Monday, August 31, 2009

The Current Health-Paradigm Crisis

I just read an article in a chiropractic journal about the ongoing discussions on health care. The premise of the article is that we’re not in a health care crisis, rather we’re in a health-paradigm crisis. I agree with that and here’s why.


The cost of health care in this country is spiraling out of control yet as a whole, Americans experience more illness and disease than the most of the industrialized world. The average American does not take responsibility for his/her health and instead, relies on standard medical care as their primary form of health care. This results in dysfunction, imbalance, and eventually disease. In these cases, doctors must “fix” the patient. This type of healthcare should really be called “disease management.”


Diabetes is a perfect example. Type II diabetes is what’s called a “lifestyle” disease in that it is completely preventable and a result of poor lifestyle choices, specifica

lly diet. I recently read that in 2007,

the direct and indirect costs of treating diabetes were $174 billion. The American Diabetes Association has stated that “One out of every five health care dollars is spent caring for someone with diagnosed diabetes, while one in ten health care dollars is attributed to diabetes.” Here is a disease that is completely avoidable and 20% of health care dollars are spent on treating this disease.


What if we lived in a world where healthy choices were the norm? For example, what would the state of health care look like if Americans ate properly, exercised and slept regularly, plus received regular chiropractic care? I’d like to see that. We, as Americans, should be taking ownership of our health and focusing on wellness care plus the prevention on diseases. In the long run this type of health care saves us tremendous amounts of money. That’s what is meant by a health-paradigm crisis. What do you think?

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Back to School!

It’s getting to be that time of year! As you are preparing your children for school, it’s important to get them off to the right start with proper nutrition for their minds and their bodies! When working with children I recommend several whole food nutritional supplements.
  1. Chewable Catalyn: This is a pleasant tasting multiple vitamin, mineral and trace mineral concentrate for children who have trouble swallowing pills. Teenagers can benefit from regular Catalyn.

  2. Tuna Omega 3 Chewable: This balanced source of DHA and EPA essential fatty acids is essential for brain and nervous system health as well as vision health. The orange flavor passes muster with even finicky eaters.

  3. Calcium Lactate Powder: Calcium in necessary for proper bone growth and strength plus is an essential nutrient for the nervous and immune systems.

  4. Min Tran: A source of minerals that children need for balanced nervous system function. Minerals are calming to the mind and body. Other things to keep in mind that children need for proper mind and body development include:
  • Children need fat in their diet. Fat is essential for a developing healthy brains and nervous system. Nuts and seeds are an excellent snack and pack a nutritional punch with their balanced protein, fat and carbohydrate content. Almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds are excellent choices. Coconut oil is a great addition to breakfast smoothies.

  • Never give carbohydrates alone. Children need sustained energy and carbohydrates given alone will only feed hyperactivity and the inability to focus. If you give your child an apple or a banana, give then some nuts and seeds, nut butter, or a slice of deli meat along with the fruit to keep their energy fires stoked.

  • I make numerous types of low carbohydrate “granola” or nut and seed bars. I get a lot of inspiration from blogs. A few of my favorites include:

http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/

http://www.elanaspantry.com/

http://www.cookingtf.com/



Contact CCW’s Wellness Coordinator, Jennifer Campbell at ccwwellness@gmail.com for additional recipe ideas.