Wellness Choice Center | Newport Beach Chiropractor

This morning, Southern Cooking Queen Paula Deen declared to the “Today Show” that she indeed has been diagnosed with Type II diabetes.  The 64-year-old Food Network star finally admitted she was diagnosed three years ago and that she has been working to manage her diabetes. Deen built her Food Network empire publicizing her incredibly decadent—and unhealthy—recipes including deep fried mac and cheese and krispy kreme bread pudding. Deen said in her interview that she wanted people to understand that diabetes isn’t “a death sentence”. However the most important thing to note here is that while Type II diabetes is not a death sentence, it isn’t curable-but it can be managed and most importantly, it can be prevented.

Making chronically bad diet decisions stuffed in Paula Deen’s recipes can absolutely contribute to the development of diabetes. Type II diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolizes sugar—or glucose—your body’s main source of fuel. This type of diabetes causes the body to resist the effects of insulin — a hormone that regulates sugar levels in your body — or it affects the body’s ability to produce enough insulin to maintain a normal glucose level. If untreated, it can be life-threatening.

At Wellness Choice Center, we offer a revolutionary weight loss protocol that helps patients lose weight every week. We have seen patients in our office who were overweight and pre-diabetic and they have since lost 25 pounds in 2 months and are no longer at risk. On this physician-monitored protocol, you’re given most of your food, and you’re required to come to a weekly weigh-in and consultation. You are also assigned a weight-loss coach to ensure long-term success on this physiological-based program. If you, or someone you know, are facing a type 2 diabetes diagnosis, there is hope! Call our clinic today to schedule a free consultation @ 949-387-1333.

Everyone knows that the holiday season can be stressful- mentally, physically and financially… but it doesn’t have to be this way. At Wellness Choice Center we know that stress is not only debilitating, it is dangerous. Stress causes subluxations, which are structural mislignments in your nervous system which translate to decreased nerve flow to your organs. These misalignments not only put pressure on the spine-they creating back pain and weakness, as well as organ system issues. It can also physically weaken immune system function and increase susceptibility to seasonal illness. Let’s prevent the stress of the season this year. Here are a few tips to help you reduce anxiety:

1. Remember to breathe. It may sound trivial, but there’s a reason yoga masters practice the art of proper breathing: it’s incredibly important for overall well-being. It not only releases calming neurotransmitters into your brain to relax you, it also allows you to take a moment to put things into perspective.

2. Know your limits. Remember that, even though it’s the season for charity, giving and sociability, you don’t have to say yes to every event or charity function, and you don’t have to buy gifts for every person in your neighborhood. This causes undue stress and worrying-which is the exact opposite of the principles of the season. Own and respect your own limits, because there’s no shame in it keeping your stress in check.

3. Take care of your body. Take some time out for yourself to do a calming yoga class, enjoy of cup of tea and a novel or otherwise give yourself some alone time. Also remember the last thing you want to do is go and get yourself–and your family–sick, so remember to take precautions such as washing your hands often, and keeping your immune system boosted by getting lots of fiber, vitamin C and Omega 3′s

It’s that time of year again! It’s the time to reflect on what we’re thankful for and count all of our wonderful blessings. As always at Wellness Choice Center, we want to focus on how to make our community even more outstanding than it already is. What better way to do so than by hosting a toy drive and mixer for our patients, friends and family to come bearing unwrapped toys to brighten the holiday season for children around our community. Come for the toy drive, and stay for the fabulous food, delicious wine and company of good people. Let’s toast to a happy, healthy and stress-free holiday season!

Everyday, whether we are conscious of it or not, our bodies are bombarded by unnatural and harmful toxins. This ranges from the air we breathe to the lotions and soaps we put on our skin. Most of these harmful chemicals seem normal to us or we are completely unaware that they are present. But general hysteria isn’t the reason why we are finding out every day that more and more chemicals we are exposed to are cancer-causing–it’s because a lot of the compounds found in our foods, household products, etc that were accepted for a long time as safe are now found to be compounding in our systems and causing bodily harm.

On the one hand it’s important not to live in a bubble- you can’t shield yourself or your children from every little passing chemical compound foreign to the body. That’s why our immune systems are so effective and highly evolved- they thrive on fighting down harmful compounds and building up tolerance and strength. In fact, recent studies all stress the importance of not directing limiting your child’s exposure to common allergens at very young ages, because introduction of these can increase the risk of more sever allergic reactions later in life. Rather, it is more important to educate yourself and your family on the risks of exposure to known carcinogenic toxins, and be aware of where and how this exposure happens. Understanding this will help you make informed decisions about what kind of fuels you will burn, the kind of vehicle you’ll drive and the household products and foods you’ll purchase.

To read more, check out this article on MedPage Today: http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/EnvironmentalHealth/19956.

Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends to gather around the table, swap stories and catch up. But did you ever have a relative nag you at the table about sitting up straight? If they did you should thank them- not only does correcting your posture improve your appearance and get your grandmother off your back– no pun intended–it is also vitally important for proper flow of neurons and nerve energy to all of your organs.

Postural distortions are the leading cause for spinal misalignments, and if they progress,  can also lead to complications for other organs and organ systems function in the body. Your spine is like a hose, supplying energy from your brain to the rest of your body. Just like if a hose is kinked, reducing the flow and output of water, so too does the nerve flow from your brain become reduces as your spine “kinks” from postural distortions. So sit up straight this Thanksgiving and impress your family- it will also add inches to your height and have everyone remarking on how healthy and tall you look this year!

Happy Halloween! It’s the official start to the season of gorging. But THIS year we are going to be offering you delicious alternatives throughout the holiday season that will help you reduce temptation, help educate your kids on healthy choices, and stay healthy and lean! Who doesn’t want to stay LEAN and FIT during the holidays??

CHOOSE PROTEIN: For Halloween, we know candy is a must. No one wants to be that one house that gives out apples. Those houses get egged. So, in order to choose the most healthy OPTION just remember to choose a candy that has a nice balance of carbohydrates AND protein. All the refined sugar in the candy isn’t great, but if you choose the candies with say, nuts, then there’s at least a nutritional value attached. Two good examples to choose are Baby Ruths or M&Ms.

FUN SIZE IT: Another good–and economical–choice is to go for the fun size. Everyone loves the house that gives out the king size Milky Ways, but there’s no need to contribute that solidly to the childhood obesity epidemic. For example, a fun size Nestle Butterfinger serving of two bars contains 170 calories, 60 of those from fat with 3.5 grams of saturated fat and 17 grams of sugar versus a full size bar serving, which has 270 calories, 100 of those from fat and six grams of saturated fat with 28 grams of sugar. The fun size options are greatly reduced in calories and sugar, and will make a huge difference.

EAT WITHOUT SHAME: Remember that it’s okay to splurge, but it’s not okay to splurge when you constantly tell yourself it’s okay to splurge every time there’s a moment where it’s okay to splurge. That means that in the holiday season, you’ve got to be a little more reserved about when–and what!— you splurge for. For instance, if you’re craving the sugar you can eat a fruity RingPop for 60 calories versus a snickers bar containing around 200 calories. And use the same practices with your kids, limit their intake and don’t keep their candy stash readily availble. Or better yet, make them work for it. They want a chocolate bar? Have them clear the dishes first! A great reward for finishing a full meal is a nice candy bar at the end– and your metabolism will thank you for it!

We had a fantastic time this weekend performing postural analyses and massage therapy at Cruisin’ For A Cure, an annual event that raises awareness for prostate cancer, and where all donations and proceeds go directly to prostate cancer research. This year, over 200,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Of those affected, over 31,000 will die. That is roughly one person every 6 1/2 minutes, and in many cases these could have been prevented with regular checkups. For more information on prostate cancer, or how you can help, visit cityofhope.org

According to a new study published this week in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), individuals suffering from depression are more at risk for stroke than their peers, and that these strokes are more likely to be fatal. The study finds that individuals with other conditions such as hypertension or obesity are more at risk of suffering from a stroke, but it also found that as many as 4% of Americans who suffered from a stroke last year were attributed to their depression. To read more, check out this article.

In fact, did you know that one of the hallmarks of depression is decreased levels of serotonin in the brain, and that studies show that chiropractic can increase serotonin levels?

Side Note: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20483493,00.html

There’s no denying that spinal care in the medical community has made great strides in the past 20 years. The field of chiropractic medicine itself has made unparalleled advances in the non-surgical treatment of back pain and spinal-related issues such as scoliosis, sciatica and spondylosisthesis. Chiropractors know that there is ample research and living proof that there are many non-invasive, nonsurgical methods for treatment of these conditions, such spinal decompression and traction rehabilitation, in addition to adjustments and exercises. At Wellness Choice Center, we are one of nine other chiropractic offices in Orange County that specializes in corrective care, in which we non-surgically and structurally fix and improve the spine to treat the underlying cause of these spinal-related conditions.

But when should you consider surgical intervention?  In the medical community, there have also been advances in the treatment of these spinal conditions, but surgery is not only expensive, it is invasive and often unnecessary. Additionally, there is more and more research to suggest that there are increasing reported risk factors associated with spinal surgery.In fact, a new study just published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery(JBJS)  identified several risk factors for a variety of complications and death shortly after spine surgery among men and women across the U.S. Let’s also keep in mind that the Journal of the American Medical Association admits that roughly 140,000 people died every year from unnecessary surgeries, spinal surgery included. It is ALWAYS prudent to consider nonsurgical rehabilitation before undergoing spinal surgery. If you would like to see if chiropractic care can help you, call us for a free consultation at (949) 387-1333.

When you’re living with osteoarthritis, you know that finding ways to exercise that are tolerable is a challenge within itself. But exercise is especially important for people with arthritis because the health and mobility of your joints is directly related to how much you use and move them. There was a time when doctors recommended individuals with arthritis to rest and reduce all movements, but this is understood now to be the opposite of what you need to do to maintain your joints.

There are many different exercises you can when you have osteoarthritis. Although it’s recommended that you refrain from workouts which can overly exert your joints, such as running and jogging, or high-impact aerobics, you don’t need to avoid all cardio workouts. Cycling and swimming for example are great ways to get you moving, without adversely affecting your joints. A good rule of thumb is to avoid any workout where you have both feet off the ground at once. There are also many knee and hip exercises that are very beneficial for individuals with arthritis.

A good one to start with is a Hip Flex and Rotation:

Begin lying on floor, facing up, with arms extended to sides.  Lift extended leg until foot is 12 inches off floor. Slowly lower leg to start position. Do this about ten times per leg. This stretch will activate your core muscles as well as increase your hip joint strength. 

Another great hip stretch to do is a Hip Extension:

Begin on floor on hands and knees and position your hips above knees and make sure your shoulders are above your hands and that your spine is straight and not arched. Then extend one hip and knee behind you and hold for 3 seconds, then slowly return to the start position. Alternate legs.

A great exercise for knee joint health is a standing leg curl:

Stand up straight behind a chair, resting your hands on the top of the chair for support. Bend your knee back to your tolerance, but try to attain at least a 45 degree angle to get a really good stretch. Alternate legs. This exercise will increase the strength of your knee joints and improve your muscular endurance.

** all exercises courtesy of Web Exercises.