-3 found in fatty fish (wild salmon, mackerel, anchovies), walnuts, flax seed, and dark green leafy vegetables.

The point of all this is that you need more Omega-3 Fatty Acids in your diet. Unless you are eating fatty fish 3-4 times per week, a fish oil supplement is a great way to add this anti-inflammatory protection to your body.

Next time, I will talk more about the benefits of fish oil and how you can find good quality fish oil. Not all fish oil is the same!!

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE TODAY!!!!!

Live Well.

Now that's just COLD!

2008-10-29T09:20:00.003-05:00

Happy Wednesday!

Whenever someone comes into the office with an injury or pain, I ask if they have already been using any ice or heat on the area. The most common response is "I haven't used anything because I didn't know which was better." The simple answer to this is that if you are in doubt, always use cold. Most injuries will have some type of swelling and cold therapy is the best to help decrease the inflammation. Yes, heat does feel better. However, heat over a specific area brings blood to the area, so although it can help to relax the muscles, it can actually create more swelling. On the other hand, using general heat with a hot shower, bath or hot tub is great because it heats and relaxes the whole body and doesn't just bring attention to a specific area.

You might have heard that cold is good for acute (within the first 72 hours) injuries and heat is good for chronic (after 72 hours) injuries. Although this can be helpful, I still believe and have seen the best results are by using cold on the area regardless of how long it has been since the injury. The only time I really ever recommend heat is with arthritic conditions or really long-term, chronic conditions.

The best way to use cold therapy is to put cold on the injured area for 15-20 minutes and then take it off for 15-20 minutes and then repeat. Especially with a new injury, this should be done several times throughout the day and most importantly a few times before going to bed. In general, swelling in our body gets worse throughout the day, so you want to make sure you calm it down before you go to sleep with it. By alternating the cold and no cold, you are taking the swelling away with the cold and bringing new blood to the area when taking the cold away. Some people alternate cold and heat, which is fine, but is just more work and gets similar results as just alternating the cold with no cold. The cold could be a baggie with a few ice cubes and some cold tap water, a reusable ice pack, or even a bag of frozen vegetables (you can make some good vegetable soup after using it ;). All should be wrapped in a paper towel. The goal isn't to FREEZE the area, just to cool it down and numb it a little.

So, hopefully you don't get hurt, but if something does happen to you or someone else, remember that if you are in doubt, use cold!

Please leave a comment if you have any questions.

Live Well.

Don't Forget to Flush!!

2008-10-20T21:19:00.004-05:00

With cold and flu season right around the corner, I thought this would be a good time to give you a way to help cleanse your sinuses. If you suffer from allergies, nasal congestion, or sinus infections, a good way to flush or cleanse your sinuses is by using a Neti Pot. A Neti Pot looks like a small version of a tea pot. One example is pictured here...

You can buy these at any drugstore (Walgreen's, Osco, etc.) or online. They usually come with a saline solution, but you can use any type of non-iodized salt.

Here's how to do it:

1. Fill the pot with with lukewarm water and add a 1/4 teaspoon of the saline solution or salt until it is dissolved.

2. Over a sink, tilt your head to the left, positioning the side of your head approximately parallel to the floor. Put the spout of the Neti Pot into your right nostril. Seal the opening of the nostril by gently pressing the spout of the Neti Pot against the nostril opening and pour the water into the nostril. The water will start to come out of your left nostril after flushing through the sinuses.

3. Breathe through your mouth during the flushing process. Pour the entire contents of the Nedi Pot into the right nostril.

4. You may want to blow your nose after cleansing the first nostril. Now, refill the Neti Pot and tilt your head to the right side, and repeat the process with the left nostril.

I know this sounds like a crazy process, but it really is not as bad as it seems. It takes a couple times to get used to, but is actually really easy. It's a great, natural way to clean out your sinuses. If you are someone who has chronic allergies or sinus infections, I would recommend doing this daily and I think you will be very happy with the results. Otherwise, use it during times of sinus congestion to help you breathe better.

Feel free to post your personal story about using the Neti Pot or if you have any other questions about using it.

Live Well.

What's Your Number?

2008-10-15T21:17:00.004-05:00

Plastics are definitely a hot topic. Plastics are not only bad for the environment, but can also be bad for your health. There are different types of plastics and they are labeled by a number of 1 through 7. You can usually find the number inside a small triangle on the bottom of the plastic item. No plastic is completely safe, but the soft plastics labeled 1, 2, 4, or 5 are the safer forms. Number 7 hard plastics have been shown to contain BPA (bisphenol-A). BPA has been linked to some cancers and infertility.

Unfortunately and unbelievably, the 5 gallon water cooler jugs that many people use at home and at work and some children's toys are made of number 7 plastic! Dawn and I had been using a water cooler at home for years until about a year ago when I learned of BPA. We have since gotten rid of the water cooler and installed a reverse osmosis filter under our kitchen sink for drinking water. We installed it ourselves and it cost about $200 compared to the $25 a month we were paying for the water cooler and water delivery. Another easy way to avoid the water cooler is to put a water filter directly on your faucet. As far as the toys go, try your best to avoid toys that your child puts into their mouth that are made with the number 7 plastics.

Here's a few other helpful tips to avoid plastics...

1. Use glass storage containers for food instead of plastic
2. Use glass baby bottles instead of plastic (http://www.newbornfree.com/)
3. Avoid reusable plastic water bottles. Instead use stainless steel bottles (http://www.kleankanteen.com/)
4. Avoid using plastic containers or plastic wrap in the microwave
5. Use reusable or paper grocery bags instead of plastic

Yes, glass is more expensive than plastic, but you get what you pay for, so just do what you can!

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

Live well.

Just Breathe

2008-10-09T20:38:00.005-05:00

Wow. What a crazy time it has been in our economy and stock market. I just really feel bad, mad, and sad for all the people who were planning on retiring or have recently retired and are feeling the immediate effect of the financial conditions. With that being said, now is a probably a pretty good time to talk about ways to deal with stress.

Stress plays a role in all of our lives. However, how the stress affects us mentally and physically depends directly on what we do to deal with the stress mentally and physically. I could write much more than any of you would like to read on the topic of stress, so I am just going to give you a few easy ideas to help de-stress yourself.

Breathing is obviously vital to life. However, how we breathe is also very important. I'm guessing that if you stop and pay attention to your breathing right now that you will notice your chest and shoulders moving as you breathe. Well, unfortunately this means you are breathing wrong. For those of you who noticed your stomach move as you breathe, congrats! You are most likely breathing correctly!

Abdominal breathing is the key to proper breathing. It is always good to do, but it is especially good during times of stress or anxiety. Here's a basic breathing exercise...

1. Sit down and place one hand on your abdomen, so you can feel how you should be breathing.
2. Take a slow breath in for 3-4 seconds using your abdomen. You should feel your hand move as your abdomen moves out.
3. Breathe out for 3-4 seconds.
4. Repeat at least 10 times.

It sounds easy, but it might take practice to get used to breathing the right way. Proper breathing not only calms the mind, but it also helps relax your muscles.

For other ways to de-stress, go to this link...

http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=2203

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Live Well. Laugh Often. Love Much.

Weekend Warrior Syndrome

2008-10-05T20:37:00.002-05:00

My Monday afternoon schedule tends to be one of my busiest of the week at my office due to the "Weekend Warriors". These are the people who try to do more on the weekend than their body is used to during the week (golfing, raking leaves, mowing the lawn, gardening, house work, bike rides, etc.) and forget about stretching and getting proper rest and fluids. And when their back "goes out on them", they pull a hamstring, they get a migraine, they sprain an ankle, etc., they call on Monday morning for the first available appointment.

We all are guilty of being "weekend warriors" every now and again, trying to get everything done on the weekend that we couldn't do during the week or just having too much fun! However, there is a safer approach in doing so. Especially with raking season approaching and unfortunately snow shoveling not too far behind, I want to give you some simple stretches and exercises to help you best avoid these injuries. These stretches are great to do in the morning on a daily basis, but should definitely be done before and after any acitivities that you don't do everyday. I know it sounds strange to stretch before and after raking leaves, but it really does help you to prevent injury and you'll be much happier not waking up as sore the next day! If you do have any aches or pains after activities, put cold on the area for 20 minutes at a time to help get swelling out of the area. Also, getting plenty of water is a must everyday, but you should be drinking even more water and staying properly hydrated on days that you do more activities!

Here is the link that describes and shows you the various stretches and easy exercises...
http://www.acatoday.org/pdf/BackPainExercise.pdf.

On a side note, being a life-long Cubs fan, I was really hoping that I would wake up this morning and find out that it was all just a really bad nightmare...it wasn't. I guess there's always next year.

I wish you all a happy, healthy week!!

Live well.

What can I eat?!!!

2008-10-01T12:18:00.003-05:00

I get a lot of questions from people who are trying to avoid gluten as to what they can eat. So I am going to paste a response I gave to an earlier comment about gluten below and also give you a link to a list of foods available at Trader Joe's that are gluten-free. Many of these foods are available at other grocery stores so use it as a reference. However, just because something is gluten-free and is on this list, DOES NOT mean that it is good for you, but it does give you a good idea of the wide variety of foods that are gluten-free...

http://www.traderjoes.com/Attachments/NoGluten.pdf

Previous discussion...

Anonymous said...
I'm thinking about starting a gluten free diet. Can you suggest some foods or a sample menu as to what to eat?
September 16, 2008 8:29 PM

Dr. Nate McGowan said...
Yeah, gluten is a tough subject. Gluten is a protein found in grains like wheat, rye, and barley. Celiac disease is a digestive problem in which a person has an intolerance to gluten. However, more and more studies are coming out with problems related to gluten sensitivity. A gluten-free diet is hard for most people because you have to eliminate foods that are usually a big part of the diet (breads, pasta, bagels, pizza, beer). As for what you can eat...fruits and veggies, eggs, lean meats (chicken and fish), brown rice, brown rice pasta, wine, and stay away from anything else that has wheat listed as an ingredient even wheat flour. Since gluten is another hot topic these days, many food products will state if it is gluten-free. In fact, I think Trader Joes will give you a list of products at the store that are gluten-free. A good site for more info. on this topic is www.deflame.com. Good luck and I hope this helps!
September 18, 2008 7:37 PM

Your eyes will get stuck that way!

2008-09-27T13:19:00.008-05:00

Our moms always told us not to crack our knuckles because it would cause arthritis. Well, that was just a creative way of them not having to hear the kids cracking their knuckles all the time. In fact, the opposite is actually true as far as joint health is concerned. A healthy joint should have movement in it. Lack of movement in a joint can lead to scar tissue and calcium build up which can cause osteoarthritis. Our spine is made up of many vertebrae which help protect our spinal cord. We have 7 vertebrae in the neck (cervical spine), 12 vertebrae in the upper back (thoracic spine), and 5 vertebrae in the low back (lumbar spine) . The joints that connect these vertebrae (facet/zygapophysial joints) are what allow our spine to move and twist. Sometimes, through injury, repetitive movement, bad posture, or general daily activities, a vertebrae can become stuck out of the normal position (known as a subluxation). Most of the time, this causes no pain or symptoms. However, it can cause a pinched nerve, muscle tightness, scar tissue, calcification, and can put pressure on the intervertebral disc. Therefore, by helping to correct the positioning of the vertebrae, it can help reduce the symptoms by addressing the problem...

Welcome to a chiropractic manipulation. You may also have heard it called a chiropractic adjustment or "crack". After finding the "subluxations" in your spine, a chiropractor then uses a gentle hands-on approach to help reposition the vertebrae and take pressure off of the surrounding nerves and soft tissue. Yes, it does make a "cracking" noise, but that is just gas bubbles being released from the normal fluid that allows your joints to move. Someone with arthritis in the spine usually doesn't get that "cracking" sound because the fluid and mobility in the joint has been lost. Keeping the joints healthy and mobile is very important to keeping your entire spine and you healthy!

BTW, feel free to continue to use the cracking the knuckles story with your kids, but just as cracking your knuckles is safe, so is chiropractic care for you and your kids!!

Here is a good link to let you get a good visual of the anatomy and function of the spine...http://images.chiromatrixbase.com/3d_spine_simulator/nerve_chart/index.htm.

As always, I love to read comments, so please feel free to leave a comment, question, topic for another discussion, chiropractic experience, or just to say hello!

Happy Weekend!

Live well.

What to Expect...

2008-09-22T21:26:00.004-05:00

In my last post, I gave you a general idea of why you would go to a chiropractic physician. Now, I want to let you know what to expect on your first visit. There are many different types of treatment styles used by chiropractic physicians, so my approach to a patient may be different from another chiropractor. When a new patient comes to my office, I spend a lot of time talking with them not only about the history and description of their present symptoms, but I also like to get information about about their general lifestyle as far as diet, sleep, stress, exercise, etc. Usually after talking with the patient, I have a pretty good idea of the different things that could be causing the symptoms. I then put the patient through a very non-invasive exam (looking at posture, orthopedic tests, muscle testing, reflexes, range of motion, etc.) to help determine the most likely cause of the symptoms and give a diagnosis. Getting the correct diagnosis is very important since we want to treat the cause (spinal disc, nerve, muscle, vertebrae, tendon, ligament, diet, etc.) and not the symptoms. A variety of therapies can then be used to help the patient start to fix the problem (chiropractic manipulation, acupuncture, ultrasound, massage therapy, nutrition, diet modification, at-home exercises, etc.). If I feel the patient would not respond well to chiropractic care, I give them as many options as I feel necessary to help them find a way to fix the problem. Every patient's case is unique, so the treament approach to each person is based on how they will respond best!

Have a great week!!

GO CUBS!!!!

Don't Hit the Snooze on that Alarm!!

2008-09-17T20:52:00.004-05:00

If you have never had chiropractic treatment, but have always been curious about how it might help you...this and the next few blogs are just for you!
Chiropractic medicine is based on the principle of allowing the body to heal itself. Whether it's a headache, low back pain, neck pain, stomach aches, fatigue, numbness or tingling, or any other symptoms, we all experience discomfort from time to time. Sure we can take something for the pain and it might make us feel better, but what usually happens? The symptoms come back and we take something more for the pain! But what exactly is causing these symptoms? As much as we don't like having discomfort, these symptoms are our body's alarm system telling us that something is just not right. I am by no means downplaying the role and effectiveness of medications in fighting chronic disease, but I do feel that we, as a society, tend to turn to the quick fix without first considering all our options. That's where chiropractic medicine might be able to help you.

As chiropractic physicians, with a thorough consultation and examination, we try to determine the cause of the discomfort and then work with you to help fix the problem. I always tell new patients that I will do everything I can to help them get out of pain, but the ultimate goal is to keep the pain from coming back! A good analogy to this is having a leaky roof. You can put a bucket (medicine) under the leak (symptoms) and your floor isn't going to get wet (you feel better), but what about the big hole in your roof (cause of the symptoms)?!!

To be continued with discussion about chiropractic treatment, chiropractic myths vs. reality, and more fun stuff!

As always, please feel free to leave a comment and/or question and I will be sure to get back to you.

Live Well.

Saturday's Top Ten!

2008-09-13T13:40:00.004-05:00

With the popularity of organic foods these days, there is definitely mass marketing of organic products everywhere we go. In fact, I think I heard that Walmart is now the leading seller of organic goods in the US...which is a whole other story for another day! With all the new organic products and with the economy, a few people have made comments (make sure to read the comments for other info.) asking about the best things to buy organic. Obviously, the more you try to avoid chemicals, pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics in your food and cleaning and personal care products, the less you are exposing yourself to things that can be potentially harmful to your health. But it can get expensive! If you go to the grocery store, you will notice all kinds of things that are "organic." I'm surprised they haven't come out with organic twinkies yet! An organic chocolate chip cookie is still a chocolate chip cookie, so still isn't healthy for you. Don't be fooled, organic doesn't necessarily equal good for you. That being said, here are some things that I think are most important to buy if possible...

1. Milk (Hormone and antibiotic free)
2. Eggs (Hormone and antibiotic free)
3. Cheese (Hormone and antibiotic free)
4. Chicken (Hormone and antibiotic free)
5. Fish (Wild, not Farmed)
6. Vegetables (Organic, Local, and/or pesticide and chemical free)
7. Fruits (Organic, Local, and/or pesticide and chemical free)
8. Sea Salt instead of regular table salt
9. Olive Oil instead of vegetable or canola oil
10. Stevia instead of sugar or artificial sweetners

I realize this is still a long list, so just choose a few things off of it that you use the most. I hope this helps.

For those of you who have never been to a chiropractor, in my next blog, I will talk a little bit about chiropractic and how it can help.

As always, feel free to post a comment and I will do my best to reply. You can also e-mail me at drmcgowan@acucarechiropractic.com or visit our website at http://www.acucarechiropractic.com/.

Have a great weekend!

Food for Thought

2008-09-09T20:55:00.006-05:00

Today, I went over to our vegetable garden at a plot that we rented from the village to pick some of our tomatoes and beans. Many towns offer plots for rent for the year that you can use for anything that you would like to grow or you can just pick a spot in your yard to grow some vegetables and herbs. This is the first year that Dawn and I did this and it was a great experience. We really knew nothing about planting vegetables before this year, so we kind of just winged it. There are 80 plots for rent and we randomly chose one that just so happened to have a gigantic oak tree on the side of it. I guess that's why it was still available. So, it definitely wasn't the best location as far as sun goes.

We planted lettuce, tomatoes, beans, carrots, broccoli, and cucumbers. We went to a farmer's market in Madison, WI at the beginning of the year and got 4 types of small starter organic lettuce plants and 4 types of small starter organic tomato plants and a starter organic broccoli plant. We used organic seeds for the other vegetables. We didn't use any pesticides and we probably didn't get over to the plot as much as we should, but the garden still did pretty well. I think the plots around us probably thought we were just growing weeds because they sure do grow fast, but it was nice not using chemicals. Our lettuce, tomatoes, and beans all grew great and we were able to eat a lot of them. The broccoli and cucumbers didn't grow and our carrots are still growing. So, although we had a shady plot, hardly weeded, didn't water as much as we should have, and didn't use pesticides or chemicals, we were still able to eat a lot of great veggies. The point of the story is that a vegetable garden is a great way to have your own fresh, inexpensive vegetables and you can put in as little or as much time and effort as you would like. If you don't have the space or availability to grow a vegetable garden, you can grow herbs in a pot or visit your local farmer's market!

Simple Grocery Changes

2008-09-08T20:41:00.006-05:00

Dawn and I really like going grocery shopping together because we like to find new things to create for meals...and try the free samples at Trader Joe's of course. We love Trader Joe's! It has unique items and a great selection of organic and healthy foods. I realize that with our economy right now and the prices of food, buying organic foods might sound unrealistic. However, if you could make just a few changes to your grocery list, it could make a big difference in your overall health and not hurt your pocket book too much.

The two easiest things that you can do is to start buying hormone-free and antibiotic-free milk and eggs. There are non-organic options that are hormone and antibiotic free, which are also good. Just read the label and it will specifically state this. The problem with the hormones that are used in the production of regular eggs and milk is that it mimics our own hormones especially estrogen in women. This creates a false increase in estrogen in the body. Some problems that have been shown to develop from an increase in estrogen in women are irregular periods, endometriosis, infertility, ovarian cysts, and others. I am not saying that just by eating eggs and milk that are not hormone-free, you will develop these problems. However, eggs and milk are probably 2 of the most common things that most of us eat, so just changing these is a great start!
Some other things that can be found at Trader Joe's:

Organic fruits and vegetables
Organic frozen strawberries and strawberries (used in our smoothies)
Hormone and antibiotic free chicken
Organic flax seed oil (great source of omega 3 fatty acids)
Organic aloe vera juice (helps aid with digestion)
Organic apple cider vinegar (good for digestion)

Doc Nate

September Special

2008-09-05T20:09:00.002-05:00

I was looking forward to coming home and enjoying a Friday night watching the Cubs. However, considering they are down 9-0 and are on a 5 game losing streak, I don't like that idea anymore. Hopefully they can turn it around fast!

You may have noticed the "September Special" on our website for the detoxification program. Patients ask me all the time about different detox programs and/or diets. Anything from fasting to the lemonade diet to the watermelon diet or whatever the newest fad diet. All of those things may help you in the short term to lose weight, but they are not realistic approaches to healthy long-term eating. The thing that I really like about the detox program that we offer is that it gets back to the basics of how we should be eating. It focuses on fruits, vegetables, and lean meats (chicken and fish) and over the course of 21 days shows you that you don't need all the other "junk." Our society is so fast paced now, so we are always looking for the quick options. Unfortunately, those options are usually not healthy. They are usually made with partially hydrogenated oils, trans fats, and/or sugars and corn syrups. I'll talk more later why these are not good for us and more about healthy eating options.

Doc Nate

Hello Blog World

2008-09-04T21:52:00.001-05:00

Well, I really know nothing about blogging, but I stumbled on this site and decided to give this a try. I have a lot of patients that ask me a lot of good questions at the office. Sometimes I can answer them and sometimes I have to get back to them, but I always wish that I could share the information with more people. So here we go! I plan to use this as a health forum for various questions and answers, ongoing chat about a certain topic, health tidbits, and just ideas on how to live a healthier and better life! Or if you would rather just talk sports, we can do that also! This may or may not be effective, but let's give it a shot! So, if anyone has any questions or topics they want to talk about, please make a post and we'll get this blogging thing going. I will do my best to check back everyday! Thanks and I hope to hear from you soon!

Doc Nate