Eat Your Colors

Do you need some help planning what you are going to eat? Call AlignLife at 309-689-6200 to setup a consultation to discuss healthy eating habits.

Eat Your Colors

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One Step At A Time

Whatever you do, don't give up on your health and wellness goals because they seem to be out of reach. Focus on your next steps.

One Step At A Time

Whatever you do, don't give up on your health and wellness goals because they seem to be out of reach. Focus on your next steps.

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Recipe: Coconut Date Rolls

It's summer. It's hot and I don't like to put a whole lot of effort into snacks in the kitchen. So here's a crowd pleaser that is tremenous!!





Ingredients:

12 dates
3 tbsp hot water
shredded coconut

1) Bring water to a boil.
2) Let dates soak for 10 minutes.
3) Place in food processor and blend until smooth.
4) Roll into balls or rolls with hands and then coat in shredded coconut.
5) Refridgerate for 2 hours to let them set.

Note: you can keep them in the fridge so they stay fresh longer but they also are find at room temp but might be slightly softer.

Treat the Cause

Symptoms are not the cause of sickness, but a manifestation. By removing the symptoms, are you leaving the sickness to advance?

Treat the Cause

Symptoms are not the cause of sickness, but a manifestation. By removing the symptoms, are you leaving the sickness to advance?

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Pregnancy Update: Consuming Nuts Does Not Raise Your Child's Allergy Risk

Peanut allergies affect about 2% of the population in the United States and many of our schools are bumping up nut restrictions to help protect the children who are deathly allergic. Parents want to know what they can do to reduce their child's risk of a nut allergy and with the conflicting information out there you can be left in confusion. Women were once told by their doctor to avoid nuts in pregnancy to avoid triggering allergies while others said that avoiding nuts during pregnancy might increase your child's risk of being allergic. So who's right?

New research published in the JAMA Pediatrics found that children whose mothers ate nuts during pregnancy at least five times per month were 69% less likely to have nut allergies than the moms that rarely ate nuts. This study involved more than 8000 children born to female nurses.

According to Dr. Ruchi Gupta of Northwestern University, the results support the advice that women should not restrict their diets in pregnancy unless they are allergic to nuts. Peanuts are a good source of protein and folic acid, which can help prevent certain birth defects. "Mothers-to-be should feel free to curb their cravings with a dollop of peanut butter!", he advises.

Dr. Michael Young, a pediatrician at Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston, who led the study reports that even though allergies can be inherited, the maternal component seems to be more relevant than the father's gene's.

So what should you do?

1) Don't avoid foods during pregnancy but instead expose baby to many different flavors and tastes to broaden the palate. This may come in handy when you introduce new solid foods as well :)

2) If the family is not allergic, try some new ways to use peanut butter. Add it on apple slices or slather some in the middle of a celery stick. (Ants on a log, anyone?)

Why Should Your Doctor Treat Back Pain Differently in Women?

They say that men are from Mars and women are from Venus, so why do doctors treat their back pain Journal of Pain study release in January 2012, women reported pain levels that were 20% higher on average than men with almost every condition.

the same? Women and men visit the doctor at approximately the same rate when it comes to back pain however new research suggests that women feel pain more intensely than men do. In a

In addition, women’s gait pattern differs from men’s in the fact we swing our hips while walking to add a “sashay” to our walk while men’s hips primarily move up and down. This additional hip movement in women puts a higher demand on our joints and muscles which can cause more complex pain that is harder to treat. Back pain in women is more about the delicate balance of joint motion and muscle stability during motion which, when out of balance, can cause increased pain, muscle spasms, and sciatica (pain into the buttocks or leg). To make matters even more complex, women’s fluctuating hormone levels can also cause joint laxity and increased swelling in joints that aren’t moving properly.

At AlignLife, we customize our treatments to target your specific problem and we pride ourselves on educating you so that you can set health goals and partner with us to meet those goals. I am always excited to see the results of our integrative treatment and love when patients are able to return to an activity they have been missing. My goal is always to reduce your pain and get your body stable so you don’t have the same condition occurring over and over again.

When you have back pain, it can interfere not only with your work and recreational activities but it can affect your relationship with your kids and your husband as well. I’ve seen many women in my office who suffer with pain at work and then come home with such exhaustion from dealing with the chronic pain that they can’t play with their kids or even hold a conversation with their husband. This is no way to live!

I had a patient who was a mother of two and a stay at home mom who had such severe back pain she wasn’t able to pick up her 18 month old daughter or play with her 6 year old son. Her health goal was to not only get rid of her back pain but to play in the backyard with her kids. With a treatment combination of chiropractic care for pain relief, home exercises to strengthen muscles, and nutrition enhancement to improve healing, we were able to get her pain free in 2 weeks and playing soccer with her son in just 6 weeks!

If you’re suffering from back pain, even if it comes and goes, or dealing with pelvic floor issues such as pain during intercourse, incontinence, or even organ prolapse, then you need to call AlignLife to setup a consultation to find out what you can start doing today to get your body back in order.

Resources:
1) Smith et al. "Gender Differences in Pelvic Motions and Center of Mass Displacement During Walking: sterotypes quantified." Journal of Women's Health Gender Based Medicine. June 2002 11(5):453-8
2) Hunt et al. "Do Women Consult more than men? A review of gender and consultation for back pain and headache." Journal of Health Services Res & Policy. April 2011 16 (2): 108-117
3) Maserejian et al. "Disparities in physicians interpretations of heart disease symptoms by patient gender: results of a video vignette factorial experiment." Journal of Women's Health Oct 2009 18(10): 1661-7

Andrea Schnowske, D.C. is a local chiropractor at AlignLife that specializes in family wellness with a specific interest in women. AlignLife is a chiropractic and natural health center that has been serving the community since 2007 and has locations in seven states. They are located at the corner of Glen Ave and Sheridan Rd in Peoria IL and are open six days a week including Saturdays. 

Plastic is Poisoning Your Kids

There have been whispers about the harms of plastic and BPA for children for years but a recent study published in Pediatrics journal shows the direct harm to children specifically. Many families have already switched to bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalate free products and are avoiding plastic wraps like the plague but you need to take more steps than just that! Read on to learn how to protect your family and reduce your risk for many health problems they create.

BPA and phthalates such as Di-2-ethylphthalate (DEHP) are chemicals used in most plastics products and can also be found at high levels in processed foods. They are responsible for that "plastic-like" smell of new car, new carpet, new toys, new bottle, and even new pacifiers. Many of the plastic wraps or tupperware containers that you place on your food can also pass these chemicals on. These chemicals are endocrine disrupting chemicals that can alter your hormones and even be stored inside the body to cause long lasting toxic effects. It is very important to reduce your family's exposure so that these chemicals don't permanently alter hormone levels or effect development for children.

The study I mentioned above in Pediatrics has linked phthalates to insulin resistance which is a sugar balance disorder that causes blood sugar to be unstable. This can cause issues with mood, hormones, and can also lead to diabetes and heart problems in ALL family members, not just kids. The study also found a link between BPA and obesity where body fat and waistlines were larger in children with higher BPA exposure levels.

So how can you protect your family?

1.  Don't heat your food while it is in plastic containers or covered with plastic wrap. Switch it over to a microwave safe plate or use a paper towel to protect from spatter.

2.  Switch to glass tupperware or look for containers that are labeled BPA and melamine-free.

3. Pack your lunch and your childrens in a traditional paper bag or stainless steel lunch box. Make sure you also look for those reusable BPA-free sandwich and snack wrappers.

4. Avoid buying highly processed foods as they will increase your family's exposure. Try to encourage the whole family to eat fresh foods that grow from the ground as a snack instead of those chips and candy.

5. Check your children's pacifiers and toys for warnings (most toys are required to be labeled with a phthalate warning in California) about phthalate exposure especially if they are toys for children under 3 who are more likely to put them in their mouth. I also recommend airing out and washing plastic toys after they've been removed from their plastic so you can decrease the amount of phthalates that will pass onto your kids. (You can also avoid plastic toys all together by switching to great wooden products from companies such as Melissa & Doug. These are a favorite at my house.)

Resource:
Trasande et al. "Urinary Phthalates and Increased Insulin Resistance in Adolescents" Pediatrics. August 19 2013