Washington Park Chiropractic

The purpose of food is to provide our body with the fuel it needs to do what we require in a day, however, so much of what we consume is pre-packaged and overly processed, leading to a lack of actual nutrition. One of the key factors in living a wellness lifestyle is making wiser dietary decisions; and eliminating casein from your diet may be something for you to consider.

What is Casein?

Casein is a protein found in milk and dairy products, but is also used as a binding agent in many other foods. Technically it is a phosphoprotein that accounts for nearly 80% of the proteins in cow’s milk and cheese.

Why Eat Casein-Free?

Eating casein-free, when combined with a gluten-free diet, has reportedly had very positive results for those who have an autistic spectrum disorder, such as: autism, Asperger’s syndrome, atypical autism and pervasive developmental disorder.

Additionally, many people that have assumed they are allergic to milk may actually be suffering from a casein allergy. The problem with a lack of awareness as to the true allergy is that casein is found in more than just dairy products. This “binding agent” has technical uses as well as edible and has been used in paints (including fingernail polish), other cosmetics and even glue (or industrial adhesives).

Read the rest of this entry →

By: Ashley Bennett, LMT

Lung cancer is a very tricky type of cancer because the main reason that a person gets it is because of smoking.  This habit is a very hard one to break so while that habit is in the process of being broken, here is an article outlining  another way to help combat the risks for lung cancer.  

PHILADELPHIA — Adding a variety of vegetables to one’s diet may help decrease the chance of getting lung cancer, and adding a variety of fruits and vegetables may decrease the risk of squamous cell lung cancer, especially among smokers.

Study results are published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

“Although quitting smoking is the most important preventive action in reducing lung cancer risk, consuming a mix of different types of fruit and vegetables may also reduce risk, independent of the amount, especially among smokers,” said H. Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., senior scientist and project director of cancer epidemiology at The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, The Netherlands.

Read the rest of this entry →

….Dr. G’s Pregnancy Update

By Dr. Lisa Goodman, DC

As most of my patients know, I am pregnant with number 2!  In fact, I have just 10 weeks to go until my due date of November 3.  I’ve been asked a lot of questions “how am I feeling?”, “how much longer will you work?”, “is there anything you can’t do at work?”, “where and how will you have your baby?”  I thought I’d take this opportunity to answer those questions and present a few of Dr. G’s tips for a comfortable and healthy pregnancy.

How Much Longer Will You Work?

During my last pregnancy I worked until I was 39 weeks (which was just one week prior to my due date).  I intend to do the same this time.  Looks like my last day to treat patients will likely be Monday, October 25.  That should give me ample time to nest.  This brings me to my first healthy pregnancy tip: Never think your baby will come early!  No matter what expert tells you that you might deliver early – It is probably healthiest to expect baby to come no sooner than your due date  Remember, babies don’t all develop at the same rate and your due date is really just the middle of a 4 week time frame in which a healthy baby is born.  Focusing on or after my due date helps keep me focused on my patients and staying healthy and active. 

Oh – and I plan to be back part time the first week of December (with baby in tow) and full time Mid-January!

Is There Anything You Can’t Do?

As you know, chiropractic is a very physical profession.  I have always made it a point to use good ergonomics and body position when working on patients.  Therefore, even while I am pregnant this doesn’t change much.  I work hard to protect my body and still have very effective treatments on my patients.  However, rest assured that if I ever feel that there is a treatment I cannot safely perform, I will happily refer specific patients to my partner, Dr. Jake Simpson.  Dr. Simpson will be your main treating doctor while I am on maternity leave so don’t be shy!

How Are You Feeling?

I feel terrific!  I really feel absolutely wonderful.  I attribute that to a few key things: Read the rest of this entry →

Many have attributed the term wellness to Dr. Halbert Dumn who wrote a booklet in 1961 entitled, “High Level Wellness”, in which he basically defined it as a lifestyle approach for pursuing elevated states of physical and psychological well-being. The reality is that the term wellness was actually coined in the year 1654 by a Scotts physician. Yet the true meaning has evolved beyond what they both intended.

While the term has been around for hundreds of years, it has only been in the past 50 or so that it has truly been defined.

Defining Wellness

Many are not aware that chiropractors are the originators of the wellness movement, being the only healthcare professionals who recognize the body’s natural ability to heal itself. This is why they have spent more than 50 years educating their patients on the benefits of a wellness lifestyle.

Proper nutrition, exercise and routine chiropractic care help the body to perform at maximum efficiency, resulting in improved function.

Read the rest of this entry →

Sleep has always given me trouble. I was diagnosed with insomnia in my early teens and the more medication the doctors put me on, the harder it became to crash during the night. My obsession with clocks and making sure I was getting an ample amount of sleep for the following day made me anxious. Too anxious to sleep. I would find myself awake standing over the clock, with only moments since I had last checked the time. When I left for college my sleep problems doubled. Sharing a room with a stranger does not lead to a restful night of sleeping. Today I use melatonin every night, and the best part? It’s all natural! After so many years of dead ends I decided to dive into why melatonin is so affective.

The article stresses the importance of good ’sleep hygiene’. Sleep hygiene refers to following good practices around sleep to help to eliminate problems. For example, not having caffeine after mid-day, getting exercise, not watching TV in bed, doing low stimulus activities prior to sleep (i.e. reading) etc. Sleep hygiene can make a difference, but often it’s not enough to help everyone.

Read the rest of this entry →

Tis’ the season to be feasting on fresh tasty strawberries! Strawberries have great taste and make an excellent addition to ice creams, yogurts, milkshakes and desserts. Strawberries have lots of health benefits and here are just a few!

Rich in Nutrition: Strawberries are rich in a wide range of vitamins namely Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin and Folic acid. It also contains Magnesium, Copper, Manganese, Omega-3 fatty acids and more. Vitamin C found in strawberries is more abundant than other fruits. Daily intake of strawberries supplies more than the sufficient amount of vitamins needed for the body.

For a Healthy Heart: Important heart-healthy nutrients such as Vitamin C, Potassium, and fibers are present in strawberry.  Strawberries have various phytonutrients such as phenol and anthocyanin and these phytonutrients fight against heart diseases. The phenol content present in strawberry makes it a heart protective fruit.

Read the rest of this entry →

With time, research is revealing that nuts and seeds do not deserve their bad reputation. Absolutely, they are high in fat. But it’s the good fat, not the bad, and when eaten in moderation, their health benefits far outweigh the dangers of their fat content. The fact is, the more we learn about nuts and seeds, the more we realize that they’re one of our best snack food options.

Isn’t Fat Bad?

We know that nuts and seeds are high in fat. An ounce of almonds and sunflower seeds both have 14 grams, cashews have 13 and pecans have a total fat count of 20 grams. It’s when we consider what kind of fat they contain that we see the difference between these and other foods with a high total fat count.

Saturated fats are those that raise our bad cholesterol levels and increase our risk of heart disease and strokes. These are the fats that are high in most snack items and put our health at risk. An ounce of almonds contain 1 gram of saturated fats, and cashews and pecans have 3 and 2 grams respectively.

Where nuts and seeds are high in fat is in the mono and polyunsaturated fats, but these are good for us, raising our “good cholesterol” levels and typically containing essential vitamins like A, D, E and K.

Read the rest of this entry →