Chiroblog

 

Congratulations! You've made it to the end of the first ever Rubin Family Chiropractic Ten Weeks of Wellness Challenge!  We hope you've seen how easy it is to make simple changes in your life in order to promote global wellness - and today we thank you for letting us join you on the journey.

How often do we really take the time to say 'thank you' for the gifts - big or small - that we are given.  This week we encourage you to send an email, make a phone call, or pay a visit in order to thank those people who play a role in making your life unique and wonderful.  We at Rubin Family Chiropractic are so thankful to have you in our office week in and week out! You share your lives and stories, triumphs and successes with us and we are honored to be welcomed into your families.  Thank you for trusting us to adjust your parents, siblings and children.  It is our privilege to serve you.

We look forward to hearing form you on facebook, in the comments or via email at rubinchiropractic[at]gmail[dot]com.

Hope everyone finds themselves with a...sunny...disposition following last weeks challenge!  As we near the end of our Ten Weeks of Wellness, we think you're ready for the toughest challenge yet: giving up dairy!

Dairy has mistakenly become a major focus of the American diet.  Many are under the false impression that dairy is the only dietary source of calcium available to them.  But dark leafy greens are just as, if not more, effective at supplying the body with calcium than milk or cheese is.  The problem with dairy is that it's proteins are highly inflammatory and stimulate the production of mucous.  Casein, a milk protein, has been implicated in diabetes and heart disease, and acts on the brain as an opioid -  effectively drugging the consumer, much like morphine!  No wonder kids that switch to dairy when coming off of breast milk find themselves with more ear infections - and then still want milk while they're sick! 

There are plenty of milk and dairy substitutes!  Almond, soy, coconut, and rice milk are becoming increasingly common in grocery stores.  There are also yogurts and cheeses made with these products, too, which should make exchanging most of the obvious dairy items fairly easy.  What you need to be a little more careful about are dairy products within other foods.  So much like you did with gluten, read your labels carefully.  You can do it!

Stop by our facebook, leave a comment, or send an email to rubinchiropractic[at]gmail[com] and let us know how it's going!

Sources:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1061

http://www.naturalnews.com/002695_Robert_Cohen_cows_milk.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/488110-foods-containing-opioids/

Welcome to Week 8 of our Ten Weeks of Wellness! We hope your feeling more energized since cutting out some gluten from your diet and that your are starting to see that making diet changes, while difficult, is not impossible.  This week, with spring time on the horizon, we'd like you to get a little extra sun!

Sunshine is a vital part of leading a healthy lifestyle.  Many of you have heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - a condition marked by increased feelings of depression in the darker months of winter.  This is theorized to be the result of decreased vitamin D production, which typically occurs when sun shines on the skin causing a complex reaction to occur through out the body.  Vitamin D levels can be managed with diet as well, but getting a little mid-day sun is always best.  Go out, sans sunscreen, for just enough time to turn your skin a little pink.  For some that might be just a couple of minutes, for others it can be a little longer.  Just this much time in the sun is enough to start the chemical cascade to boost your mood!

In the winter and on rainy days there are other ways to boost your mood (while making sure to consume vitamin D in your diet or with supplements)  Just take a couple of moments (5-10 to start) to sit in a quiet room and focus on your breathing.  Taking deep, steady breaths is a good way to reduce stress and anxiety.  Pick a word that is positive and embodies a state you're looking to achieve, and focus on it.  Whenever your mind starts to wander, just return your focus to this word. Or ask Dr Rubin about the Heart Math program he has been studying.  It's a little device the size of a cell phone that measures your heart rate and can tell when you are 'in tune' or 'out of touch' by the pace of your heart.

Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002499/
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/heart/articles/2008/06/23/time-in-the-sun-how-much-is-needed-for-vitamin-d
http://www.project-meditation.org/a_wim1/effects_of_meditation.html

Hopefully you've been finding fun and creative ways to pay it forward this past week!  The positive energy will hopefully be enough to power you through this week's challenge...going Gluten-free!

We know this is a huge change for a lot of people, but it's one we at Rubin Family Chiropractic really find makes a HUGE difference in our patient's lives.  Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye.  It is important for binding molecules together, giving breads and baked goods their doughy texture, as opposed to just crumbling.  The problem is gluten is a highly inflammatory agent.  As it works it's way through the digestive tract it causes it to swell, which allows more of the gluten (and other potentially harmful particles) to get into the blood stream and wreak havoc else when in the body.  Even though few people have a severe allergy to gluten (known as Celiac's disease), many more have some level of sensitivity to gluten, which may not be detected by a traditional allergy test.  The best way to determine if you have sensitivity is to go gluten free for a couple of weeks and see home much better you feel!

For the purpose of our 10 Weeks of Wellness challenge, however, we're just asking you to go a day without gluten. If you make it 1 day, then try another, and so on.  Since the media has picked up on gluten sensitivity recently, it is becoming much easier to find gluten-free alternatives to everyday foods in your local grocery store.  Dr. Rubin has been gluten free for years and is happy to point you in the direction of his favorite products!

What about you?  What are some of your favorite gluten-free snacks and meals?  Let us know here or on our Facebook page!

Positive affirmations are incredibly beneficial if you write them and say them properly.  The goal is to remove any question or doubt from the language you use to write them and from your intonation when you say them aloud (yes, out loud).  The affirmation can be as long or as short as you would like - as long as it's for you!

• Be specific!:  Decide what you will be affirming and then use as many descriptors as you can to paint a clear picture of the person you want to be come. 
• Think positive:  Don't use any negative words in your affirmation.  Your brain does not respond to negativity, so a poorly worded affirmation can back fire (Like saying "Don't forget the bag" often still results in forgetting the bag!)  For example, instead of saying "I am not depressed" try "I am an energetic and happy individual".
• Fake it 'til you make it!:  The key to a good affirmation is to use language that assumes you already have achieved your goals.  Instead of saying "I want to be confident"  say "I am confident."  
• Once you are satisfied with your affirmation, post it where you will see it often:  Places like your bathroom mirror or wallet/purse work well.  Read it out loud when ever you see it.
• Yes, saying it is important!:  By saying the affirmation out loud, you are activating more senses and areas of your brain.  This increases the ability of the brain to manifest the changes you seek in your day-to-day life.  

Here are examples of Dr. Rubin's favorite affirmations:  "I can, I will, I must."  "I feel healthy, I feel happy. I feel terrific." (Both inspired by the late Dr Sid Williams).  His father used to say during stressful situations: "Everything's going to be fine." If you have a goal with a date in mind, here is how it should be written: "By March 31st I have completed the Couch to 5K challenge."  Remember affirmations are future paced statements of "I am" or "I have" and are not "I will" or "I'll try."

So give it a shot!  If you need any help, we are more than happy to review your affirmation here at the office, or you can check out this website if you need a little more guidance in the writing process.  And here's how you earn your tickets this week:

• Writing your affirmation and saying it at least once a day: 1 ticket
• Commenting on this blog or on a Facebook post: 1 ticket
• Posting your affirmation to our Facebook page: 2 tickets