Prana Chiropractic's Wellness Corner

This is one of my favorite nutritional aids that I have used for a number of years to increase my own Wellness Based Lifestyle.  More and more people are utilizing this easily accessible health elixir, and here are just a few of the many benefits that apple cider vinegar offers.  These are the benefits that I have witnessed myself through my own use, and also those that have more scientific backing than many of the claims found on the internet.  I recommend that all my Practice Members take a shot (1.5 oz) of ACV each day.  It can be added to warm water, along with a tablespoon of honey to make it much more palatable.  I usually just take a shot of it from a shot glass, and then chase it down with a glass of water.  One Practice Member adds it to organic grape juice and swears it tastes like red wine (haven't tried it personally though).  Health Benefits Include: Could assist with weight loss Help to decrease the level of acidity in the body (...

A research study conducted at David Grant Medical Center in California recently discovered that aloe vera, when taken orally, can reduce fasting blood glucose levels.   Researchers also found reduced HbA1c levels, which are also screened when testing for diabetes.  The HbA1c is glycated hemoglobin, which gives doctors a look at the average glucose levels over a three month period.  Keep in mind that this test is done for Type-II, Adult-Onset Diabetes.   During this research study, 89 diabetic patients were analyzed.  The findings from this study are suggestive that patients with glucose levels of over 200 experienced the greatest reduction with the use of oral aloe vera.   So check your local natural food stores for quality, pure aloe vera juice or simply make your own by juicing the stems of an aloe vera plant.  Beware of the aloe vera juices found in many supermarkets or gas stations, as they contain high amounts of sugar....

In the age of fitness gimmicks and equipment that promise to produce staggering results in 2 minutes or less of use per day, most of us “more” informed people have become weary of the fitness equipment industry.    Yet one simple piece of equipment that has literally stood the test of time and is generally accepted by all health and fitness professionals as being effective, is the stability ball.    The stability ball is also called a yoga, Thera-, exercise, fitness, or Swiss ball and regardless of the name given, it is an air-filled heavy-duty plastic ball that comes is a variety of sizes to better fit individual users.    The stability ball is an inexpensive piece of equipment and because of the fitness benefits that they offer it is a must for all exercises to have in the home and office. Although many people think of the stability ball as a relatively recent invention, they have been around since the early 1900’s.    Originally they wer...

Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices known to man, dating back to 2,700 BC according to both Chinese and Egyptian texts.    Cinnamon is a small tree grown in Asia and South America, and is produced by taking the bark from the tree and drying it.    It is then typically ground into powder for consumption.    There are 4 different varieties of cinnamon, but the most common type found in grocery stores is Cassia cinnamon.    Cinnamon offers a good deal of health benefits including regulation of blood sugar, relieving pain associated with arthritis, improved memory and brain functioning, anti-clotting and blood thinning effects, helping with cold symptoms including a stuffy nose, reducing flatulence and nausea, and can help with painful menstrual cramping.    Cinnamon also contains important nutrients including manganese, iron, calcium and fiber.    The combination of calcium and fiber is particularly important in that it has...

Two of my favorite things in life are working out and music.  So why not combine them and get the best of both worlds!  In all seriousness, listening to music while working out can increase your ability to train and in that way, help to boost results.  If you take a second to think about it, it isn’t really hard to see how music can help you increase the intensity of your workouts.  Throughout history, music has been used to illustrate and illicit emotions and to create moods.  Choosing music that creates the mood for the type of training that you’ll be engaging in is important.  For heavy weight lifting or sprinting workouts, it makes sense to choose a powerful, face-paced type of music.  For yoga or meditation, go with light and expressive instrumental type music.  They even make waterproof MP3 players these days, so you can listen to music while swimming!   http://www.amazon.com/Underwater-A...

Urinary Tract Infections, or UTI’s for short, are a no-fun yet common condition that many of us can find ourselves suffering from at one point or another.   There are a number of causes, and if you find that you are suffering from burning sensations while urinating, or a burning and itching type sensation in the bladder, chances are you might have a UTI.   Certainly, the best way to determine this is to see your trusted healthcare provider.   Women seem to be more susceptible to developing UTI’s.   There was a recent study detailed in the Phytotherapy Research Journal that looked at the effects of consuming whole cranberry fruit powder on women that experienced two or more UTI’s over the previous year.   There were 182 test participants, and 89 of those were given 500 milligrams of the cranberry powder daily for 6 months, while the other test participants were given a placebo.   Those participants that received the cranberry powder reported a dr...

Arthritis is a disease that affects the body’s joints, causing severe pain and stiffness in sufferers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are approximately 50 million Americans that suffer from one of the dozens of types of arthritis, meaning that it is one of the most prevalent forms of disease in American society. Given the fact that arthritis causes severe pain and stiffness in the joints, exercise is often one of the last things that sufferers consider as a mode of treatment and pain management, yet physical activity is one of the most beneficial means of reducing these symptoms. Exercise helps sufferers in several important ways including increasing flexibility of the muscles, increasing the range of motion in joints, and increasing the strength of the muscles that support the joints. One of the biggest issues associated with arthritis is decreased mobility due to the stiffness and pain it causes. Inactivity will actually exacerbate thes...