Prana Chiropractic's Wellness Corner

Very simple and incredibly yummy, combining a quality whey protein powder with Greek yogurt gives you a perfect muscle building, low fat, recovery-promoting snack that is as simple as it gets to prepare.  I love Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein (got to get the Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor) which gives me 30 grams of high quality protein with all essential and non-essential amino acids per scoop (they don't pay me to say that, although I wish they did).  This stuff is around $15 at Wal-Mart and it mixes well with milk, almond milk (my fav) or water.   Adding a scoop to one cup of Greek yogurt gives you close to 50 grams of protein, along with the valuable probiotics in the yogurt and a nice balance of carbs to really jump start recovery after an intense workout.  I like Cabot's Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt, but there are as many varieties out there as one can imagine.  Some of you guys might prefer the fat-free Greek options available and the pl...

Two ways to go about treating and managing mild to moderate depression naturally are among the easiest and healthy things that you can do for yourself.  First, getting an adequate amount of Vitamin D is essential for mood regulation.  Our bodies are capable of producing Vitamin D through sunlight exposure, yet those of us living north of Atlanta, GA can have a difficult time producing enough Vitamin D through sunlight exposure alone.  If this is geographically the case for you, work towards consuming more Vitamin D rich foods (dairy or foods fortified with Vitamin D).  You can also take a Vitamin D supplement, which is recommended by Dr. Andrew Weil, as a means to getting an adequate supply of Vitamin D each day.  His recommendation is to supplement with 2000 IU's of Vitamin D per day.  As always, prior to taking any food or sports supplements, consult with your trusted healthcare practitioner beforehand.  If you are on certain medicat...

Given the current Covid-19 pandemic that we as a planet are facing, the importance of taking steps to increase your body’s natural immunity is more important that ever.   The great news is, there are simple, easy-to-implement steps that you can incorporate into your daily activities that can help your body have its best chance at warding off bacteria, virus, and other disease-causing agents.  Below, I have complied a list of what I personally think are the top 10 ways to naturally improve immune function.   This is not an all-inclusive list, as there are certainly other healthy ways and steps to improve immunity in addition to these ten steps I have listed.   As always, before changing your diet or exercise routines, check with your trusted healthcare provider to make certain it is beneficial for you.   That being said, let’s get to the good stuff! The steps below are in no particular order, but here are my top 10 favorites: (1) Eat an Abundance of F...

Creatine is one of the most widely used sports supplements in the world of athletic competition.   Although bodybuilders and power lifters are primary users of this supplement, athletes from ranging from sprinting to golf can be found using creatine in attempts to increase athletic performance.   Creatine is even used in the treatment of conditions and diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, congestive heart failure, arthritis, high cholesterol, and emotional illnesses including bipolar disorder and depression.   WedMD reports that creatine is also used to assist in slowing the negative effects of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). Believe it or not, I am so old that I remember when creatine supplements hit the market back in the 1990’s.   I even did a term paper on creatine monohydrate (the most popular variety of creatine supplements) back in my Exercise Physiology class in undergraduate school!  So what exactly is creatine?   Very simply, it is a com...

There are several varieties of the leafy vegetable chard, such as Swiss, Dinosaur, and Rainbow chard, and it’s among the healthiest food options available to us. Given the current pandemic we are experiencing across the globe, it is now vitally important to incorporate health boosting foods into your diet!  Here a quick list of some of the health benefits that chard offers: (1)     Chard is high in micronutrients including vitamins E, K, Niacin, Folic Acid, and the minerals potassium, manganese, magnesium, iron, calcium and zinc. (2)     Chard is high in cancer-fighting antioxidants including lutein and quercetin.   Lutein is extremely important in eye health and can drastically reduce the risk of Macular Degeneration (the leading cause of blindness in older adults). (3)     Being high in phytochemicals and cholorphyl, chard can help reduce the risk of cancer. (4)     Chard is a good source ...