Prana Chiropractic's Wellness Corner

Most of us have experienced that afternoon fatigue at our job that sets in somewhere between lunch and quitting time.    The good news is there are some simple things that you can do to help boost energy when this occurs!  What's even better is they do not consist of consuming an energy drink or 3 cups of coffee.   The first thing you should do is take a break away from the desk or job you perform.   G etting away from your “job” for a few minutes can give you a well-deserved mental break, and often this little break alone can increase your energy level.    Perform some simple stretches to open up those stiff muscles that sitting or standing all day can cause.    I do some simple standing forward bends, side bends on each side, shallow back bends,    and some quadriceps stretches to name a few.    Letting some energy start to flow into these stiff areas can do wonders in terms of upping your energy! Perform ...

A question that I am often asked and one that I have seen countless times on message boards across the Internet, in magazines, and on fitness videos is whether a person should do cardiovascular exercise before or after a resistance training workout? Before going any further, I want to clearly state that it is my position that everyone working out should engage in a cardiovascular exercise of their choice for 5 to 10 minutes prior to any workout.  This means any type of workout, be it a more intense cardiovascular, resistance or flexibility workout. This is vitally important for several reasons as a proper, light-intensity cardiovascular exercise will warm up the muscles, ligaments, joints and tendons that will be used more intensely in the following workout routine. Warming up with cardio also increases the core temperature slightly, increases circulation, slightly elevates the heart rate and helps to prepare the heart for an increased workload, it helps increase lung ...

The Asheville, NC region has a reputation in the Southeast as a  progressive community, open to many forms of alternative healthcare including Chiropractic, acupuncture, homeopathic medicine and various forms of body work, to name a few. As with many of the communities in the Southeast, there is no shortage of health concerns and one of the primary concerns seen in Asheville and the surrounding areas is Diabetes Mellitus (Type II). One of the biggest contributing factors to the development of Type II Diabetes is the presence of obesity, which is also a community health concern in this area.             Recent obesity statistics in North Carolina reports that approximately two-thirds of adults are obese in this state. An even more concerning statistic is that NC currently ranks fifth in the nation in prevalence of childhood obesity, meaning that there is an almost certain likelihood of increasing numbers of children and a...

I'm all about getting plenty of protein in each day and always looking for creative ways to stay satisfied in the process.  Here's a great high protein peanut butter cookie recipe that is as easy as it is yummy! What you'll need: 1 egg 1 cup of natural peanut butter 15 packets of Stevia 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder (or your choice of flavor) 1 tablespoon of cinnamon or nutmeg 1/4 cup skim milk What you'll do: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix them together until you get a nice blending of all ingredients.  Take out a baking sheet and cover it with a single layer of wax paper.  Then simple roll the cookie mixture into small balls about the size of a golf ball and place them on the wax paper, while flattening them out a bit with your fingers.  Then pop them into the oven and cook for 10 minutes. That's it folks and you'll have a pretty much guilt-free high protein snack that will s...

Scary statistic that I just read in the most recent edition of Anytime Fitness' periodical publication...... The average American spends over half of their lifetime sitting! As the article points out between watching tv on the couch, driving and working desk jobs, the majority of our waking hours are spent seated. With this in mind is it any wonder obesity rates are through the roof, Type II Diabetes is an epidemic and other conditions related to poor circulation are insanely high these days? To compound this issue even further, sitting places more stress on the spine than standing.  As a Chiropractor this is of special concern to me, because the more stress on the spine means more chance of the bones in the spine misaligning and leading to nervous system dysfunction.  It also means premature degeneration of the intervertebral discs and the bones. The takeaway??? Use some of at couch time to get out and get active! 20 to 30 minutes a day of continuous activity that incr...

Black pepper is one of the most popular and widely used spices in the world, but you might be surprised to know that it has also been used for centuries as a natural medicine.  Black pepper has many health benefits that include helping with respiratory illnesses, coughs and colds, muscular strains, coronary heart disease, indigestion and stomach issues, impotency, and constipation among others.  The black pepper that we use to spice our foods is derived from the Black Pepper plant, which is native to the southern part of India.  It is grown year round, so it is always readily available.  Black pepper has strong antibacterial properties, which is the root of its use as a natural health remedy.  In addition to this, its antibacterial properties make it a popular choice as a food preservative.  Black pepper is rich in iron, potassium, manganese, vitamin K, vitamin C, and fiber.  It has been found to help increase the secretion of Hydrochloric...