Spring of 2011 has come and gone, and we are already well into the summer. Of course, with the change of climate we can expect the typical allergies, colds and perhaps even indigestion of seasonal foods. The practitioners at the Advanced Wellness Center are here to help you make a healthy transition from season to season.

Remember, the state of your health is dependent on every part of you: both mind and body. A holistic approach addresses the condition of your true state of being, while treating symptons only addresses one particular outward expression. This can be the case for any health issue, regardless of the scope or severity.  

In this newsletter, we present an article regarding research, which shows that chiropractic care can be as beneficial as certain surgeries. The researchers stated, "This is the first randomized trial that directly compared chiropractic and back surgery." Besides spinal manipulation being less invasive than surgery, it was also shown that this form of treatment was dramatically less expensive, saving approximately $23,000 per patient successfully treated. 

With this documented information, we encourage you to explore the benefits that holistic medicine has demonstrated to provide. We look forward to continuing our partnership with you in health, medicine, and lifestyle management. Let us prove to you that healthier people are happier people.

By Rebecca Rebman, CTN 

Looking and feeling great starts on the inside. In order to have beautiful glowing skin, lots of energy and stamina, your cells need to be healthy. In the same way a plant needs sun, water and nutrients to grow and survive, our bodies need nutrients, water, exercise and rest to thrive. Therefore, to ensure that we have healthy cells, we need to consume the right amounts and types of nutrients in the form of vitamins and minerals.

The easiest and most effective way to meet your nutrient needs is to eat a diet made up of fresh food. That means eating food that is closest to its original source. A great example would be eggs from a chicken. There isn't any change that occurs to the food from the chicken (the source of the egg) to your plate, thereby making eggs a great source of naturally occurring vitamins, minerals and enzymes.

Unfortunately, many diets consist of manufactured foods. These foods have been so highly processed that they contain none or very little of the nutrients essential to a healthy cell. Examples are breakfast cereals, crackers, bread, chips and even tortillas. These foods are commonly referred to as "empty calories" (lots of calories with no nutrient pay off).

Look how far away from the original source something like a generic wheat bread is:

• Grow wheat (original source)
• Harvest wheat
• Transport to processing plant
• Bleach and heat to kill any bacteria
• Grind to desired consistency
• Add in color to make it look like its original source.
• Add back some nutrients lost in processing
• Mix the ingredients and bake into bread
• Bag and send to grocery store to sit on the shelf  

So wheat bread, or any bread for that matter, is in fact a highly processed low-nutrient food, and does not supply us with the energy and vitality we need to feel great.

So stick to your lean proteins, fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables. While providing your body with the essential nutrients you need to thrive, you will look and feel fabulous!